Let's see who remembers

I hope the younger of us will contribute to this thread. I have selected a number of names of anglers from the past who were certainly not as famous as some of their peers, but who were very fine anglers nevertheless.

Let's see what you know about them.

Peter Thomas, Tony Shepherson, Bill Keal, Cyril Inwood, Dan Leary, Terry Thomas, Ian Tolputt, John Ellis, Ray Mumford, Frank Cutler, Bill Bartles, Laurie Manns and Alan Brown.

That will do for starters.

I hope the younger of us will contribute to this thread

yeah OK mate, not heard of Tony Shepherson, Cyril Inwood, Ian Tolputt, Laurie Manns?


but have you heard of Boggart Mike, Frog John, Gay Boy Lee, Fat Gary, Dodgy Dave and Elvis Pete and what were they all famous for

Yes mate, I have.

The true founders of Time Banditry!

I`ve heard the name ray mumford but don`t know anything of him fishing wise.
Terry thomas was a bit of a dapper actor in old black and white films wasn`t he???
wasn`t he in the st.trinians films???

yes quite right Ron


I think that was a different Terry Thomas Nick

Ive heard of Cyril Inwood's flies

Peter Thomas was a long time friend of **** Walker and netted Walker's record carp as well as catching the second biggest carp in England at the time with his 28lb+ mirror from Redmire on his first visit there with Walker in June 1952. Bill Keal was one of the Hertfordshire Specimen Group in the 50's and 60's as well as a Red Spinner; he wrote a chapter on carp in 'Fishing As We Find It' as well as contributing to many other publications. I'll get Green Drake to respond to this thread; he'll have more to say as he knew him quite well.

Cyril Inwood was an early stillwater trout expert, writing in Trout and Salmon. I believe Sergeant Dan Leary was one of the regular visitors to Walker's stretch of the Ouse, though I may be wrong about that; I seem to recall Walker mentioning him at some point.

Captain Terry Thomas was a tackle consultant for Milwards and helped design the Swimversa float rod; he later joined Shakespeare in the early 1980's. John Ellis was a friend of Maurice Ingham (I think) and fished for carp with him at Croxby Pond.

Ray Mumford was best known as a match angler on the lower Thames, though he also wrote some general coarse articles for Creel. Alan Brown was a Hitchen tackle dealer and specialist angler who also made rods, including the Jack Hilton carp rod and various stillwater fly rods.

Bill Bartles I've heard of, but can't remember what he was known for; match fishing I think. As for Tony Shepherson (sic), Ian Tolput, Frank Cutler and Laurie Manns I confess I know nothing. Green Drake will probably castigate me for admitting that, but it's the truth!

Terry Thomas? I could have sworn you said "anglers" Ron! That man was a buffoon and just about as far its possible to get from being an angler.

I had the misfortune to see him quite regularly in a pub in Alvechurch (where he lived) where he bragged incessantly about how famous he was because he introduced a programme called Tight Lines on ITV in the midlands and had the audacity to invite customers to buy him a pint on the stength of his fame. The locals, incidently, treated him as the village idiot, a role he performed magnificently.

All the while the real angler in the programme was Chris Tarrant who actually knew something about fishing which is more than can be said for Mr Thomas, as I say a Buffoon who's main claim to fame was that won the British casting championship or some suchlike.

That's not bad Fred.

Peter Thomas was also a superb shotgunner and keen wildfowler. He is still alive and in his 80s.

Bill Keal was a columnist for Angler's Mail for a number of years until he died in a road accident.

John Ellis, amongst many other things was a superb photographer who also founded the Tenchfishers.

Alan Brown died very recently. He was one of the original "Arlesey Whopper Stoppers", one of the earliest of the specimen groups.

I thought I would put Capt. Terry Thomas in the list to see what the reaction would be. He did in fact win a fly accuracy event at the Casting Championships.

He also severely admonished myself many years ago for having the gall to pick up his flyrod on the casting pool at Olympia.

After dropping the fly on the circles with every cast and being surrounded by a number of spectators, old TT hit the bloody roof, I thought he was going to kill me, not so much for picking up the rod, but for obviously demonstrating that I could cast better than he!

Walker also pissed him off with a very similar demonstration of skills I believe.

Ron old chap Bill Bartles from Sheffield area - if so I then I know is daughter

Tally Ho

heres my breakdown Ron

Boggart Mike was famous for having caught every fish in Boggart Hole Clough and just about every other water he ever fished.

Frog John was famous for his frog like features and failing job interviews for over 1000 jobs in 20 years which those nice people at the job centre found for him. Even in the days of full employment, Froggy didnt have a job.

Gay Boy Lee was one of the friendliest guys I ever met on the Boggarts Clough, too friendly at times and you really wouldnt want to share a bivvy with him.

Fat Gary was famous for being extremely fat and eating 3 pies at a time on muffins and drinking a party four without coming up for air, he was also famous for visits from his wife who was always threatening to leave him if he didnt come home once in a while at weekends, eventually she ran off with a match angler, after every one else on the Clough had had her too.

Dodgy Dave was famous for being able to supply anything that you ever wanted, microwaves, washing machines, cameras, bikes, cars, gold bling and even women if the price was right, we always suspected that he had a scourse gene in his body but he profusely denighed this, Dodgy was also a renowned local drug dealer who gave resonable discounts for time bandits and the unemployed. One of his little helpers was none other than the infamous Boggart Bivvy Butler (AKA Sly Norman), who used to provide a bivvy delivery service 24/7

Elvis Pete was a legend in his own bivvy, he was one of the few guys I knew who always had to pay duty in order that he could return to the UK after a French trip. Elvis once had a week off the ale due to ill health and Boddingtons Brewery responded by laying off over 200 staff at the Manchester office.

