 I was very impressed with Neil Maidment's approach and I think all those who put together good bags of tench and silver fish deserve a round of applause - well done.
It's all about what you want to do John, win the match or enjoy a good day's fishing regardless of the outcome.
Very occasionally a bag of tench or silver fish will win on Clattercote, especially early in the year, but the odds most of the time are very much against that happening. OK, it nearly happened on Saturday with Neil's fine catch of tench, but it only takes one decent carp in a close run contest to put it out of reach of the tench man. Even though Neil's swim was a banker for tench and he fished it well, he was beaten with a catch of carp. As I've said, you either fish to win the match or fish a style and for a species you enjoy catching. Most often on Clattercote fishing to win the match means fishing for the carp.
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.jpg) You are quite right Graham, I think my own element of dissatisfaction was entirely down to the fact that I restricted myself in terms of method and bait - ultimately I enjoyed it enough to try again next year - all being well!
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 I always enjoy a days fishing personally, regardless of whether I catch fish or not, certainly amongst such good company and having spent many long years match fishing I know only too well that certain pegs, on certain days, on most venues will win and the others are just pools fodder. All pegs aren't going to produce a winner no matter where you fish or how good an angler you are but I shall persevere with Clattercote, I just hope I don't run out of years before they are in my peg. 
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 I My only gripe was with the bloke to my left who was plugged into his music and "singing" rather loudly to himself.
Funny that Neil, a bloke to my right was doing the same! Although I had only two tench and a small perch I enjoyed my day as it has been a while since I caught a decent tench and the biggest of my tench was at least 5lb! Just wish I had a few more to keep them company! On reflection I think I should have fished closer in earlier....
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 I My only gripe was with the bloke to my left who was plugged into his music and "singing" rather loudly to himself.
Funny that Neil, a bloke to my right was doing the same!
I can't think who that would have been, but then I have trouble working out right and left. Can't remember anyone singing either. Ahhh! Neil was facing the end of the lake so his left would have been those people across the lake, and Steve was facing me so his right would have been someone fishing in the field. Was I singing? 
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 I realised this year that being a splodging blanker is not what I enjoy hence a float approach. It will never win though I was closer to beating graham than he realises and the fact that the roach got edgy later on due to people packing up didn't help. It took a long time to get the roach going at 6-8 rod lengths and early on I wasn't sure it was the right thing to do with ounces in the net after 90 minutes. losing a tench through incompetence didn't help. I still think that the majority are wasting their time splodging badly but the float skills to put together a net of roach are also beyond the average non match angler especially in the circumstance of muc disturbance.
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Was I singing?
No Jeff!!
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 If you don't mind me asking Mark what bait and feed did you use for the roach. As that was a excellent bag of roach.
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I'm with you Mark - I am thoroughly impressed with those who can drop a feeder on a bin lid with regularity and without the method mix dropping off the feeder but also with those who are disciplined enough to keep making slight adjustments to float presentation until the fish start biting. Like Graham W. I enjoy just being there, but I enjoy it more if I have fish to show for my efforts. And I know when I've fished well and when I've fished badly but sometimes I fish badly and catch and sometimes I fish well and don't catch - all part of the magic!
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I realised this year that being a splodging blanker is not what I enjoy hence a float approach. It will never win though I was closer to beating graham than he realises.....
No, not true, I do realise you weren't far behind me, and I don't take anything away from the float approach. Why should I, when I first won the trophy at Clattercote it was a float-only match and I won with an ordinary waggler, not a bagging waggler.
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 What a shame Mark, it has after all always been a fun match day,and many of us have enjoyed the day for the company of fellow FM blankers. It reads very negative , I think it was you who suggested a change of venue, so I suppose you would read the day that way.
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 Thanks John, I was so impressed with the video I had to share it with others, so it's now in Cakey's auction  I'm not fishing the "boards" ever again! The temptation was too much to handle for me this time and I gave in to it from the start due to my draw. Although I really did enjoy it, it's not proper fishing. I think three of the carp slipped the hook and the other six smashed me up on 10lb mono. I do feel guilty about leaving hooks in fish, I know they were barbless but that's not the point........ Mark Wintle suggested a four meter from the boards rule, but I would suggest sit forward and fish from the rod tip out. Of course it's up to individuals if they want to stick it under the boards and I know it's good fun, but in my heart I know it's wrong. I might even try to "do" Mark on the wag next year! On a lighter note, it's gonna cost me a £30 excess to get my phone replaced after it went for a swim when my brolly flipped over, taking my chair and moby with it! I'm not worried about the phone, it's all the numbers and pictures I've lost that upsets me. Hay Ho.......... It was a great fish-in and I think Bryans suggestion is a good one.
