PETER COLLINS YEARS
Peter Collins who had spent some years at the sister weekly Angling Times in the role of Features Editor became Editor of Sea Angler in August 1974 and within a few days sent me the letter reproduced here. He was very much his own man, didn’t suffer fools gladly and said what he thought in very plain language, which included criticism of the National Federation of Sea Anglers and how it was run. He could be a bit prickly and didn’t get on with everyone, and he and I had one or two differences of opinion but all things considered we got on very well. He had always supported the British Conger Club and in 1980 received honorary life membership received as guest of honour at the annual formal dinner and presentation weekend.
Under Peter’s guidance the circulation of Sea Angler rose from 9,000 to over 50,000 and the pagination virtually doubled. For the 25th anniversary edition Peter wrote an interesting, lengthy piece about his years as editor and paid me the compliment that I had pushed the frontiers of angling photography forward to bring excitement in pictures.
Peter retired in 1985 and Mel Russ who had been Features Editor at the weekly Anglers Mail took on the Editor’s role and brought a new look, which included the operating of a trailed boat named Sea Angler, this becoming a familiar sight at the major ports around the British coastline. I recall him bringing it down to Salcombe behind the four-wheel-drive distinctively painted in the black and yellow colours (as was the boat) of the magazine’s front cover. e purpose of this visit was to compete in the Wyvern Small Boat Championship which has survived the test of time and is now in its 44th year. He was a frequent visitor to the Westcountry and we became close friends to the point of him staying at our home in Plymouth. On one occasion he came to lunch with John Holden who is still writing for Sea Angler. In 1991 Mel joined the elite of conger fishing by catching a wreck eel of 101lb 8oz from Electric Blue built and operated by Tony who sadly passed away this year in Florida where he had lived for at least 10 years.
JET SET
rough the decades of my press and photography work I was promotions and press officer for the American Company Gladding International and I refer to the last paragraph in Peter’s letter to me. My time with Gladding and 27 years with Shakespeare tackle in much the same role took me around the world. Shakespeare and Sea Angler had an active connection and the company’s officers were frequently invited to functions, on one occasion to Spain for a week’s shark fishing. Trade shows in Britain, Holland, Germany, America and Canada were a part of my scene. You always had to have your passport in the brief-case. I recall arriving in Heathrow from Vancouver to be greeted with a message, “Carry on to Germany”. It was an exciting way of life! ■