Welcome to John Watson's Website
For over thirty years the name John "Watto" Watson has been one of the first to come to mind whenever pike fishermen debate which of their fraternity merits inclusion in the pantheon of the greats - those leading exponents of the sport operating at the time.Yet unlike many contemporary specialist anglers, fishing, whilst undoubtedly one of his lifes greatest passions, is not "the only show in town" He combines his zeal for the sport with a rich and varied range of interests. Within the realms of his pike fishing life, moreover a sense of proportion is always maintained.
He is emphatically not just another "trophy hunter" although his successes within the branch of angling for which he is best known are legion. His Thurne system monster of 38-01 remains amongst the few non-trout water specimens ever taken which are larger than Clifford Warwick's Hampshire Avon pike which held the English record at the time he began fishing as a boy, and during the 2007-08 season he became one of the handfull of anglers to take their personal tally of twenty pound plus pike to more than two hundred.
But while he pursues the species with an eye to catching the larger specimens he has never lost the ability to derive pleasure from the capture of even small pike. To those who know him well it is remarkable how he somehow manages to combine his passion and flair for the sport with an ability to make it appear to be just another area of a rich and full life.
Fishing, football, cricket, boxing, tennis and athletics are just the sporting elements of his wide range of interests. Restoring period properties; what I would call the strategic aspects of gardening on a grand scale; travelling,and of course writing are all important elements of a rich and it need scarcely be added, full life.
Trenchant and often controversial in his opinions, his words always command attention. He sticks rigidly to his dearly-held principles, although he is more often spoken of as something of a rogue within the very broad church of piking. Author now of three books on the subject and writer of numerous articles for various publications over the past three and a half decades, Watto remains a towering figure in the fascinating world of pike fishing.
John is currently finishing the process of producing A Piker's Progression, or a Piker's Progress Part 2 his follow up and update to A Pikers' Progress which should be available soon.
Order details for A Pikers Progression, aka Pikers Progress Part 2 are here.