Re-reading Tony Miles and Course Angling Today

I am still amazed how sad I feel about the death of Tony Miles just before last Christmas.  I first met Tony on the banks of the river Leam, close to where I grew up in Kenilworth, back in the late 1970s and we met perhaps a dozen times over the years at various fishing spots.  Way back in the 1980s I assisted him in writing three articles that he did for Practical Course Fishing - a piece of the Hampshire Avon after chub, a trip to the upper Ouse for perch and a trip on the Thames after barbel.  My role was to fish and take photos of Tony.  It is far to say that I was out-fished on all three occasions though I did catch the biggest barbel at about 8lbs

I have been re-reading a couple of Tony's books recently.  50 Years on the Ouse is perhaps my favourite of his books

Then there was Elite Barbel, his accounts of fishing at Adam's Mill and Kickles Farm.

And finally Search for Big Chub which has a photo of me on page 116 (trotting bread flake for chub on the Hale Park Syndicate water on the Hampshire Avon back in the mid 1980s)

I have followed the Tony Miles reading with quite a number of issues of Course Angling Today.  I am also quite dismayed that this is no longer published.  The overall affect of all this fishing reading has been to get me enthusiastic about going fishing again soon.

So I will be researching the local fishing here in France and will have a couple of evenings on the river Thames when I am back at the end of June

I can't believe that a magazine about general course fishing (i.e non-carp) can't survive in the UK market