The Traditional Fisherman's Forum

I don't know about hero worship, but I sure like an afternoons perch fishing with him. I'm certain I wouldn't go weak at the knees if I saw him. Now if Robert Plant were to log on here you'd see hero worship on the scale reserved for superman.

Joking aside, I'd like to have a pint with him. He seems to be a most individual and kindly soul.

I was surprised to learn that the split cane Avon rod that he used to catch his record carp he sold. The guy who bought it off the guy who bought it off Chris showed it to me a month or so ago, defo the same rod but three inches shorter !
I think he used to use a Chapmans Fred J Taylor Roach Rod for his early barbel fishing.
At Redmire he would often use a very old six foot Hardy baitcaster for his creeping around, never saw him land a fish on it while I was there but I think he did when I wasn't (there).
He did have some glass rods including a Peter Stone S/U Legermaster, quite a powerful rod.

Hi John, good to hear from you, we first met at the office in Reigate. How is retirement ?

It's Chris Yates ability to enjoy what he's doing in all its simplicity, that made me re-read all his books to find out what kind of tackle he uses. I think I still have a complete list somewhere. This is sooo silly, absurd and irrational. Now I think, that my romantic subconcious tried to get closer to the feelings he experiences when angling, just by imitating his style. One thing I learned, when I got my MK IV Avon, the Allcocks Aerial and also the Lucky Strike: He likes to fish very light tackle. And that's about it.
The joy of angling one has to find in oneself. Not in imitating other people who seem to know, how to enjoy. Reading the wonderful books I learned, that there's more to.. ..bla bla bla. (You know the phrase). I have a Kelly Kettle and a Norfolk Jacket now and all this stuff, which I really appreciate. But does it make me a good angler? It certainly raises a topic of conversation, when I'm with other anglers and non-anglers at the waterside. And I feel comfortable with the simple tactics and the minimum tackle he uses and the tea-making, that I don't think I want to change it for carbon, tri-pod, bivy and army-shop-dress. (I've never been there)
Chris Yates taught me a lot. How to relax, when the fish are not in the mood, how to make a good bankside cup, how to savour every minute out there with the trees, the birds, the plants and insects, the weather and of course: the fish.
I'm deeply grateful for this.

Blimey!!! Well said hamburger, I agree with everything you said.

Yes, I'd go along with that too......and he writes in a style that just works for my imagination. You read his words and you're there on the bankside with him. It's not like reading some dry 'how to fish' book.....which is what I thought 'How to Fish' might actually be...but, of course, it wasn't

Perhaps he's so observant because he has worked so often as a photographer, indeed I believe it is his chief employment.

But there's also a sense of joy in nature and a sense of humour running through his books too.

They are often diaries really, yet I doubt many others could write a diary you don't want to put down.

As cringeworthy as I find out and out hero worship, I do feel talent should be recognised and praised.

This forum, indeed the whole Traditional Fishing scene probably wouldn’t exist if it wasn’t for Chris Yates and his writing and film work (though we shouldn’t forget Hugh Miles’ very significant part in that). We owe Chris a huge debt for giving us such wonderful literature and for articulating a philosophy that although was probably latent within each of us, took a talent such as his to give form to.

I agree with all that has been said about his writing and additionally for me when I was in my early teens, I found his disregard for convention and his willingness to challenge prevailing wisdom most encouraging. Nowadays I like the deeper currents – the discussion of things like chaos theory, the potential of moon phases and so on, as well as the meditative style of his recent prose.

As for the tackle he uses… I can appreciate the aesthetics of cane rods and other vintage style tackle. The simple approach to angling becomes more and more relevant to my fishing all the time but I could never be as zealous about it as some – The outright rejection of certain methods such as hair rigs, boilies etc. is where my own path diverts from the traditional one.

Not sure I agree with this point. I knew a few characters, around the early and mid 70s, who chose to use old tackle in preference to modern stuff even before CY became a celebrity in the angling world. Prior to the record catch at Redmire I had never heard of him.

I'm not shure from when exactly this film is, but here's a traditionalist at work shown in British television I guess about 1980???
There must have been tradional anglers in Britain before CY. But what the heck?! He never claimed to be the first. He's just what he is and the books and magazines and Hugh Miles wonderful series made him famous and he became this highly influential and inspiring character.

In the fishing club where I'm a member in Lübeck (Germany) there is also a traditional angling day once a year. I don't think those old lads have ever heard of Mr.Yates. There are always about a dozen guys, who meet at the canal and fish for roach and bream and the tackle has to be made before 1975. Most of them use glass rods and fixed spool reels. There's one guy who has made his own centre pin reel out of a pram wheel.


I guess that all around the world, there are traditional anglers and the "movement" (if you could call it one - I don't know) started, when the tackle manufacturing industry began to produce all this hi-tec stuff nobody really needs.
In this case traditional angling would be a kind of counterculture to modernism in angling.
Interesting subject. Any books written about this? ..I mean scientific ones, of course.