Fishing The Fly Scotland Forum

wildfisher

Re: British Angling Legends?
« Reply #15 on: 03/09/2007 at 07:07 »
It's all in the eye of the beholder. Personally I find Mr Proctor's articles as dull as ditch water and really do wonder what the motivation behind many of them is. I seldom bother doing much more than skim reading them now.  Same with Jon Beer. It's completely subjective.

Sandy Nelson

Re: British Angling Legends?
« Reply #16 on: 03/09/2007 at 19:16 »
I've given this much thought over the last few days, while painting rooms and demolishing old sheds :roll and its actually quite subjective depending on your aspect to the sport.
I agree with much of what Rob, Hamish and David have said.
My problem with coming up with nominees was, do books and articles denote a Legend or is it the things they do regarding catching fish. If the latter is the case most Legends are anonymous. If its their contribution to angling as a whole then their articles, books , etc have to be included in the criteria, as these are devisive issues which make their impact on the sport all the more important. However they need to be original and influential in their information as well as articulate.Also if we include media as parrt of the criteria then we have to consider TV all of a sudden John Wilson becomes a candidate.
 The other important thing to think about is what they give to the sport, this, i have been thinking about is the "Hero" element, people like Peter (rabbit man) who give up their time to teach the kids and encourage the next generation are the Hero element, most of whom are anonymous outwith their own circles except for the likes of  Mr Jardine and Mr Sandison to name the first two that spring to mind.

My British angling legend for impact to all aspects of the sport and the most influential angler of the "modern age" has to be Dick Walker.
Although if flyfishing were the only angle we were looking at then i would plump for GEM Skues , he went against convention and was proved right plus some of his views on stocking policies have turned out to be bang on many years after his demise.

The legend of the future either has to Charles Jardine for his work, articles and input to the modern era, or John Wilson for getting Angling "out there" with a smile and a laugh :z4

A scottish legend is tough, WC stewart is the most publicised but he was a fishmonger who caught to sell, Bruce Sandison has to be a contender but i think a Legend unless a living legend (pretentious title :z6) has to be departed, so i would er toward Hugh Falkus (but was he a jock ???) i dont think he was, in which case he could join list a :wink otherwise it has to be James Wright :wink

A future Scottish legend will have to be Bruce Sandison or Ally Gowans perhaps even Mr Liddle if he keeps writing and catching fish till he gets a bit on the old side :z7.

I guess i dont make anything any easier :z4

Sandy

Mike Barrio

Re: British Angling Legends?
« Reply #17 on: 03/09/2007 at 19:50 »
Hi Sandy

Yes, agree with what you say  :cool: but have you nominated anybody for a category?  :z7

You know me .......... if you don't make your nomination gin clear and in black & white, it will go straight over my head "whoosh" and I'll miss it  :z4

"Hero Element" interesting ......... I can think of a few candidates which could turn in to another very interesting local category/poll ........ but I think they might find it a tad embarrasing??? :oops

Best wishes
Mike Barrio

wildfisher

Re: British Angling Legends?
« Reply #18 on: 03/09/2007 at 20:50 »
I am a bit reluctant to assign the “status” of legend at all, but Sandy's choice of Skues is the best yet,  then Walker and  perhaps Stewart might qualify. Sandison's work has done more to promote and make Scottish angling accessible than any other writer of recent years. Perhaps a future legend – remember too that Bruce is more than just an angling writer.

Legends  in any field are  dead and have had  some profound effect – like  changing  the way people think about things or do things. To call them legends while living might  suggest they have nothing more to offer.

Some of the others mentioned above are good authors or just  “celebrities”. Celebrities may or may not become legends within the fullness of time, most will not because "celebrity"  is an ephemeral thing. Many of the fishing magazine  celebrities from the 1960s and 70s are already pretty much forgotten.

Just my take on it, many will no doubt disagree!  :grin

Mike Barrio

Re: British Angling Legends?
« Reply #19 on: 03/09/2007 at 21:17 »
Hadn't really thought of the technical meaning of "legend" ......... my mistake possibly  :roll

Would it be easier if we perhaps changed "legend" for "hero" or "guru" folks?  :z8

Would "The Stars of British Angling" be better?  :wink

At the end of the day ..... What do you call somebody that you look up to and wish to thank for influencing the enjoyment that you get from your sport?

Best wishes
Mike Barrio

Re: British Angling Legends?
« Reply #20 on: 04/09/2007 at 07:38 »
It's all in the eye of the beholder. Personally I find Mr Proctor's articles as dull as ditch water and really do wonder what the motivation behind many of them is. I seldom bother doing much more than skim reading them now.  Same with Jon Beer. It's completely subjective.


