John Wilson....

[chris mc]

Not a fan of Wilson my self his fish welfare is terrible.

[Frummo]

What all these TV anglers offer is equivalent to fishing pornography. They can all be pretty annoying sometimes, particularly as most of us never get the oportunities that they do.

The only TV angler I've seen who sems to be a really interesting person is the presenter of "Jungle Hooks". I loved the live plane crash to - you don't see Wilson or Hayes or the loathsome Paul Young offering anything that exciting.

[Steve Burke]

......particularly as most of us never get the oportunities that they do.

 

Simply because we aren't half as good at catching fish as they are!

[peter mccue]

What all these TV anglers offer is equivalent to fishing pornography.

 

Oh my....the mental images

[Guest tigger]

I used to really enjoy Wilsons programes, they were fishing programes and there far and few between so they're all good.

[Frummo]

Simply because we aren't half as good at catching fish as they are!

Er, um, well if you don't think that you are never mind, but I am - far better probably. No doubt about it really...

What I meant was that most people have to earn a living by doing something other than fishing - or making TV programmes. Which leaves most of us short of comparable opportunities. And there's the cost of travel, accommodation etc. Whether these guys are "better" or not doesn't really mean much unless you see angling as a competition, which, speaking only for myself, I don't.

[mel p]

...really gets on my nerves...thought I'd just get that off my chest. It's like watching a cross between Alan Partridge and Eamonn Holmes...

 

Firstly Alan Partridge is great - agree about Eamonn 'on 3 channels at once and the radio' Holmes tho'

 

Matt Hayes is a top bloke - gave a top talk and put up with a fair amount of idiot behaviour at a talk I went to for Macmillan Nurses - genuine guy.

Was at Lyn-y-Gors when they were fiming for Greater? Rod race last year - Mick and Matt are as they appear to be (not actors) genuine ordinary guys and good company.

 

JW has built his life (from an ordinary background) around fishing and should be applauded for making a great success of it.

He is a great allrounder and reasonably expert at all forms of fishing. Personally I like him as his background is similar to mine - your environment makes you what you are.

 

Rex 'we'll just leave that hook in' Hunt gets switched off unless it is one of his 'mates' doing the fishing.

[peter mccue]

Firstly Alan Partridge is great - agree about Eamonn 'on 3 channels at once and the radio' Holmes tho'

 

Matt Hayes is a top bloke - gave a top talk and put up with a fair amount of idiot behaviour at a talk I went to for Macmillan Nurses - genuine guy.

Was at Lyn-y-Gors when they were fiming for Greater? Rod race last year - Mick and Matt are as they appear to be (not actors) genuine ordinary guys and good company.

 

JW has built his life (from an ordinary background) around fishing and should be applauded for making a great success of it.

He is a great allrounder and reasonably expert at all forms of fishing. Personally I like him as his background is similar to mine - your environment makes you what you are.

 

Rex 'we'll just leave that hook in' Hunt gets switched off unless it is one of his 'mates' doing the fishing.

 

Quite agree with your opinion of Matt H, Mick B & John W, but Rex takes a fair bit of unfair stick I think. His presentation is for a different society as far as fishing goes, our panic attacks every time a fish looks like its in bother are not replicated in Australia, & to be truthful If a hook is deep it might just be better to leave it in in terms of its survival chances.

 

While some of his techniques etc may jar our sometimes hyper sense of fish care, he does push marine eco conservation at every turn & opportunity, & that can't be a bad thing can it.

[zedhead]

Wilson can be credited for bringing fishing to audiences well before any of the others did, and hes still doing it today. I idolised him as a kid, and like the fact that he opts for more traditional forms of angling, sticking it to people that inform young kids that they need all the latest tackle tart gear to catch fish and wilson proves this to be a load of crap.

 

I have met him however and found him to be a tad arrogant, as apposed to matt hayes and mick brown who do seem genuine.

 

The annoying things about wilson:

 

the utterly fake laugh

 

the comment (at every fish caught), would you believe it the hooks fell out in the net, thats a slice of luck.

 

the way he talks to his guides and guests

 

the way he has to handle fish, even those caught by others

 

his tendancy to throw his rods, when he looses a fish...he looks like a child throwing the toys out of the pram.

 

and a few more

 

Good points about wilson:

 

early shows

 

using traditional methods to catch fish

 

his attempts (however good or bad) to admire and describe the nature and wildlife around him

 

he uses his own ideas, and has brought out tackle based on these (i.e avon and pike system rods)

 

the format of his shows obviously work, cos he still makes them today.

 

Im sure there are more.

[cobra]

I can't speak for others, but in nearly all the TV programs (or indeed magazine features) I've ever done I've always chosen my own waters and usually my own swim. However some swims would be turned down because of camera angles, noise etc. Obviously I'd choose somewhere where I expected to catch, and in many cases the reasons why were explained so that others could learn something about location.

 

The only exception was for the gravel pit part of the Predators programme I did. For this I had to follow the crew's car to somewhere in Oxfordshire to a pit I've never even seen. In fact I still don't know where it is!

 

What's more, a less likely perch fishing day you couldn't imagine! Thankfully, it went well and we landed 2lb+ perch.

 

But boy, was there a lot of pressure!

i must say i like the predator programs and also total fishing which give excellent tips which i have used ,i will say though that all the tv programs when saing what rigs they use seem to assume that everyone knows how to set tem up ,my kids are allways asking how do you do that rig what does he mean by helecopters for eg but the great rod race and the greater rod race is sheer class viewing ,my wife got into that and she dont fish at all so thumbs up matty and mick but as far as im concerned any fishing on tv is better than none so keep it coming ( a bit less fauna chat though jw wouldnt go amiss