Another Fishing Year – John Wilson’s Fishing Diary | |
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Reviewed by Barrie Rickards THIS PHENOMENON KNOWN as John Wilson is usually thought of in terms of his numerous TV shows, but there is a great deal more to him than that, not the least being his published books, now more than thirty. John’s TV programmes are excellent, as most people agree, because he gets the right balance between fun, angling success and the natural environment and conservation. But, if anything, his books are better still. His encyclopaedia of angling, for example, is arguably the best one ever produced; and there is always a depth and contemplative structure in his written word which he simply does not have the time for on the screen. This book, a diary of an angling year (2005) recalls his first angling year book of 1976, and he effects a comparison as he goes along. But there is such a wealth of angling adventures in the present tome that it will bend the minds of most of us: trips to the Rio Negro in the Amazon (where I have been too), the Zambesi, the Fraser River in Canada, Bangkok, and others equally heady. And then, and this is an important point I want to make, he talks in equally enthusiastic terms about his own two small lakes and their carp; his beloved River Wensum, Oulton Broad, and other waters more familiar to ‘ordinary’ anglers. That is the whole point about John Wilson. He has a long pedigree of specimen hunting going way back, and a great deal of success in that sphere because he is a very good angler. With a long apprentice, and a great deal of fishing experience and success, he launched into the higher profile John we all see today. It is his experience and knowledge, along with his personality, that makes him so good at what he does today. He has his detractors in the angling public and yet I have never seen a criticism of him that was not based upon ignorance – or jealousy. The book is very serious in places, as I would expect from him. This he attributes the decline of the river Wensum to cormorants. Full stop. He has the proof of his claim only a stone’s throw from the Wensum, in the form of his own two protected lakes. These have superlative fishing for roach, whereas the Wensum, once a famous roach fishery, has nothing. He also takes on DEFRA in uncompromising fashion. This is a brave thing to do for such a high profile personality. But he is right, and I’d like to quote just one part of the savaging he gives them: “The Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries (now called D.E.F.R.A.) whose statutory obligation is to protect and maintain our inland fisheries ….has not only let down at least two generations of anglers, but by not taking upon itself to nationally organise the culling of cormorants, or at least put them on the ‘vermin’ list, has obliterated a legacy of quality river fishing for our children, not only in East Anglia but in flowing water and Lakeland fisheries up and down the country. I cannot possibly put into words the contempt I feel for this government department. Its lack of action is scandalous.” Well, I don’t think he did a bad job of putting it into words.
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