Published on Tuesday 16 August 2005 18:38

They have all had fishing lessons from Kirkintilloch's very own 'Lord of the Flies', Peter Anderson.

A legendary figure in the sport, Peter (79) is a British, European and world casting champion, and the inspiration for many of the world's best anglers today.

Born in Luggiebank Road in 1926, by the side of the canal, Peter developed a love of the sport at an early age.

"My father was a fanatic, the finest angler I ever saw, and at that time the canal was the focal point of Kirkintilloch." Peter explained.

"I found it pretty easy to begin with because it was absolutely teeming with fish.

"That probably kept my interest up initially and I used to catch fish for the French soldiers during the war, which I would exchange for chocolates and cigarettes."

After attending Lairdsland Primary and Lenzie Academy, Peter left school at 16 to become a mechanical fitter, combining a full-time job with his beloved hobby.

A spell with the national coal board followed before Peter became a professional caster and angler during the 1950s.

From there, Peter's amazing talent took over and he won countless national and international titles, while also running successful, and massively productive, fishing courses in Britain.

He said: "For over 20 years, I had 30 to 40 people per week from all over Britain attending my fishing schools.

"Most people came for two weeks and I would teach them in places like the Tweed Valley, the Spey, South Uist, Caithness and Wick.

"It was a great time and we would give the hotels in all these areas a big boost."

Peter, who still holds both the British casting record and world professional record in salmon fly distance on water, also worked as a consultant for a Glasgow fishing company, a position which opened up an array of worldwide opportunities for him.

He said: "I designed rods for the company, which became Grampian Holdings, and also went all over the world giving demonstrations to show that the rods worked perfectly.

"I ended up travelling to New Zealand, Australia, Canada and America, where I did a lot of major shows and filming for the tourist boards.

"I also gave 100 demonstrations in Britain every year and filled the Royal Albert Hall with 5000 people during this time."

Peter's success in angling was gaining him fame all over the world and he became a star attraction at the annual Cow Palace show in San Francisco for eight consecutive years.

He said: "It was a major show that eventually attracted crowds of a million and they loved all the tricks I could do with a rod, like slicing cigars in two.

"I could entertain them and the Americans used to call me the 'Lord of the Flies' and the 'Kilted Kingfisher'.

"I still return regularly and was invited to the San Francisco World Tournament in April this year. It was a great occasion for me because the top five places were filled by my pupils."

It was also during his annual visits to San Francisco that Peter started rubbing shoulders with some of America's most famous sons.

"Every year they would have a different celebrity at the Cow Palace show and I would give personal demonstrations," he recalls.

"Bing Crosby, Dean Martin, Frank Sinatra, Joe DiMaggio, Jack Nicklaus and John Wayne - I gave lessons to them all

"More recently, I took Colin Montgomerie, Mark O'Meara and Tiger Woods out to fish on the River Liffey after being invited to Dublin's K Club for the Irish Open.

"I've also taught the Queen Mother, while Paul Young, who has one of the most successful angling programmes on TV, was another of my pupils."

Peter, who once won a world record ten medals at an event in Switzerland, insists his proudest moment was winning the World Championship at salmon fly distance - which he dedicates to his late father.

He said:"My father was a classic example of the happiest and most content man I have ever met.

"His love of nature inspired me and he was a shining light on how much you could get out of life."

Peter, who has two children and four grand-children, is in constant demand from angling enthusiasts all over the world and still lectures and gives demonstrations to youngsters through his Anderson Angling Academy.

He has also recently joined forces with rod makers Aquarius to design the Peter Anderson Paraflex X.L series of rods.

Peter, who still lives in Kirkintilloch, is also fully behind the bid to have the National

Casting Centre based at Campsie Outdoors in Milton of Campsie, near Antermony Loch.

He said: "There are a lot of obstacles in the way at present but hopefully we can get over that soon and get proper access to the loch.

"It would give the youth something to do and help keep kids off the street.

"Jim Curtis, the owner, has built brilliant facilities and we could hold tournaments and create a Scottish casting team.

"East Dunbartonshire needs this facility - it would make a massive difference."

Visit Peter's website on www.andersonanglingacademy.co.uk