  Thats a fairly sweeping statement.  You're probably an "expert", but to the average angler reading his articles they open up a whole new World of flyfishing. You might even improve your catch rate/quality on the Don, if you tried the reading , not skimming bit!! He is with no doubt the best river fisher in Britain.... allround skills, watercraft, fish-spotting, fly development, understanding of nature and quality fish catching ability. (John Tyzack a very very close second).  

wildfisher

Re: British Angling Legends?
« Reply #21 on: 04/09/2007 at 10:20 »

  Thats a fairly sweeping statement.  You're probably an "expert", but to the average angler reading his articles they open up a whole new World of flyfishing. You might even improve your catch rate/quality on the Don, if you tried the reading , not skimming bit!! He is with no doubt the best river fisher in Britain.... allround skills, watercraft, fish-spotting, fly development, understanding of nature and quality fish catching ability. (John Tyzack a very very close second).  

It’s just an opinion actually. I am certainly no expert, I just know what I like and what I don’t. I can’t see the problem, if you enjoy them fine, if you don’t  you don’t. My own preference is for writers with a deeper and more intimate knowledge of the places they write about – a knowledge that goes beyond just fishing.  To each his own though!

Re: British Angling Legends?
« Reply #22 on: 04/09/2007 at 18:16 »
. My own preference is for writers with a deeper and more intimate knowledge of the places they write about – a knowledge that goes beyond just fishing.  To each his own though!

 Fair enough, but this thread surely is not discussing "quality of writing", but is celebrating angling expertise, and possibly genius setting them head and shoulders above the rest. I can understand people wanting to know a little more about a particular destination or area, but as far as Judith Chalmers getting my vote for "angling legend", there's going to be more chance of sharks being stocked in Haddo.

spiros

Re: British Angling Legends?
« Reply #23 on: 04/09/2007 at 19:34 »
As far as legends go i think it is easier to give an opinion if you have seen them in action rather than reading about it in a magazine or book e.g i have seen Marradona and Pele (only on tv) play so can compare them to others but i never saw Stanley mathews or Puskas play and although they were amazing by all accounts i cannot make an opinion. Articles in mags or web and such like can have arms and legs added to them to make them sound more attractive and not give the true picture.
I think a legend in this kind of sport is someone that is willing to give out a little of their knowledge (whether casting tips or which flies and how to fish them) to help others get the most out of their fishing instead of keeping it to themselves.

Paul   :z16

wildfisher

Re: British Angling Legends?
« Reply #24 on: 04/09/2007 at 20:15 »
Fair enough, but this thread surely is not discussing "quality of writing", but is celebrating angling expertise, and possibly genius setting them head and shoulders above the rest.

True, but in reality the vast majority  can only go by  writing and the like. Writing is important and magazine articles alone just won't  cut it  simply because most magazines end up in the bin or lining the budgie's cage after  a month or so and are quickly forgotten when the next  celebrity comes along. Many  magazine celebrities from the 60s and 70 have been displaced by the new generation and forgotten. The same will happen to most of the  current bunch. Writing at least one influential, widely read,   book and leaving a lasting mark must be a prerequisite.

Nowadays words  like legend,  are so overused they have become  meaningless. Legend today – gone tomorrow.

Some above have mentioned  Sandison. Let's look at what he has done. He  is the author of nine books, he has contributed to Trout & Salmon for 25 years and  was angling correspondent for The Scotsman for 20 years.

His work, on angling, Scottish history and environmental subjects, has appeared in most UK national papers, including The Sunday Times, The Telegraph, The Daily Mail, The Herald,  Private Eye, The Field and in a number of American  publications.  He had his own  5 year series - Tales of the Loch on Radio Scotland, this was also broadcast on BBC Radio 4 and on the BBC World Service. His series, The Sporting Gentleman's Gentleman and his programme;  The River of a Thousand Tears, about Strathnaver, established his reputation as a broadcaster.

Sandison has also had extensive coverage on television. He wrote and presented two series for the BBC TV Landward programme. Then there's  his work on the disaster of salmon farming. The list goes on……

As a bonus, he is also an absolute gentleman in every sense of the word.

So, legend?  Well, perhaps Bruce,  in the fullness of time and as a multi-dimensional individual will become a legend, but  it won’t  be based solely on  writing fishing magazine articles – even writing them well as he does -  or suggesting which fly patterns to use.  If legend means  anything at all  there has to be more to it than that.


