I guess began fishing in earnest way back in 1960 at places like Toll Bar Pond, Askern Boating Lake, Arksey Railway pond, and Willowgarth. By the time I left school I’d expanded my horizons to take in the Torne, Idle and Trent. Then came the Yorkshire rivers, mostly the Nidd, Wharfe and Ure, waters as far away as the Witham, the Middle Ouse around St Neots, lower down at Ten Mile Bank, Loch Maben, The Annan and others too many to mention.
I developed into a useful club match angler before progressing to the open circuit with Barnsley’s Smithies and then Goldthorpe with who I earned two National Championship Gold Medals. Wins on rivers, lakes and canals followed as sure as night follows day but I yearned for other things and gave it all up to concentrate on bigger fish.
Carp also grabbed my attention and I was privileged to edit Advanced Carp Fishing for 6 years from 1995. During my time as editor I fished for a variety of species and crowned my career by becoming the UK Masters Angling Champion in 1997, an event that was televised on Sky TV.
By now a ‘veteran’ of hundreds of articles in magazines and newspapers ranging from a weekly column in Angling Times, to various articles or series in Coarse Angler, Coarse Fishing, Let’s Go Coarse Fishing, Coarse Fisherman, Match Fishing, Improve Your Coarse Fishing, Advanced Carp Fishing, Catchmore Carp, Carp Angling News and Techniques, etc. I’ve also won two Angling Writers Association awards for my weekly column in the Green Un. Looking further afield there have been articles in French, German, Spanish and Italian publications plus In-Fisherman magazine in the USA.
Throw in writing the Complete Book of Legering, making a dozen or so videos sold in four countries, product brochures, TV and radio broadcasts live show and speaking engagements and you’ll see I’m seldom at a loose end. Another book is in the pipeline with 120,000 words already written.
Life is interesting and I can’t see me losing my passion for this great sport until I’m dead and buried. So much to do, so many challenges to meet.
Favourite Style Of Fishing
Stick float fishing for roach.
Personal Bests
It’s not easy for me to record my personal bests as reducing fish to numbers doesn’t sit well with my philosophy and beliefs. I have returned a number of personal bests without weighing them, simply happy to have caught those fish. For example I went to India twice in 2005 and never weighed a single one of the mahseer I caught. Sometimes to catch a fish or take it’s photo is enough. We as anglers frequently obsess on weights to the point where size is everything. It isn’t. Some of my fish were weighed, accurately, but I simply cannot remember the exact number of pounds or ounces but I can boast proudly that I’ve graced the front cover of Angling Times grinning inanely from behind the following species: carp, bream, barbel, chub, pike and roach.
Future Goals In the next few years I aim to expand my horizons and catch a truly huge mahseer, giant catfish from the Ebro, nile perch, vundu, tiger fish, peacock bass and a few sharks, maybe even a tarpon but I’ll always get that same thrill when a chub picks up my paste baits on a freezing cold winters night when clouds obscure the moon.
Other Hobbies
Music, cooking, wine, writing, reading.
Bob Roberts
I developed into a useful club match angler before progressing to the open circuit with Barnsley’s Smithies and then Goldthorpe with who I earned two National Championship Gold Medals. Wins on rivers, lakes and canals followed as sure as night follows day but I yearned for other things and gave it all up to concentrate on bigger fish.
Carp also grabbed my attention and I was privileged to edit Advanced Carp Fishing for 6 years from 1995. During my time as editor I fished for a variety of species and crowned my career by becoming the UK Masters Angling Champion in 1997, an event that was televised on Sky TV.
By now a ‘veteran’ of hundreds of articles in magazines and newspapers ranging from a weekly column in Angling Times, to various articles or series in Coarse Angler, Coarse Fishing, Let’s Go Coarse Fishing, Coarse Fisherman, Match Fishing, Improve Your Coarse Fishing, Advanced Carp Fishing, Catchmore Carp, Carp Angling News and Techniques, etc. I’ve also won two Angling Writers Association awards for my weekly column in the Green Un. Looking further afield there have been articles in French, German, Spanish and Italian publications plus In-Fisherman magazine in the USA.
Throw in writing the Complete Book of Legering, making a dozen or so videos sold in four countries, product brochures, TV and radio broadcasts live show and speaking engagements and you’ll see I’m seldom at a loose end. Another book is in the pipeline with 120,000 words already written.
Life is interesting and I can’t see me losing my passion for this great sport until I’m dead and buried. So much to do, so many challenges to meet.
Favourite Style Of Fishing
Stick float fishing for roach.
Personal Bests
It’s not easy for me to record my personal bests as reducing fish to numbers doesn’t sit well with my philosophy and beliefs. I have returned a number of personal bests without weighing them, simply happy to have caught those fish. For example I went to India twice in 2005 and never weighed a single one of the mahseer I caught. Sometimes to catch a fish or take it’s photo is enough. We as anglers frequently obsess on weights to the point where size is everything. It isn’t. Some of my fish were weighed, accurately, but I simply cannot remember the exact number of pounds or ounces but I can boast proudly that I’ve graced the front cover of Angling Times grinning inanely from behind the following species: carp, bream, barbel, chub, pike and roach.
Carp (common) 41lb 4oz
Carp (crucian) 2lb-odd
Roach 2lb 7oz
Perch 3lb-odd
Pike 20-odd-pounds
Zander 9lb 14oz
Bream (common) 11lb-odd
Bream (Silver) 2lb 14oz
Chub 6lb 3oz
Barbel 14lb 4oz
Gudgeon 3oz
Tench 9lb-odd
Shad (twaite) nearly 2lb
Mahseer mid/upper doubles
Future Goals
In the next few years I aim to expand my horizons and catch a truly huge mahseer, giant catfish from the Ebro, nile perch, vundu, tiger fish, peacock bass and a few sharks, maybe even a tarpon but I’ll always get that same thrill when a chub picks up my paste baits on a freezing cold winters night when clouds obscure the moon.
Other Hobbies
Music, cooking, wine, writing, reading.
Sponsors
Daiwa, Mistral Baits