CHRIS YATES AND CHRIS WILD TALK -            'A PASSION FOR ANGLING'

 

It seems that even after twenty eight years, our BBC 2 series “A Passion for Angling” lives on in many folk’s memories, so Sue and I had a dinner party with friends Chris Yates and Chris Wild recently to reminisce and reflect on some of our favourite moments. It proved to be a really enjoyable evening as we re-lived our favourite moments, so maybe you’ll find their choices interesting too. 

The legendary Chris Yates needs no introduction of course, being one of the stars of the show and my fishing pal Chris Wild was also involved in editing some of the clips for YouTube and offering assistance in many ways since. He’s a luthierist and a creator of the most magnificent classical guitars. They are true works of art and better still, sound beautiful. He’s also a dab hand with a rod but I’ve been fishing a lot longer and been able to help him catch several ‘firsts’ and PB’s which is far more rewarding than catching them myself. Being a quick learner, he often seems to out fish me now, though to be fair, that isn’t difficult! 

During our dinner together, and being a lot younger than Yates and I, he gave us a very interesting perspective on ‘Passion’, so I’ll quote his thoughts verbatim because they seem to echo those of so many other enthusiasts. 

“Thinking back to when I was 13 and the autumn of 1993 when A Passion For Angling first aired on BBC2, it was the barbel sequence at the end of Childhood Dreams that captured my imagination and frequented my dreams the most. 

It is so well etched into my memory that I can play the whole sequence back in my minds eye. I so badly wanted to walk in the footsteps of Pete and Chris, to peer into the depths of my local river and watch a shadow emerge from under the weeds and for it to materialise into the solid form of a barbel. I must have gazed into every river and stream I came across, longing for that miraculous moment when I would see one. I saw many other species but never a barbel. 

A Passion For Angling introduced me to Chris Yates, and he became a bit of a hero of mine, Bob too, but Chris also wrote books, and they became my bedtime reading, the first books I enjoyed so much that I would read them again and again. There was also that magical ‘something’ about Chris and his old tackle that also infected my early teenage mind. I knew without a split cane rod and a centrepin I had no chance of catching a barbel and so I wrote to Edward Barder, the legendary builder of classic cane rods. 

I suspect he might have twigged I was just a boy, but I did get a lovely letter back saying that I would need to acquire certain tools and glue to build a rod, and to get back in contact when I was ready. I got as far as getting the right glue, which I still have, and a certain type of knife for splitting the cane. Although the rod never happened my parents wonderfully took pity on me and one Christmas we went to a tackle shop in Christchurch where I got a centrepin. It wasn’t until I got home that I discovered it was the very same reel Bob had used in the series and that was all the confirmation I needed to know I’d made the right choice. 

It was naturally imperative that I rewatch ‘Autumn Glory’ to see him catch that fabulous barbel from under the tree, and ‘Winter Madness’ when he trotted his float down the Kennet only to have Chris poach a chub from the bottom of his swim, all the while trying to work out how he was able to get his tackle into the water without creating a birds nest of line! 

One summer maybe a couple of years after ‘A Passion for Angling’ was broadcast, a friend and I were dropped off to fish the Hampshire Avon, ‘The’ river where these wonderful barbel were known to reside, and best of all, it was where some of the magic was filmed. It was a beautiful day, and we crept along the bank peering into every likely looking swim, and then we saw them, not just one, but a number of barbel and chub, it was just as we had seen it on TV, they were effortlessly shifting in and out of the weed, not too far out from the bank and obviously very catchable. We quietly retreated, the excitement was almost uncontainable, but we knew what to do, we’d watched Chris and Bob do it enough times, and so threw in handfuls of hemp seed and lumps of luncheon meat. With that done we set up our rods and landing net, for once we might actually need it, and then went to see how enthusiastically the barbel were devouring our free offerings, but there was nothing to be seen, they’d obviously seen this ploy before and knew to make a quick exit. 

I did eventually catch my first barbel, many years later, and it was perhaps even more magical for me than watching the series for the first time as I was fishing with the filmmaker who captured all that wonderful footage and put it on our TV screens.” 

