My Very First Article

 

In The Beginning

Coarse Angler Magazine – May 1987

I made my most unlikely writing debut in Coarse Angler magazine way back in 1987. After corresponding with Colin Dyson for quite some while, picking his brains on all manner of subjects, he cajoled me into writing three articles for his eyes only – at least that’s what he told me. I’d turned down a similar request from Colin a full year earlier but was fearful that folk might think me a bit jumped up and full of myself. After all, the regular match writers in the magazine were Tom Pickering, Kevin Ashurst, Ian Heaps and Bob Nudd.

Bob Roberts didn’t seem to fit into the same mould somehow. Anyway, Colin mugged me, published my first article and awoke a desire to write. He continued to be my mentor right up until he passed away. In fact I was honoured to write the weekly Green Un column under his byline during the later stages of his illness, a column I have maintained to this very day.

 

Colin was a giant, to me. One of the last ‘proper’ editors who managed a magazine around the content, not around a handfull of manufactured ‘stars’. He wasn’t driven by advertising, or by corporate greed. He wrote proper tub-thumping editorials, was passionate about the politics as well as the trophy fish and in between times racked up a remarkable list of big pike in between fishing matches, cating a fly and targeting other species to boot. He’d certainly make my list of legends and few would ever come near him.

So here it is, my debut article, scanned in from the pages of the magazine. When I work out how I’ll provide a link to a larger version of it so you can actually read it. I’m sure that’s possible, even if it’s slow to load.

Please be patient though.

Once I’ve worked out how to give you access I’ll gradually republish all my early articles and a selection of later ones from various publications.

 PS: As you know I’m a bit of a computer trial and error merchant. The fact that anything gets up onto the site via my computer is nigh-on a miracle so if there’s anyone out there who might help me to create Adobe Reader PDF’s I’d much appreciate it. That way I can make the whole text of my original articles available to all.

Just contact me via the site and we’ll take it from there.