We took football legends Paul Merson (Magic Man) and David Seaman (Safe Hands) out for a days’ fishing. Reminiscing on the old football days, we saw them catch a lot of fish and have a lot of laughs.
Fishing with Safe Hands and Magic Man
Heading down to the river Wye in the beautiful countryside of Wales, we tackled trees, long grass and water to get to our chosen idyllic spot. Privately owned, people can contact the owners to have their own private fishing experience. As a river full of Chub and Barbel, it’s an ideal location for a relaxing fishing trip on a large stretch of river.
David Seaman arrived at the wilderness spot on the River Wye and was keen to get one of his pals on the river with him. Last time saw us hook Gazza, but this time it would be a different football friend.
As we watched a Bentley turn up, we saw David eagerly welcoming his Arsenal pal Paul Merson. With hardly any fishing experience, and not a lot of love for the sport, nobody knew how the day was going to pan out.
After a warm embrace, (or was it a strong handshake?) the two started by reminiscing about a past carp fishing experience they had together on Harry’s Heroes; nothing was caught except for bad feelings. With the goal of changing this, we got Merson kitted out. But when the waders were revealed, we thought the Magic Man was out, “How much gear do you need?” he poked at David, and then finally when he had the whole get up on, he sighed, “now I know how Mr Ben felt.” If you know, you know.
But David was keen to get his mate into his beloved sport of fishing, and so they headed to the river in hope of a few bites.
Did They Catch Fish the Way They Scored Goals?
With a climatic start to the day, their first bite was in minutes of setting up. Although the bite was missed and ended up in a fallen rod pod, it was a good sign of things to come. Watch our video below to see how Merson starts getting the bug for fishing almost immediately, now wanting to land a fish as well as hook one.
As they get more comfortable with their set up of our Westlake feeder rods, Westlake chairs and a rod pod mid-water, surrounding by trees and a flowing river, we listened as the two took a trip down memory lane. Watch as they talk about their good old days, playing for England, their best goals and why Paul got his name as the Magic Man.
In-between the laughs and unforgettable memories, Barbel and Chub were caught, and each time you could see Merson becoming more hooked, saying to David: “I can see where the buzz is”.
Take a Friend Fishing – Be like Seaman and Merson
And this is what fishing is all about. Getting down to the water with your mates and having a laugh, talking about life, reminiscing and catching fish. And there’s no better time to do it, as this month, August, is take a friend fishing month. This means that all month, you can take a pal down fishing with you for free, as long as you (or they) hold a valid fishing licence. You can read more about that on our blog here.
And if you’re just getting started, much like the legendary Paul Merson, why not try some of our beginner friendly kits? Shakespeare teamed up with the Angling Trust to bring our customers start-up sets, where all you need is bait! They even have QR codes on them, with links to tips and tricks to get started.
So, what you waiting for? It might not be a trip with David Seaman and Paul Merson, but any trip the river with a friend, is one to remember.
