About Us - Alex Ledbrooke
I’m Alex Ledbrooke, and I started fishing when I was just four years old. I grew up on the coast where my fascination and love of the outdoors and all things fishy developed. Over the years my fishing interests have grown and if it’s got fins I’ve probably tried to catch it. I started sea fishing on the south coast of Devon on the sea walls at Dawlish. I was soon tackling the Exeter Canal with a 3 meter fishing rod my parents bought mewhilst on holiday in France. That little rod caught literally thousands of fish! I was fortunate to receive coaching when I was getting started and it was then that things really took off.
At 11 years old I joined a fishing Club near Exeter and was lucky to be coached by some really experienced and enthusiastic guys. My parents didn’t fish so any help was a bonus for all of us. From there I learned about different species of fish and rather than just casting and hoping, I was able to refine my approach so I could target specific fish from different waters.
Over the years I’ve been very forunate and caught some truly memorable fish in some incredible places. I’ve also met some of my best friends through fishing.
Fishing in Cornwall is more than just catching fish, I simply love being outdoors. Just being on the bank I’ve been lucky to witness some of the very best the British countryside. And being outside means I’ve experienced some awesome weather. There’s no such thing as bad weather, just the wrong clothes. I get huge satisfaction from a successful catch but just as much I love to see others be successful following my coaching. I hope I can share some of that with you at one of my fishing lessons in Cornwall.
Alex Ledbrooke - Fishing Biography
- Experience – Fishing since 1987 in freshwater, sea and game fishing
- Qualifications – Angling Trust Level 2 Coach, Post Graduate Certificate in Education, BSc Hons Envornmental Resource Management
- Favourite Fishing Destination – Redmire Pool
- Biggest ever fish – A Blue Fin Tuna, about twice the size of me!
Fishing Life
- First fish – A Gar Fish caught age 4 from Dawlish seawall in South Devon.
- First competition – Devon Schools competition. 11 years old, 120 kids and I won!
- Fishing Heros – Chris Yates, a former British record holder, fantasic English eccentric and also my favourite author.
- Most memorable catch – Too many to pick a favourite! Battling a huge Cat Fish one night is up there as is the first Blue Shark I caught from my 14ft boat.
- Proud moment – Aside from getting married and becoming a Dad, an article published in the international magazine Carp World was pretty cool.
- Scariest moment when fishing – Fishing one night on a reservoir in Cornwall in the strongest storm hanging on to my bivvy so it didn’t blow away!
- Funniest moment – Definitely catching a shoe! You couldn’t make it up, I had quite an audience too.
- Weirdest moment – Can I say the shoe again?
- Ambitions still to acheive – So many! Catch a really big Bass, a bigger boat, my own lake, and to encourage more young people and women into this wonderful sport.
Fishing Tips and News
Oh baby it’s cold outside!
There’s still lots of good fishing to be had but there’s no doubt it gets a little bit harder and being smart with time is more important than ever.
Big ones at last!
Third cast and here come the “wild swimmers” to whom I remarked, “which one of us looks more daft, you or me!?”. It was 6:30am, dark and fresh. I kind of admired their adventure but I wasn’t about to swap my fishing rod for a pair of speedos!