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CarpFever 2015

South African Specimen Carp Fishing Digital Magazine.

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Mark Pitchers needs no<br />

introduction. We all know him from<br />

the extremely popular series by<br />

Fox International, The Challenge.<br />

<strong>CarpFever</strong> had the privilege to ask<br />

him a few questions:<br />

Mark Pitchers<br />

Age: 37<br />

From: Middlesbrough, North East England<br />

Personal best catch: 56lb 8oz<br />

Daily occupation: Angling consultant, journalist,<br />

tutor and fishery owner<br />

Sponsors: Fox and CC Moore<br />

Where did your interest in angling start?<br />

It started when I was just five years old and<br />

I use to catch small fish in the local stream<br />

with my bare hands. Then one day I went into<br />

the local village shop to buy a hand net and<br />

the guy behind the counter said something<br />

along the lines of “I think you’ll do better with<br />

one of these” and he gave me one of his old<br />

fishing rods. It’s amazing to think that that<br />

one event set me off down the angling path;<br />

no one in my family fished, so if that hadn’t<br />

happened who knows what I would have<br />

ended up doing.<br />

Mark, you are very popular down here<br />

in South Africa due to The Challenge<br />

series, how did your ‘break’ in the industry<br />

came about?<br />

Well, I’m sure it sounds pretty sad but carp fishing<br />

is always on my mind, I have fished from a very<br />

early age and I have never lost that ‘buzz’.<br />

Where did it all start? I guess it started<br />

when I was 16 years old. Back then I was<br />

a match angler and was representing the<br />

Drennan England Youth Team. I fished<br />

two World Championships and Home<br />

International, picking up a team gold and<br />

team bronze in the process. It was around<br />

this time I started writing for the match<br />

fishing magazines, and when I made the<br />

transition to carp fishing I began writing<br />

for the carp mags. In 2003/04 I had a<br />

crazy 10 month period when I banked fish<br />

of 49lb 15oz, 50lb 10oz and 56lb 8oz and<br />

as a result I got nominated for the Carp<br />

Angler of the Year award. I didn’t win, but I<br />

guess it did get me ‘noticed’ by a few more<br />

people within the industry.<br />

You are a consultant for CC Moore and Fox<br />

International, what does it take to become<br />

an consultant for these top brands?<br />

Becoming a consultant doesn’t happen<br />

overnight, a lot of people catch a couple of<br />

big fish and think that’s all they need to do,<br />

but it is being able to do that with consistency<br />

over a long period of time that is the mark<br />

of a good angler. Also, it’s not just about<br />

catching fish, it’s about having a strong media<br />

presence too, both in the magazines and also<br />

on social media, so I would say good writing<br />

and photography skills are a big advantage.<br />

The chances are, if you are doing everything<br />

right, companies will notice and approach<br />

you, rather than you approaching them.<br />

Above: Mark’s<br />

biggest fish of<br />

<strong>2015</strong> (so far), a<br />

chunky 46lb 1oz<br />

mirror.<br />

10 | December <strong>2015</strong> www.carpfever.co.za

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