My job at the Trust has stopped me doing much fishing of any sort over the past three years
What?! You're head of the ANGLING trust and you've hardly been fishing for three years? Surely that's like being a builder who admits cheerfully "No, haven't even clapped eyes on any cement for the last three years." You wouldn't have much confidence.
I realise there must be lots of important meetings, power lunches and evening receptions to attend, but surely there must have been the odd five minutes when you could have found time to drop a line in?
A lot of anglers go to huge lengths to be able to have a bit of free time for fishing. Perhaps going more regularly would help you to keep in touch with the grass roots, so to speak.
Still, on the positive side, I'm glad that at least you go fishing sometimes and that's a cracking pike!