I dug out my DVD player,hardly ever use it..

Then I remembered a whole load of DVDs,I got given ,mainly John Wilson ,and his trips world wide...some Fisherman's friends,before global recognition and Jethro..


People say JW ,Britain's best angler,I have to agree..he was good and you'll never forget his laugh..



Never forget the Wilson...

In reply to Post #1


Loved his TV shows. He could catch anything, anywhere.

In reply to Post #2
In my view Mal,he was the best..I've just watched him fly fishing for grayling in North America, then eating them,sat around a tarp ala Fred j Taylor..style..

Beats all this munga,lingo ...he was a proper angler,note emphasis on the word angler..

I agree.
I'm sure he was voted greatest all round angler. Angling Times I think?
Stand outs for me were them Bream on worm from a boat, just short of the record at the time. The 30 mirror on free lined corn and of course Weirpool Magic. The very early programmes with Dick Walker were lovely.

Inspired millions of people.

RIP.

In reply to Post #3
Absolutely better than the modern mtv carp mob.

He came across as someone who knew so much about fishing but in the same breath recognised he could always learn something new and enjoyed being surprised.

Someone you'd really like to be on the bank with.

I've some old vhs tapes of his - let me know if you'd like them and I'll load up the carrier whippet

In reply to Post #1
John Wilson greatest angler - spot on.

In reply to Post #1
Agree 100% wonder how many people he inspired to try fishing? Hundreds if not thousands I imagine.

I dreamt of catching mahseer after watching him trekking over rocks into what looked like amazing adventures. Didn't make it there but did fish Gillhams totally inspired by his Thai travels

Two more of his session stick in mind the first his rod snapping and him trying to winch that massive catfish up with help from his guide. And catching all those massive bream in one session, Don't think even he knew what was happening.

Fifty years a fisherman is a pretty decent read too

Fishing lost something very special the day he retired.

Would have to say my nephew Chris.......

I used to love that fishing channel on sky years ago, might have been discovery? Go fishing was the best and total fishing was enjoyable, I too have some VHS tapes I bought from somebody in the loft, think I laid about 8 quid for about 30 tapes off different fishing programmes, go fishing majority of them I think along with a couple with Terry hearn in them, can't think what they're called though.

In reply to Post #1
Ivan marks

In reply to Post #1
The Kingfisher at my local lake - Never blanks !

In reply to Post #1
John Wilson without a doubt inspired generation after generation of people to take up fishing.

I even went on one of his holidays (not with him, Tailor Made Holidays he ran with his wife Christine) back in 1999 on the Red River in Lockport, Manitoba Canada at a place called Cats on the Red ran by a guy called Stu he did an episode for television there.

In reply to Post #1
Don't be ridiculous. Everyone knows that Britain's Greatest angler is Ali Hamidi.

In reply to Post #1
Love watching a bit of ol' chucklebeard , the man was a legend

I remember watching JW catching a carp with a prawn on a crystal clear gravel pit, blew my mind when I was a kid. That put me on the path away from bags of silvers and nearly 30 years later I'm still chasing them round clear weedy pits.

Also love that bream episode on the boat, who would have thought a big slab of slime would have created such a special moment in people's fishing memories.

Use to watch Go Fishing with my Grandad who passed away some time ago, the music still gets me.

When it comes to all round angling Des Taylor is worthy of a mention.

In reply to Post #1
Remember Rex Hunt? him, Matt Hayes and JW were the ones on the telly when I grew up

In reply to Post #17
And the Scottish guy hooked on fishing

grew up on matt hayes and Sir mick. Des is a local legend though.

In reply to Post #7
I first bumped into John in the very early 90's in Kenya with his film team. Not sure if it was the fishing safaris series he did? He was using a boat with a good friend of mine skippering Angus Paul. I was in a sister boat for a few trips whilst John was filming on his boat. John caught a skip jack tuna around 8kg but whilst filming it on the boat the sun wasn't right so they put it back in while the boat moved round to avoid the sun for filming. When in position they started to film again as if fighting the fish for the first time. But something much much larger had taken the tuna and set off for Australia! Probably a big tiger shark or big black Marlin. John fought it for a few hours but was hopelessly under gunned with the 30lb outfit he'd hooked up on and eventually it smashed him up.
Had a few beers with him in the club after and wow could he tell a story, great orator with a huge passion for all things angling. He told me about the various species of Mahseer, locations and difficulties etc and I was hooked. That's for another day though.
Took fun, informational angling into people's living rooms. Great angler.

