Jan Porter

john ledger · Jul 1, 2005

I think Jan is as good if not better than most and gives good advice without too much bull.
Much as i like Matt Hayes i think he comes over better with Mick Brown.
John Wilsons done his bit but should now take a back seat and keep off the laughing gas.
Anyone remember Jack Hargreaves and Frank Sawyer(could have been Tom it was that long ago)
Brings me back to the old argument on who is the better angler matchman or specialist,well i will put my cards on the table and say the match angler every time

Richard Farrow · Jul 1, 2005

John perhaps you should look up the results of a three match challenge on 3 different venues between John Wilson and I believe **** Clegg. If my memory serves me correctly 'Cleggy got his ass kicked'. Perhaps someone with a better memory can supply the details.

Herr General Swordsy · Jul 1, 2005

on a non-commercial water I will go with the specialist.

Robin Higgins · Jul 1, 2005

Richard

This was a rematch of the famour Walker vs Sails match put together by the AT. The idea was that you put a specimen hunter together with a top matchman and see what happened. Each competitor chose a venue and then the final match was on a neutral setting. The specimen hunters won both encounters.

Robin

PS I've just remembered that there was another one recently in the AT. Keith Arthur vs martin Bowler in a one-off special which Keith won.

John McLaren · Jul 1, 2005

John, I would have to agree that Jan Porter's recent Carp Crew series showed him as a very useful presenter - much improved on some of his earlier videos - but has he got a big head or should he buy a smaller hat?

john ledger · Jul 1, 2005

He certainly did Richard and i also remember **** Walker coming out on top if memory serves me well.(Tom Sails)
I think if you fished over say twelve months the matchman would have dare i say 90% of the wins.
Remember the match angler has to fish where he is told on a venue and a swim he may never have fished and usually in the middle of the day.If i remember the venue for the Wilson /Clegg matches where the Bain and Avon and both would give the specialist a good chance.The Trent would have been a better venue
Always thought it was much easier to turn specialist from match rather than vice versa but could be wrong

Wolfman Woody · Jul 1, 2005

I like Jan Porter's style, just wish he'd have a haircut.

As for matchmen/specimen man, well I reckoned that the late Ivan Marks could have been a brilliant specimen man. He was just an all-round brilliant angler.

Our Graham would make a wonderful presenter and has the experience if only he didn;t forget things. Landing nets, parts of handles, chairs, and that's all he admits to.

)

Ron 'The Hat' Clay · Jul 1, 2005

The arguement regarding match v specimen anglers has raged for years. For myself as a pleasure angler, I do spend a lot of time watching and talking to match anglers.

They have got a great deal to teach specimen anglers make no mistake especially when it comes to angling manipulative skills.

However many match anglers are pretty poor when it comes to watercraft, concealment and selecting a swim to catch a certain species of fish. The way they fish is such that they don't really develop such skills. Their swim is picked for them by the draw and there is lots of disturbance on the bank prior to the match.

That doesn't mean that the skilled specimen hunter is totally devoid of tackle handling skills. Make no mistake there are many extremely good specimen hunters who could show a lot of matchmen a thing or two.

But I would never say who is the best angler beween the two disciplines because the comparison is an unfair one.

Remember I think it was Des Taylor who beat **** Clegg, and **** Walker thrashed the pants off Tom Sails, who at the time was the National Champion.

Personally I would love to take on Bob Nudd in a 3 venue/method contest.

1: Commercial carp water with the pole - 5 hours.

2: River Trent for barbel - 12 hours.

3: Rutland water for 10 hours to international fly fishing rules.

To make it fair, it would be for the largest number of fish, not weight.

Shrek · Jul 1, 2005

Ron,

You'd win Rutland hands down. I've seen Bob cast with a fly rod and it isn't a pretty sight........!!!

Gary Knowles 2 · Jul 1, 2005

I'd win...

Graham Whatmore · Jul 1, 2005

Old argument this, but for what its worth I think if they were both above average in their respective fields there wouldn't be much to choose between them.

The matchman can catch fish in places where your average specimen angler wouldn't dream of fishing but it would be quantity rather than quality. Put him on a river where theres barbel and chub and out would come the feeder, and he would catch too but he wouldn't be geared up for the really big barbel whereas the specimen angler would.

