fished with or met any top anglers

[rooney888]

my post is probenbly not much to do with the topic but i was wandering how many of us out there have had the pleasure of fishing with top any top anglers from around the world or have met any whilst down on the banks.

 

just wandering as this i went fishing with me moms boyfriend and mate and noticed he had a team ireland top. and asked me moms boyfriend and he said he fished in world championships in italy. and also fished in the club world championships.

 

i asked him(mike) about it and he said the best time was when he beat the owner of milo twice in two days. he said when he fished next to him on the second day he was setting up his stuff but the owner of milos tackle was being set up by 6 blokes, ready so he could just plumb the depth and wait. and whilst he was fishing the owner of milo had ldozens of people behind him but he said the best thing was at the end when he weiged in and beat the milo owner. and at the end after the milo owner left his peg and went off the 6 blokes came back and packed all the his tackle away into a van.

 

also me moms boyfriends uncle lives 4 doors away from matt hayes. we went round to his unlce and saw matt hayes plodding down off to the severn just around the corner. matts even dug out his own peg, we went down to see it a few days later as we knew he was probebly on it on that day, we got there and couldnt see it as matt way filming. havent seen it aired yet hope to in future to see what methods and baits to use.

[Newt]

I was lucky enough to fish with Steve Burke, Den Darkin, Leon Roskilly, and Vagabond along with some others. I'm not sure it gets any better than that.

[jason.p]

We fish at Ian Heaps' place at Holgan Farm in West Wales fairly regularly. He is always around, and usually fishing himself. He's very keen to help, and obviously still loves his fishing. A really nice guy

The only other name that comes to mind is Ray Mumford who we used to watch bleak snatching on the Thames many years ago.

[hermes]

Oh dear you got me on a topic that I can start bragging about guys, sorry if I go on but yes I do have some previous history of meeting many great anglers.

 

I was lucky enough to be part of the American World Champ team (yeh we came no where but it's the taking part, and getting to meet superstars.....) for what seemed like decades but in reality was about six years I guess, it was headed up by the famous Mick Thill also nicknamed Captain America in the angling press of the time, a fantastic guy, great character, angler, tutor and diplomat for the sport.

 

We skipped across Europe fishing in France, Ireland, Germany, Belgium, Holland, Switzerland, Portugal and my personal favourite Italy on many occasions.

 

The Italians were so very welcoming and made us feel at home, they opened up their whole way of life to us and treated us all like family. It was there in particular that I was lucky enough to meet Milo Columbo, a charming world class angler and a true gentleman of the sport. Milo was followed by what seemed to be his personal angling management team who tended to his every need making sure everything was just in the right place at the right time, and everything laid out in typical Italian style.

 

The great Trabucco, a walking talking legend and held in as high an esteem as Milo, a larger than life character in more ways then one, he has a permanent friendly grim on his face, a really warm cuddlly kinds of guy.

 

We were invited to many Italian tackle shops in Florence the like of which I still have never seen today, as you can imagine they are a very stylish affair and each one a true big boys toy shop!

 

As is this wasn't enough numerous chats and social events with the complete slick Elite Italian angling team, the best of which has to be on the bank with them, just to be there watching was enough to fill a lifetimes ambition but to actually be accepted by them as a friend was a true honour.

 

I was involved in three matches in Florence, one World Championship, one World Clubs Champ and one World Junior Championship back in the late 1980's. I can't remember where we came on any of the events (I do have the records!) but a fantastic time that I'll never forget.

 

To watch an angler flick out a tiny pole float on the end of a telescopic sixteen meter pole making it look like childs play then the Italians are the true Gods of the sport.

 

A really nice part of the whole World Championship scene was to exchange small gifts with each other, this was normally in the token of the other teams home country fishing badges or club badges, I have loads of these from all over the world, I love them all. Sometimes larger swaps took place and I remember swapping something (can’t remember what now lol) for a nice fold up groundbait bowl from one of the Italian anglers!

