The Traditional Fisherman's Forum

Nobby wrote:Ah..it had to be later than 1962 as one of the rods BV uses wasn't in production then.


What lovely old clips!


Thanks to everybody involved in getting them digitalised and on the 'net.

Actually they were made in 1968. I have them on DVD. Venables is using a Swimversa in this one, but also brandishes a Craftversa (the same rod he used in A Passion For Angling) in the chub, bream and tench episodes. Highlights of the series for me were Brian Young's endless supply of groundbait (the tin appears again on loan in the tench episode, showing no signs of depletion) and Leslie Brewers enormous trousers.

Apologies if this is something that has already been discussed on the forum but I was flicking through my Creel binders recently and found a full page advert for this series of films.

It seems that the only ones in circulation now are Roach/Bream/Tench/Chub/Grayling/Trout/Salmon although there were more made including 'Ledgering for Barbel', 'Float fishing for Perch', 'Carp Fishing' and 'Spinning for Pike'. Does anyone know where the other episodes can be found? I remember a conversation I had with Mr Yates about these and he recalled watching the Barbel episode when it was aired for the first time on TV so they do exist. The problem is I'm not sure if copies were ever made for purchase, I think only the first batch I mentioned earlier were available on VHS.

gloucesteroldspot wrote:Actually they were made in 1968.

Unbelievable! Apart from being in colour, they could easily be from 20 years or so earlier. Talk about Mr Cholmondley Warner!

On p23 of Nov 1964 Creel: "An announcement - a series of new films of fishing". There's eight b&w still photos and a brief description which says that "....details of how to get the films will be in next month's Creel".

In fact that was not the case for it was one month later still, in January 1965, that a whole page advertisement from Sound-Services Limited (Wilton Cres, Merton Park, SW19) appeared on p30. Hiring charge was £2 per film per day, each film was in 16mm and lasted 15 minutes.

Barbel legering, roach float, pike spinning, trout dry fly, trout wet fly
Salmon fly, salmon spinning, carp bottom, chub float, perch float
Bream float, tench float, grayling float, wet and fly

Its interesting to compare the "style" of venables pushing a float down a river to say, the guy on the utube clip "steel city Grayling" to the right of the one feutured.
One totally eclipsing the other with a pretty polished performance.
Venables played a great part in my early angling years with his "Crabtree book" but I rather think he was a far better angling writer.
Nice nostalgic clip tho but the roach were in an awful state.

Let us remember though, that whatever you may think of BV and/or his fishing style, if it wasn't for 'Mr Crabtree' probably 1000s of boys wouldn't have been inspired to take up angling. Like DW, had BV not existed or written 'Mr Crabtree', the angling world would surely be a very different place....