John Bailey - Nash Off The Hook Podcast - S2 Episode 72
This week joining Hassan is a proper all round specimen hunter who has achieved so much in and around fishing over the course of his life. Its none other then author, TV star, angling guide, photographer, radio host and all round fishing oracle John Bailey.
John has caught everything you could possibly dream of both home and abroad and has an incredible, hugely envious set of PB’s, however he describes his love of carp and how his carp fishing progressed from 1970’s/80’s when he started fishing for them by design. The words magic and mystery are what drew John to target carp and his angling progressed along with such advancements as the development of the hair rig. He shares stories about notable captures of significant carp around the Norfolk area and how he likes to target and pursue carp in this modern age. He also shares his opinions on the modern carp scene and why he doesn’t choose to fish a lot of modern venues.
John reminisces about his time in Norfolk including his relationship with legendary angler John Wilson. He talks about the influence of John and how it made him a true multispecies specimen hunter. In the 1990’s he was obsessed with the unbelievable big roach fishing on the Norfolk river system especially the Wensum valley. He shares his opinions on why this is no more as well as how this resulted in him moving away from his beloved Norfolk home. He also talks about his experiences with otters and the changes in the river via predation.
When it comes to foreign adventures John has been fortunate to have many pioneering trips for exotic species choosing to travel a path pre internet where information was very limited. He talks about his Mahseer fishing in India as well as his Taimen Mongolian adventures, these adventures also coincided with his TV career starting, as these trips where documented.
Finally, John talks about his career book writing with over 50 books to his name and counting, as well as his work on Mortimer and Whitehouse Gone Fishing. He also hints to future projects and what keeps him motivated in fishing including his guiding and his own sense of ambition. Being a clearly intelligent man John talks how despite more financially better directions he was always destined to pursue a career in fishing.
John is an incredible, articulate and talented man who has lived an incredible life within fishing. He has such a burning passion for the sport which has always driven him and continues to be as prominent as ever despite him achieving so much.