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marks for Accidental Angler
I never thought that
the time would come when I wrote about features on the box in the manner
of a TV critic, but recent events have made me think about this quite
a lot.
It all began when I won a wonderful prize consisting of ten DVDs, each
of them lasting almost two hours, and depicting carp fishing in a very
detailed way with lots of excellent fascinating underwater shots showing
fish taking, or often not taking, an angler’s baited hook.
My experience of angling programmes on the television is limited to those
that have appeared on BBC or the normal commercial channels because I
do not subscribe to satellite channels.
The programmes that I have watched have varied between fascinating, expertly
produced gems, through mediocre, to absolute rubbish.
I have recently watched the first two in a new series of programmes on
BBC2 on Sunday nights under the title The Accidental Angler.
To my amazement I have read two different reviews by television critics
who panned the series calling the angler who was involved (Charles Rangeley-Wilson)
lacking in charisma, and the programme boring.
In fact, though I am obviously biased, this angler performs competently
and he visits remote, awe-inspiring places of great beauty.
All aspects of the difficult journeys involved in reaching these wonderful
places, and depicting the friendly local people who helped him, are included,
as is the exciting fishing.
Part one depicted mahseer fishing in a remote part of India, and part
two showed us fly fishing for trout as high in the sky as these fish can
survive.
The Loch Leven trout were transported from Scotland as fry a great many
years ago and released into a lake high in the Himalayas.
Of course, we anglers are quite used to hearing or reading comments from
non anglers about our great sport, and one common remark that makes me
very annoyed is when people who should know better ask if we ‘throw
the fish back’.
It may not harm a small fish if we flip it back into the water from a
few inches away but only an absolute moron would throw a sizeable fish
anywhere.
We gently return them (if not wanted for the table as some trout are)
making sure that the fish are able to swim off.