Wilson was born in Enfield, London, where he attended the Chace Boys School. He fished on several local waters including the River Lea and later fished further afield. He had careers in hairdressing, the Merchant Navy and printing before opening his own fishing tackle shop based in Norwich in 1971. Wilson lived at Great Witchingham, Norfolk, where he fished on his local River Wensum and owned his own lake complex before moving to Thailand in 2013. After living in Thailand for five years, Wilson announced his intention to move back to the UK.