England football legend converts former team-mate to fishing

Two former England international footballers celebrated National Fishing Month (NFM) in the UK with a day on one of the top rivers in the country.

Arsenal legends Paul Merson and David Seaman, a Fishing Republic brand ambassador, took to the River Wye to talk all things fishing, football and friendship. Seaman said: “With the general pressures of life, fishing has been a great outlet for me to relax, de-stress and enjoy the many benefits of the great outdoors.

“A few hours of fresh air out by the water helps me to clear my head and I couldn’t recommend it enough.

“It was great to get Paul out on the river, to show him the ways and to talk about our times on the pitch together. The best thing about it was he caught some good fish. They were his first fish and he got to feel a strong bite.” 

The two reminisced about their time on the pitch, with Merson (left of picture) reflecting on the time he won the FA Cup with Arsenal. The two also talked about their enjoyment of fishing, with Seaman asking if he had converted Merson into a full-time angler. 

Merson said: “I’ve absolutely loved it – the buzz of getting a bite and bringing it in. I will definitely go fishing again, I’d need my gillie-man, David Seaman, to help me with a couple of things but I would love to go again and I will.”

National Fishing Month is an initiative that is backed by the UK trade body, the Angling Trades Association (ATA), to get more people into the sport.