T C IVENS Reservoir Fly Angler (1921-1988)

The history of reservoir fly fishing in England has provided a number of truly great innovators who have changed the way stillwater anglers fish.

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Among those anglers who have made significant contributions to the sport the names of the legendary Dr Bell of Wrington, Geoffrey Bucknall, Richard Walker, Dick Shrive and Arthur Cove immediately spring to mind, and to that number must surely be added that of Tom Ivens.

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It is impossible to over-emphasize the importance that T C Ivens had on the development of reservoir fly angling which came about as a result of the publication of his classic book Stillwater Fly-Fishing in 1952 which quickly became the benchmark for approaching reservoirs. The ideas he proposed were truly revolutionary.

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Tom Ivens fished Ravensthorpe Reservoir and Hollowell Reservoir in Northamptonshire in the post-WW2 years and during that time he made many ground-breaking advances in the design of fishing tackle, artificial flies and fishing techniques that have changed the way that anglers fish forever.

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His innovations encompassed many facets: he popularized the double-haul casting technique using a double-taper fly line, designed of a range of split-cane and fibre-glass fishing rods specifically designed for casting the long distances necessary on reservoirs (these were marketed by Davenport & Fordham Ltd), new fly line and shooting head tapers, tapered leaders designed to turn the flies over correctly in a wide range of wind and weather conditions, new methods of recovering his flies, and two new series of fly patterns to replicate the creatures inhabiting reservoirs. Looking at the list Tom Ivens was extremely prolific in his achievements.

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He also designed several new fly patterns intended for use on rivers for trout, sea-trout and salmon.

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Nevertheless, in view of the tremendous influence Tom Ivens had on stillwater fly fishing it is somewhat surprising to note that there is very little information recorded about him in the public domain.

 

That being the case it was decided to create this website to collate what little is known about him and also provide a handy online reference guide to all the fly patterns attributed to him. In addition there is information about the range of fishing tackle he introduced. It is hoped that they will provide a fitting memorial to a man who has indirectly given many rewarding fishing hours at the waterside to many millions of stillwater fly anglers.

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A biography of Tom Ivens in the form of a full-colour paperback book has recently been published. Details of the book are to be found on the Books 1 page on this website (click the link to take you to the page).

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The website is part of a project that has included the creation of a Wikipedia entry dedicated to Tom Ivens and the entry can be accessed at the following web address (click the link to take you to the page): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/T_C_Ivens.

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This website is very much a work in progress and the intention is that, as further information comes to light, it will be updated on a regular basis.

 

Readers who possess any information that might be of interest are therefore requested to get in touch with the editor via the Contact Form.

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Adrian V W Freer

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