An Idol and hero to alot of people Renarc…….including me!

After my beer birds and cars period i went down to my local fishery wassel grove just to have a walk and unknowingly bumped into ken who was emptying the contents of the match pool .I asked him how he was doing it and he proceeded to tell me all about his peg,rig and tactics.Looking back this now seems a realy cheeky and anoying thing to do ,but this kick started me back into fishing and then on into the match and open circuit.Big thanks to ken for not telling me to go and p#ss off

well done on your match win Renarc
nice to see people taking the time to post positive comments.
too quick to moan and slow to praise us anglers sometimes !!
(myself included)

I’ve been fishing matches in the midlands for 25 years..

Never heard anyone say a bad word about the bloke, a true gentleman always.

nice to hear some genuine respect for one of our few angling legends i, particuarly poignant in these days.

I think there are a lot of anglers that act in the same way.

On the midland canal curcuit we have a few, blokes like Tony Keeling, Fred Cheetam, Andy Billington, Paul Ross amonst others..Turn up, draw their peg, have a good laugh, as helpful as they can be.

The world would be a lot better place with more people like those.

kenny is areal gent and when ever you see him fishing his kit is imaculate as is his apperance he never seems to get coverd in mud or worm sh*t over the years fishing with my son we have seen ken a fair bit and he has allways been keen to talk and offer advise on rigs bait and how to fish pegs one bit of advise he gave to my lad once which has stuck with him for many years was dont rush its not a race its a match get out what you hook and this rings true when you think about it how many times have you lost out to that fish you pulled out of you dont hear kenny swear much only when he gets beat by the little ba*tard timmy guise as ken describes him but he is another nice chap who will tell you a lot and helps younger angler with the advise of these 2 and a few more my lad now fishes at a high standard

i live in the same village as Ken and have met up with him at some local matches and agree with everyone else, what a lovely, helpful bloke

As a ‘kid’ (14-16) in the mid 70’s I spent a fair bit of time sat behind him (and Clive and Max) at Evesham. They were and still are my amongst my angling heroes, regardless of what I’ve heard since they always shared their knowledge.

I also have a signed and ‘immaculate’ copy of “Match Fishing Our Way”. e-bay anyone?lol

Katarino, where are you based. I, too, used to go and sit behind them at Evesham about the same time. Used to fish Huxleys, West Hillsborough, Luddington a lot. My boyhood ambition was to join Cofton Hackett, never did though.
My first claim to fame was an open at Earlswood, yachter. Clive 1st, Max 2nd, me 3rd, Ken 4th, and I beat Ken off the next peg.
Used to live on Solihull/Acocks Green but moved to North Wales in ’83.

I’m down South now, the Thames is my patch. I lived in Pershore from 76-78. Used to cycle to Evesham to watch them.

I particularly remember Max drawing the White Post two weeks runing and blitzing both matches. I also sat behind Ken when he won the Rose Bowl (77?).

Evesham was great in those days but I still maintain the pegging there is a lot tighter these days than it was then.

Yeah, happy days.

I met Ken Giles in 1982.
I was fishing a club match on the Warwickshire Avon and Ken walked past me and set up in a channel off the main river.
He was fishing the pole in the slack water.
You didnt see anyone fishing this method on rivers then.
I went to watch him and i was welcomed with a “hello there” and we got talking.
It was my introduction to pole fishing and Ken explained everything about his tackle and methods from hooks to elastic.
I dont think I have met a more enthusiastic angler.
He told me if I was to get a pole I should get the longest one I could afford and concentrate on presentation.
As a result I bought a 11 mtr Lerc and used it on the Leeds Liverpool canal all the next year practising for the division 2 national.
We came fourth and got promotion.
Since that meeting on the Avon with Ken, I hold him responsible for my expenditure of many thousands of pounds on pole tackle and also many unforgettable match catches and wins.. Thanks Ken..

Ken used to fish down Arrow Valley Lake in Redditch a lot and I used to cycle down there in the mid 80s after school or at weekends on a regular basis. He would always chat to me and I got to know him and his wife really well.

I still see him occasionally and he will always chat to me and ask how I am. I remember when I first won the Ladies Avon Champs and he made a point of congratulating me and asking how I had fished.

My dad also has the book ‘Match Fishing our Way’ as well as the one that endpeg mentioned in one of his Match Fishing articles, ’10 of the Best’ by Clive Smith.

A true gentleman, then and now.

Watched both Ken and Clive at Earlswood in the 70,s,Kens tackle and appearance has always been immaculate.

RH, As I’m sure you know there were two Cofton sides. The side that included Clive, Ken, Max, Barry Brookes, Lloyd Davies (a eally BRILLIANT angler) etc. Even the esteemed owner of DHP fished for them when they won the Thames Champs in the late 70’s. Then there was the ‘club’ Cofton side and the ‘pro’ (Shakespeare) side, this arrangement worked well and I always thought they were a club ahead of their time.

Did you go to the invitation (Lawden?) one where Ivan and Lloyd Davies got in a duel above the Bridge at Evesham? Ivan fished groundbait/caster/waggler which was regarded as sacriledge at the time, Lloyd beat him literally on the last cast by about 4 ozs.

Also the Ladbroke North/South etc match where Ray Mumford drew the peg above the bridge,won the match in the first two hours and then p**sed all the spectators off by moaing so much about “everyone” watching Ivan, Ken and Clive that by the end he was winning the match with no one watching him. Come the presentations not even his own ‘South’ team mates (Kenny Collings and Johnny Mac were two I can’t remember the others, Keith?) applauded him.