In reply to Post #18
That was Paul Young,currently watching Paul on Roadford ressi fly fishing when it first opened up,in the Wolf valley system..



Whilst in my umble opinion John is the greatest,Jack Hargreaves on Out of Town,that music gets me ,every time..

In reply to Post #21
His mannerisms and holding of the pipe are really nostalgic for me, Jack could tell a story about scratching his posterior and make it sound captivating to be honest!

Many great anglers, John Wilson was very enjoyable to watch.
Terry Lampard must be up there?

In reply to Post #23
Your right many great anglers..

Martin Bowler,John's nephew
Bob Brookes
Martin James
Lots of trad anglers most wouldn't have heard of all great at what they do..

I used to fish with a old chap called Tom Stone,he was similar to Jack Hargreaves, in the ww2,was involved in refitting spitfires,the stories I got told about that time ,sitting in his garage,talking about fishing ,brilliant..!

In reply to Post #1
absolute knob in real life !! though he did inspire millions to go fishing !!

In reply to Post #24
Martin Bowler is a tad arrogant for my liking

some of the best anglers ive ever come across know one will ever have heard of them

the ones you may have heard of

Dennis McFetritch
Skeff

the rest are bank tramps

In reply to Post #26
For sure...


The best angler I have known,was a chap I met years ago,he didn't even know how to shot a float,let alone plumb the depth, or tie a hook properly..

He was 28 ,met him over the lakes,I struck up a friendship,showing him the little I knew,...all I can say is this guy turned into a natural angler,not just carp but all species,and in an area not noted for course fishing..

I can say he was the best angler,because he just had it it in barrow loads,watercraft,an appreciation of the environment, mind you he was a fully a country boy anyway..

He passed not long ago ...fell asleep ,caught the kitchen alight ,ironically he was a firefighter..

RiP...Paul...

In reply to Post #26
One out of two anyway.

The old boy I met at Brooklands lake Dartford in 1974. Showed me how to mix groundbait and that used to send the fish into a frenzy. I've never seen fish rip up the bottom like that. I caught my first 20 from there in 75 partly thanks to that old boy.

In reply to Post #25
I never found him that way myself.
I used to use his shop in Bridewell Alley as a kid, he would always spend the time explaining things on questions I asked. When I moved to Norwich at the age of 17, he still gave us time. Sadly his shop was so small it was limited to 'hooks and bait', no display room for bedchairs etc, so I tended to use Dave Plummers or Tommy Boulton's for larger items.

Even at shows he would say hi again.

I always found him an inspiration, his knowledge on nature as well as fishing, he put fishing in the public eye.

Matt Hayes could never rival him on TV, and to be honest, I do not think that anyone has come close.

In reply to Post #25
Care to elaborate on that statement?

In reply to Post #31
Or not?

In reply to Post #25
Come on, spill the beans

In reply to Post #33
Again... Or not....

The man's not around to defend himself. If you want to get into a load of bad mouthing go play on Facebook

It's Christmas damn it


Peace and love

Robson Greene

In reply to Post #35

im not sure John Wilson was the best ... i have no idea how that is measured .... but he would be my biggest influence .... As a kid, and being in Kent, if i twiddled my indoor aerial on my 12" black and white TV i could get a very grainy Anglia reception and just about make out what was happening ... Tuesday evenings?

Yeah John Wilson for me too.
When i first started fishing around the age of 12 no one in my family was an angler.
John Wilson was popular on the TV at the time and watching his shows enthused me greatly.
I expect many other people felt that too from watching him.

For anyone that's interested i've recently found a channel over on YouTube called Keep Catching-Fishing TV.
There are a few Go Fishing episodes on there.
Sadly not the best video quality but it's always good to watch them back and reminisce.

