Warlingham and District Anglers' Society
Coronavirus and Fishing
We anglers have often been accused of being socially distant for disappearing into total isolation for hours or even days on end. Nevertheless, fishing is still deemed an unnecessary activity (clearly decided by someone who's never been) and all fisheries remain closed. Currently, we hope that when restrictions are eased we can get back to our passion. If closures are prolonged, we will be speaking to our fisheries to see whether some mitigation can be put in place for the time lost.
Bob Stone 1950 - 2020
Many tributes have already come in for our clubmate and friend who was struck down by COVID-19 on Tuesday 14th April 2020. After being rushed into ICU, it was thought the worst was over after being transferred back onto a ward, but he died suddenly thereafter. How cruel this virus can be.
Bob was a very active member, attending as many matches as he could despite suffering from COPD and arthritis. He loved all types of fishing but particularly the rivers. One of his greatest achievements was as individual winner of the Eden Challenge in 2015 and fittingly, his last WADAS match win was on the Eden at Chiddingstone in January 2020, just a few short weeks ago.
Despite his ailments, Bob was not one to let it restrict the things he loved doing. He would not avoid the long walk, particularly when it was for a swim he wanted. He continued to smoke (including the odd illicit substance) and could drink most of us under the table, yet his ability to sort nine playing cards in a game of brag was unsurpassed, demonstrating a quick wit and his love for the game. He could talk for hours about all the techniques he had read about in his fishing magazines, whilst struggling to understand why they didn't seem to work when he tried them. And he tried nearly all of them....
He had a quiet charm which served him well with many ladies throughout his cut-short life, some of the details of which are not for a public forum. He also loved our regular Road Trips both for the fishing and the evenings in the pub, keeping many of us in stitches with his arguments and banter with Micky Biles. We will definitely miss all that......
Below is a compilation of photos from over the years.