 

I also bought a gorgeous hand made cane two meter whip by Milo’s own personal rod maker, a simple very sexy cane pole in three sections that is a work of art and a true one off and best of all it has a small hand written Milo badge to it, I will post a picture here if you guys are interested.

The Italians liked short can pole for speed fishing for Bleak, finding the soft cane very forgiving when Bleak were there prey.

 

 

A sort break and I’m off again, sorry to bore those that aren’t interested!

 

I met Bob Nudd for the first time just before my first venture with my American mates, he was fishing a 5.3 meter whip fishing Hemp & Casters on Ardleigh Reservoir and I just happened to be there with a mate, needless to say I spent nearly all day chatting and watching him at what he does best. Funnily after that date I saw him all over Europe and kind of got to know him quite well. A giant of a man, softly spoken yet as we all know a world class angler and true gent.

 

Someone mentioned the great Ray Mumford, a lovely guy who I think was one of the greatest exponents of pole angling in this country. He had ideas way ahead of his time and I don’t really think he has ever been properly recognised for it. He too used to follow the World Champ road show about and I think was something to do with the Welsh team as far as I can remember.

 

I guess I have the fondest memories for the Italians for their hospitality and have always admired their pole skills the like of which I still don’t think can be matched to this day.

 

I could go on and on all night about the great anglers I have seen and met but I don’t want to bore you any more.

 

I do however have literally thousands of photos I have taken at these matches that I have just started to dig out again after all these years. I have uploaded a few pics to a Zenfolio account if you would like to see them you are very welcome but nowhere near ready yet. I will have to get scanning loads more negs yet and keep you updated.

 

Here's a rare pic of Ray Mumford....

 

/http://paulelliott.zenfolio.com/

/http://paulelliott.zenfolio.com/p280763968/

/http://paulelliott.zenfolio.com/p93580695/

/http://paulelliott.zenfolio.com/p379337965/

/http://paulelliott.zenfolio.com/p56184553/

/http://paulelliott.zenfolio.com/p179584914/

[rooney888]

The Italians were so very welcoming and made us feel at home, they opened up their whole way of life to us and treated us all like family. It was there in particular that I was lucky enough to meet Milo Columbo, a charming world class angler and a true gentleman of the sport. Milo was followed by what seemed to be his personal angling management team who tended to his every need making sure everything was just in the right place at the right time, and everything laid out in typical Italian style.

 

see you saw milo's army then. id love to go fishing and have someone set all me tackle up and pack it away at the end its the only parts of fishing i dont like.

hopefully some day in the future there sell some milo robots dedicate for the job

[hermes]

Yes mate, a sort of mix of what seemed like employees but at the same time almost family members too

They were always so clean looking, making up groundbait and handling maggots never seemed so clinical to me!

The pole rigs well, the pole rigs went on for ever.....

I will post some Milo pics as and when I dig them back up if you want.

[merlino bill]

OI OI,

Well i found your piece verry good & as for more pictures yes please, i was wondering why you dont make a blog & put them up for everyone to see i know i would be interested in this & i find it anythink but boring do post photo's let see more of them hermes.

 

[hermes]

I will start one Bill but at the mo don't really have that many pics to fill it...yet

[big al]

i once fished in Ireland against the great barnsley blacks team .we fished a lake i knew really well and whilst the lobbed feeders to the middle i fished short and bagged up with tench .at he end of the day i stuffed them and took the money .the next day we went to a river and i got a lesson in waggler fishing .fantastic to watch craftsmen at work .i sat and enjoyed in the end and handed back some of the money i won .

 

we also sat and watch bob nudd on a lake fishing the pole ,a true gent who kept a commentary going whilst we watched .cheers big AL

[Team Man]

Can't claim to have fished with him, but in the late 60's I was managing a service station in Aylesbury and one of my customers was Fred Taylor the fishing journalist (some of the older members will remember him) he lived just around the corner from the Garage.