Finding Your Place in Fishing: Jamie Avery on Pressure, Self-Doubt & Capturing What Matters

For readers meeting you for the first time, please introduce yourself.

Okay, let’s start with who I am, what path carp angling has me exploring next, and where I started in this crazy obsession with these subsurface pigs!!

I’m Jamie Avery, I’m 31 years old with a small family living in Essex. I work as a Commercial Tyre Fitter working 12-hour shifts on a four day on / four days off rotation with a week on call every 3 weeks. That space of time to some would seem like a dream for angling time, but with a young family at home, I’m usually getting to the lake in the evening and home by the following lunchtime.

This year, I have managed to get onto a syndicate I’ve been wanting to dip a line into for a couple of years since I filmed there for Pennings’s Carp Academy back in 2024. This lake is around an hour’s drive from home, with some really incredible carp in there that I’m yet to have grace my net.

Before you started creating fishing content or working within the industry, what role did fishing play in your life?

I grew up carp fishing. Started off fishing local club waters with my old man and park lakes after school with friends. I just had the bug for it! There have been times when it’s been put on the back burner due to other hobbies, but the fire never left and only came back stronger, maybe more of an obsession!

I was around 15 years old when I did work experience and became a Saturday boy in my local tackle shop, Snags. Content creation and social media never took hold until many years after. If I am honest, content, cameras and social media was never a priority for me at this time.

I used my phone for many years of my angling until 2017 when I had a moment of clarity whilst photographing a 30lb common I caught on Snake Pit, a local club water. Proud of the achievement, I handed my phone to my friend to capture the moment. It was at this point that my phone was ‘politely’ handed (thrown) back to me with some expressive word to describe me, whilst he grabbed his camera.

This was the turning point for me, when I knew I wanted to capture memorable moments with higher quality to share with friends, family, and the rest of the fishing community.

Can you remember the first time you were asked to film a well-known angler? What was going through your head?

I had been creating content for a while and was involved with a few brands before I got the opportunity to film a well-known angler, Adam Penning and Joe Morgan down at Walthamstow for 48hours.

It was an out-of-the-blue opportunity to tag along with a friend, who I hadn’t spoken to for many years. A quick visit from him whilst fishing led to this huge opportunity.

I had mixed emotions about it at first, lots of self-doubt and questioning if I was up to the job?
I remember the night before the trip, I had every piece of equipment laid out on the living room floor to make sure I had everything, everything was charged, and it was clean!

The moment the camera was on, I was back. It helped that Adam and Joe were so laid back for the whole trip, which helped with the nerves.

Did you ever feel out of place or question whether you belonged in those spaces?

The industry is very big and continuously getting bigger. There are many good anglers out there, whether they are in the spotlight or not. It can be daunting at times, questioning why people would want to talk to you or take your advice, but actually, we all have a shared passion and probably got into the hobby for similar reasons.

How do you stay true to yourself when you’re working around people you’ve looked up to for years?

I think when it comes to staying true to myself, it’s remembering why I love fishing, we are all out there for the same reasons, and we all bring different qualities to the table.

People I have looked up to within angling are not necessarily the people you would think. It’s the people around me who have helped me to become the angler I am today and keep me moving forward.

How does filming for yourself differ from filming in higher-pressure or professional environments?

When it comes to personal angling, it’s difficult to do both. Many sacrifices come with filming yourself. That internal battle of deciding if you’re prioritising the footage or making the most of the opportunity.

Filming yourself is a pain in the ass! I love it if it’s all going right, but with pressures and unforeseen changes, sometimes it's easier said than done.

When you’re filming someone else, your focus is solely on capturing the magic and ensuring you don’t miss a thing! (and hope your files don’t corrupt!!)

What’s the biggest thing you’ve learned simply by being around top-level anglers?

This is funny, when you see high-profile anglers from behind a screen, you think ‘wow, they are doing something magical’.

In reality, they're not actually doing anything too different to your everyday angler, and if they are doing anything different, it’s never anything unachievable!

What’s harder about filming well-known anglers than people might expect?

The hardest part about filming a well-known angler is constantly needing to be one step ahead and ready for what is coming next.

There is no stopping; you must be prepared with a camera in hand always.

There was a time on a shoot, where the angler I was filming moved swims for the last night. I didn’t move and stayed put over the other side of the lake. I set my alarm nice and early, ready for a morning coffee and equipment check.

I decided to take a wander round the lake with a coffee in one hand and a camera with me… just in case.

The angler I was filming was sparko, until they got a screaming take, and there I was juggling my coffee and trying to capture the moment!

Do you feel these experiences have changed you as a person, not just as an angler or filmmaker?

I am definitely more appreciative of the finer details of carp angling and being able to share moments with people who have the same love and passion I have.

Nowadays, I try to think of everyday being a new day and a new learning opportunity. No matter how small, if I have learnt something new that day, then I have achieved something.

Equally, if I have been able to help another person learn something new, then this is a win.

I enjoy capturing the moment for others as much as for myself.

What would you say to someone stepping into the industry or feeling intimidated about starting out?

For someone stepping into the industry, I would say; be humble and respectful always.

Everyone is different in terms of their angling, their goals and how they wish to achieve them, but we are all out there for the same reason.

Everyone’s story is different, different experiences, different goals and different achievements, but we all share the same love and passion for fishing.

Don’t put too much pressure on yourself.

My biggest lesson is that being prepared will make everything so much easier when it comes to capturing those special moments.

I never imagined myself being in a position where I capture mine and other people’s memories to share with the community.