I fish with Chris a few times each month and chat to Mr Yates every week and it’s no surprise that we all consider the sequence where young Peter catches his first barbel one of the most magical, especially when the kingfisher lands on the rod in his hands. 

How he didn’t quiver with excitement and shake it off we’ll never know but we stayed silent until it flew away downriver, then whispered our incredulity that such a moment could happen while the camera was running. We were so very lucky. 

Another delightful moment was one of the first sequences we filmed, Chris’s son Alex being required to catch a fish from the little village pond. He was only three years old but is obviously a chip off the old Yates block, catching a carp to order and having the awareness to celebrate with a shout into the camera “I’ve caught a fish!” 

Alex is now a very successful personal trainer, is married and has two children, though he makes time to be a keen birder and has remarkable skill when hunting out elusive goshawks in dense forests. 

It’s perhaps surprising that not many of our favourite moments include the catching of big fish, preferring the moody and evocative moments of seasonal change. But perhaps that is why the series was such a success, enjoyed not just by anglers but the great British public too who were blown away by the beauty of the watery landscapes at their most magical times of day and the wildlife that decorates these moments. 

How can you not enjoy the floating flight of a barn owl over the water meadows in the third programme or Chris paddling out into a mist shrouded pool to fish for tench among the lilies in ‘Childhood Dreams’. 

Chris particularly likes the sunrise gudgeon match at Redmire, its’ etherial light rousing the ghosts of departed carp anglers as they spiralled into the mist, the music of Jennie Muskett enhancing the atmosphere perfectly. The early start didn’t do a lot for Bob and Chris’s wellbeing but they survived to tell the tale and to pull off the scarecrow trick that Chris had wanted to try ever since he caught his record carp. 

Kevin the Scarecrow was one of Chris’s most rewarding sequences, the idea being that by putting a figure into the shallows and baiting it for three days before concealing himself in the disguise, this would allow him to choose the biggest fish as they fed at his feet.

The plan worked and as he lowered his bait onto a browsing carp’s nose, he hardly dared breath as it truffled ever closer before snaffling the sweetcorn. All hell broke loose as the carp tore off across the shallows but sadly, after a brief but violent battle, the twenty pounder escaped.
 

 

Chris and I love the moment when he is meditating on how the hours pass at Redmire, or do they? He says “time doesn’t pass here, it collects!” 

However, our ten days filming in that magical spot passed all too quickly but we did have time to catch four twenty pound plus carp and even I had an off duty moment to catch a golden common carp on a worm dangled under the bank, so our stay was a wonderfully unforgettable week. 

Our simple mission to make a half hour fishing film was complete but we had more than enough ‘moments’ to make a complete one hour film and it had been comparatively simple because the weather was perfect every day. Even better, Bob and Chris were good at catching fish! 

We got thinking that if a film could be made so easily in ten days then there should be no problem in making a series of six. The mistake Bob and Chris made was to agree to do so because it took us more than four years to complete the job! 

The series started showing on BBC 2 in September 1993 and attracted audiences of millions and received rave reviews. So in time, Chris and Bob were able to forgive me for convincing them that creating the series was a good idea. The fact that so many folk still enjoy the films even after twenty eight years is difficult to believe but we’ll take our reward from the enjoyment of sharing our adventures with so many others.

I’ll add some more of our dinner party thoughts about some favourite ‘Passion’ moments in a future blog but first, I want to celebrate the glories of autumn in our garden as this year has proved exceptionally colourful.

We still sell copies of the series and Sue sends them out every few days, so if you want to own a copy, just look on our website for ordering instuctions and she'll get the DVD to you pronto.    www.passionforangling.info

AVON ROACH

a perfect Avon roach and probably a project offspring

Roach – a favourite fish for many and certainly for me and though they have suffered declines on many rivers, not least the iconic Hampshire Avon, they are making a comeback, even on this most famous of waterways … and you might ask why?

Bob's famous catch of two pound Avon roach in 'A Passion for Angling'

With something as complex as a riverine ecosystem there is never a  simple answer to any question. No doubt the dreaded flocks of cormorants have had a devastating effect on the roach population ; the relentless weed cutting probably had a negative impact too. Then there is the general lack of flow compared with the good old days. When first faced with this powerful rush of deep water, anglers would be daunted by the challenge, me included … but once the challenge was faced, the rewards of numerous big roach were there to be won.

