About Bad Angling & The Numpties Guides

The Start of the Beginning...

"Bad Angling" was one of those phrases that just came about. You can't invent a sticky phrase (just ask Harry Enfield why he's doing voice-overs for the Discovery channel now) they just happen. Coined originally as a passing insult between fishing mates that spend most of their time acting as though they hate each other, the phrase Bad Angling has come to mean almost the opposite. Angling isn't a sport that's supposed to be done well, that's why it never works that well on TV and we don't do it during games at school. To be a bad angler is to be everything that you are supposed to be, it is to be someone that fishes just hard enough that they enjoy it, to catch bugger all but not count it as a failure, it is to put more food into the sea than you take out.

The next time someone accuses you of "Bad Angling" don't gaff them, treat yourself to another metaphorical bowl of rough shag and be smug.

About the Numpties Guides...

Well, only a numpty would ask ;-) 

Calling All Sea-Fishers...

The classic 1950s book on sea angling by Alan D'Egville, I read my dad's copy when I was nine and years later inadvertantly re-created my own version in the form of this website. If you haven't read it I urge you to find a copy on Ebay or in a second hand bookshop. 

One of the great features of the book are the illustrations by Alan D'Egville, who was an excellent cartoonist as well as a witty author. I decided that it would be great to obtain permission to reproduce Alans cartoons within this website, however I discovered that he passed away in 1951 and as far as anyone could remember he left no family.  To that end I have decided to go ahead and publish the cartoons within this website for all to enjoy, and acknowledge that Alan D'Egville was the artist of the illustrations, and that the publishing company of the original book was Cassell Plc, a division of the Orion Publishing Group (London).

I would like to also thank Andrew & Elisabeth of the Kandahar Ski Club for their valuable help in finding out more about Alan D'Egville.  Thanks also to Crispin & his father Maj. Gen. David Horsfield for their kind assistance, as well as Jessica Purdue from Orion Publishing.