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The greatest angler of all time!

leg0

By leg0
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leg0 Gongoozler

leg0

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The Canal & River Trust are on a quest to find the greatest angler of all time – well, the greatest angler of all time who learned to fish on a canal.

Yes, this subject is always a personal opinion one.

Now in to week 5 its a fascinating read in to angling history.

Please see the following link. I love the old Pathe news films too.

https://canalrivertrust.org.uk/news-and-views/features/the-greatest-angler-of-all-time

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Athy Veteran II

AthyDonate to Canal World

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How will they be assessed? On results, i.e. the tonnage of fish which they haul in, unhook, gawp at and throw back into the cut before repeating the process? Or will other attributes such as rib-tickling sense of humour, sunny personality and a welcoming, helpful attitude to other canal users be taken into consideration?

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Ricco1 Rising Star

Ricco1

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The previous 2 posters obviously aren't fans of angling. That's fine, you're free to follow your own personal interests, which more than likely would be a big yawn to me. Personally though, even though I might not share your interests, I wouldn't waste my time critisising them.

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mark99 Veteran II

mark99

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Forgeting canals for the moment, it has to be Richard Walker. He dragged angling out of the dark ages; applied logic, science and knowledge of fish behaviours and started the modern era. He was responsible for most of the major tackle advances too as well as having his record carp plonked into London Zoo. Writer for over 30 years in the AT (weekly) and author of several outstanding books.

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mark99 Veteran II

mark99

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Bernard Venables - writer of "Mr Crabtree Goes Fishing".

 

When I was a schoolboy I had a Saturday job for him.

 

Dave

 

I would suggest not a great angler but a very, very good artist and great writer and responsible for popularising angling with his fantastic strips. He had a very interesting life and lived well into his 90's. Did he not catch a huge great white too off the Azores?.

 

Mr Crabree started off as a weekly Daily Mirror Gardener strip - in winter they run out of things to write about so Mr Crabtree took Peter his son fishing. It started from there.

 

I've still got some of his books. "Strike Peter!"

 

Tell us more about your experience with him please.

Actually if we divert from "greatest" which is daft anyway to most influential, BV is up there as well as ........ Jack Hargreaves.

I notice your sig by Ransome - he was a very excellent angling writer too. Have you read "Rod and Line" by AR? it's a classic.

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DaveC Proficient

DaveC

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Mr Crabree started off as a weekly Daily Mirror Gardener strip - in winter they run out of things to write about so Mr Crabtree took Peter his son fishing. It started from there.

 

I've still got some of his books. "Strike Peter!"

 

Tell us more about your experience with him please.

Actually if we divert from "greatest" which is daft anyway to most influential, BV is up there as well as ........ Jack Hargreaves.

I notice your sig by Ransome - he was a very excellent angling writer too. Have you read "Rod and Line" by AR? it's a classic.

 

 

I didn't work for BV for long - my mother used to do housework for him in the village of Ham near the Wiltshire / Berkshire boarder. I had to wait until I was 12 before I could work for him and my Dad's job took us away from the village shortly after that. Before we moved BV did autograph my copy of "Mr Crabtree Goes Fishing" but I think that has got lost over the years, more's the pity!

 

I've not read "Rod and Line" by AR but I do have the complete set of the "Swallows and Amazons" series of books, sadly in paperback version. Somewhere I have an original hardback of S & A and another copy that was free with, I think, the Daily Mail some years ago.

 

Jack Hargreaves, well I can remember the "Out of Town" programmes on the (black and white) TV in the 1960s and somewhere I have a DVD set of those programmes.

 

What memories!

 

Dave

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mark99 Veteran II

mark99

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I didn't work for BV for long - my mother used to do housework for him in the village of Ham near the Wiltshire / Berkshire boarder. I had to wait until I was 12 before I could work for him and my Dad's job took us away from the village shortly after that. Before we moved BV did autograph my copy of "Mr Crabtree Goes Fishing" but I think that has got lost over the years, more's the pity!

 

I've not read "Rod and Line" by AR but I do have the complete set of the "Swallows and Amazons" series of books, sadly in paperback version. Somewhere I have an original hardback of S & A and another copy that was free with, I think, the Daily Mail some years ago.

 

Jack Hargreaves, well I can remember the "Out of Town" programmes on the (black and white) TV in the 1960s and somewhere I have a DVD set of those programmes.

 

What memories!

 

Dave

 

 

Dave,

 

 

Rod and Line is a distillation of 50 of his best columns (he used to write an angling column in a newpaper).

 

Each one is a jewel of english writing. Beautifuly done. I keep going back and back to this book, I never get bored of it. Essence of England.

 

Link to M Hordern reading a bit of Rod and Line.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g3scgjR6qCo

 

 

Original theme tune for Out of Town.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q9um3r4hpGQ

Edited by mark99
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Ricco1 Rising Star

Ricco1

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He's not renowned for the canals but of the 'known' anglers I'd go for Jeremy Wade. His shows are fascinating and his passion for the sport really shines through. Having had to suffer the arrogance of John Wilson, the child-like Matt Hayes and the egotistical 'I'm a hero' offers from Robson Green, I can once again look forward to watching an angling show.

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Athy Veteran II

AthyDonate to Canal World

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I devoured (not literally) all the Ransome novels from Swallows & Amazons to Great Northern when I was 10 or 11. I didn't know that he wrote on fishing too.

 

I'm not sure that he would have got away with naming a character in a children's book "Titty" nowadays.

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mark99 Veteran II

mark99

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Not canal related, but Terry Thomas (of ATV fame) ?

What a 'character' all trout were 'breakfast sized..!

Terry Thomas - his house came up for sale a while ago - had a three acre lake in the grounds iirc. Somewhere in the Midlands.

I devoured (not literally) all the Ransome novels from Swallows & Amazons to Great Northern when I was 10 or 11. I didn't know that he wrote on fishing too.

 

I'm not sure that he would have got away with naming a character in a children's book "Titty" nowadays.

 

Great writer.

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