In the early ‘80’s I made a film for BBC 2’s legendary series called ‘The World About Us’ on the Hampshire Avon and Longford’s river keeper Tom Williams. I looked at it recently and the thing that struck me most, apart from the numerous fish was the impressive volume of water and weed in the river. The many carriers in the water-meadows had flowing water in them too, providing invaluable nursery areas for young fish, including roach.

The carriers have fallen into disrepair now and the main stream is a sorry remnant of a once fast and lush river and if you add the increasing number of chemicals running off the fields, then it is no wonder that fish populations are suffering, especially with the loss of so much good habitat. There are no doubt many other factors that have contributed to the declines but not to be daunted by the challenges ahead, Trevor Harrop and Budgie Price decided to act instead of just whinging like most of us do. 

 stews where the one year olds are grown on - the diggers in the background are digging out the lake where the roach will grow even bigger

 finished pool slowly filling up with rain water - a future home for breeding yet more roach, paid for by fund raising gigs.

Their success in creating the Avon Roach Project and raising and releasing tens of thousands of roach into the river has received well deserved acclaim and even more importantly, anglers are beginning to catch roach in places which for many years has been unheard of.

some of the thousands of mature roach released into the Avon

Because these places are the very spots where Trev and Budgie have been releasing roach for a number of years, it’s tempting to suggest that these are indeed the fish that they have so painstakingly raised from roach eggs gathered from the river. There will always be doubters of course, those that suggest the increase in roach is just a result of natural recruitment and that all they are doing is feeding the cormorants … but whatever the reason, let’s celebrate that at least some roach are back in the Avon and that catching them is more of an expectation now than a surprise.

Trev enjoying a few hours doing what we like most of all

Only last week, Trev and I decided we’d put our skills to the test and see if we could find a true Avon roach. We tried in an area where releases had taken place, just to give ourselves a better chance of course and bingo, we caught the most perfect specimens on traditional trotted bread flake.

fin perfect Avon roach - only eight ounces but a two pounder one day maybe

With their lead being followed on several other rivers, the breeding of roach has become a successful way for roach anglers to make a difference and we can be thankful that Trev and Budgie have had the sheer bloody mindedness to rise to the challenge. As they are well aware, nature will never thrive without good habitat in which to live and these last two years or more have seen an increasing number of habitat creation projects undertaken by them with the support of the Environment Agency too and it’s thanks to their relentless hard work that they are slowly transforming a once famous river back to it’s former glory.

 backwater cleared by the Roach Project to provide juveniles with a safe haven

There are numerous examples from around the world that prove that nature, given half a chance will fight back and we should all be grateful for that and support those who are prepared to make the effort.

If you want to learn more about the project then please visit their website and blog. I made a couple of films for Trev and Budgie about the project, Keith Arthur and Tight Lines have done the same and links to these can be found in the Film Footage flag on their website : http://www.avonroachproject.co.uk/

… and to read and see more, visit their blog : http://www.avonroachproject.blogspot.co.uk/

ANGLING ON TV

the classic series of long ago, the culmination of four years filming from 1989 to 1993

We are all well aware that angling participation is falling, especially among the young and that is a concern not just for the health and well being of our freshwater environment but our youngsters too. Put simply, angling is good for us and lots of studies have proved that point time after time.

from Anglers Mail - Nov. 2015

The only age group that has increased participation is us ‘oldies’ and I suspect that is because we have more time compared to those who are driven to work all the hours god sent and are determined to make as much money as possible … but why if you have no time to enjoy it? The young have many distractions, not least that of social media … and a fear by their parents of letting them into the great outdoors doesn’t help. So you might ask, what can we do to help?

