A lifelong
fisherman
My profile

About me

A lifelong fisherman whom earns a living out of his favourite sport,  I’ve made over 200 tv shows about fishing, written three books and I have been a columnist/writer in high profile angling magazines and newspapers. I have even been the face behind a PC fishing game, Matt Hayes Fishing by game industry giant, EA. As well as my own brands, I also work as an ambassador for Norwegian Fly Fishing company, Guideline and American owned sunglasses giant, Costa del Mar. I support United and my sporting heroes are George Best, Ryan Giggs and Alex Higgins. I love football!

A lifelong fan of musician, Ian Hunter, I enjoy music and among others listen to Noah and the Whale, Led Zep, Ellie Goulding and Counting Crows.

I’m passionate, romantic, creative, loyal, honest, blunt and I can be acerbic if riled. I don’t like hypocrisy or jealousy and I can’t bear internet trolls and people whom abuse social media.

Although I have achieved a high profile through my t.v work, I have never been comfortable with being recognised and I don’t regard what I have done as a big deal. That said, I am always indebted to the viewers and supporters whom have allowed me to enjoy this fishing lifestyle.

My friends and family have always called me Matt. I don’t like being called Matty. I like to think I am down-to-earth and approachable. I value friendship and work hard at it. I expect my friends to be loyal and I give loyalty in return.

 

After half-a-lifetime spent earning my living from the sport I love, it’s time to put something back. I stand up for traditional fishing values and lament the fact that the sport has lost it’s way in recent years, especially coarse fishing (where the pursuit of targets and weights has become omnipotent).  I feel that angling has become too serious of late and should re-focus on what made us go fishing in the first place – the misty dawns, fiery sunsets, the company of good fishing mates and the joy of fishing techniques – not the end result.

I love my fishing more than ever. Through this wonderful sport, I have travelled the world and seen fishing in almost all of its styles. These days, I divide my time between the UK, where I fish and work in the winter and Norway where I run a high profile salmon fishing lodge in the sumer months on the famous Gaula River. My latest projects include the BBC’s Earth’s Wildest Waters – The Big Fish (alongside Ben Fogle), Castaways: Canadian Wilderness (my own production),  and Red Letter Days – a book of short stories about my fishing adventures.

Welcome to my website!