Definitely Matt hayes and the duke. Not forgetting gord the piking pirate

In reply to Post #39
Gordy, now your talking, yeeeh harrrr

In reply to Post #39
He was of his head,reminded me of him from ACDC

No such thing as greatest angler, there have been many great specialists for certain species.
But greatest influence for angling as a whole Jack Hargreaves and John Wilson without a doubt for me.

I'm glad the bank tramps with their thick knitted jumpers are not being mentioned as they just camped at lakes for months untill they caught the target fish...


My vote's for John Wilson but honourable mentions for Matt Hayes, Robson Green, Ali Hamidi, Danny Fairbrass, Kevin Nash

In reply to Post #43
Definitely worth a mention is Kevin Ashurst. Won everything in the match fishing world, from way back in the 1950's. Huge festivals, world championship, national team championships and winter league's to name a fraction.
I often walk the Weaver in winter after predators and have a chat with Kevin. STILL fishing and winning highly competitive matches on the WDAA and NAA ticket's in winter The guy is mid 80's! Still as dry and blunt as ever

In pure angling terms and disregarding more recent media and travel opportunities I think Richard Walker has to be in with a shout as someone who changed angling and led it into the modern era.

Ivan marks (match)
Jack hargreaves
Rod hutchinson(carp)

All 3 had one thing that stood them out from the rest of the greats....charisma

In reply to Post #46
Couldn't argue with those 3 Micky

Ivan taught Kevin how to win bream matches with the "10 bite approach".
All great anglers.

In reply to Post #1
In my lifetime
All species - Matt Hayes
Carp -Hutchie closely followed by
Richie Mac
Match - Ivan Marks

Kevin Ashurst is the son of the very famous Benny Ashurst,the book I have in front of me now ,called Match fishing with Benny Ashurst first published by Ernest Benn Ltd, 1968 ..

It details all the matches Benny won before the 2nd world war and after,an incredible amount of wins,this is where Kevin Ashurst learnt his trade ,from his father,spending many hours on Fir tree flash at Leigh, practising all manner of techniques, from breeding squats,collecting bloodworm,and developing pinkies,Benny was at the forefront of all this..

According to my much read book,Kevin acknowledges everything to his father Benny,and having read that book a,lot since childhood ,I can see why ..

I can also see why so many Northern matchmen were experts on canals when only a few ozs was enough to win ,or win a section..

I found this knowledge transferable, as its still relevant today..in many ways,the tackle has improved obviously..

So one of the ALL..Time greats as far as speed angling ,match fishing is Benny Ashurst..

In reply to Post #47
I met ivan when in my teens at sandown race course in the 80s at a fishing show. He gave this cocky london teenager (me)a real lesson in acurate casting and all in a humourous and informative way much to the delight of my carp fishing mates. Not one of my casting attempts at trying to get a lead on a line into 2 washing bowls placed at 40 and 60 yards was sucessful. My attempts were all failed attempts... ivan got his rod... put the lead under his foot.. compressed it and both times as he released his foot the lead landed in the 2 bowls... i kid you not!!! This gracious legend then explained how he was so accurate and that a carp angler may cast a handful of times in 24 hours whereas he would cast some 500 times in a match. The man was great entainment and at the very top of his game. One of the teams he fished with was 'leicester likely lads'. A great encounter that i will never forget.

In reply to Post #50
That was brilliant ,I can remember in back of my mind Marks and Marlow,I also remember Leicester likely lads ,I think they won nearly everything back in those times..

No one has mentioned Kenny Collings,Charlie Taylor and Paul 'Tommy 'Hilier..all good anglers..I used to get ALL my kit from KC Angling ,once a year ,long journey up country ,no tackleshop locally at all,so they all had time for me ...

In reply to Post #51
Yes wandle...kenny colins i think was under Dorkings banner but may have moved up another level afterwards. I do remember stevie gardner fishing cranbury gardens kingston one winters day i watched him extract just over a pound of tiny roach but cant remember if he won it. I do remember walking and watching informing him of others catching or not as was the case...i guess i was 15/16 at the time. I also remember ray mumford legendary pole angler. Loved frank barlows musings in anglers mail to. Its such a shame the river match scene is all but dead in and around london area.... for me over stocked puddle match fishing just pales into insignifcence compared to the once thriving river and canal match fishing scene.

