Farewell Seisho Mitsuhashi

This entry was posted on 3rd October, 2016

It feels like only yesterday that we were welcoming Seisho Mitsuhashi to the Angling Direct team whereas in reality it was almost two months ago and his time with us has drawn to a close! For those who don’t know, Seisho temporarily joined the Angling Direct team from Shimano HQ in Japan. He is part of their Leadership Development Program and was selected out of hundreds of staff to learn all about the UK tackle industry.

You might have seen Seisho in our Norwich store, where he spent the majority of his time, or you might have been one of the lucky ones to spot him in one of our other stores up and down the country. However, he hasn’t only been hard at work in our shops! He’s also been learning all about the UK’s fishing habits and he’s found himself out on the banks of some of Britain’s finest fishing venues, sampling some of the great angling opportunities our country has to offer.



Andy Flint, our Norwich store manager, spent a lot of time with Seisho during his visit. Not only did Andy work with Seisho in the store but he also took him out to educate him in a little English culture, too. They enjoyed an Indian curry as well as a fish and chip dinner! Seisho repaid the favour and at the end of his stay he took a few of the team out for a classic Japanese dinner: sake, sushi, the works!

Andy says: ‘Seisho is a top bloke, a really fantastic chap and an absolute pleasure to work with. I’d welcome him back at any time, the staff and customers both loved having him here… The only thing I have to say is that he still owes me the four method feeders he chucked in the trees when we were fishing at Cobbleacre! Great chap, but never take him method feeder fishing!’

Our very own Stewart Downing and Roy Allen also took Seisho out on a couple of angling sessions, allowing him to get his teeth into the best of the UK fish. Seisho used the old fashioned method of baiting up: he rolled up his trousers and waded right out into the water. Although this method of baiting is seen as somewhat unconventional nowadays, it worked a treat for Seisho and he certainly reaped the rewards later that night with a handful of impressive catches.



Seisho had never experienced English carp fishing, either, so, after a day spent admiring the Waltham Cross store, Stewart took him to Angling Direct’s Crown Netherall Fishery. Not only did Stewart teach him the ways of the carp but he also attempted to teach Seisho how to set up an Advanta One Night Stand Bivvy – with limited success! Luckily the carp fishing was more successful and Seisho soon got stuck into his first 20lb carp!

Back on the business end of things, we also took Seisho to the Tackle and Gun show. It’s one of the highlights of our angling year and we hope that Seisho enjoyed learning all about the UK tackle market.

Seisho’s next stop on his European tackle tour is Munich, followed by a brief stay with Shimano’s European HQ in the Netherlands. We wish him well on the rest of his journey and very much hope that he comes back to pay us a visit the next time his finds himself in the UK. From all the Angling Direct team, goodbye Seisho, and good luck with the rest of your journey!