IvanSanders

Crikey Brian - after of these years - it's amazing what the internet throws up! Thanks so much for remembering me. I well remember you, my other friends, and not least the late great John Sidley. What a dedicated fanatic, and fighter for the welfare of eels. In the 1980s I was a fanatical pike and eel angler, and occasionally fished in the British Pike Angling Championships, indeed I was fortunate to finish 10th one year. Incidentally using a single hook. I never used trebles. My catch rates significantly increased when I switched from treble hooks to single hooks due to always instantly striking in order to avoid gut hooking at all costs. I gave up competing after a few years due to the selfish cruelty of many competitors. A part of me died inside each time I witnessed an 'angler' struggling to unhook a fish after 10, 20, or more minutes! I was instructed by some of the then senior members of the P.A.C. to immediately stop writing pike conservation articles or face being banned from the PAC as, by innuendo, I was making their members appear cruel. So I promptly resigned. The world has in recent years become a far more selfish place, and the world of angling has not escaped unscathed. Nowadays I concentrate more on my golf (GOOGLE: sanderslongdrive) but often reflect on the many good times fishing (particularly night fishing) and my good friends whom I will always recall with the greatest repect. God bless you all, Sincerely, Ivan