Ian Tolputt - if it was the one I knew - was a big mate of Peter Drennan and it was through Pete that I met him. His brother owned a vintage Roller Reg DH 3434. It had been owned by De Haveland and I hired it to take my wife and I to London Airport after our wedding.

When I first met Bill Keal, he always fished with a guy called Alex Lewis and we always spoke of Keal and Lewis when we spoke of them. I don't know what happened to Alex Lewis he vanished from the scene but he too was a very good angler.

I believe that Pete Thomas actually owned a punt gun though I don't think that he ever used it. However, I could well be wrong on that.

Alan Brown was one of - possibly the best - anglers with whom I have ever fished. A brilliant and grossly underrated angler.

Peter Frost really should be mentioned as should the Taylor Brothers. Obviously FJT is the better known of the Brothers, but Ken was certainly no slouch and was an angler for whom I had a lot of respect. Great company too!

So many top anglers of their time are forgotten now, and while their catches wouldn't rate a mention these days, those guys could go from water to water and catch specimen fish from all of them. It must be remembered too that they, along with the better known anglers, did a lot of the groundwork that has been so useful to anglers today.

Bill Bartles is still around and was one of England's top match anglers in the 60s and did in fact hail from Sheffield where he still lives.

He wrote a book called "Match Angling" and contributed many articles to Angling Telegraph and Angling Star. He accompanied Ray Webb and Barrie Rickards on many pike trips, mainly because he was brilliant at catching livebaits.

Bill was also a competant fly fisher who spent a lot of time on Ladybower Ressie. He fished a great deal with Tag Barnes.

Isn't it interesting that Sheffield produced so many talented anglers of all disciplines?

When I look at the list again, I see so many names missing! Jack Hilton for example. I met Jack very early in his ascention and was beside him when he lost an enormous carp at Tiddenfoot Pit. Pete Frost had caught carp there to 31lbs, (we are talking early '60s) and we reckoned the one Jack hooked was bigger!

Bob Reynolds had a huge bag of carp from Billing Aquadrome in the late '50s - he too is a very good angler.

Peter Stone is another who must be included - he too was friendly with Peter Drennan and Ian Tolputt.

I guess that I could go on all night, but I will leave some names for others to suggest.

Ron,

As I outlined elsewhere on the forum, Ray Mumford is personally responsible for the PoshPaul nickname. He always wore a collar and tie when fishing in winter, he swore it was the most effective way of keeping your neck warm. It is very efficient. I moved up North, joined a local club, first winter match I arrive resplendent in collar and tie. Its been PoshPaul ever since.

I also recollect that Ray Mumford survived a direct hit from a lightening bolt returning from his peg to the meeting point on the Medway at Teston. He was holding his umbrella as it was nissaning it down. Zap! One slightly shaken angler - who put his survival down to his real rubber wellies. I suspect that the lightening bolt came of worst! Ray had a prickly reputation but was extremely dedicated and innovative, used a pole long before many others. Away from his 110% concentration on the bank he was a real gent. We young 'uns who went to watch knew to keep low and say nothing if we were watching Ray but afterwards he answered any questions.

Bill Keal - a very good journalist and angler. I can remember enjoying his articles. Wasn't he killed when a car mowed him down as he changed a tyre in a layby? (Apologies if I am way off beam there)

I had a copy of match Angling by Bill Bartles - clearly a man of some significant class if M'Lord knows his daughter.

Since we are open to suggestions here are a few others -

****ie Carr -again I have commented on this elsewhere ...I haven't spoken to him since my teens (for which I am sure he is grateful)but he is an absolute gent. I owe so much to him

Jimmy Randall - what a great bloke.

Pat Richardson - who often stood on his basket when fishing towards Allington on the Medway. He was lifting his rig over rocks to ensure it dropped immediately behind the roack where the fish tended to shoal. He earned a fair few quid doing that.

Jim Gibbinson - I always enjoyed his work

Bill Taylor - think he was head of Oldborough Secondary Modern(as it was then) in Maidstone. he wrote a great book on Bream Fishing

"I believe that Pete Thomas actually owned a punt gun though I don't think that he ever used it."

Obviously never fished a water with a dodgy bailiff on then!

Tis true I am afraid to say, that there were a lot of very good northern match anglers years ago, not necessarily confined to Sheffield though but don't anyone run away with the idea that they were better than the good southern anglers, that is a complete myth, its just that there were more of them.

Ray Mumford, one of the first champions of the old close season. Never afraid to speak his mind.

Ian Tolputt was a founder member of The Oxford Specimen Group and a close friend of both Peter Drennan and Peter Stone.

I didn't mention Pete Frost. I thought he might to too famous, along with FJT and his brothers.

The whole idea of this thread is to see if some of you remember some of the lesser- known successful anglers of the past.

I was told a great Terry Thomas yarn by Allan Haines. The pair of them did an angling forum at a country show, and when it had finished, two teenage lads who had their eyes on the demo tackle on the staging hung around.

So Terry asked them what they were up to.

Thinking quickly, one of the lads piped up: "I wanted to ask if you had any good tips for young anglers, Mr Thomas?"

"Yes," said Terry "P*ss off"

Bill Goddard took a great picture of Terry standing around in a doorway somewhere with a half-empty bottle of Famous Grouse sticking out of the pocket of his tweed jacket. He liked a drink...