Chris Brasier: a passion for centrepins and avid supporter of the Angling Trust

Before Chris Brasier departed this world, he tasked his fishing buddy Steve Appleford with disposing of his fishing gear and donating the proceeds to the Angling Trust.

Chris (known as Rusty to his friends) was a member of the Angling Trust and an avid supporter of our campaigns for cleaner rivers and an end to pollution.

Steve has now donated £1,850 to the Angling Trust – the proceeds from the sale – and we would like to thank Steve and Chris for the generous donation. The following tribute to Chris has been provided by Steve:

“I first met Chris whilst fishing a small stream and he happened to notice the centrepin reel I was using was made by a guy on a forum we both frequented. From that moment a friendship was founded, and we fished together most of the time.

His main passion was trotting a float with one of his centrepins from his collection. He was a very decent float angler and got a bit carried away at how many centrepin reels he ended up with … something a few of us can relate to, I’m sure!

We had some great banter on the bank as is the case between fishing mates and, if I’m honest, he was the one grinning like a Cheshire Cat more often than I did … he did smug very well.

We had ‘boys-only’ fishing trips on my narrowboat which normally meant the evening spent on a mini pub crawl and an Indian meal at the end, normally moored up at our beloved fishing ground of Goring on Thames and involving a few frames of snooker at the social club as we relived mis-spent youths.

Days afloat at Rutland chasing zander, big perch hunting on the Thames – we fished plenty of venues together and I miss his company and banter.

His other love was old British motorbikes, a passion that rivalled his centrepin addiction.

Sadly, just as he retired, he began showing the signs of throat cancer. He dealt with the situation he found himself in with bravery, stoicism and lived every second mentally, but sadly there was to be no happy ending.

Clean rivers and an angling voice were high on his list of priorities, and he was the reason I joined the Angling Trust, too. His wish was for his tackle to go to mates who would use it and the proceeds to go to the Angling Trust. We achieved this and I’m sure he is looking down contented.

Genuine bloke, liked by everyone who came across him – and a decent angler to boot.”

• Over the years, our supporters have generously added a gift to the Angling Trust and Fish Legal in their wills to provide a legacy for future generations of anglers to benefit from.  If you would like to find out more about leaving a gift in your will, please click here.
• If you would like to donate to the Angling Trust to support our work for fish and fishing, and protect our water environments, please click here.