The good old days

[The bad one]

12ft Hollow steel float rod which was his pride and joy and was very light compared to other rods around in those days.

Keith was this hollow steel float rod an Apollo Taper Flash?

 

[Keith M]

Keith was this hollow steel float rod an Apollo Taper Flash?

It might have been, all I remember about it was that it was around 12ft long and quite light compared to the other rods I’d held in those days.

Keith

 

[Jeff Woodhouse]

Anyone remember Ray Mumford? He was a damned good angler, but never chosen to fish for England. It might have been his attitude, but I only ever witnessed it when he went on about angler who wanted the close season scrapping. The names he called them and the language, I was quite embarrassed really.
Despite all of that he made beautiful floats and he was good at catching fish, no doubt about it. Here he is -

 

[103841]

I reckon I was about 16, so about 1969 ish. Walking along the Thames at Kingston one warm and sunny evening and stumbled across a match in progress, behind one particular angler a number of people had gathered and were watching on, it was Ray catching bleak on a small whip, I’ve never seen anything like it, his speed was incredible, catching between 8 and 12 per minute I’d guess. He was impeccably dressed including a shirt and tie just like in the video. He won a good few of these midweek three hour evening matches using this method.

I found his demise both tragic and very sad.

 

[Jeff Woodhouse]

He was impeccably dressed including a shirt and tie just like in the video.

I only met him in his later years when he always fished one of our opens, but he always dressed like that, never any change.
Perhaps we should bring back standards like that, whistle, ****y, tie and above all, polished boots! You look at some matchmen these days in their 'sponsored' outfits that looked like they've been dragged across a ploughed field beforehand. They never wash them, I'm sure. Perhaps the tackle companies don't mind their 'consultants' being seen covered in sh1t.

 

[john step]

I fished in matches where Ray won hands down usually with nets of bleak. These were the days of size limits in the South.
From memory I think bleak had to be 4 inches to weigh in.

The last time I saw him he was dressed much as the video. He was with his wife scoping out the ponds on Hampstead Heath for a forthcoming match. By then he had dyed his hair dark to keep his youthful appearance but someone rather cruelly in the angling press pointed out that the obvious age of his wife gave the game away.

 

[daniel121]

Wow thanks for that, really enjoyed watching plus brought back more than a few memories. What many of the younger generations may not understand when viewing the harshness of the tackle is back then fishing was much much more popular than it is today, also more simple I believe match fishing was a much more level playing field to what it is today, by this I mean the entery level tackle to complete however many would disagree?

Only thing that makes me cringe when look at those videos is the fish care, particularly during the weigh in

 

[silvers]

I fished in the same team with Ray Mumford in the 90’s ... so very much his later years. He was still wearing the shirt, tie and tank top! Others undoubtedly found him odd, but I just found him very intense and focussed. Always very polite and a great shame the way he was lost to us.

I watched a YouTube vid recenty about the 1976 benson & hedges festival in Fermanagh. They were catching so many fish but looked so awkward and clumsy ... no economy of movement. In fact the only angler i’ve Seen on those old reels that looked the part was Ken Giles. But then Kenny has always been the epitome of stylish!

 

[TrickyD]

I watched Ray at Canbury gardens in the 70's, looking back now , you can see he was years ahead of his time.

 

[Richard Kellaway-Moore]

I was lucky enough to be part of a junior club team and loved both club matches and the interclub matches where we got to fish rivers canals and Ringwoods great gravel pits. I also remember being taken to the lovely Longleat Safari park to watch the likes of Ivan Marks bagging up at the weekly Sunday opens fished on the beautiful estate lakes which stretch out in front of the great mansion. I learned so much from those days. As for literature I remember a book by Billy Lane where he talked about his many adventures fishing the great Irish rivers in matches like the king of clubs and the nationals. I couldn't imagine fishing for Bleak catching 3 a minute for the 5 hours! Skill and stamina. If anyone knows the name of that book I would be grateful as I would love to add it to my collection as it helped hook me to this wonderful sport.