Specialist Angler - the one with my first article in it

I have now reached Specialist Angler in my fishing magazine sort out and the memorable issue number 27 from Spring / Summer 1996 which includes my first fishing article, Small River, Summer Barbel. So it was with some delight that I was able to re-read my learned thoughts on this important, but sadly neglected subject.

My angling activities peaked in 1995 as 1996 was the year of the Hanson demerger and I was stuck working 15 hour days for that year, being too tired to even contemplate fishing at the weekends. Indeed 1997 and 1998 were not much better and it was not until the 1999 / 2000 season that I started to have enough time to do a few trips. My article recounts a summer barbelling on the Windrush at Ducklington, a river I haven't fished for years now, but which I am thinking about for this summer. Rumour has it that the river has been desimated by the re-introduction of otters. But I will give it a go I think.

The memorable issue for Spring / Summer 1996.

There I am in the company of Peter Stone (who I once went fishing with on the Windrush after meeting him at a Newlands AGM), Mark Vial (who died while fishing I believe), Stewart Allum (famous chub angler) . . .

What words of wisdom! And a photo of me fishing taken by daughter one Saturday morning when she was six.

Page 2, and an illustration using a 7lb barbel. Note the Seer Rod in the photo - my "specialist rover" built by Andy and Jill Orme.

And this is a good excuse for another Jill Orme picture - this time she seems be be Jill Butterworth. That is an amazing pike she's caught. My best is about half that size.

32lbs from Loch Lomond - brilliant