Vincent The Master Matchman

I have recently purchased a fabulous book called Vincent The Master Matchman. Anyone who knows anything about match fishing will immediately know that means the legendary Dave Vincent! Together with his brother Mick they were arguably the most famous of angling twins. A talented London duo who very sadly passed away within a few months of each other in 2022.

Dave was an England international and took the canal scene apart. He historically won the coveted Matchman Of The Year three times in a row! As a young angling anorak I used to read and soak in absolutely everything I could get in titles like Match Fishing, Angling Plus, the Angler’s Mail, even French magazine Declic Peche. That was when you could really get into the nitty gritty of how people caught and the stories behind it all. Proper quality angling journalism that’s sadly all but vanished now…

I used to absolutely love reading his articles as he did things in his own unique way. He made a lot of his own tackle. Even fabricated his own seatbox, which was crammed with pole winders and gear. A real inspiration to someone like me!

As a kid I remember going to a northern angling show with my dad. Dave’s talk was the only thing I can remember from that day. It was all about keeping bait. It should have been boring, but it somehow wasn’t and we were all fascinated about what he had to say!

Suffice to say, Dave Vincent was an amazing angler and this book is easily one of the best I have read. It contains insightful diary notes, match cuttings, stories and old articles from various publications. It’s over 300 pages, A4 and hardback, so a proper coffee table book!

It’s been lovingly compiled by Jonathan Henton, Russell Hogg, Gary Upjohn and John Weeden. It costs £40 with proceeds helping to fund the England Masters team. The book has been so popular that it is already on its second print. Contact Jonathan Henton at Jhenton80 (at) gmail (dot) com if you’d like more details on getting a copy.