Ted Ancher started fishing at the age of five on the expansive waters of the St. Lawrence River with his mom and dad and older brother, David. Although David liked to fish, he never developed the passion that Ted possessed. In a few years when his dad or an uncle was unavailable to take him fishing, Ted would ride his bicycle while clinging to a fishing rod and tackle box to a favorite fishing hole in constant pursuit to catch fish.
Later at the age of 10, he took a class on how to tie flies and added a fly rod to his arsenal of fishing tackle. He then fished for trout and bass until he moved to Boston to pursue a career in photography in 1978.
In 1989, he and his fishing partner Rick Lillegard, teamed up to win the North American Bass Anglers (NABA) Anglers of the Year award. They repeated again in 1991. Ancher and Lillegard followed that up by winning the American Bass Association (ABA) National Championship in 1992 and almost did it again in 1994 when they finished second at Kerr Reservoir in North Carolina.
Ancher is an award winning newspaper photographer as well, successfully combining his vocation and avocation by writing the Bass Bets column in the Boston Herald for the last 15 years.
As a cameraman, Ancher has been named the Connecticut News Photographer of the Year, New England News Photographer of the Year and Boston Press Photographer of the Year during his 33 years in newspaper photography.
Ancher found the spotlight one other time while covering the BASSMasters Classic at the James River in Virginia in 1989 when he was paired up with Hank Parker on the final day of the event. As his media partner, he captured exclusive photos bearing witness to Parker’s dramatic come-from-behind victory to win the world championship.
Currently, Ancher is the Assistant Director of Photography for the Boston Herald. His column Bass Bets is published seasonally in the Herald running from May to October and still competes regularly in northeast bass fishing tournaments. He resides in central Massachusetts with his wife Donna and two children, Ted Jr. and Montanna.
