Alec-Phil Decantelle was born in Boulogne in 1879. He had always gone fishing with his father since he was a child but only by rivers, on the banks of the near Liane, but he has never fished in seas. Besides amateur fishing in seas didn’t exist yet and shore fishing was only practiced by old sailors. They spread nets or back lines on beaches. Decantelle’s father was an ardent river fisher and never fished in seas but once a year.

          He was then 10 when Alec-Phil discovered sea fishing. He improved brilliantly his fishing methods through constant observations and analyses and thanks to cheap equipment he bought at Paul Gras, who had just modernized the old Miss Moleux shop, local retailer of fishing accessories.  

Le père de Decantelle pêchant sur la Liane

Lestage de ligne de mer de la maison "Paul Gras"

           At that time railway journeys were expensive and so the prospection of other rivers was limited. Meanwhile if you were well trained bicycle allowed discovery will and it permitted Decantelle to enlarge his fishing territory. He discovered that way a wonderful river called La Course and located South of Boulogne-sur-Mer, and then La Canche (its confluence) where he fished his first salmon with a self made 2m70 rod in Greenheart (wood from islands) consisting in 2 pieces.  

En pleine action sur la Course

          Following the September 5^th 1897 decree about the property of fishing right for riverside residents, a small fishers group created the  Brimeux Fishing Society with Théo Markey (creator of the “Aéro” devon) the President. Most of its members were friends (Decantelle and Edmond Louche his future father in law).

          These fellows met regularly to catch pikes, trouts or salmons according to the season, or simply to share a good moment round a table of a local inn.  

                Meanwhile Alec-Phil Decantelle left home to study in England. He only came back during holidays. The Carnot jetty of Boulogne-sur-Mer was quickly built up and the streams it created made fishing fruitful. Decantelle took advantage of his few weeks of freedom to improve his fishing method on the seaside and to join his friends back alongside the Canche, where they used flies or devons by turns, to the fishers’ likings.