Firstly, we should applaud the recent increase in the depiction of angling on TV instead of knocking it. ‘A Passion for Angling’ was first shown on BBC2 in 1993 to critical acclaim but there has been very little on the mainstream channels since, maybe because they showed Passion five times before they felt it had run it’s course. It would be interesting to repeat it again now and see if it is as successful as it was more than twenty years ago. One memorable note from a viewer to the BBC after the first programme simply said :

“I’m not an angler,

I don’t even like angling

but I’m hooked”

the Passion Crew - Chris Yates, Bob James and a roach angler

The BBC Natural History Unit tried to ‘out-do’ Passion in the late 90’s with their series ‘Tales from the River Bank’ [and I know that to be a fact because the producer is a fisherman and friend and told me so] but sadly it slid under the radar, the most memorable sequence being Chris Yates blowing a bait-boat out of the water with a twelve bore! I’d love to see that again …

Matt Hayes and Ben Fogle - and that IS a big fish

Now we have the BBC Natural History Unit’s admirable ‘Earth’s Wildest Waters’ and I’ll pin my flag to the mast immediately by saying I’m enjoying it and so is my wife Sue … and I bet we’re not alone. Yes, I wish it wasn’t in the ‘bake off’ style [why can’t the BBC come up with some new ideas for story telling?!] … and wish it had a better balance of guys and gals [and we’ve lost one lady already] but the guests are good value and Ben Fogle and Matt Hayes are good too, though I’d like to hear more from Matt. Maybe the tackle diagrams could have been demonstrated live by Matt instead of the clunky graphics? We could have heard more from the local guides too, especially from Valgerdur Arnadottir, that beautiful fly-fishing lady from Iceland. Those big trout were gorgeous too!

The locations have been ‘interesting’ and the fishing challenging and whatever you think of the series, the BBC should be applauded for spending a lot of money on trying to show angling in an interesting way … and the shows sure are expensive, for keeping five cameramen and a back up crew out there in remote locations, along with presenters and eight competitors costs a lot of dollars. I’m glad I wasn’t paying for it all.

Caught in Time is Yates at his best

In 1991 ‘Passion’ took over four years to complete and cost £440,000+ for six one hour programmes and they are all in the UK with only two anglers and a crew of one, yours truly. I am of course aware that comparisons are being made between this new series and our long ago effort, even to the point where Anglers Mail’s Steve Collette wrote “If one more person says to me that this show is no ‘Passion for Angling’  I’ll throw them in!”

It’s very complimentary to think that so many still consider ‘Passion’ to be the series against which to judge all others but suffice to say that every programme is simply different and should be enjoyed for what it is. Television has changed a lot in twenty odd years and that could account for the fact that Passion attracted audiences of up to 6.3 million and this new series only a little over one million but just be grateful it’s on and keep watching. You never know, they might make another series and next time it might be better.

What’s more, with ITV’s more modern ‘in your face’ presentation on angling, these two series might encourage more folk to go fishing … and selling more EA licences will benefit all our freshwater wildlife, including our fish. So get out there and enjoy, even if it is raining. With the rivers rising at last, it must be barbel time …

at 13/11 it's my biggest barbel ... so far!

If you want to buy the series, ‘A Passion for Angling’ we still sell the DVD’s from our cottage in Dorset and Sue sends them out virtually every day … if she isn’t out buying shoes! … so please ensure that you get your orders into us so that we can get them in the post in time for the festivities. Please visit our website for details … http://www.passionforangling.info/

Sue busy sending out the DVD's and books

We are also offering the book of the series Martin Bowler, Bernard Cribbins and I made for Ch4 called ‘Catching the Impossible’. It’s a big book, 400+ pages and 400+ photos along with Rodger McPhail art work and it’s free … just send us £4 to cover the postage. It’s a really lovely book … but I would say that wouldn’t I! 

lots of lovely pics of fish, scenery and wildlife and many illustrations by world renowned artist Rodger McPhail

There's a DVD of the nine programme series too in sets of three, available from www.calmproductions.com 
... and this is our website : ttp://www.catchingtheimpossible.info/index.html

Some anglers have suggested that they prefer ‘Catching’ to ‘Passion’ but that’s another story and like I say, they are all different and to be enjoyed without prejudice or pointless comparisons …

full of eye-opening stories about big fish and great anglers

And if you want to read more about Martin’s life as a professional angler, then his book ‘Totally Immersed’ is a splendid read …

www.martinbowler.co.uk

… and if you’re not convinced that there is fishing just as exciting as in ‘Earth’s Wildest Waters’ if not more so  and close to home too, then read his book. What’s more, Martin has just caught a giant blue fin tuna of over 450lbs not far off the Irish coast, so I say to the BBC, have some courage and get out there. With our local ‘Big Fish’ you’ll blow the public’s imagination wide apart.

with blue sharks to over 200lbs and even bigger ones close to shore, maybe fewer people will be swimming in the sea!

