A little drive and passion translates into a lot of action, and that is what is needed now more than ever to demand the government’s attention in order to effect the change in policies that is so urgently required. "A single person can make a real difference. “There are millions and millions of us anglers,” he explains, adding: “The term ‘angler’ covers everyone from children crabbing in rock pools to the seasoned fly angler casting for the elusive sea trout in Patagonia. He says it has never been timelier for the angling community to rally together to protect and fight for the future of our waterways. That’s why Jim has single-handedly launched a new campaign called Activist Anglers. We need to keep the pressure on these companies.” We have also called them out for oil spillages and dumping raw sewage. "Every time they do this they push this precious species to extinction. “I try to hold them to account particularly when there is a drought to stop them from over abstracting water from the Lower Test which is one of our flagship chalk streams in England and home to a rare subspecies of wild salmon. Southern Water, the private utility company responsible for public wastewater collection in Jim’s home county of Hampshire, is his nemesis. So I got out of the river, shaved off my beard, got Robson Green to read the role of the Queen and we shot the scene that afternoon using an iPhone That is why we all need to be proactive.” Sadly this is not an isolated incident – occurrences like this appear to be widespread. "Together with WildFish, I spearheaded a petition which called on the Environment Agency not to renew the company’s licence, and it gained more than 7,000 signatures. It was discharging pesticides that were harming invertebrates, which are the primary food source of wild trout, downstream on the Alre and the upper reaches of the River Itchen. “Our biggest success story to date was exposing malpractice by a salad washing company. ![]() ![]() As well as being an ambassador for Atlantic Salmon Trust and the Angling Trust, he has been involved in campaigns to protect his local rivers - the Itchen and Test in Hampshire. A week later I received another email to say I’d landed the role."Ĭivic minded Jim is a big believer in giving back by volunteering for various organisations. "So I got out of the river, shaved off my beard, got Robson to read the role of the Queen and we shot the scene that afternoon using an iPhone. They sent me some lines and wanted me to film myself in character. “While we were fishing the Dee I received an email from my agent asking me to audition for the role of Prince Andrew for series 5 and 6 of The Crown on Netflix. It was well received with the second series released in April this year which sees the duo fish the Tyne, Dee and Spey. Robson and Jim's Fly Fishing Adventure was launched on ITV in 2021 where we fish around Iceland over three episodes.” "We became great friends and decided to make a fly fishing TV show. ![]() “He hadn’t done much fly fishing so I took him to Thurso. To this day, all my problems are solved on the river."Ī few years ago, Jim met fellow actor Robson Green. "Fishing changed the way I process everything. "The rhythmic repetition of casting in the cathedral of nature – fish tend not to live in ugly places – with the sound of water and my focus on targeting something is so restorative. For me, like so many anglers, fishing is meditative and vital for my mental health. "The most healing times were when I was in flow, fishing solo with my own thoughts. I could not find solace from therapy or speaking to friends. One way I worked through the trauma was to go fly fishing. “It was an incredibly distressing, life changing time for us. Then eight months later they sadly lost her due to a congenital heart defect. Here, I cemented my love for the pastime.”Īfter Jim met his wife Sarah they moved from London to Hampshire and welcomed their first daughter Ella-Jayne in 2008. ![]() “For not much money, I would spend the whole day fishing for stocked trout there. I had a motorbike, so I would put the rods across my back and ride out to the lakes at Syon Park. “I am a country boy at heart so I needed to find respite from living in a busy metropolis. Once Jim had fledged home he moved to London to kick start his acting career. Once he’d dropped me back home we found an old tyre in the garden for me to practise accurately casting into using one of his old bamboo rods with cotton tied onto the end. “We never really caught much but I really enjoyed the experience. Luckily, Jim’s late grandfather Norman stepped in and took him fly fishing on a reservoir in Macclesfield. I disliked fishing in this way and I used to get very sea sick.” It was a production line, not in any way fun. “As a family we would spend our holidays in north Wales aboard Dad’s smelly diesel-fumed tug boat fishing for mackerel that we’d then sell on the beach.
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