John Wilson (angler)

John Wilson (born 1943) is a British angler who has been making television angling programmes for the last 20 years featuring on Channel 4 Television and more recently on the digital TV channel, Discovery Real Time. Wilson was voted 'The Greatest Angler of all Time' in a 2004 poll by readers of the Angling Times Newspaper.

Wilson was born in Enfield, London where he fished on the River Lee. He had careers in hairdressing, the Merchant Navy and printing before opening his own fishing tackle shop based in Norwich in 1971. [ Wilson,J, "Where to Fish in Norfolk and Suffolk" ISBN 0711701830 Retrieved June 18 2008] John now lives at Great Witchingham, Norfolk where he fishes on his local River Wensum and owns his own lake complex.

Published works

John is best known for his television programmes which cover coarse fishing, game fishing and sea fishing. John has fished all over the world in locations such as the River Nile, Zambezi, Fraser River System and River Ebro as well as many locations within the UK. Target species are varied from coarse fish such as pike, perch and carp to exotic species such as Sturgeon,Shark and Catfish.

John's latest series, John Wilsons Dream Fishing aired in Autumn 2006 on Discovery Real Time TV. The series featured John, daughter Lisa Wilson and nephew Martin Bowler going 'dream' fishing across the world including New York state, Norway, Scotland and Wales.

John Wilson is also an acclaimed author on the subject with several published works, he also writes a column for the Sunday Express newspaper and continues to feature heavily within the UK angling press.

Television series & Available DVDs

*Go Fishing - (1986 - 2002)
*Go Fishing Specials (2002 -)
*John Wilson's Fishing Safari (2004)
*John Wilson's Dream Fishing (2007)
*John Wilson's 20 Greatest Catches (2008)

Books

*Where to Fish in Norfolk and Suffolk (1985)(1996) ISBN 0711701830
*Wilson's Angle (1993)
*Catch Pike (1994)
*"Go Fishing" Year (A Channel Four book) (1991)
*The Complete Coarse Fisherman (1996)
*John Wilson's Coarse Fishing Method Manual (1997)
*"Go Fishing": Programme Notes from the Anglia Television Series Presented by John Wilson (1997)
*Fifty Years a Fisherman (1999)
*John Wilson's Fishing Encyclopedia (2000)
*John Wilson's Book of Baits (2001)
*Catch Carp and Tench with John Wilson (2001)
*John Wilson's Little Book of Knots (2002)
*John Wilson's Greatest Fishing Adventures (2002)
*The Definitive Guide on Where to Fish in Norfolk and Suffolk (2002) ISBN 0953185184
*John Wilson's World of Fishing (2004)
*Another Fishing Year (2006)
*John Wilson's 1001 Top Angling Tips (2007)

Other

In addition to his television and written work John Wilson has his own branded range of fishing tackle covering everything from fishing rods and fishing reels to sunglasses. John also offers angling holidays and owns his own lakes.

Favourite Words/Sayings

Over his long career there are many phrases, words and sayings that have become synonymous with John Wilson.
* "Oh, it's not as big as I first thought"
* "magic,absolute magic"
* "I'm stuck in a tree!"
* "They really do, ..."
* "Its some fishing here in ....... ,it really is"
* "Talk about talking something up Wilson"
* "Talk about feeling like a nervous-fruit-jelly!"
* "(Absolute) magic"
* "Well, ..."
* "...it really is"
* "What a clonker!"
* "Wonderful fishing here in..., eh?"
* "Magic fun"
* "Monstrous"
* "Would you believe it?"
* "yes we're in"
* "yes here we are"
* "it's not a monster"
* "Come on lets have a look at you"
* "Well you've seen my clonker, now lets see yours"
* "Is Kited right round to my left"
* "That's a super fish"
* "Come on Wilson"
* "Dear me it's a Beauty"
* "Ahhh It's gone"
* "I keep picking up weed!"
* "Look the hooks come out in the net, that was lucky!"
* "Look at that juicy lob worm."
* "I'll give it some sidestrain..."
* "Come to Jonny"

External links

* [http://www.african-angler.co.uk/video.html Fishing safari]

References