NEWS EXCLUSIVE
Fondly remembered for his match fishing exploits with the all-conquering Leicester Likely Lads, Roy also played an immense role in tackle and fisheries
Wmany anglers can boast huge match wins alongside decades of top-class tackle innovation and fisheries development? Such was the huge drive and creativity of Roy Marlow, who has sadly passed away at the age of 76.
A key figure in the golden era of domestic match fishing, his talents were quickly spotted by fellow Leicester AS legend, Ivan Marks, who snapped him up for the formidable “Likely Lads” team in 1966. From there, he went on to major individual and team success. In 1971 alone, Roy took individual first in the Nene Championships while also playing a key role in Leicester’s famous Severn National win. His other individual wins and titles were so prolific it was hard to keep track, but included the Angling Times Winter League, Welland Summer League and many more.
An England call-up followed, with an individual fourth place finish at the World Champs, but Roy’s match fishing career eventually gave way to work in tackle and fisheries development. Alongside Ivan Marks, he joined Daiwa as a consultant in 1978, while also opening the tackle shop “Marks and Marlow” in Leicester.
Add to that his pioneering work at Mallory Park and The Glebe fisheries, not to mention the Angling Trades Association, and it’s hard to overstate just how much he did for the sport, as the many great friends he made would testify.
A DEEP THINKER AHEAD OF HIS TIME
While the Leicester Likely Lads are still remembered for their humour and big personalities, Roy Marlow was a quieter figure. But behind his modesty was a formidable angling brain.
“Roy was a world-class angler – and I was in awe of Ivan Marks and the Likely Lads when asked to join them in 1970,” former team mate John Essex told us. “If Ivan was King of the Great Ouse and Welland, Roy was King of the Nene. He was a quiet, deep thinking and, dare I say it, studious angler.
“This became clear at National Championships meetings, where he shared his ideas on tactics and fish behaviour – and this intelligence carried over into the creation of the fantastic Glebe complex.”
Despite Roy’s reserve, close friend Keith Arthur also recalls his humour and sense of adventure. “I could write a book on Roy and all the times we spent together,” said Keith.
“For years he addressed me as ‘eleven’ while he was ‘twenty-seven’, which stemmed from our relative positions in the Angling Times ‘Top 50 Anglers’ list.
“Roy invented many things for Daiwa, including the Armlok rod handle, built-in nose cones on poles, and Harrier Feeders. And before Daiwa, the quivertip! Not the tapered ‘donkey top’ used today, but the gla