In reply to Post #49
Another pupil of Ivan and Benny and great match angler in his own right was Billy Makin,.If you want character Billy has it in spades! Brought up on the same canals as the Ashursts and cut from the same cloth.
A mate goes to Thailand regularly whacking golf balls around and always goes for a session and catch up with Billy at his bar. He's also written a few amusing books Wandle.


#52 Ironically Micky it was Billy that opened up Makin Fisheries and is credited with the rise of the commercial fishery match scene and blueprint for most since.

In reply to Post #52
Yep,and Ray Mumford ,always dressed smart ,suit n tie,made his own dappled floats,the neatest tidiest angler you'll ever meet ,Ray was instigator of modern role pole fishing...

My father ,uncles all friends with Gerry Doughty, a hardware shop.then,but turned into Gerrys of Wimbledon..

My self ,a registered PHU pupil ,back in ILEA times living in Kernow ,but skool up de line,I won the London schools cup on the Thames at Kingston,and I didn't live there lol,bleak ,dace,roach ,ruffle,...not much river fishing in the Valency lol..

Long time ago...

I lived a parallel life 20/80...!..

In reply to Post #53
Billy Makin,of course,yes...famous name,and if my memory serves me right I had some wire stem stick floats with his name on..

All these famous names, has anyone mentioned

Ian Heaps
Dave Thomas
John Dean...

In reply to Post #54
Used to jump on a 37 bus to Richmond with my tackle used to see Ray Mumford a few times when the matches were on. Nice bags of Dace.
Also i had Benny Ashurst book of float fishing (might still have it somewhere) and learnt so much from it
Used to go to KC Angling, Gerry's and Croydon Angling with John McCarthy.

In reply to Post #56
Tell a lie it was Billy Lanes book on float fishing

In reply to Post #50
Great stuff, I fished the thames at oxford , one day walked along the tow path and watched the isis match team practicing, well this geez caught 40 lb of roach, I could not sleep properly for a week thinking what I had seed, truly a different level to me and my brother

In reply to Post #55
My Dad was a "ledger" angler back in the 70's for bags of Bream and would travel all over with an AA map just to be there for daylight to fill up his keepnet. Brixton to Birmingham for a day session was common place.

Ian Heaps is the only man he used to mention when I was a child quiver tipping for roach.

As for my inspirations, it had to be John Wilson and Matt Hayes. My old man used to mimic JW's laugh whenever he would get a take at 4am as the sun came up over the valley...

Later on, I think only Martin Bowler comes close in terms of all round atmospheric angling. His sticky baits videos were highly enjoyable, as were the ones with Hugh Miles.

We won't be getting content like that in the next 20 years. We all laugh at old boys who talk about the good old days, well it will be the same in the future. I very much doubt 4k drone footage of a double barrelled spod hitting a lake in slow motion, zooming in to within a gnatscock of the surface, will have the same warm atmospheric reaction.

Peter Wheat
Dick Clegg
Bob Nudd.

In reply to Post #59
I think I'd get on with your dad mate..

I'm currently waiting til the new year when I have my new ,old skool Northwestern 9ft swing tip ,leger delivered, I was lucky to find a custom rod maker with old,but new blanks.. I seen the pics and it's lush. !


Ian Heaps,I fished next to him at a fishery formerly known as lakeview Lodge, at the other end of the lake was Gerry Savage,using his Marco rods and 300 pros,complete with Optonic alarms and pewter carp on the casings ,they were doing a feature for a weekly angling paper,and I was luckily enough to be there fishing..there's a interesting story to this,but its for another time..

I agree with what you say also ..

In reply to Post #61
My dad is very coy about his past angling as he used to go with HIS old man. They had a massive falling out at some point so sadly he has shut out a lot of his memories of him. Occasionally though he would come out with some gems. I've been angling with my dad for 25 years and he still surprises me with quips like "oh, I remember when I fished Bury Hill for Tench...." and I'm sitting there thinking "f*ck sake Dad, been wanting to fish there for years and you drop that out of thin air whilst loading the dishwasher....." considering he's a 100% carp angler these days, I forget he was angling for many years prior to my accidental existence

As for North Westons, I shall own one one day. Saw a mate mention them and found an old girl on FB market place selling a pair of their rods for just under a ton. Didn't have the money but I forwarded him the details as I'd rather they went to a decent home.

