The Good, The Bad and the Ugly!

Right then Guys as fishing here is a bit quieter at the mo iv taken the time out to get some interviews done with people in the fishing world that iv worked with or fish with over the years and some guys i think are key to todays angling world from fresh and salt water! so i hope you guys like what your going to read in these "in your own words" interviews over the next few weeks

So here you go...... Interview no.1 :-)

Dave Barham – I’m the owner/publisher/editor of Boat Fishing Monthly magazine. I’ve been editing/ working on sea fishing mags for over 17 years now, being editor of BFM for the past 5 ½ years, editor of Total Sea Fishing for 7 years before that, and staff writer on Improve Your Sea Angling for 4 ½ years. I’ve been lucky really to do what I love for a living so far. I’ve also been lucky enough to play with most of the new tackle that has come out over that time as well. Fishing is a way of life for me, a religion of sorts. I really don’t know what I’d do if I couldn’t ever fish again.

Who would be your ideal dinner guests? - John Bonham, Keith Moon and The Pussycat Dolls – Now that’s a party!

If you are not fishing/writing/photographing what would we normally find you doing in your spare time? - What spare time? Cooking, looking after my family, drinking Jameson and thinking about fishing.

What was your favourite year and why? - To be honest, I have a feeling that 2012 is gonna be my favourite year, because I’ve just taken ownership of Boat Fishing Monthly Magazine.

If you were a animal what kind of animal would you be and why? - I’d be an Osprey, because I love traveling and I love fishing.

If you could trade places with any other person for a week, famous or not famous, living or dead, real or fictional. with whom would it be? - That would have to be Animal from the Muppets!

What is your worst quality? - I’m a lazy SOB sometimes.What is your prized angling related item you have and why? - This is the toughest question on the list. I guess if I had to choose, it would be my trusty Shimano Talica 10II multiplier. It’s fairly new, but it’s by far the best reel that I have ever owned/ used, anywhere in the world.

If you could only fish for one fish for the rest of your life what would it be and why? - If we’re talking UK then bass! Do I really need to explain why? Abroad it would be marlin, because they are just amazing to hook and fight.

Angling is supposed to be one of the most relaxing hobbies around so what one thing really pisses you off about our wonderful sport? - The politics and lack of cohesion between the sea angling disciplines (shore/boat). I guess it’s just the lack of direction we have as a united group of anglers really.

Who or what got you into angling? - My dad, he used to take me charter boat fishing every other weekend from the age of four until I started in the sea angling mag business.

Where do you see yourself in fishing in the next 5 years? - I’ve been lucky enough to travel around the world fishing in recent years. I have a passion for boat fishing out of Malindi, Kenya. That place is really special to me – so hopefully I’ll be out there fishing once or twice in the next 5 years.

Who or what has influenced your angling to get you to the stage you are now? - Working on, and editing sea fishing mags for the past 17 years has given me access to some of the biggest names in the business. I’ve been lucky enough to fish alongside shore anglers such as Alan Yates, Steve Allmark, Paul ‘Shakey’ Stevens, and from the boats I’ve fished with some of the best skippers in the country, along with countless top rods such as Jim Whippy, Bobby King etc. That’s what I love about angling though, you never stop learning – no matter how old you are. There’s no such thing as an angling ‘expert!’