A friend of mine who is a shooting instructor recently invited me out for a day’s fishing on a boat with legendary fisherman Roger Wyndham Barnes on the River Thames in Marlow. Those that know me will say, ‘Mark, on a boat?!’ I don’t have the best sea legs in the world but this isn’t the sea so who was I to say ‘No’ to my friend. I’m not much of a fisherman myself but having grown up in Cornwall I have spent a fair few afternoons sea fishing off the rocks and piers with my mates so I was intrigued to go fishing for Pike in one of the most famous rivers of them all.
Our day started at around 8am when I was kindly invited for a full English at the Compleat Angler in Marlow, a venue I have shot many weddings at in the past but I never imagined I would be fishing one day in that stretch of the Thames seeing the hotel from a totally different angle and not a glass of champagne in sight! After our delightful breakfast we met Roger in his boat aptly named the Compleat Angler on the river bank. We stayed within sight of the Compleat Angler hotel for the day fishing in the weir pools mainly for the famous Thames Pike. It was not long before we got our first Pike which must have been the largest for the day at around 12lb. Well, with a mixture of expert knowledge from Roger Wyndham Barnes along with some good banter and plenty to eat the three men in a boat had a jolly good day on the Thames catching four Pike by the end of the day, and a few that put up a good fight and got away!
To find out more about Roger Wyndham Barnes please click here for his website or contact the Compleat Angler Hotel for more information or to book your breakfast beforehand!
Here are a few of my favourite images from the day. Oh and my dodgy sea legs? I was fine! 😮
The Sporting Picture 