I have read a lot about Gerry Savage in Kent. Have been fortunate enough to speak with a few anglers of his era who I still look up to now, including those sadly no longer with us.

In reply to Post #62
Aiden,I have fished Bury Hill,many times,with the old man..off a punt and off the bank by where the dove coop was or still is..

My father and uncles were very active in the 60s and 70s,many of the tench in Bury Hill lake came from a netting using early electro fishing tech ,from a Sussex lake ,nr Loxwood owned by FW Strowgers a building materials store in Mitcham, Surrey..anyway father and uncles,helped stock Bury Hill..but ruined the Sussex lake,...I remember Graham Rowles the manager of BH,he did something naughty and went to live in Oz apparently..

Like yourself, I grew up around the scene ,uncles ,grandfather,the London one,and lots of fishing people,that's all I knew..the only difference was moving up and down the country .....regularly, lol..

In reply to Post #63
Fished from a punt for Tench at Old Bury Hill a few times in the 80's hope the toilets are better these days.
Fished it a couple of times from the bank after GR sold it new owners seemed ok don't know whether it's still in their
hands. Was a nice place to fish then.

Terry Lampard..

In reply to Post #39
I had a few beers with Gord in the bar when pike fishing in Wales for a couple of days... mad as feck, but in a good way

In reply to Post #65
I think you've nailed it there to be honest.

In reply to Post #66
Spoke to him once, had no idea what he was on about I just said yes

Impossible to say who the best angler is, it will mean different things to different people.
I remember when a few people said who they thought the best angler on the forum was and death threats started being made, no joke, real threats to find and kill
Tv anglers, you can't look further than Yates/James or Mortimer/Whitehouse. The epitome of enjoying your time on the bank with friends.
Real life angling, well Terry lampard has had a few

In reply to Post #69
I agree with this when you say different people have different ways of looking at it, like when u say that Mortimer/Whitehouse I wouldn't agree with that for me yeah the show is good but that's about it for me.

Yates I agree with maybe with terry hearn for me, Matt hayes I lost a bit of respect for when I got told by a ex bailiff at todber that when he fished there for a show he was showing other peoples fish as his own don't no how true it is but he had no reason to lie about it

In reply to Post #70
I think you missed the point mate. The Mortimer and whitehouse show itself is what makes them good anglers, not because they're casting 200 yards with 3 rods on a dinner plate sized patch; it's because they enjoy each other's company and their surroundings which is why most people started fishing in the first place. Same with Yates and James, friends enjoying being on the bank.
And I agree it is all personal preference. Don't tell anyone, but I find Terry Hearn videos boring 😬

In reply to Post #71
I do get that mate I can exactly understand that, always good to just see friends enjoying the bank together and not taking everything so serious

In reply to Post #70
I've been told by more than one person over the years that they have been asked to let Matt Hayes take pictires with fish they had caught. Well, asked by the film crew, not him personally.

Im not sure how I feel about it. I understand anything on TV is fabricated and for entertainment purposes.

In reply to Post #73
At least I'm not the only one to hear that then, I am the same as you I no everything is fabricated for tv but seems a bit wrong aswell to me

In reply to Post #12
I think John Wilson has inspired more anglers than anybody else in this country.

Christine wasn't his wife though, she just organised all of his trips via Tailor Made, she is still doing this, but the company name is now SFC Travel ( www.sfctravel.com )

I spent a lot of time fishing with John as I was doing a few escorted trips with Christine at the time. I once spent a very memorable 10 days with him in West Africa on a tiny island about 80m by 30m. I had been there 4 times before and it was all new to him and he outfished me every single time, with every single method. Even to the extent of having identical livebaits, out the back, on the same rigs within a couple of feet of each other, he still outfished me 3 to 1 !!

Some great evenings spent listening to his tales and learning. HE taught me a hell of a lot about taking fish photos and I really wonder what he'd make of the current trend for the long armed, pea-head pics that seem to be so popular at the moment.

