Who do you most learn from?

[Steve Burke]

 

 

Unfortunately, I had no one to teach me how to fish and so I've had to teach myself, either on the bank or by reading what others wrote.

 

I've not done nearly as much fishing as I'd like in the last few years due to running Wingham. However I have had time to catch up with my reading. I suddenly realised that my one time favourite writers who taught me so much are no longer with us. Of course, a lot of what they wrote is still relevant. But fishing, as with everything, moves on.

 

I now learn more from the modern writers, and if I had to choose just one I think it would be Tony Miles. Tony's a little older than me, but we're both allrounders and we each seem to have the same approach to our fishing. However Tony loves barbel fishing, whilst I love piking. Plus Tony isn't into lure fishing, but I am.

 

The other main difference is Tony is a better angler than me, and so I can learn from him. Indeed, I've done so since I first read articles of his on chub fishing in the 70s, in I believe "Angling" magazine. (Anyone remember it?

 

Who inspires you and why?

[Tigger]

My dad taught me the basics and after that i've just developed my own fishing habits. I think people can give you tips and tell you what do etc but at the end of the day you've gott'a teach yourself. I'm not a book worm and learn very little from them preferring to get out and find things out for myself.

[philocalist]

First and foremost would be (was) my father, who to this day is still the only person who ever gave me 'live'; advice, bankside.

After that - Steve - your post could have been written by me - Tony Miles for all of the same reasons, and with the exact same comments re pike and lure fishing!

 

Everything he writes is extremely easy to read. FWIW, if you appreciate his stuff, he's recently released a lot of the older stuff on Kindle etc, and is in the process of running reprints on some of the older books that are either now impossible to get hold of, or expensive if you manage to locate a decent copy!

Edited February 14, 2015 by philocalist

[Chris Plumb]

My father light the fire - but sadly died when I was 6 (he was just 28) but he'd been taking me fishing at least since the age of 4!. I inherited his copy of Mr Crabtree - which I still have (2nd Imp 1952). And that was pretty much my bible for the next decade!

 

C.

[BobH]

There was know one in my family that I could ask for help, it was a friends Dad who took us both fishing to Connaught Waters when I was about 9 years old, but he was hardly an angler.

 

I went on to meet a group of lads fishing the Warren Pond who taught me to fish and much, much more ?

 

The elders of this group had served National Service and were some 10 years older that my friend and I, we learnt not only how to fish by the seasons but also how to make up Split Cane fishing rods, landing nets, bite alarms and sliding floats.

 

They fished by the seasons, Carp and Tench in the Summer, Chub and Barbel in the Autumn, + Roach and Perch at the King George and Pike in the winter, a lesson learned that has lasted me a lifetime.

 

My thanks go to Roy Child, Ray Taylor and Lenny Savage, my tutors and to the friends who helped to mould the way I fish today, a bit of everything !!

 

As for writers, Richard Walker was my first inspiration, followed by the Fred J Taylor and Peter Stone, later Tony Miles, Barry Rickards, Eddie Turner and John Bailey and for inspirational writing you cannot look any further than Chris Yates.

 

I was lucky to have such a wealth of wonderful anglers to learn from in my lifetime and I hope I have passed on some that help to my Grandchildren and friends.

 

Bob

 

 

 

 

[Phone]

All,

 

Fishing (freshwater) was a family affair on my mother's side. I'm not sure who to credit as credit would be the wrong word. We had to fish - no if's and's or but's. Uncles mostly as my father died young.

 

Phone

 

Ohh, and I was a "bothersome" child who was "run off" by any number of anglers. Question after question after question - can you show me? - Why? does that work? - was my technique

[wotnobivvy]

I had no mentor, as my dad died early, and never went fishing. My mother bought me my first kit, and I used the "How to catch them" series of books to find out about species and knots etc. I bought the angling times and got information from the greats who wrote for them in the 50's. Later in life I bought the modern experts, Yates et al.

[Steve Burke]

First and foremost would be (was) my father, who to this day is still the only person who ever gave me 'live'; advice, bankside.

After that - Steve - your post could have been written by me - Tony Miles for all of the same reasons, and with the exact same comments re pike and lure fishing!

 

Everything he writes is extremely easy to read. FWIW, if you appreciate his stuff, he's recently released a lot of the older stuff on Kindle etc, and is in the process of running reprints on some of the older books that are either now impossible to get hold of, or expensive if you manage to locate a decent copy!

I agree that he's extremely easy to read. Tony isn't afraid to do things differently either, but always explains why.

 

I don't have any plans to buy a Kindle, but have bought almost every book that Tony has ever written, including a signed copy of "My Way with Chub". He's just published 6 small books dealing with a single species (tench, bream, carp, perch, chub and barbel) that bring his ideas up to date.

[Steve Burke]

As for writers, Richard Walker was my first inspiration, followed by the Fred J Taylor and Peter Stone, later Tony Miles, Barry Rickards, Eddie Turner and John Bailey and for inspirational writing you cannot look any further than Chris Yates.

All these are favourite authors of mine.

 

Every angler wanting to catch big fish, and not just from stillwaters either, should read "Still-Water Angling" by Richard Walker. The introduction alone is worth the modest secondhand price! It was written over 60 years ago and is still valid today. I'd recommended the 4th edition that was published in 1975 that was revised and enlarged, including a chapter on zander by Barrie Rickards.

[Anderoo]

My dad got me started, but he wasn't an angler and as soon as I was off on my own he left me to it. I am extremely grateful to him for lighting the fire though.

 

After that it was mainly magazines. Coarse Angling Today was a really key publication for me, its writers gave me a superb grounding in all round fishing. At the same time time, John Wilson on Go Fishing was a massive influence in my formative years.

 

Later on I took what I had learned and did my own thing for a while, my main influences then being friends. Most recently a significant period was after moving from London to Oxfordshire, which meant making new friends and exploring the superb river fishing, and also being part of the wingham specimen group. The latter meant I met and fished with some really amazing anglers, and I learned loads from them.