Friends Gallery


	Friends Gallery Some of my angling pals... for anyone I've missed, please let me know!!! Dave Edwards Dave with the old Longwood biggie My good mate Dave has fished the canal since he was a young lad, & in much the same circumstances as myself – catching Bream, Tench & some monster Roach. He was one of the original anglers (if not ‘the’ original) to pioneer carp fishing on the Wyley & Essington canal in the West Midlands. Back then it was all about using ledger rods, big floats, 8lb line & sweetcorn or cheese as bait. Dave was my biggest influence during my carp fishing ‘apprenticeship’, & most of what I learned can be attributed to him. Dave is a devout family man, & as such does not spend much time pursuing the fish in the canal these days, but in all fairness… he’s probably caught them all many times before! Royston Butwell A gorgeous 29lb ghostie from Great Linford I first met Royst at my secondary school, where I discovered that he was fishing the local canal circuit for carp. I hadn’t started carp fishing at that point, but I was preparing to have a go. Whenever I discovered that he was fishing, I would endeavour to pay him a visit, & see how it was done. During this time I met his mates that were also fishing for carp – namely Dave Edwards, Dave Williams & Les Bowd. As we all moved on to other things in later years, Royst continued to fish for carp & after a chance meeting with Dave Edwards, I managed to get back in touch with him. He has spent the last few years targeting the residents of the Great Linford complex in Milton Keynes, with some excellent results. A self confessed ‘tackle tart’, Royst has also designed & had manufactured his very own angling products. He also runs his own carp angling website - the very popular www.blackcountrycarpers.co.uk, home of the BCC forum. Lee Evans 'Sid' from the canal @ 20lb+ ‘Evo’ was first introduced to me by Dave Edwards, who explained to me that he was a really talented carp angler with an eye for detail. He, like Dave Edwards & myself went on to catch both of the canal biggies (the ‘leather’ & ‘sid’ both at 20lb+). He progressed to fish venues such as Hawkstone, Little Aston, Blackroot & Salford park with Wayne Dunn & learned much of his trade from him. I guess Lee’s most enviable trait was that he could conjure up a fish whilst everyone else was blanking! It has now been many years since I’ve seen him as he moved to Newquay to set up a successful surfing business. Dave Williams Dave with a 24lb+ Hawk Lake mirror Affectionately nicknamed ‘Gypo’, Dave Williams was one of the first guys fishing the canal circuit to move carp fishing forward from floats & sweetcorn to big leads & boilies. He was a forward thinking angler, having already had a successful match fishing background & was a great source of information on all things new. During the period (late eighties), carp fishing was undergoing a mini revolution & Dave was quick to catch on. Whilst most of us were using glass rods & Mitchell 300’s, he was using carbon rods & the first generation of baitrunner reels. His passion for catching big fish did not rest at just targeting carp - he’s caught magnificent Perch, Roach, Crucian carp, Barbel, Chub & Pike. Noticeably, he was a ‘Drennan weekly cup winner’ (Angling Times publication) some years ago with a huge Zander, & he’s had Nile Perch to 100lb+ from lake Nasser, Egypt. A keen traveller & outdoor person, Dave now spends his free time travelling the world & is a qualified outdoor activity instructor. Wayne Dunn Humpy the old Pool Hall common @ 34lb I cannot honestly remember the first time I met Wayne, although I can still remember the day when I was looking for carp down ‘the arm’ at Brownhills on the canal as a young lad when I stopped to ‘pass water’. I nearly jumped out of my skin when I heard a voice from within the trees on the opposite side of the arm saying: “put it away!” There was Wayne, typically dressed in olive green & hidden away watching a group of carp under a tree! A man not overwhelmed by his success, but still completely approachable. Originally, not many people knew of Waynes early achievements in carp fishing, but he continued to build an enviable reputation as the guy who was taking lakes apart. With his list of big fish from West Midland venues, he continued to venture further afield to catch some historic fish, including one of the most sought after fish in the land – the now demised Basil from the North lake at Yateley. His fishery at Hatherton continues to go from strength to strength & has now produced its first thirty. If there are some huge fish to be caught, you can guarantee Wayne will be on to them! Preston Turley A nice 22lb mirror from Blackroot Pool My association with Preston came whilst fishing at Blackroot in 2006. It actually transpired that in fact we’d both been fishing Salford park in the mid-nineties, so I suppose our paths may have originally crossed here. Preston has made Blackroot his home water, & now fishes this lake to the exclusion of all others. He has banked many of the known residents, & is a good source of information on this difficult venue. Ben Woodhouse A stunning 29lb+ mirror I met Ben whilst fishing the canal circuit sometime around 1994. He was a very young kid, but was eager to learn & he quickly applied his knowledge to a variety of different venues. We fished Salford Park together during the summer & autumn of 1994 & subsequently moved onto the Packington winter syndicate (Molands Mere), where we both had personal best fish. Having lost touch with him for around thirteen years or so, we have recently been reacquainted. He’s had some big fish from some very difficult venues & has also been over to Europe to bag himself some foreign lumps. Ben is also a consultant & field tester for FIVE STAR BAITS. Matt Green Matt with a nice 24lb 8oz Blackroot common During my two & a half years spent on Blackroot Pool, I’ve made some good friends & I bumped into Matt for the first time in July 2008. Although he hadn’t been carp fishing for long, he was not afraid to come over for a chat & was as keen as anyone I’ve ever known to extract whatever information he could. Like me, Matt has a hugely successful match fishing background & has done his time on some tough Midlands circuit waters. Never short of conversation, he has brightened up many of my dour Blackroot sessions! Chris Naylor A big French thirty for Chris As a friend of Ben Woodhouse’s for some years, I became acquainted with Chris sometime around 2007, although we may have met before some years earlier via another mutual friend. I soon learned that he was a very competent angler & was not afraid to put in the time & effort to achieve the results he craved. Having fished in his company a few times, I find his best attribute is his ability to work hard to conjure up a bite when many would just be prepared to sit on their chosen method or tactic. With some big fish to his credit & a good grounding on some tough venues, Chris is a certainly a ‘thinking angler’. Last updated: 30th April 2010

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