Yorkshire Fly Fishing

In what I consider to be something of a coup for Yorkshire Flyfishing I have managed to conduct an interview with the guy who’s suddenly appeared in everyone’s Facebook feed catching big barbel where there shouldn’t be big barbel! Read on to discover the man behind the fish (and under the cap). No it’s not flyfishing but you should all know by now this blog has evolved into another dimension compared to where it began!

Unlike Sav who is still in his 20s, I was born in Leeds in the 1970s. I have lived here all my life and am proud of my heritage but memories of the city centre back in the 70s and 80s are that half of it was a grimy, dirty, shit hole and the river was practically a sewer. Over the years the Aire has gradually improved in quality and appearance but still I’m always surprised to see people fishing out the back of the train station and kinda assumed they were just pretending to fish whilst they took drugs/sold drugs/drank heavily or all of the above. So imagine my surprise then when I start seeing pictures like this in my Facebook feed!

These pictures might not have even entered my feed had I not just taken up barbel fishing myself this year after spending most of the past 30 years flyfishing and it was crazy to see these fish being caught in the city centre whilst I’ve been trapsing out to fish the Wharfe in very rural areas! Sav seems to have exploded onto the local fishing scene and stunned everyone with inspirational photos of superb inner city barbel whilst at the same time not necessarily looking like your ‘typical angler’ if there is such a thing.

What, or indeed who, got you into fishing?

It was completely random, really. One day a friend of mine, Kyle was heading out fishing and I happened to bump into him on the way. I ended up tagging along with him and another friend, Jack, and before I knew it I was sat at a lake with them.

Then all of a sudden the rod absolutely ripped off! I’d never experienced anything like it and, believe it or not, I was actually too scared / shocked to grab the rod! Haha.

That random day out was basically where it all started for me. I certainly didn’t set out thinking I was going to get into fishing, but something obviously clicked—we ended up doing a couple 24hour sessions for carp and I’ve been hooked ever since.

 Did you expect to encounter big barbel in Leeds city centre or was it a total surprise that the Aire could turn out clonkers (as John Wilson would say)

I always knew there were big barbel all along the River Aire. You hear plenty of Chinese whispers about fish going over 18lb, and whether they’re all true or not, you know the potential is definitely there.

That said, knowing they’re in there and actually catching them are two completely different things! Last year was a really tough one for me — I only managed one barbel and one chub all year. So when you do eventually connect with a proper Aire barbel, especially right in the middle of Leeds, it makes all those blanks and hours on the bank worthwhile.

I wouldn’t say the big fish were a total surprise, but the calibre of fish that can turn up in such an urban stretch of river still amazes me. There are definitely some proper urban bangers swimming around under Leeds!

Do you ever get hassle from passers-by whilst fishing the Dark Arches or other city locations? 

Occasionally you get a bit of hassle, usually from someone who’s had a few too many drinks, but to be fair it’s never normally anything too bad.

Most people are actually just curious. You’d be surprised how many people stop and ask, “Are there actually fish in there?” They seem genuinely shocked when you tell them there are barbel, chub and some seriously good fish swimming right through the middle of Leeds.

I actually quite enjoy that side of urban fishing. You end up having some funny conversations and meeting all sorts of characters along the way!

Do you prefer urban fishing to more rural destinations?

It’s a bit of both for me really, as there are pros and cons to each.

I love urban fishing because there’s always something going on. You’ve got people passing by, unusual surroundings and that feeling of not really knowing what could be swimming beneath you. There’s something pretty special about catching a big fish right in the middle of a busy city while everyone else is just going about their day.

On the other hand, you can’t beat getting out somewhere rural, away from all the noise and people, and just enjoying the peace and quiet. Sometimes that’s exactly what you want from fishing.

So I don’t think I could choose one over the other — they’re completely different experiences, and I enjoy them both for different reasons.

What’s the weirdest thing you’ve seen whilst fishing in the city centre?

Maybe not the weirdest, but definitely one of the most random things I’ve come across happened at a spot I regularly fish.

As I was walking down towards the river, I could hear someone shouting, but I couldn’t work out where it was coming from. When I eventually got to the water’s edge, I realised there was a man actually stuck in the river!

Me and my friend Dylan ended up calling for help and assisting him in getting out safely. Definitely not what we expected when we headed down for a day’s fishing!

That’s city-centre fishing for you though — you genuinely never know what you’re going to come across.

What’s the weirdest thing you’ve hooked whilst fishing in the city centre?! I once trawled up a set of pornographic  DVDs whilst flyfishing the Aire at Gargrave! And yes they still worked after drying out….

I onced hooked a sleeping bag haha, almost snapped my rod !

Describe your go-to barbel rig for fishing the Aire in Leeds? Even better draw us a diagram and take a picture 😀

I keep it pretty simple really. My go-to is a basic running rig with a hair rig, usually around 100cm in length, with a meatball on the hair — I’m not too fussy on flavour!

I’ve never felt the need to overcomplicate things. If I’m confident I’ve got the bait in the right place and there are barbel in front of me, a simple running rig does the job

Have you ever tried your hand at fly fishing?

I’ve never flyfished before! I’d be open to learning as it does look good fun, most definitely looks more challenging than what I do ha ha!

What’s the plan with your high profile presence on social media – where do you hope to see this heading?

To be honest, I never really started social media with a big plan in mind. It was more about sharing my fishing, the captures, the blanks and everything that comes with it.

It’s grown from there and I’ve really enjoyed meeting other anglers and seeing people take an interest in what I’m doing, especially the urban fishing around Leeds.

Going forward, I’d just like to keep growing it naturally, create better content and hopefully work with some good people and brands along the way. If it opens a few doors and creates some opportunities within fishing, then even better. Ultimately though, I want to keep enjoying my fishing and sharing it with people — and just see where it takes me.

Big thanks to Sav for taking the time to answer my questions. If you would like to see more of his content then I suggest you subscribe to his Youtube channel and follow him on Facebook!