Jan Porter would probably skin most matchmen because he himself was a top matchman before switching to specimen angler so he has a foot in both camps. He was a bit of a loner on the match circuit, and considered by some to be a bighead because of his self confidence but by any yardstick he was good, very good. I once watched one of his videos many moons ago on the Avon at Twyford Farm and he came over quite well I thought as a presenter.

Paul H · Jul 1, 2005

I bought a Jan Porter video from the eighties on match style feeder fishing.

His hair is much better now!

Bryan Baron 2 · Jul 1, 2005

Graham was that the one where he was waggler fishing the far bank.

Jan is a excellent presenter as they all are. He comes across as one of the lads and thats what people want these days they dont want to be told but informed on a equal level.

I dont think any one disapline is better than another on any given day or venue the all round specimen angler would proberbly win as is watercraft is better. This as already been said above is down to the match angler having to fish a swim drawn from the hat.

john ledger · Jul 1, 2005

Bob Nudd not a pretty site.
Used to like Ian Heaps a lot but Dave Thomas would have been great.
I ring Dave up quite a bit for any info he can give and he is a very amiable fellow and he would have hammered the best of em in his prime.
I agree with Ron regarding watercraft but one thing is for sure you will never see me in a camouflage outfit and woolly hat. pink jacket with bright red cuffs and matching hat and underwear scores every time

Ron 'The Hat' Clay · Jul 1, 2005

Actually I like Jan Porter. Although I have never met him he comes across a a very good all-rounder and that is the kind of angler I like.

My selection of the three venues for my Bob Nudd challenge is very interesting don't you think. With due respect to Bob, and he is a genuinely nice bloke, he was once described as the "Best Angler in the World"

In "The World" you understand.

I would like to see him take on some of the top American bass tournament anglers on their own ground.

And since I had a few tips from Peter Jacobs and Mark Wintle, my pole fishing skills have come on leaps and bounds. I had a 100lb+ catch of bream in the fens recently on the pole, plus 5 tench.

Neneman Nick · Jul 1, 2005

jan porter is ok but why does he have to look like a scruffy,dirty old new age traveller???
my mrs cant stand matt hayes....full of himself she says but she has admitted she has the hots for mick brown though!!!

malc · Jul 1, 2005

Needless to say, Jan Porter derserves a lot of respect for his knowledge of and experience in the match fishing field. This is where he made his name. However, to switch from match to carp angler and then present a show as a carp angler in a relatively short space of time, in my very humble opinion, is wrong!

I would much prefer to see/listen to/learn from a 'known' carp angler with many years experience. One can see from his show 'carp crew' that he lacks the necessary experience with certain things.

Top bloke, Just does'nt quite do it for me I'm afraid.

Stuart Dennis · Jul 1, 2005

Must confess Matt Hayes seems to false in his presenting and certainly not a natural at it. As where I much prefer the double act between him and Mick Brown.

I had a lot of respect for Jan Porter in his feeder fishing and match style videoa but as for carp crew I feel he comes across as a bit of a bumbling fool who's got into the specialised angling side of the fence too late.

Don't mind Danny Fairbrass, but his gob reminds me too much of that old DJ Jonathan King with the rubber lips.

I did see a dvd from the boss of Heathrow Baits who I found very down to earth and thought I could watch a lot more of his stuff. I am sure it was Steve something.

Fishing Gimp · Jul 1, 2005

I don't know if any of you remember but the AT tried to resurect the 'competition' between matchmen and specimen hunters in the 70's with **** Walker and the fantastic Ivan Marks, who both wrote for the AT at the time.
However on this occasion both anglers agreed to only fish using their respective angling styles. Ivan had a field day with the Avon Dace (remember them?) and **** managed to extract a 5lb Chub so the 'match' was declared a draw with both combatants ending the day in the pub - as every great angling day should!

john ledger · Jul 1, 2005

In the eighties i used to fish the Derwent a lot around Amberston and Barrowash at a time when both Jan and Frank Barlow where in there prime.
The main quarry on the Derwent where chub and large bags of em and both anglers where excellent at producing on a regular basis,Frank being a genuine nice bloke who liked a laugh and called a spade a shovel.
Jan Porter was more serious and a lot more inventive and being a tackle dealer was always up on baits.
Dont mind what he looks like he can fish.
Offered my services to TV but was told i did not have enough money in the bank to pay em,besides only women would watch

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