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JOHN ESSEX


An angler since the age of twelve John’s first love was match fishing. After an invitation by Ivan Marks, he joined the Leicester ‘Likely Lads’ team which won National Angling Championship medals in 1971, 1973, 1974, 1975 and 1977. John’s wins include the Great Ouse Championship, the Trent East Midland Regional Woodbine Final and the Fenland Championship, as well as finishing third individual in the 1975 Nene Division 1 National. His best fish in that event was a carp of 6.41kg - a record fish at the time.

A back problem forced him to retire from the match circuit, and in 1977 he concentrated on coaching the Leicester Junior side. With Roy Jeffery as team manager and ably supported by coaches Trevor Tomlin and the legendary Ivan Marks, these young lads and lasses won the NFA National Junior Team Championship in 1974, 1977, 1980, 1983 and 1985.

After ten years of chiropractic treatment John drifted back into fishing for carp and after two years caught his first twenty from Birstall lake, no more than two miles from his home. He later progressed to margin floater fishing, taking many twenties from his local club lake.

John is an avid collector of angling books and old tackle, with an extensive library of nearly 1000 books. He has written many articles on angling history for Angler’s Mail, the Angling Star, Classic Angling and Waterlog.

John has been actively involved in angling administration since the 1970s (serving on several club committees) and he chaired the Leicestershire Angling Federation for thirty years, working on behalf of anglers and angling clubs in Leicestershire. John returned to match fishing and competed in the National Championships into the new millennia for Birstall, Leicester & District and Wreake Angling Club.

Having now retired, he fishes every Thursday for six months in the summer, with the Leicester Age Concern Angling Club. In 2018 he won a competition at Peatling Parva with 193lb of carp in six hours and another at the Haven Stainforth with 177lb.

The National Angling Championships is his first book for the Medlar Press.