This is me
A fish fanatic called Martin Bowler
Since childhood I’ve always had a fascination with water and the creatures that live below the surface. My enthusiasm for fishing did not start with a rod and reel but a net and a bucket; endless hours spent searching for sticklebacks or stone loaches fired a passion that has lasted a lifetime. A hobby soon became a way of life and as a professional angler I have seen more than I could ever have dreamt of as a boy.
Three fish (barbel, crucian carp and grass carp) over the British best has so far been the pinnacle of my specimen hunting career. Catching fish however is not enough, portraying our great field sport is another drive and my weekly column in Angling Times, for well over a decade, has I hoped inspired a new generation of anglers to find their own adventures. The critically acclaimed TV series Catching The Impossible with Hugh Miles and Bernard Cribbins took 4 years to complete and, I hope, lived up to the title and was my first foray into the world of moving pictures. Since then I have produced a series of DVDs, all of which are available from my shop, where you will also find three books which came about from a love of writing.
I live in a small Wiltshire hamlet with my wife Jo and three Rottweilers – the only aim now is to continue on this wonderful angling journey that started all those years ago grabbing every opportunity fishing offers.
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I have never, and will never, endorse a product that I haven’t successfully used myself, so I assure you that if you ever find me on the bank - Drennan and Sticky will be at the forefront of my approach.
My relationship with Drennan International started a long time ago and I still feel today as I did then – that I’m working with a great company within the angling industry. With a shared belief that quality and integrity is of the utmost importance I have never once felt the need to compromise these values. When I endorse the company’s brands and products I do so because firstly this is what I use and secondly they are genuine fish catching aids. In a world filled with poor products and cheap imitations I put my faith in the Drennan name. So when you are attached to your fish of a lifetime ask yourself can you afford not to be as well?
When Angling Times voted Peter Drennan as one of the top 10 most influential men in angling, Steve Partner wrote: “Can a tackle manufacturer who began making floats in his mother’s garage really be considered one of the greatest influences in the history of fishing ? He can when he’s done as much to change the landscape of the sport as Peter Drennan. The saying goes that every serious angler has at least one item of Drennan tackle in their box, but it’s probably more than ten times that number. Brought up in the Oxford specimen scene during the 1950s and 1960’s, Peter fished alongside legends like Dick Walker, Peter Stone and the Taylor brothers, all of whom proved to have a crucial influence on his career. He began making his floats in 1967 as a way of earning money to pay for his fishing but the business grew, until today it supports in excess of 2,500 individual products – many of whom have broken new ground in innovation..”
I have visited a few bait factories but none has been as impressive as Sticky’s. A million miles away from a man in a garage image as you can get and one I would expect in the pharmaceutical industry. Clean, efficient and packed with the best and freshest products in the bait industry. This was boilie making science on a grand scales which is reflected in their incredible range of products. I was certainly impressed as I was with the men behind Sticky; their ethos of quality first has given the company a reputation second to none. Surely there isn’t a serious carp angler who hasn’t heard or seen first hand the pulling power of the Sticky's krill range, harnessing one of the most nutritional micro organisms know to man?
This is accompanied by the amazing Manilla and classics such as Bloodworm, Vortex, fluro, liquid foods and pure natural powders giving an angler everything he could need in his pursuit of a dream fish. And don’t for one minute believe the baits are just for carp as many barbel anglers will tell you that it is the best range they have ever used.
After meeting and seeing Sticky first hand it was impossible for me to say no when asked to join the team and use the baits. Confidence is everything in angling and I am confident in Sticky!