Interview No.4

Henry Gilbey
I work in fishing full time as a writer, photographer, consultant and occasional TV/video presenter. Been fishing since the age of 7 and I guess that with this obsession I had no choice but to try and make a living out of it. Most of the time I think I’ve done the right thing………….Who would be your ideal dinner guests?
Chuck Shuldiner – the man behind the band Death who sadly died far too young. Quorthon - the man behind the Swedish band Bathory, also died far too young. Martin Scorsese, the designers behind IMA and MegaBass (and speaking fluent English as well !!) and of course Martin Johnson, better known as GOD to me.

If you are not fishing/writing/photographing what would we normally find you doing in your spare time?
Fishing, writing or photographing. Or spending plenty of time with my wife and two girls. Reading. Walking. Watching films.

What was your favourite year and why?
November 22nd 2003 – the day that England won the Rugby World Cup. Simple !! Doesn’t get any better than that.

If you were a animal what kind of animal would you be and why?
I would want to be a fish, and that fish would be a giant trevally. They are the baddest fish on the flats and I have a feeling that if they were people they would be big time black metal fans.

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?
Well I despise the whole fame and celebrity culture thing, so for me it would have to be Dave Lombardo from Slayer. Just give me a week behind that drum kit out on tour, bashing out the best Slayer tunes night after night. Oh, and a dose of his drumming talent as well to help me out !!

What is your worst quality?
A lack of patience, and especially with stupid or ignorant people.

What is your most prized angling related item you have and why?
I get to test and play with a lot of different bits of fishing gear via my work, so I am not that materialistic about fishing tackle – except perhaps for my 8’ Daiwa France Morethan Branzino lure rod. I think I feel tackle lust for that particular rod !!

If you could only fish for one fish for the rest of your life what would it be and why?
I am lucky as I get to see all kinds of different fish all around the world, but for me it would have to be the bass. Other fish grow bigger and fight far harder pound for pound, but I just dig the way we fish for them, and of course by choosing bass it would force me to spend more and more time over in Ireland – which is my favourite place on earth.

Angling is supposed to be one of the most relaxing hobbies around so what one thing really pisses you off about our wonderful sport?
Conspiracy theories. I just wish that people would get it out of their heads that there are all these fishing tackle companies out there who like to pay regular people vast fortunes to fish with their gear. Dream on !!

Who or what got you into angling?
My grandmother bought me a Woolworths starter kit when I was seven years old and took me fishing on a trout loch up in Scotland.

Where do you see yourself in fishing in the next 5 years?
I just can’t answer that one as I don’t know. I would hope to be doing more of what I am doing now, but I have various plans and ideas that I like to think I would have brought to fruition………….

Who or what has influenced your angling to get you to the stage you are now?
Nobody and nothing. I am not at a “stage”. I am just a regular angler who happens to work in fishing. I can’t help it if some anglers have watched those TV programmes I did and then assumed that because this bloke Henry is on the box he must be some kind of “super angler” !! Because I’m not. But I love my fishing and I love what I do and I will always try to make fishing look as awesome as possible.
http://www.henry-gilbey.com/