Bob Gullick Interview

Hi Bob, thank you so much for agreeing to do my latest interview;

Can you tell us a little bit about yourself, how you first got into fishing and the first fish you caught?

I am born and bred Somerset, so very much a country lad really.

Presently retired after 35yrs in the print industry and left my factory manager role at the end of 2025 aged 60.

My first memory of fishing was being 5yrs old at a local stream with my dad who was constantly telling me off for making too much noise (some would say that has not changed much!) and every 30 seconds I wanted to wind the rod in to see if a fish was on the end.

Incredibly I did leave my worm hookbait in the water long enough for a small brown trout to hang itself! It must have really wanted that worm is all I can think now.

Small tribute, my father died a couple of years later and I missed him immensely and still do.

What’s your favourite style of fishing?

It has to be edge fishing for carp, especially if meat is allowed.

Your favourite venue?

Any commercial venue that has a good infrastructure as I want a tackle shop and breakfast, also staff that understand angling help massively.

I spend a lot of time at Acorn Fishery now though as the fishing is fantastic, staff are knowledgeable and brekkie round the corner.

Favourite species?

Carp, carp and more carp please.

Our paths first crossed many years ago when you fished for Team Sillybait and later briefly we fished together with Sharp Match Group, you predominately fish commercials these days but did you fish naturals much and do you miss them?

Yes, that is correct Jamie, my first match was on a commercial after Howard Webb who lived on the same road as me and was the founder of Sillybait (the first fishmeal groundbait around) talked me into a 3hr evening match which I won with 7 waggler caught tench.

I won a fair few early commercial fishing matches from 70+ peggers at Shearwater to Whiteacres, Viaduct and several other South based venues.

Got my first taste of natural water angling through a club based in Glastonbury called Glaston Manor and it was not too long before I was fishing the South West Winter League with them and the league was thriving back then with 12 teams of 12, so 144 peg matches and the Super League even had 2 divisions!

After learning a lot from the guys at Glaston Manor I joined yourself Jamie along with the others at Sharp Match Group, then in time onto Thatchers Match Group and ending up with Garbolino BMV and managed to qualify for 5 Winter League Finals in 6yrs with them.

Yes, I missed the natural venues like Porth res, Huntspill, River Avon and certain methods like the stick float and of course the craic with team mates, but I only fished once a week back then and a bad peg would live with me for the rest of the week. Add to this the costs of top 5’s for your pole etc and raising a family, I walked away from team fishing and a knock on from that was walking away from natural venues as well, although I didn’t know that at the time.

You’ve fairly recently started a YouTube channel (BHB Productions), what made you decide to do it?

My daughter started this really as when I returned from a match on a Sunday if I had done well my phone would start ringing or beeping with msg’s of peeps wanting to know how I had caught. I have always been very open with information (probably too open) so my daughter suggested I film my matches so that everyone can see how I was catching!

This idea sounded great and I was excited about it to be honest but had no idea how to start, so I did some research and the more I looked into how to film, edit and produce a video the more convinced I became that there was a niche for someone who loves match fishing but is not a big name star of the sport. People want to know the ups and downs of an ordinary match angler and as long as I stay level headed I think people can relate to this and hopefully find it entertaining too.

Sticking with social media, I obviously write the blog and have done for a very long time (it’s the 20^th anniversary of Against Men and Fish this year) and I come in for some stick at times although I’ve also had loads of amazing feedback, how have you found the response since you launched the channel?

Wow, Jamie! Big congratulations on your 20th anniversary, that is quite a feat mate.

YouTube is a very different media to say TikTok or Facebook and is very largely positive, in fact I think my channel has a 99.8% positive feedback which is amazing.

On the bank or on other social media I have been given a bit of stick, but largely it is given with tongue in cheek and I love a bit of banter. There has been the odd one where you can tell they are not joking and I tend not to give it much thought if I am honest, if there is one thing I have learnt in life it’s ‘if you try to please everyone you are your own biggest enemy’.

What I love is when I go to a new venue there is always someone who comes and says hello and tells me how much they enjoy the channel, so the positives outweigh the negatives by miles and I am sure you would have found this as well Jamie.

I fish quite a bit and I’m struggling to keep up with blog posts at the moment, could you tell the readers a little about what goes into producing, filming and editing a video, how much time does it take you?

Of course, well apart from charging and ensuring the kit is up together, setting it up on the bank and transferring the footage to a PC or laptop, the actual editing takes me around 5-8hrs depending on the feature although I have got faster now, so probably nearer the 5hr mark.

I must add I enjoy making a good video, not a slap together quickly, make a quid style film as there are lots about, so this is why I am generally down to one video a week as any more just means less quality and I would sooner not bother if I had to constantly produce like that.

Have you any angling heroes or anyone who has inspired you?

Yes, my dad on that little local stream.

What’s your biggest fish in the UK? And abroad?

23lb 12oz carp at the Viaduct many years ago when that was considered a really big fish.

Mekong catfish of 180lb in Thailand, it was like being tied to the back of a car playing that fish.

Bob with a large Mekong catfish

The average age of anglers these days seems to be a little on the high side, how do we get more youngsters into fishing or do we just accept our numbers are dwindling?

No, just take someone fishing once a year, preferably an adult as dads, mums and grandads get kids fishing, youngsters do not have the money or transport to fish, grown ups take them.

Over the years I have introduced a few peeps to angling and some go for a while and then jack it in but some are still going, they are not all match anglers, but they are fishing.

If you had a time machine is there one moment in fishing you wish you could go back and change? i.e. a dream fish coming off at the net or a decision in a match that’s cost you a title?

Yes, Super League round at Woodlands View when I snapped my landing net handle, I was told by a miserable old angler on the next peg I could not leave the section to purchase or scrounge another. As we had no bank runners I used one of those old one metre alloy bank sticks as a landing net handle and lost 3 big carp which would have won me the match, I had already won two rounds that year and knew three rounds had never been won by one angler before. That one hurt for a long time and I am never without two landing net handles now.

Similarly, you have a long list of match wins to your name, are there are any big competitions you would dearly love to win?

I do not tend to chase the big money matches as too many poor pegs to draw, but I may start to chase that Fish South next year and possibly a few over 50’s festivals and nationals now I have a little more time.

Have you got one piece of advice that will help the readers put more fish in their nets?

Yes, keep it simple and make sure you’re enjoying it.

What’s the one item in your tackle box that you couldn’t live without?

Disgorger as useless without it.

Well thank you for giving up your time but before I let you go, here’s a few more quick-fire questions,

Favourite meal?

Jalfrazi

Do you support a football team?

Bristol Rovers although I do not follow like I used to.

Favourite film?

Forrest Gump

TV show?