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RIP Bob Church

Always used to read his magazine articles and books. Met him once and he was lovely. A true pioneer in angling. The world will be poorer without him.
 
Very sad indeed. Feels slightly disconcerting seeing so many of the angling writers/celebrities from my youth passing away. RIP Bob and thanks for everything you did for this wonderful pastime of ours.
 
I reckon he's had a good life and it comes to us all in the end...so probably deserves congratulations of making a good go of his time while he was here👍

Spot-on Jason.

Have seen him do a few fly-casting demonstrations at various game fairs in the past. Always seemed a very positive, cheerful person. Definitely a glass half-full man. A genuine angling all-rounder as well.
 
Sad to hear, condolences to his family.
I've still got one of his fly rods knocking about in the garage.
 
Met Bob once or twice and have read most of his books on reservoir trout fishing and benefitted enormously from doing so.
Most memorable encounter with the great man though was an early season trip to Hanningfield early 90s in church bay.
We'd been there since early morning, were very close to our 8 fish limit by lunchtime so repaired to the pub over the road for several pints of Abbot ale.
Returned to the bay and there was Bob and friends.
In the morning we'd discovered that the fish were nailed to the bottom on the 18ft contour and were suckers for green and white booby nymphs on hi speed hi D lines.
We started a drift very close to Bob and overheard the conversation with his friends, "I've tried everything, nymphs, lures, buzzers, on the top, on the bottom, haven't even had a take"
I was just dragging the booby behind the drifting boat and as we drifted past Bob at anchor I had an overwhelming desire to transfer at least one of the lunchtime pints to the reservoir, as I was doing so, exactly opposite Bob the rod went over and I was playing a decent trout in one hand holding my member in the other pointing it directly at Bob, in full flow.
To be fair he never complained but what a memory.
 
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