CHRIS YATES ON "A PASSION FOR ANGLING"

Chris and Pete battle an Avon barbel

Chris has kindly given us his take on the series “A Passion for Angling” and the response from various folk. [Please excuse the poor quality of the images, lifted from the book of the series].                                      

                                        T W E N T Y   Y E A R S  O N

In 1993, when ‘A Passion for Angling’ was first broadcast, I never imagined that, twenty years later, I would be stopped in a London street by a group of teenagers who wanted to enthuse about the series. They’d obviously not been around for the original showing, but they’d watched the repeats on Discovery and then again, ‘loads of times,’ on video or DVD. ‘That moment,’ said one of them, ‘when you kinda morphed into the scarecrow at Redmire. And those amazing carp. And all those unbelievable waters.  Brilliant!’

this idea did fool the Redmire carp

It was a very merry meeting, yet not, I suppose, all that surprising. Over the years, I’ve found that whenever they get a chance to see the programme, this kind of reaction from today’s generation is not uncommon, though it doesn’t usually result in such enthusiastic buttonholing on a city street.

While there have, of course, also been a few adverse comments made about the project, some of which I agree with, the majority of viewers, including TV critics, have been fulsome in their praise; and it’s this wonderfully positive response, not just from anglers, young and old, but from people with no interest in fishing, that has, for me, made the whole experience of ‘Passion’ worthwhile. There were times during the actual filming when I felt that we – Hugh, Bob and I – must have been completely daft to have undertaken such an absurd task, especially when the weather turned against us and all the fish disappeared on the first day of a week’s shoot.

 one of the four 24lb carp we caught at Redmire

But then, if we were lucky – and we were quite often very lucky – Izaak came to our aid; the wind dropped, the sun smiled and a whopping fish picked up a bait. And then I’d fire up the Kelly kettle and, once again, (poor fools!) we were sure the final scene would be wrapped by teatime. It was, therefore, quite a joyous moment when, after four years, the last cast was made to Hugh’s satisfaction, the last fish was landed and we could thankfully go home. We were quite pleased with the finished, edited product, but of course we could not possibly foretell how it would be received by a wider audience.

The first programme, ‘Childhood Dreams’, was broadcast almost exactly two decades ago as I write this, and it garnered just under a million viewers, which seemed a huge number to me, but that figure rose fourfold by the final episode, putting the programme into the BBC’s top ten.  

Suddenly, all the difficulties, all the highs and lows that resulted from us trying to convey the magic of angling on camera seemed worth the graft. It wasn’t, though, just the high viewing figures that delighted us, it was also the countless appreciative letters that we began to receive then and which, two decades later, are still, amazingly, being sent. And then there are the occasions when someone on the riverbank, or even in the street, recognises one of us as a Passion participant and just has to share their enthusiasm for the series with us.

‘Which was your own favourite part of the programme?’ asked one of the youngsters I chatted to in London last May.

There were plenty of bright moments to consider, but probably the most memorable was when a twenty pound carp snatched my surface bait during our very first week of filming, at Redmire Pool, in June 1979.

‘And the worst?’  

big barbel took over from carp as Chris's passion

I’m not sure whether I suffered more having to wait endlessly for the River Spey to rise just an inch so that a salmon might show (the fish never appeared),  or when I lost a monster barbel on the Hampshire Avon (luckily, not on camera!]

There were five teenagers in the group and I asked them if they had any reservations about the series. Because they were all mad tench fishers they were sorry their favourite species only featured in one programme, but apart from that they loved everything about it.

