Inside fishing history
Proud Welshman Clive Branson is one of match fishing’s unsung greats. Our historian Keith unpicks his amazing career
WHEN conversation turns to match angling greats, one name tends to be overlooked.
Not because of any deficiencies in his technique, nor his rate of success, but because we tend to speak of English anglers, and Clive Branson is a Welshman.
He’s a man who, despite living in a country with relatively little coarse fishing in comparison to the other side of the Severn Bridge, reached the pinnacle of UK match fishing… and has stayed there for five decades. Clive came to the notice of the general match angling public with a third place on the team day of the 1981 World Champs at Luddington on the Warks Avon, behind Dave Thomas, who won both days. This was Wales’ debut in the event, finishing in a remarkable bronze medal position behind winners France and the host nation – despite having nowhere near the depth of talent to draw on as England.
Proving this wasn’t a flash in the pan, Clive went one better in 1986, winning silver in France, and topped even that in 1987 with individual gold in Portugal.
Ask any English match angler of a certain vintage who won the world title in 1989 on Bulgaria’s Plovdiv Canal and the immediate answer will be Tom Pickering. Not many will recall that preventing England winning its third consecutive team gold were relative minnows Wales, for whom that man Branson won the second day with 27lb.
Astonishingly, Clive has won day two no fewer than four times… remember this is the World Championships!
Clive is still a very successful match-man who now spends his time teaching and coaching anglers of all levels, as well as making and selling his Gold Medal floats and ground-baits.
He’s also a very active blogger and vlogger, and has a super website that he works very hard keeping up to date. And he’s a very proud Welshman too.
“Clive has stayed at the pinnacle of match fishing for five decades”