We’re excited to introduce our newest member of the team, Barbara!
She joins us as our new Client Engagement Specialist and she’ll be working closely with Rob to onboard and support new clients as they get started with Clubmate; helping to make the transition as easy as possible. Barbara will also look after existing Clubmate customers and help them get the most out of the software.
Better known as Babs, she’s mad about fishing (much like the rest of the team!) but with a few twists!
“I grew up in Kenya, East Africa fishing for Nile Perch,” Babs says. “As a kid I have done my fair share of drowning worms for small species, slinging a lure for Tilapia or small Nile Perch & trolling a 12-inch Rapala lure with 3/0 trebles for big mama Nile Perch.”
Babs stopped fishing when she moved to the UK as an older teenager and stopped fishing. “Nuts I know,” Babs says. “But I wasn’t keen on the methods I saw on the banks as I was used to a far more active type of fishing. Instead, I spent the next 15-odd years after college involved in motorcycles, running a bike club and the usual events that go with all that. It certainly gave me life’s tools to organise and plan pretty much anything!”
Around seven years ago, Babs swapped motorcycles for fishing. “On a trip back home to Kenya I fell back in love with fishing and Fly Fishing. When I got back to the UK, I picked up a fly rod and not looked back since.”
“Why just fly fish? I love the challenge. It keeps me active and I need to concentrate on what I am doing,” Babs says. “Oh, and anyone who tells you that tying your own flies will save you money, lied! But it certainly gives you way more satisfaction landing a fish on a pattern you tied than bought.”
“Within the first year once I had mastered the casting targeting good ol Trout, I was targeting Pike on the fly and had organised East Anglia’s first Wels catfish-on-fly session (the first of many since) – yes, you did read that right, Wels Cats on a fly rod!”
“To date, I am the first (confirmed) lady in the UK to land a cat on the fly: a kitten of 21lbs – 21lbs PB of pure wild fenland pike. I also target Perch on the fly and at some point, I will get some Zander on-fly action in between everything. I tend to mainly do my fishing from the bank in the fens or kayak the rivers rather than from a boat in a big reservoir.”
As if that wasn’t enough fly fishing, Babs also runs an online shop aimed at predators on the fly and organises 2-3 pike fly fishing competitions a year. “I’m also an Angling Trust Level 2 Coach and two years ago I set up a new Fly Fishing club targeting solely Coarse fish on the fly; another first for the UK as far as we can tell.”
“My day-to-day background has been in retail, customer service, electronics and helping people online with their own shops or services,” Babs says. “But back to fishing – this season I bought an inflatable fishing kayak and have been loving every minute of using it. It has opened up much more of the waters I fish and yes, I still manage to get my fly caught in a tree!”
When asked what she’s looking forward to most about working with Clubmate, Babs says “I’m looking forward to helping people with the app and contribute to modernising the angling industry one step at a time.”
“Babs is a fantastic addition to the team with years of experience in both the angling trade and club management,” says Rob, Clubmate’s Client Engagement Manager. “She’ll be a great asset to our growing team and is already getting stuck into the system so she can help our clients both current and new get the most out of Clubmate and really drive the future of the sport.”
We’re thrilled to have you on board, Babs!
Babs is organised, driven and passionate about all things angling, so feel free to get in touch if you have any questions!
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