Personally, I’ve always felt that the overall look of the series is rather too much the image of the perfect rural idyll. We should, perhaps, have included a few more days of rain and riotous weather, and encountered some of the more mundane problems, like insensitive dog walkers and canoeists, that would have made it closer to the average angler’s experience. This could have been done humorously, avoiding any note of sourness on our behalf, but though we did sometimes discuss such things when we were in the planning stage it seemed unnecessary then to include them. It has, though, delighted us that most people seemed to have appreciated A Passion of Angling just the way it is.

right time, right place - a perfect sunset on the Kennet

A PASSION FOR ANGLING - 20TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION

The 13^th September ’52 is the famous day when Richard Walker caught the 44lb record carp from Redmire Pool.

the series launch on BBC 2 changed to Sept 13th 

The 13^th September ’93 is the day when BBC 2 first showed “A Passion for Angling”.  Had Isaac arranged some ‘harmonic convergence’?

The response to ‘Passion’ exceeded everyone’s expectations, especially the BBC and my favourite comment from a viewer after the first episode reads :

“I don’t fish, I don’t even like fishing but I’m hooked”.

The opinions of the media since that first showing make heart-warming reading :

Chris on the famous dam at Redmire

“The greatest fishing series ever made … A Passion for Angling has become fishing’s modern day icon” Angling Times.

 “The films are unique, not just for the stunning photography but also for their humour” The Independent.

“hilarious – a work of pure genius – the first time the joy of fishing has been captured on film”  David Hall.

“They’re the best that’s ever been produced. There are not enough superlatives to truthfully describe ‘A Passion for Angling’. It’s that good” Improve Your Coarse Fishing.

just the three of us to create 6 x 50 min. films

Whether these opinions still hold is certainly not for us to say, though many still claim that ‘Passion’ has never been bettered, which after twenty years is pretty amazing. TV programmes traditionally have a short life so the fact that it’s still showing and still sells well as a DVD in a crowded market place is difficult to believe. We hope it will survive another decade!

our symbol - but the ospreys caught more than us in Scotland

When first shown, we had a primetime slot on Sunday evenings and the viewing figures climbed rapidly each week, with many millions watching Chris and Bob’s adventures around Britain’s waterways.  Much admired, many claim it did a lot to enhance the reputation of angling and fishermen.

So successful was it that when the film showings were complete the BBC pleaded with me to make another series. However, we felt we had said what we could about the magic of angling and I don’t regret refusing to do the same again … and neither did Chris!

The BBC subsequently showed the series of six 50min films at least five times before the Discovery Channel bought the UK rights and showed it hundreds of times, a just reward perhaps after a tough journey creating the films ... and writing the book to go with it too. [Please excuse the poor quality of the photos I've lifted from the book ; over time the originals have evaporated.]

the book was in the best seller lists for weeks

We had started shooting the series at Redmire on June 14^th 1989, [no, we didn’t cast in until the 16^th], so it had taken us the best part of four and a half years to shoot, edit, write and add all the sound tracks. This was largely because I had to keep on taking time out to do my day job making wildlife films because without it we wouldn’t have had the finance to complete each film. We had received half the production costs from the BBC, the other half I had to find myself and as the total cost was about £440,000 I had to work hard between Passion trips … [and for those who imagine we got rich on the proceeds of Passion’s success, it took me 12 years to recover my investment … don’t ask why!]

in the punt at Redmire

Folk sometimes ask me why I think it is successful and shooting it on film was one of the advantages because the quality is so good. Mind you, it also added greatly to the cost.

There is no doubt that without Bob and Chris’s determination, patience, skill, ideas and hard work the series would not have got off the ground.

dear friend Bernard Cribbins signing copies of the book

Add to that Bernard Cribbins’ delightful way of telling a story and Jennie Musket’s wonderful music and you are somewhere towards finding an answer, though just the beauty of the British countryside and it’s wildlife, along with the inherent magic of fishing means you’re onto a potential winner without even trying. The script too had its’ moments, written largely by yours truly with help from Chris, along with lots of ad libs from our intrepid anglers.

tree jump impression illustrated by Rodger

artist and friend Rodger McPhail

Some of the sequences that enthusiasts are always reminding me of are the carp catch from out of the tree at Redmire …

Bob’s autumn catch of ten huge roach on the Avon 

the famous H.Avon roach catch - ten over 2lbs!