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I m an escapee from brum , live just outside belbroughton. i m not to used to using computers , but after clatterotte I have good reason to" get it in gear " , meeting up etc. an enjoyable day , Learnt a bit especialy how not to tie a hook to flouro , snap!
Belbroughton eh?......Brummie eh? theres only one thing worse than a Brummie and thats a posh Brummie!!!!
Hiya mate
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Sounds like you all had a good en.......i was in the garden! earning brownies for Sywell and the Shad run!!
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What a shame Mark, it has after all always been a fun match day,and many of us have enjoyed the day for the company of fellow FM blankers. It reads very negative , I think it was you who suggested a change of venue, so I suppose you would read the day that way.
I didn't read Mark's comments as negative Fred, simply a statement of fact. The day was thoroughly enjoyable from the point of view that likeminded people from all over came together for food, a natter and some mildly competitive fishing. I will never make a match angler, nor would I have the desire to fish in that way on anything other than an occasional basis but I didn't have to do that at Clattercote, I chose to join in as did everyone else, so it was still a fun event - at least I thought so! PS: Having read that i realise that I have got to stop using the word "thoroughly" - my first post match posting started: "I enjoyed the day - but not, as they say, 'thoroughly'" On reflection I think I meant that I didn't enjoy the fishing bit of it quite as much as I would have liked - the rest was excellent!
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 Agreed John. As a self confessed "splodging blanker" I found Mark's post really interesting. I am now wondering quite how much there is to this method business, and what seperates the men from the boys. Likewise with trying to build a bag of roach on the float. Pretty much all my fishing is of the "no pressure" style, with the emphasis on enjoyment and relaxation. reading about the thinking and tactics of a succesful matchman like Mark is quite thought provoking stuff. My other great love is golf. There are plenty of golfers who play for the fun of it and the joy of being outside with their mates. Others get very competitive. That's what gets me going too, playing in county events and stuff, off a low single figure handicap. It's really interesting for me to see how seriously skilled anglers go about their craft. Although I blanked, and left home at 5am for the privelege, I will be coming back next year for another go. Might be cane and lobworms though!
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.jpg) Interesting thoughts all round. I used to be an out and out match angler (with no real pedigree!) but thought I worked hard at it at the time. I am totally convinced that background has helped me put more fish of a specimen size (for me at least) on the bank than otherwise would have happened. I am still competitive and found myself somewhat "stuck in the middle" on Saturday. I knew my Method Feeder skills were not up to scratch so I was quite pleased to draw up the top end where thats not quite so dominant. I knew tench were more prevalent up there but also knew carp would surely win it. Once I found the tench, I knew I would need about three for every carp landed elsewhere to stand a chance. Having ended up with 9 plus a small carp and seeing very little landed elsewhere, I thought I might just be in with a chance. I was very pleased with an enjoyable and challenging days fishing but also disappointed at the same time not to have picked up the trophy. Many congratulations to Steve for his win, having seen the "sinking baggin waggler" in very effective use last year, I was prepared to use it had I drawn in the middle (but did I have the skill to use it properly? probably not!) I'll be back next year!
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 Interesting series of posts.They go to show that we all have different motivations for a fishing.Surely the good thing about FM, and Clattercote encapsulates it, is that it is a broad enough church for all.If Clattercote simply turned into a day which purely attracted the out and out match boys, thought there are very few regular posters and fish in attendees who are, it would not be half the day it is. I,ve never been one for relaxing fishing, just sticking out a bait and seeing what happens.My enjoyment ,and relaxation by implication, comes from working hard at my fishing, preparing as best as I can and testing myself against the style of fishing I choose on the day to see if I can do it to the best of my limited abilty and to learn from my undoubted mistakes.I always enjoy the Clattercote match because it gives me the added chance of comparing how well I do that to others which gives me motivation to be a better angler the next time I am out whatever I am doing.
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What a great day. No fish, not even the suggestion of a bite on any method I tried but sitting next peg to Steve and listening to him dealing (or not dealing) for most of the day with carp under the boards made the day for me. I think there was only one carp involved and having got the better of Steve no less than 9 times it then decided that he deserved a break and had a trip to the bank. Looking foward to next year!
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I agree, a very interesting series of posts, and it seems that there are some who look on Method fishing as more of a 'chuck and chance it' technique than most other techniques, which of course isn't true or those who have practiced it wouldn't do any better than anyone else. I wouldn't go so far as to say that Method fishing demands as many skills as a variety of float fishing techniques, but it does demand skills of a different kind that you have to get right to be consistently successful. In some instances Method fishing can be more difficult than float fishing, ie, it is easier to put your bait in the same spot each time at less than 20 yards with float tackle than it is to drop a Method feeder in the same spot at 50yds and more. Of course, if you don't give a toss whether you win or not, or, if you consider you don't have a chance of winning using the method that will most likely win, then you opt for the method you're most comfortable with.
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