Peter McCallum

Re: British Angling Legends?
« Reply #25 on: 04/09/2007 at 21:42 »
Thanks for the ego boost Sandy, your cash is in the post :z4 :z4

A scottish legend is tough, WC stewart is the most publicised but he was a fishmonger who caught to sell,

To be fair most of the fishing in Stewarts day was for the pot or for immediate consumption, wasn't it James wright who fed his family from march to november on the fish he caught??? :?

Another couple of nominations from t'other side of the border, Frank Sawyer for the work he did on weighted nymphing (amongst others including buzzers) & Ollie Kite who spread Sawyers gospel on TV.


Mike Barrio

Who Are Your British Angling "STARS" New
« Reply #26 on: 05/09/2007 at 00:23 »
Yes folks ......... this thread just wasn't working out, was it? :z8 ... So I changed it  :z2

Who Are Your British Angling "STARS"?

I would like to get back to the roots of my original thoughts and hopefully explore which of the Great British Anglers are the most popular with our forum members and have helped them to enjoy their fishing and perhaps catch more fish  :cool:

All nominations are welcome ( including local anglers ) and I don't think I'll divide it up in to categories ...... just one big poll if possible  :wink

NOMINATIONS SO FAR  :z16

John Goddard
Hugh Falkus
Arthur Cove
Richard Walker
Oliver Edwards
Frank Sawyer
Paul Procter
Peter "rabbitangler"
Bruce Sandison
W.C.Stewart
Ally Gowans
Oliver Kite
Lesley Crawford
Peter Anderson
Bob Church
Brian Leadbeater
John Wilson
Charles Jardine
GEM Skues
Chris Yates
Bob Wyatt
Bob James
Dave Mcphail
Stan Headley
Theo Pike

Would you like to nominate any more?
Best wishes
Mike Barrio

Sandy Nelson

Re: British Angling Legends?
« Reply #27 on: 05/09/2007 at 07:06 »
It was, Peter.

But he did make a very nice fly once. :z7

As for Sawyer, great call, but he got his inspiration from Skues.
I treat both as personal heroes with one continuing what the other started.
Still he has to be on the list.
I suppose it comes down to what we all think.

I have another nominee though, for writing, catching fish and generally being a great angler, Chris Yates.

Sandy

moffty

Re: British Angling Legends?
« Reply #28 on: 05/09/2007 at 18:00 »
Guys, Guys, Guys......

What has happened to the "forum"? It used to be a place to have a bit of banter, wind each other up a bit  :z13 and generally talk an awful lot about an awful little! Now it seems that it is sadly mirroring society and anything that is even remotely controversial is either removed or the subject changed!

I vote we have a vote to see who wants the old forum back, because frankly I don't see how this in its current state can be called a forum.

Moffty

P.S I hope you get to see this before it is "Moderated"

Irvine Ross

Re: British Angling Legends?
« Reply #29 on: 05/09/2007 at 19:49 »
Mike
I am glad you changed the title. My dictionary defines Legend as “ A story, or group of stories, presented as history but unlikely to be true” and who ever heard of an angler who would invent or exaggerate tales of their exploits. :z4

I agree with just about everything Sandy has said. Almost all of the well known anglers are or were writers, otherwise we would never have heard of them, and many of the real “Stars” are unknown outside their own area.

Yes Sawyer did take his inspiration from Skues, but it happens in every generation. As one famous scientist once said, “I have only reached this high because I stood on the shoulders of giants”. The good guys reach further, the dumb ones fall off.

Some of the nominees so far I have never even heard of and some I know next to nothing about. Some I have heard of by repute but I haven’t read their books so they haven’t made any direct impact on me, so my personal “Stars” are the ones who have helped me to learn and develop as an angler.

So in no particular order :

Peter (rabbitangler) who volunteered to spent a wet and stormy day at Haddo helping me and several others to raise my casting skills above the abysmal.

Oliver Edwards whose articles in FF&FT have taught me almost everything I know about trout food and a lot about fly tying and river fly fishing for trout. They have not been binned and forgotten Fred, they are still filed away so I can look things up again when I need to.

Bob Wyatt for his book Trout Hunting which made me think more about what I do than any other book on the subject and for his DHE which has caught me more wild trout than any other single pattern in my fly boxes.

Mike Barrio for running the most hospitable trout fishery in this corner of Scotland and for spending countless unpaid hours keeping this web site and forum going. And don’t you try to edit yourself out of this nomination Mike, I will know if you do. :wink

Irvine

PS Mofty, am I missing something? What on this thread has been “moderated” out? ???

 




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