Bob's beautiful brace

and the brace of 20lb pike in the winter film on the Kennet.

Chris and Pete watching barbel

My favourites are perhaps more subtle : the kingfisher magically landing on the rod held by young Peter when barbel fishing with Chris on the Avon ... and the camera was running when it happened too.

Pete with a chunky six pounder

Pete doing Huckleberry Fin impressions

dear Bernard with a colourful perch

Our childhood inspiration through the pages of "Mr.Crabtree Goes Fishing", author and artist Bernard Venables catching perch.

scarecrow in Redmire shallows

a gudgeon match in Redmire’s dawn mist along with the scarecrow gag and most unlikely of all from a fishing point of view …

Kim with giant salmon caught to order - impressive

lovely friend Kim on the Tweed catching a 20lb salmon to order.

eccentric nonsense

Then there was the crazy umbrellas cycled to a lake in the rain …

barn owl treat

a barn owl that nearly landed on Chris’s hat 

Bob about to lose another salmon

Bob and Chris losing salmon after salmon on a spate river in the Scottish Highlands and perhaps most memorable of them all …

Alex doing the business - he's 25 now!

Chris’s son Alex fishing in the village pond and shouting excitedly to camera “I’ve caught a fish”!

… and I adore the Richard Walker quote too, when he wrote lovingly of the magic of carp fishing dawns : “Our long vigil had begun. It continued until daybreak and after. The sun rose deep orange, it’s beams making the lake steam. Nothing moved. I was lost in a quiet world of grey and green and gold”.

the actual dawn scene for the Walker sequence

Lovely words … and when spoken eloquently by Chris Sandford, illustrated with a perfect misty sunrise over the lake of monsters and accompanied by Jennie’s evocative music, a sense of magic suddenly appears out of the screen … and having just looked at it again, it still works after all these years.

There was lots of laughter too. We wanted to mark June 16^th with a rocket so on the stroke of midnight we fired a big one up into the sky. Unfortunately it hit a branch of the tree above us, came back strait towards us and fizzed around frighteningly on the ground as we scattered into the night.

ice cold but stunningly beautiful Kennet

We would play Frisbee to relieve the tension of trying to catch, especially curving it skilfully through trees … or back and forth over the partly frozen Kennet. If you failed to clear the river, you were the one who had to wade into the icy water to retrieve it.

Boilie wars with catapults was a painful version of paint-balling ; we all had the bruises to prove it but best of all maybe was when Bob fell into a ditch on his bike. It would have been rude not to laugh, especially as I was filming him at the time.

Things went wrong as well. Bob and I had a trial run at Chew Valley Lake to see if we could catch big perch and had loads of three pounders.

Then Chris brought Bernard Venables along to shoot the sequence and non of us could even catch a cold. 

the rehearsal went well

We caught too many fish as well. When we set out in mid June 1989, [nearly 25yrs ago!] our original plan was to make just one half hour film on Redmire. However, using a whole range of techniques, Chris and Bob caught four twenty pound plus carp and along with all the other elements that make a good story, there was no way they could be edited into one half hour film. So the idea of the series of six films was born and when asked if they agreed, Bob and Chris said yes, a decision that, four years later was wearing a bit thin!

Chris with big grass snake

I’ll always treasure opinions from the likes of friend Mr.Yates himself:

“What I’m particularly proud of is that it helps non-anglers, the wives and girlfriends to understand why we have to go fishing”.

… and John Wilson : “includes everything I hold dear in fishing”.

…and someone responding to my blog recently : “A Passion for Angling is how you want your next fishing trip to be … but it never is”.

… and a last word from me …

battered camera and operator

In the twenty years since ‘Passions’ first showing, angling seems to have become increasingly obsessed with what we catch and how big it is … and maybe one of the reasons the series is a success is that it stressed this simple truth about angling …

“It’s not just about how to catch … it’s about how to enjoy”

still trying to weave some magic

… and I for one believe that we need to remind ourselves that this is the most important element in any day by the waterside, otherwise, what’s the point.

DVD still available via our website - www.passionforangling.info