Guiding insight
BY LOUIS FEROX THIS is the second part of our interview with Hywel Morgan of Daiwa, a Japanese company which set up a rod manufacturing plant in Lanarkshire in 1977.
This facility in Wishaw sat in the catchment of many light engineering and other manufacturing businesses, including the Ravenscraig steelworks, and they’re still developing and innovating more than 40 years later.
Daiwa’s Hywel Morgan signature range has just launched and he said: “This has been an exciting project to work on. We have been working on the range for nearly two years and the Japanese technology is mind-blowing.
“Once we finalised the actions of the rods, it was down to the very talented staff in Wishaw to create my dream range. I’d like to personally thank each and every one of them – from the people who cut the carbon, roll the blanks and assemble the rod to the quality controllers – they are all top class and have produced a product that I am proud to put my name on.”
We asked Hywel to answer some questions for us.
How does Scottish fishing compare?
Scotland is world-renowned for its salmon fishing but I think it also has some awesome hidden gems, including fantastic rivers and hill lochs with great wild brown trout fishing.
I have spent some time on the Isle of Lewis and Islay and was blown away with the amount of great fishing on offer.
As an instructor and master angler, tell us about common mistakes that hold people back?
The big one for me is that every angler uses far too much power – and if it doesn’t work, they use more power. You just need to relax and remember “Less is more”.
Too often people expect too much. They’ll give up or lack patience to keep improving. When I became a world champion it was an honour and proved that all the years of practice had paid off.
To take a quote from a famous golfer, “The more I practice, the luckier I get.”
You present on Fieldsports Britain and have several DVDs. How is the fishing programming climate?
Unfortunately, TV executives don’t see fly fishing as something worthy of giving airtime to.
I’m really pleased to see Gone Fishing with Bob Mortimer and Paul Whitehouse as it shows the wonderful countryside we have on our doorstep and also highlights the therapeutic benefits of angling.
What’s the future like for angling?
On a personal level not much has changed in my fishing. I still love all my fishing but now get less time to fish myself as I guide more. But seeing your client master the cast or catch that fish gives me more enjoyment than catching the fish myself.
As a sport in general, I’ve been demonstrating with my daughters since they were babies and have always harped on about getting the next generation involved – but unfortunately it has got worse.
People are starting to identify the health benefits of angling but we need a unified approach from the big manufacturers, the angling shops, fishing organisations and clubs to all be working together to promote the sport we love.