The Traditional Fisherman's Forum

I am astonished that no-one has mentioned JW Martin on this thread.

Next to Richard Walker, he is the man I, and many others respect as being the second greatest English angler of all time. Martin was unique; born in very poor circumstances he left "school" at the age of 10 and did all sorts of jobs from farm labourer to barge boy. Together with a friend he taught himself to read and write to the point where he penned many books on angling.

He learned his craft on the River Trent, living near Newark. He was lucky in that he was fishing during the halcyon days of British Rail, when it was possible to get around England easily and cheaply. Would that we could do that today.

From the Trent, he was able to get around and fish 24 other English rivers. He moved to London where he was able to bring the barbel catching skills to the Thames, and in later life he opened a tackle shop in Seymour Street, near Euston Station.

Martin died in 1916, a fairly wealthy man, and certainly one of England's most notable anglers of the last 100 years.

I have a signed copy of his book "Practical Fishing for the so-called Coarse Fishes". It's inscribed "Author's numbered copy No. 8 With the compliments of J W Martin "The Trent Otter".

It's always been a bit of a mystery to me as it has a plain dark blue cover (no dust wrapper) with the title and "The Trent Otter" in gold lettering on the front. All the other copies I've ever seen have had a yellow (or occasionally pale blue) cover illustrated with the design shown here:

http://www.anglebooks.com/product.php/2 ... -fishes---

Never having seen JW Martin's signature, I've no idea if it's even genuine - I bought it for £5 in 1981 in a secondhand bookshop in Northampton.

Good point Ron, you will see that ‘The Trent Otter’ now how his own rightful place on the forum.

Here's a couple of his books. A great read:

http://archive.org/details/roachruddbreamfi00martrich

If you scroll through its got his perch and pike book appended to the end too.

Just taken a quick snap of the inscription inside my copy of "Practical Fishing" - the handwriting and signature definitely match!

Hi Gents

The signatures in my books match exactly
Days among the Pike and Perch [no 211] and
My Fishing Days and Fishing Ways [no. 131].
Had a few others that I gave away in the 70's....need my brain tested !!

Mike

It's starting to sound as though (as Terry Pratchett claims for his own books) unsigned copies might be rarer still!

Martin was a great traveller along much of the middle reaches of the Trent but he also fished much of the tidal, particularly around Dunham bridge.Some six or seven hundred yards above the bridge is the famous "Dubbs" where he fished with many of his friends from a boat for Barbel.
It was here that the sliding float was reputed to have been first devised for use in the very deep water that ptrevailed at the time.
It says in one of his books that he and his friends floats were two enormous albatros feathers whipped together to carry the large amounts of lead required to cock the floats where they were trotted downstream with baits like worm or greaves (the renderings from the local candlemakers workshop local to Dunham) which were the killing baits in his day

There is a memorial plaque dedicated to Martin on an ash tree close to the Dubbs, if anyone wishes to see it and pay respect to "The man" park close to the bridge on the lincoln bank (east bank) and walk upstream, thro a pair of clappergates and some two hundred yards further on a small track comes downhill to meet the one you have just walked along.
Prior to this little junction some two or three trees back is the one with the plaque on it.
Take your camera if you go and you will be able to insert the picture in your book as a momento of the occasion.

There's also this free download.

http://www.fishingmuseum.org.uk/library ... 201885.pdf

Oops - just noticed Luckyluca's thread

Here's the plaque to the great JW at Dunham Dubbs. This was taken in 2007 and the tree was slowly growing over it. Don't know what state it's in now.