Fishing UK Specialist Angler & Angling Writer, Andrew Kennedy | Pike Perch Barbel Carp Lure Coarse British angler writing about fishing and specialist angling
If you were fishing in the 1980s and 1990s, John Wilson’s name was synonymous with angling; due to his various books, but predominantly due to his TV series. Go Fishing with John Wilson was the first of his TV shows, and his unique mixture of knowledge, enthusiasm and infectious laugh proved a hit with viewers – anglers and non-anglers alike!
A YouTube user, Andy Creigh, has uploaded all of the original four Anglia Television series of Go Fishing – which he’s recorded from original VHS tapes – so those of us who can remember over three decades ago can relive JW’s on-screen charisma. Hopefully some younger anglers will now also see the earliest TV forays of this angling legend for the first time too.
My own personal favourite episodes mainly revolve around the ones I had on VHS myself. These included: crucian and tench fishing at Diss Mere, small river barbel fishing on the Teme, fly fishing for mullet on a tributary of the Ebro, fishing for tench (but catching perch) from the dam of an old estate lake and then eventually catching tench whilst fishing in chest waders (Series 3, Episode 1 – Fishing Summer Lakes), and my all-time favourite episode (Series 4, Episode 2 – Small Waters), which sees John fishing a small, clear stream – first catching roach, dace and chub on fly gear, then freelining for chub using slugs as bait and, at one point, a willow twig in place of a rod.
There’s also the episode which many anglers hold up as his best ever – Weir Pool Magic, from Series 2.
These are the episodes made by Wizard Productions between 1986 and 1990, which aired first on Anglia TV and were then shown nationally on Channel 4. This is before John started making the “Go Fishing Specials” and his subsequent other series, which I believe were released on satellite TV and VHS video.
Due to them being digitised from old tapes, the visual quality isn’t great (there’s no HD available – the quality tops out at 480p), but the audio is spot-on and for a bit of a nostalgia trip they’re very watchable.
Andy has split each series into its own playlist, so you can easily find an individual episode or watch an entire series. I’ve embedded the playlist for each series below:
Go Fishing with John Wilson – Series 1
- Episode 1 – Pike
- Episode 2 – Trout
- Episode 3 – Chub
- Episode 4 – Tench
- Episode 5 – Roach
- Episode 6 – Carp
Go Fishing with John Wilson – Series 2
- Episode 1 – Down on the Avon
- Episode 2 – Deep Sea Wrecking
- Episode 3 – Grayling and the Stream
- Episode 4 – Weir Pool Magic
- Episode 5 – Spinners, Spoons and Gadgets
- Episode 6 – Carp in the Lillies
Go Fishing with John Wilson – Series 3
- Episode 1 – Fishing Summer Lakes
- Episode 2 – Small River Barbel
- Episode 3 – In Search of Trout
- Episode 4 – Oliver’s First Carp
- Episode 5 – Foreign Fish, part 1
- Episode 6 – Foreign fish, part 2
Go Fishing with John Wilson – Series 4
- Episode 1 – The Emerald Isle
- Episode 2 – Small Waters
- Episode 3 – A Winter’s Tale
- Episode 4 – The Shannon
- Episode 5 – The Irish Predator
- Episode 6 – The King of Fish
If you’re interested in some more angling nostalgia, or you’re looking for info on other fishing TV shows from the ’80s and ’90s, there’s some interesting stuff from Screaming Reels with Nick Fisher, and The Fast Show with Paul Whitehouse.
Who also remembers a TV fishing show from the late 1990s (I think it was on the BBC), called “Tales From The Riverbank”, with Geoffrey Palmer? I’m sure there was another fishing programme on terrestrial television in the late ’90s too, but I can’t remember what it was called. Comment below if you have any ideas!
