Anyone remember this?

[binka]

This brought a smile to my face when I saw it, it must be over thirty years ago when I first read the article during break time at school.

It was shortly after Ian Heaps became World Champion and a local venue expert had challenged him to a match on the local cut except Ian had to use a tree branch for a pole, which he had selected himself on the day.

At least that's the best my memory will allow me anyway.

Again if I remember rightly the final pictures showed both anglers each with a good haul of silvers and without openly declaring who the winner was, except to say something along the lines of...

"Ian would be far too modest to let on"...

 

[robtherake]

I seem to remember a picture in the angling press (1975?) with two enormous and very full keepnets of fish laid on the grass, side by side. Was that Ian Heaps? My memory says so, but I've been wrong before...

 

[Peter Jacobs]

I remember it well Steve as a few years earlier I had taken my two sons on a camping and fishing weekend in the forests north of Oslo.

I showed them how to cut and trim a "rod" from a convenient branch and then using some spare line and some tape constructed an end "eye" and with a matchstick float and a size 18's eyed hook we caught some lovely supper sized trout which we cooked over an open fire.

So, it as nice to read of Heaps' challenge a few years later.

Thankfully, or maybe rather more luckily we never had any luck at all wit h the rabbit snares that we set as while I don't mind gutting and cooking the odd trout having to butcher a rabbit I was not looking forward to . . . . .

 

[binka]

I seem to remember a picture in the angling press (1975?) with two enormous and very full keepnets of fish laid on the grass, side by side. Was that Ian Heaps? My memory says so, but I've been wrong before...

You might be right Rob but I thought it was a few years on... Early to mid-eighties?

 

[robtherake]

You might be right Rob but I thought it was a few years on... Early to mid-eighties?

He won the world champs in 1975, but the record match catch that I alluded to may have been from a Danish event on the Guden in the same time period? Dunno - maybe I have it mixed up with another event.

 

[Peter Jacobs]

but the record match catch that I alluded to may have been from a Danish event on the Guden in the same time period? Dunno - maybe I have it mixed up with another event.

The Woodbine challenge of 1973 maybe?

 

[robtherake]

The Woodbine challenge of 1973 maybe?

I think there's a video of that match on Youtube, Peter......yep, here it is.

Several videos, actually, so I've linked to the whole page.

https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=1...7j0l2j69i61.8928j0j8&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8

 

[binka]

https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=1...7j0l2j69i61.8928j0j8&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8

A fair few bushy sideburns there Rob

Thanks for the link i'll look forward to watching those in full over the next few days :thumbs:

 

[john step]

I remember it well. It was at a time I was into whip fishing at Hunton Bridge.
Very effective for the tiddlers to fill a net.mg:

 

[binka]

I remember it well. It was at a time I was into whip fishing at Hunton Bridge.
Very effective for the tiddlers to fill a net.mg:

Any guesstimate around the time it would have been John?

(Don't say half past eight! )

 

[itsfishingnotcatching]

Actually asked Ian Heaps about this last summer. he fished against a known match angler who has just invested in a pole with which he reckoned he could pretty much out-fish anyone on this stretch. Ian was of the opinion that bait and presentation was more important than specific tackle, and proceeded to prove his point with a tree branch. I'm sure he said that the match was won with a netfull of gudgeon,

 

[silvers]

He's wearing a DAM cap and is perched on an ASI box .... So I'd say 1982 or 83. I remember the article so it may even have been a year or two later.
The net full of roach were the world match record from the Erne at Enniskillen in 1977.

Heapsy was (still is) a wonderful natural angler. He used to fish the evening matches on the Great Ouse at Harrold and Bletsoe back in the mid 80s. As a youngster at the time he was friendly and approachable. Along with Ivan And big Kev he was one of the 3 biggest names in the match world.

 

[itsfishingnotcatching]

Heapsy was (still is) a wonderful natural angler

He's still happy to give advice to anyone fishing Holgan's Farm, especially the young or inexperienced. I doubt any "newbie" prepared to listen fails to catch

I suspect he also wins a high proportion of the Sunday "Opens"

 

[robcourt82]

Ian heaps is a legend and one of my heroes. Not just a fantastic angler but a great speaker about angling. I read in the press this year or last that he had to have pretty serious surgery to save his vision.

 

[bracket]

I think there's a video of that match on Youtube, Peter......yep, here it is.

Several videos, actually, so I've linked to the whole page.

https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=1...7j0l2j69i61.8928j0j8&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8

Nice video Peter.

Took me back a few years. Was there a fleeting clip of Jimmy Randell somewhere in there? Good to see a Nottingham man, Johnny Toulson, picking up the coin for third place. I have fished against him a few times in the past. Lots of ABU's and Mitchell Matches to the fore, plus the inevitable fag. Salad Days never to return. Pete.

 

[dicky123]

I remember Jack Hilton catching a huge chub of nearly 7lb 40 years ago..
A big fish then, and now. The article was called the carrot cube crust (if I remember rightly) he fished it under a tree to take the big beast. The pictures at the time inspired me as at the time I was really into chub and looking for my first FIVE.

Looking back is so interesting, but makes me feel old. I'm still waiting of my first seven?

 

[laguna]

Angling Times Match Correspondent Ray Bazeley accompanied Ian on a trip to Holland in the mid-'80's. Hearing a discussion, said it didn't matter what pole I used, he'd still beat me if he used a branch from a tree and so the challenge was set a few weeks later on the Oxford canal near Branbury.
Ian won with a big haul of gudgeon.

 

[john step]

Any guesstimate around the time it would have been John?

(Don't say half past eight! )

Sorry, didn't see this until now to reply. As already said about the mid 80s I think.
Strange to look back and think that I used to measure success by weight alone in the keepnet. A sack of tiddlers equals the same weight as a tench!!!
Bonkers.

 

[ken more]

Never match fished and don't know anything about it, but that for me, was very enjoyable reading. Thanks

 

[dorsetandchub]

Should think that branch would be ideal for Steve - can break as many as you want per season.......