It is with great sadness that I learned yesterday of the death of Christopher Robinson. He had apparently been being treated for Cancer for the past few months.
Christopher was the founding partner of Roxton Bailey Robinson, now Roxtons, with whom I have taken fly fishers all over the world for over 26 years.
I first met Christopher at the CLA Game Fair in the early 90s and he gave me my first real taste of fishing overseas, inviting me and Pete Durgerion, who was producing my films at the time, first out to Russia and then Iceland and beyond.
Christopher had a huge heart, a great sense of humor and a very infectious laugh. I recall one of the many times we shared more than a few drams after I came in from my first day on the river (the light was no good for filming) having caught 48 salmon and lost 17. He sent me out again insisting I catch two more just so that I could tell my Grand Children I managed 50 in one day.
Christopher was not only great company he was also an incredibly good organizer and motivator of people, always calm whatever the crisis. At Murmansk airport one Saturday, when the incoming charter was turned away and we all had to be accommodated in the Polyarni hotel and some 40 guys had to be given new on-going flights rescheduled by Roxtons staff in the UK who stayed up all night working the problem. He asked me to look after the group at the Hotel and “just order anything everyone wanted regardless of cost”. I asked him later what the whole episode was costing and he responded that he had already gone over £50k. The impressive thing about him and everyone else working the problem that night, was that none of them ever stopped smiling throughout the whole event. I have trusted Roxtons completely ever since and never been let down.
I regarded Christopher as every bit a friend, as well as a business associate. I will miss him on the rivers greatly.
Christopher and Pete filming a scene from Salmon Fishing & Spey Casting 1995
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