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Fisheazy: Leeds man invents fishing gadget
Charlie Mylonas is angling for success as the inventor of a new device which he hopes will be snapped up by thousands of fishermen.
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At 72, the Castleford-based entrepreneur has lost none of his business acumen.
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He is in pole position as the owner of the UK patent for the Fisheazy Autorest – a contraption designed to make life easier for even the most experienced of enthusiasts.
The electronically-powered pole rest automatically changes the angle at which fishing poles are pointed into the water – eliminating the need for potentially hazardous manual adjustment.
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Charlie was first alerted to the need for such a mechanism by his best pal Eddie Longbottom.
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The 64-year-old angler, who lives in Kippax near Leeds and has been a fan of fishing for over 50 years, said: "I've been interested in the sport since I was 12 years old and won lots of competitions but even with years of experience behind you things can easily go wrong.
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"When you are perched at the edge of the water on a little platform with a heavy 16m long fishing pole to take care of it's very easy to lose your balance.
"Very recently, I've managed to lose my mobile phone, my glasses and worst of all I have fallen in the water. But this invention really makes a difference."
Eddie, who is also chairman of Harehills Working Men's Club, agrees it is a wonder that such a simple idea has not been pioneered before.
For Cyprus-born Charlie, who has been in business since setting up a coffee bar in Heckmondwike over 40 years ago, his new brainchild could also net him a substantial sum.
The Fisheazy took two years to design and develop. And, after careful market research, he is now working in partnership with Leeds-based Bonsco, one of the UK's largest suppliers of fishing tackle.
He is also hoping to crack the market in Europe and the US and even the Far East.
"I have invested a lot of time and money into this so of course I am really hoping it takes off.
"The idea came from Eddie and when I heard there was a problem I said to him I will try to do something about it. It has been hard work but I hope others agree that it's an excellent idea.
"I will be trying the home market first and then we will see what happens."
At 72, and officially "retired" Charlie (real name Kyriakos) owned a fish and chip shop for nine years and also ran a burger factory.
But inventing things is his real vocation.
Some years ago, he came up with the Just-b-4-tee, an ingenious device designed to wash golfballs.
Next week, Charlie and his marketing team will be heading for Farnborough airfield in Hampshire where they are hoping to catch the eye of the 10,000 visitors expected at The Big One, the UK's biggest angling fair.
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Friday 25 May 2012
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