I personally have a lot to thank him for and treasure a few of his possessions that he gave me before he left for Thailand, not only that I am now in the very fortunate position of taking groups around the world in his footsteps. Tiger fishing on the upper and lower Zambezi, Salmon and Sturgeon on the Fraser River, GT in Madagascar as well as the newer destinations like Panama that he never fished to my knowledge.

Some people said he was a miserable old sod, he would be the first to agree !! You cannot be 100% happy all of the time and for all of the thousands of people that meet somebody with a high profile, 1 or 2 will always catch them on a bad day.

In reply to Post #75


Nice post

In reply to Post #75
Enjoyed reading that..

Seems like ages ago,I walked past John and the Terry Hearn in the space of a few seconds at a show in the NEC..Birmingham..

Before he went abroad to live I would loved to have fished his lake using one of his masterline or rovex rods..

Of course that will never happen now..

In reply to Post #77
I have one of his old travel quivertips that he used for bait catching on the Zambezi and one of the famous waistcoats and a Rovex cap amongst other things that I use regularly.

That trip to Africa was certainly an education for both of us !! I remember him telling me on one of the first days we caught fish that you may only get one chance with fish pictures, initially I thought he was a bit crazy asking to see the photos before returning the fish, sometimes 3 or 4 times but now I can see the value in it.

He also taught me that the first thing he ever does when starting to fish somewhere, be it on land or in a boat, is to think where he is going to take the trophy picture, and ensures that no-one has rods 'growing' out of their heads or random objects in the frame. I have used this approach on all of my overseas trips as there is nothing worse than a cluttered photo when someone has paid £'000s to catch their dream fish.

I'd like to think that I taught him the value of using the business lounges before flights !!!!

Fond memories of him singing Edith Piaf songs with our French hosts on the island after several bottles of wine and a few beers, heaven knows what the natives of Guinea Bissau on the next island thought about this !!



Fittingly, I heard of his sad demise when we arrived back in Victoria Falls after a fantastic trip upriver for tigerfish in Zambia with a group of fellow angers, it's fair to say we had a few toasts to his memory that evening, in one of his favourite places.

In reply to Post #75
You cannot be 100% happy all of the time and for all of the thousands of people that meet somebody with a high profile, 1 or 2 will always catch them on a bad day.

Very True.
I spent a week on a trip, JW was there, amongst others on The Fraser river Sturgeon fishing, and he was himself ( take that as you will ) every day was different, but he was pleasant enough to me, but the shoulder rubbing, brown nosing hangers on, done my head in watching them around him, during the day and most evenings after a beer or two.

JW had the patience of a saint, and must think during those annoying times.... "Hold your tongue, and be careful not to bite off the hand the feeds you"

In reply to Post #79
Great stuff Scaley and Jason,..

I got a travel quiver my fave bit of kit,of course I'm a mere plebiscite in angling terms,but one thing I can say is my name is next to his on a PAG...publication by Tim Paisley.thats enough for me..lol

Remember reading about the demise of Wensum fish,etc..

In reply to Post #80
For me Firstly, Out Of Town - With Jack Hargreaves, and some of his radio shows, and later all the TV shows that John Wilson did, that was my youngest memories and inspirations to go enjoy the countyside, nature and angling.

In reply to Post #81
Similar to me as well,I've only got to hear Out of town intro music,and I'm transported back ,to another era..

It's why I'm passionate about rural life,fishing..everything.

I'm out now, its awful.weather,..working..on a break I hasten to add,but I love it..

People like Mr Wilson,Mr Hargreaves,Mr Watkins-Pitchford,Mr Venables, and others as well,we owe them ,for getting the ethos and passionate of true angling visible for all to see,even if fishing is not their thing..

Right,gotta get this tractor going..😄

In reply to Post #82
Right,gotta get this tractor going..😄

Ivan Mark's all day long.

Local standing joke was he could catch fish in an empty bucket.

He spent the first 30 minutes with me on a match putting me right (only 17) had 5 bream in my net about 20lb I finished with 55lb he had over 100lb.

Truly awesome guy that would spend time helping any young angler.

A really sad day when he passed. One of the sports all time greats.

R.I.P. ivan.

In reply to Post #78
Sounds great 2 me