DICK Lewers, one of this country’s early sport fishing pioneers, passed away this week aged 92.
Before the internet and Google and social media, if you had a fishing question, you’d ask Dick Lewers. His Q&A column in Modern Fishing “Ask Dick Lewers” spanned an astonishing four decades. Lewers went the extra mile, personally answering each question in detail and returning the answers by mail. Generations of fishos benefited from his vast fishing knowledge.
Lewers kicked off his fishing career working at Arthur Chapman’s Sports Store at Rockdale in Sydney’s south. This was a time of great change in fishing and Lewers played a large part in Australia’s early sport fishing movement.
Together with Vic McCristal, John Bethune, Jack Erskine, and a few others, Lewers helped establish the Australian National Sportfishing Association (ANSA). This movement back in the 1960s had long last effects to this day with more emphasis on the sport of fishing and catch & release and lighter modern tackle.
He was an experienced and influential fisho across all aspects from game fishing to freshwater. Along with his column, Lewers was a prolific magazine contributor and author. He penned multiple how-to fishing books covering everything from rod building, knots & rigs to bass fishing.
Interestingly, he also edited a short-lived fishing magazine in the late ’60s titled Australian Sportfishing. Ron Calcutt was a contributor of this magazine before moving on to establish the Australian Angler, which later became Fishing World, a year or so later.
Lewers was also a regular speaker at events such as the Sydney international Boat Show for many years and enjoyed sharing his knowledge with the crowd.
He spent his later years living in the Lower Blue Mountains outside Sydney and spent his time exploring the local bass rivers and trout streams with fly and lure.
Click below to hear an interview with Dick Lewers By Bonita Brown recorded several years ago.
