 |
| Ross Interviewing Jova Nedeljkovic |
Who camps out for five days and nights in miserable weather, feeding hundreds of pounds of bait to grateful fish, waiting for one or several of them to be snagged on a hook?
Who invest thousands of pounds in equipment, rods, fish finders, tents, boats , specialist clothes, simply to outwit a fish that most likely won’t be eaten and will simply eat your bait more often than not? Who spends weeks on end in quasi isolation, away from partners, friends and family hoping catch an irritated muscular beast on a line only slightly thicker than a human hair?
Who indeed!
I must confess that I have never bothered to consider this question but simply assumed the typical angler was different in outlook, temperament and personality to me. How wrong can one be!
The different types I have met cover the spectrum from company directors to farmers on the one hand and airline pilots to Olympic athletes – and I kid you not! These guys and gals (American for men and women) are engaging and very interesting reflecting a diversity that is far outside of my previously held narrow view.
For example I met a female angler who is a former model and another who is teamed up with her partner to enter the competition and they hold great expectations as they lead the tournament for a couple of days last year. And by the way she is pregnant. They are a delightful and vivacious couple, who make friends naturally.
Then there is the body builder from Holland, great to have a beer with, a joke a minute real jack the lad. Others are more reserved, and not all drink alcohol, though I have been privileged to meet some prodigiously talented drinkers on this trip. These guys consume beer in quantities and with a ruthless panache.
But I have noticed that while some are more outgoing, there is a competitive streak and steely determination that is evident in all of them. They are here to compete and win in a prestigious International event. Period. On Monday morning the banter was still there, but there was less bravado, more focus. The smiles were no less genuine, but the focus was not on pleasantries, but the business of fishing. The focus and determination were almost palpable.
So just who is an angler?
It seems that anyone can be an avid angler, young, old, male, female whatever their other interests, the same as any other sport really, they are ordinary people from all walks of life who just love to fish. They are not all mad. Really!
I took a long (4 mile) walk today to visit some of the anglers who were located on the opposite side of the lake to the base. I had the pleasure of accompanying the Tournament organiser Ross Honey and the main sponsor Robert Valkeneer of JRC.
It was an opportunity to interact with them in an environment where they were comfortable and I was not. Six inch deep mud and wild boar and deer running around is not my natural habitat! We were accompanied by Hajni Lovas who is a fantastic camera operator and a beautiful Hungarian lady. She resolutely tramped through the woods without complaint, filming every significant interaction. She is true professional and very engaging and effervescent personality.
And then we met Jova Nedeljkovic of Serbia. He is a cab driver from Belgrade and an avid angler. But Jova cannot afford to attend the World Carp Classic as an angler, so two years ago he travelled by bus to Paris, then by train to Metz and then walked and hitched a ride to Madine for the last 20 miles. This year Jova drove for two days just to be the runner for one of the teams. He seeks no pay or compensation. He travelled with his own food; he just wanted to be a part of the event.
I am a cynic. I don’t have much time for sentiment, and I believe that most adults make conscious choices which they have to live with. But Jova’s story brought a lump to my throat. Just chatting with him, his humility and passion for the sport came through. I just thought that his story was a compelling and genuine endorsement of the tournament.
 |
| Unexploded Bomb |
The forest was the scene of fierce battles in World War I. On a nearby hill a poignant reminder stands in tribute to fallen American soldiers, an imposing war memorial. As a student of history I found being in this particular place to be moving and strangely inspiring. We were able to photograph ordnance that has lain in the same place for over 90 years.
We saw the entrance to an underground field hospital, the concrete still intact, but a few yards along was the bomb crater where the structure took a direct hit. This was real history. Men fought and died in these forests and fields because they were told to.
This blog is supposed to be light hearted and funny. If I risk straying from my brief I ask you to forgive me
I have made new friends here. Peter Hands the incomparable ringmaster, Andy Chambers the cool and steely administrator, Jake the action hero, Pam the indefatigable administrator who just kept going, Terry the Chef and of course Ross and Marianne, thank you for your kind hospitality– all of these great people have left a bit of themselves here because they made this event great.
There are many other people whose hard work was intrinsic the success that I did not mention by name, they are all mentioned on the website, so forgive me if I did not mention you by name.
And just so you know good things sometimes happen to good guys. Peter, Andy and I planned to go out to dinner earlier tonight. (Friday night). As we were about to leave Peter could not find his wallet anywhere. We searched the room, we searched the car, (we found a credit card he lost a few weeks ago), and we went back to HQ and searched there. No wallet. Peter had lost his cards, drivers’ license, cash and other valuables, but he insisted we go out to dinner. The plan was to resume the search tomorrow. On the way home from dinner, at about midnight, Peter was driving as he had hardly had anything to drink. Suddenly about half a mile from where we were staying but within the Madine complex Peter slammed on the brakes. “There is my wallet!” he said, and he was right. Andy jumped out and retrieved the wallet from the middle of the road! All cards and cash intact. Amazing!
Finally, I won’t start angling. I have not been converted to the principle of catch and release, but I will continue to catch and devour, and have most certainly enjoyed the experience here at Lac de Madine.
William Bramble II
|
