matt hayes or john wilson

[Jon Hedges]

Bernard Venables. A brilliant writer and clearly underrated angler !

[Lid]

Good point Jon. My top three is now DW, BV and JW!!

[Jon Hedges]

1. Venables for writing and angling skill

2. Walker for pioneering spirit and evolving techniques

3. Yates for being totally different to the masses, sticking to the art and crafts of fishing and for being eccentric to the extreme

[ridgeacre]

I say kendo you aint a bad dancer

[mark barrett]

so would i pete but like you said we have been waiting for it for years! the first book on pike i ever read was dennis Pyes the way i fish and i know that dennis pye was derricks mentor so i would be especially interested to read his book.

 

and i am sure he has a few things to say about nev, hasnt everyone!

[Bonzo]

I think we have got to give John Wilson some credit for bringing fishing onto the TV.

By the viewing figures the TV stations were shown that with the right person, we will watch it.

This opened up the way for Matt.

Both in my opinion bring something to fishing and the fishing population.

Its surprising how many people that don't fish but actually are keen to watch fishing programmes!

[fenboy]

Mmmm... this is an interesting one.

 

Let's start with pike. I'm in the fortunate position of having fished with most of the front-runners - ie Neville Fickling, Derrick Amies, John Watson, Barrie Rickards, Ray Webb, Mick Brown, Eddie Turner, Nige Williams - and all of them are seriously good at what they do. Namely:

 

Neville - all-round ability.

Derrick - watercraft.

Watto - sixth sense/drive.

Barrie - superlative.

Ray - one-off natural ability.

Brownie - quiet confidence.

ET - truly brilliant innovator.

Nige - unstoppable determination.

 

But to my mind, Barrie Rickards is the greatest-ever pike angler. He was the inspiration in Neville's early days, for instance. He redefined modern pike fishing and he's still doing it now. No comparison.

 

As far as carp fishing goes, I've fished with Rod Hutchinson, Andy Little and Chris Yates. Rod was outstanding.

 

All-rounders? I've never fished with Matt Hayes, but he impresses on TV. But John Wilson impresses me more.

 

I have fished with Fred J Taylor - way back in 1967 when I was a lad - and he was enthusiastic, helpful and very jolly. Not a great angler, but a great bloke.

Bernard Venables was a superb communicator but, like BB, was not a great angler. But both men's legacy to angling literature is outstanding.

 

Peter Stone and Dick Walker are the front-runners, as far as I'm concerned. Peter was a brilliant, natural, skilled and intelligent angler who you couldn't help but love. Walker was rather arrogant, but years ahead of his time in everything he did. I doubt if his contribution to angling will ever be matched by anyone.

 

Yep, Walker has to be No1.

 

PS: I've avoided match fishing, game fishing and sea fishing because I'm not well enough qualified to express an opinion with sufficient conviction. But I can't think of anyone in those fields who can compare to Walker's contribution.

[fenboy]

Sorry, just realised I'd put the late Ray Webb in the present tense, along with the living pike fishing greats. That was my mistake - and certainly no disrespect intended. Sleep in peace, Ray.

[mark barrett]

i dont think that you can really argue with that one.

[Dick Dastardly]

Yup Im very worried now!