Who has been the biggest influence on your fishing

[Old Smoothound]

The biggest influence on my fly fishing was my regular boat partner for over 10 years...Andrew Matthews "Archie" to his mates.

I had been fly fishing small lakes and rivers around the Bristol area for a few years, and I fancied fishing Chew Valley Lake a real challenge! A big lake over 1200 acres and i did not have a clue on where to start. As with many large reservoirs on the match circuit, there was a lot of "closed shop" clicks with no help whatsoever coming my way. So i went over there to do a "Reccy" and bumped into "Arch" in the Woodford Lodge cafe.

I sat there looking out of the window onto a vast area of water..thinking S**t where do i go from here, when a voice with a bit of a London twang shouted..." F***ing big lake in it mate"! That was my first encounter with "Archie" and we spent many years fly fishing together as regular boat partners ( twice a week during the season). We perfected methods on the "Booby" getting mentions in the "stillwater Trout Angler" and Fly Fishing and Fly tying magazines, for our Blue and Yellow Booby creation. On the fly tying front he was one of the best fly tyers I have had the good fortune to meet. We travelled to shows and exhibitions together buying the latest fly tying materials and conducting our fly tying demos at The Bath and West Show, Garden Centres, Orvis Tackle Shops, our fly tying club and at Woodford Lodge at Chew Valley Lake.

We fished a competition on Grafham Water and "hammered" the nearest team out of sight, using this fly and set a new club record for the number of trout caught in a competiton, I bagged 19 "Archie" bagged 23 in a match that lasted 6 hours! We came second purely on weight of fish beaten by 2ozs!!!
I still have my "John Watt Trophy" proudly on display in my office at home.

We spent hours perfecting the triple Booby, a variation on the now famous "washing line" method, we tied all sorts of flies especially nymphs and buzzer patterns to fish my favourite water "Blagdon". We concocted "Diawl Bach" variations that are still being used today on Blagdon. My now infamous "Vecky Brecky" was first performed in the bottom of a boat drifting accross "Butcombe" with "Arch" beating the cr**p out of the rising Trout on a CDC dry buzzer pattern we had invented that season and I was the one cooking Breakfast!

He showed me fly tying methods that I still use today, he tied the most wonderful Adult Caddis fly, and was a true inspiration to me in both fly tying and fly fishing. At our Fly Tying Guild "Arch" was always the bloke the newbies were placed with so he could take them "under his wing". Blessed with the most dry sense of humour of anyone I know. I remember a weeks fly fishing holiday on Grafham Water at the begining of June one year. We had been hammering the Trout that were feeding on Buzzers. We did not have to "spoon" them to find out what they had been feeding on, just turn em upside down and give them a good shake and the buzzers spewed from their mouths.

A boat that had been annoying us most of the morning...they had been motoring too close to us and anchoring in various positions around us to try and emulate what we were doing and fishing far too close for comfort and safety. One of them shouted accross "What you catching on mate"..."Yellow Goldheads shouted Archie" (Actually it was orange!) So when we went back to the lodge for another 16 fish ticket, as we had both caught our limits by then, we were being followed by that boat! So on the way back we changed all of our flies to yellow ones, and left the rods in the boat while we had lunch. When we got to the lodge to buy our next ticket, the two blokes that had been annoying us all morning were buying up every yellow fly in the shop!!

So "Arch" and I fished together for many years and we learnt from each other and passed on our "knowledge" to others freely.
I have not been fishing with "Arch" for some time as he was ill for a couple of years, and I have visited him regularly each month keeping him up to date with my fishing exploits both sea and Game.
I have not fished with anyone else on a regular basis since "Archies" illness and probably never will again.

Sadly, I had a phone call today telling me of Archies "Passing" this evening, hence my wish to tell you of our fly fishing exploits and the laughs we had together. I hope you all do not mind, but most of my fly fishing experience that I pass on through this forum was "Born" out my fishing partnership with "Arch".

To "Archie Matthews" a true sportman.........................

[fishypaul]

a great post smoothie,i wish i had been priviledged to have met him, characters like that are special.

[Fishing Forum Admin]

Very sorry to hear your news mate and as your post so well shows people like are one in a million

[Fishin'Widow]

Aw Smoothie love, you must have fair cheered Archie up with your visits and tales of your exploits.
I have to say hubby is my biggest influence when it comes to fishing and my best friend when it comes to it. We still have a giggle about my arse getting stuck in a bait bucket, and subsequently splitting the bait bucket ( and that was in my skinny days!), ripping the backside of my favourite denims climbing over a wire fence to go fluff chucking (just as well THAT was in my skinny days) . We have wee moments of silence together on beautiful summer evenings fly fishing, no talking, just being present and at peace, and it's those moments that give me a smile and will do until I'm all wrinkly!
Not wanting to stray from the subject but my biggest life mentor was a guy called Bill Fanning who taught me to play sax and clarinet and had me in and out of seedy pubs and musicians unions from 14 years of age umtil I was 19. He was the first one to make me get up and sing and let out my inner music at a time that I was so shy it hurt. He kept me sane through my parents splitting up, getting back together, and my Dad getting sober all in his rough, Glaswiegan welder manner without any 'counselling' as such. He made me who I am in a major way and I really wouldn't have it any other way. Bill died a few years ago now but I still find myself smilin at his wee phrases 'I didn't know if I needed a sh** or a haircut'( when he had a heartattack!).
He's no gaun Smoothie he's always there.
Vicki xx

[audiracer]

great post smoothy
sorry to hear your news, sounds like a great friend will be truely missed.
kind regards
brett

[Simon TorbayFishing]

Very nice post smoothy, he would have loved it!

[pingu]

good post smoothy one too get us all thinking there

[Pross]

Sounds like a great person to have known Smoothy. Biggest influence to me has been all the help and encouragement I've received on this board and at forum meets. Help like that can be the difference between continuing the sport and giving up.

[gullyworm]

Sorry to hear that Smoothy.
I think one of the finest things about fishing is the people you meet,some of them turn into real life long friends as your post proves.