Hi Andrew are you talking of "Ivan the Terrible of Rhodes", Former Manchester Group member of significant standing, first met him at a Manchester Bash with Gutbucket, spent a few weeks with him on a water in Gloucester and fished the Grove with him, nice lad.
Yes didnt regonise you are a Boggart Time Bandit, although we all had nick names so I wouldnt have recognised anyone using their real name, my books 60,000 words at present over 40 chapters, must get round to publishing it, it mentions many of the Manchester Waters like Queens Wood, Badlands, The Mersey Valley, The Monks pool, Haunting Brow, The Pils, Jakes Pool, Hilda's, Fletchers Valley, Boarhunt Cleft and many of my European and USA trips with three special chapters on Lancashire Boggarts and The Boggarts Clough, its a bit esoteric at times, but anyone who has fished the Shire will know of which waters I refer and the charactors I refer to.
Mike is an exceptional angler, I've spend many years fishing in his company and seen him catch some amazing fish, the only method I could every think he was using was witchcraft, he's a bit like Ron Clay, just one of those guys who has that certain magic and never appears to blank, the late Benny Ashurst was another, I had the privillage of fishing with Benny on the Pils a few times in the 70s, we were the first time bandits on there, Benny was an amazing guy and will be much missed.
I'm going over to see Gary Knowles at the Radcliff PAC in October, why dont you come over and I'll take some of the lads along (i'll give Boggart Mike a call), Gary Knowles is another exceptional angler who puts on a great slide show, we had the privillage of Barny over at our gaff a few years ago, mind you he does come from an exceptional gene pool, The St Helens, one of our best and longest standing Spezzis in the Northwest, even older that the Manchester Group.
Are you on for that Mr Clay, you've not met the Salford Mafia yet!
Few of the other Boggarts are back in prison unfortunately and many have moved away, although a small contingent went fishing the Mersey Valley after rumours that Badlands Chestnut was nicked, they were trying to bring him home, but we never heard of them since, this was about the time when that carp angler got dragged out of his bivvy in the middle of the night and had his hand hacket off (and you think the Clough was bad!
Tight Slappers
The Monk