A 13-YEAR-old boy from Henfield has been selected to represent England in fishing.
Charlie Isaacs, who goes to Chipping Sodbury School, will compete for the England U15 team at the World Championships in Serbia in August.
He won his spot after impressing at a final selection match in the Midlands. Charlie is part of a team of five who will compete in the week long championships on a canal in Serbia.
Charlie said: “It’s brilliant – it’s my dream.”
Fishing has been been part of Charlie’s life from a very young age. His dad Paul is the manager at Bitterwell Lake in Henfield, and they live on-site.
Charlie has been fishing since the age of four, but has only been focusing on match fishing for the last three years.
Whilst other teenage boys might be interested in more mainstream sports, Charlie’s focus is solely on angling.
He said: “I watch football every now and then, that’s about it really – fishing is my main sport.
“What I like most about it is it’s a bit like puzzle-making.
“You’ve got to work out the feed, how the rigs are – I love it.
“Just catching fish, getting the end result, it’s brilliant.”
‘Proudest dad on the planet’
Paul was there when Charlie qualified for the England team and said on the day he was “the proudest dad on the planet”.
He said: “I’m really proud because I know how much work has gone in.
“It’s not the sort of thing you just do overnight; you’ve got to start and keep at it, you’ve got to learn and it takes time to learn fishing. To get to that level takes a lot of dedication.
“He’s very good, but I try not to tell him he’s that good, because there’s always room for improvement.
“He’s got his foot in the door, but now he needs to get his head down and really dedicate himself to becoming even better.”
Living just a few metres from the peaceful oasis that is Bitterwell Lake has certainly been very helpful, and Charlie appreciates what he has on his doorstep.
He said: “The fishing is lovely, the fish quality is nice, it’s a nice depth and the weather is nice most of the time – it’s quite a nice fishery to be fair.”
Charlie’s ambition is to make it to the adult England ranks in time. He’s making waves in the angling community and already has a couple of sponsors supporting him.
As for August’s World Championships, he doesn’t seem too overawed.
His prediction?
“Hopefully, we will win it.”