CarpFever 2015
South African Specimen Carp Fishing Digital Magazine.
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