first angling match
- Thread starter fishperch
- Start date
I was only a lad, but didn't do any good. Got in lots of tangles etc but just fished.
Main thing is just enjoy it, can understand you may be apprehensive, but no need to be really, honestly.
Fish in a way you're happy with / confident with. Do your thing and weigh in whatever, next time you'll be much more relaxed.
Is it a club match ?
Main thing is just enjoy it, can understand you may be apprehensive, but no need to be really, honestly.
Fish in a way you're happy with / confident with. Do your thing and weigh in whatever, next time you'll be much more relaxed.
Is it a club match ?
yeah its a club match on a small lake ( marlow angling club )
apart from the fact ive never fished that water but next weekend that may changeSounds as good a place as any to start)
yeah hopefully will catch abit too
My 1st ever match, oh so many years ago, I was leading comfortably with a 1.5 oz roach and only minutes to go when a guy 2 swims upstream hauled in a monster 4oz skimmer to seal the win. Only one other caught(he was awarded half an ounce as it didn't register on the scales) and everyone had a thoroughly miserable time on a cold frosty morning.
A decade or so later I tried some more match fishing. I won a section or two but never liked being compelled to fish one swim and took a very different approach since. My advice would be just fish the match in a way that you will enjoy anyway and see how you compare with others only at the end. If you're with a decent crowd some at least should share some tips and techniques to help you develop.
A decade or so later I tried some more match fishing. I won a section or two but never liked being compelled to fish one swim and took a very different approach since. My advice would be just fish the match in a way that you will enjoy anyway and see how you compare with others only at the end. If you're with a decent crowd some at least should share some tips and techniques to help you develop.
sam vimes
Well-known member
Why would you be nervous? I'm sure it's possible that you might feel a little daft if you struggle, but it's not trial by combat. You aren't going to be ritually disemboweled at the end of the match if you blank. The reality is that the worst that can happen is you lose a few quid in the pools. When you get to know a few folks, there's a chance of a bit of ragging when you do badly. There's likely to be a bit of ragging if you do well too. In fact, merely turning up to a match is likely to involve a bit of ragging once you are comfortable with the regulars. That's unlikely to happen if you're a stranger to the group. The reality is that they'll want you to come back, even if they see you as little more than pools fodder for a while. Though it's no something I do regularly, my experience of actually being involved in fishing matches has invariably been positive.
As for fishing the venue in advance, go for it. It's unlikely to harm your chances. However, it does remove the copper bottomed excuse of having never even seen the place before!
peter crabtree
AKA Simon, 1953 - 2022 (RIP)
Go and have a look at the lake, check out the pegs and their numbers. Take a rod and plumb the depths first using a float and plummet. Make notes with peg numbers so you'll have an idea of the geography of each one. This will save precious time on the day. Practicing fishing will obviously be hard but come spring it could be a lot better....
The more time you familiarise yourself with the lake the better your chances will be...
itsfishingnotcatching
Well-known member
I don't fish matches as such, but have participated in a few "friendlies" (if such a thing exists ), there will be guys there who have done it all before and part of the experience is to learn from how they fish. My best tip would be to fish the method you feel most comfortable with, don't try to fish competitively using a method you are inexperienced with, I was in a peg next to PJ watching him cast a feeder to within a foot of an island EVERY cast. Suffice it to say I stayed on the wag, I've lost enough feeders in trees not to attempt it. The only difference between "pleasure" (not my favourite word) and match fishing is the weigh in, enjoy the day.
Ian
), there will be guys there who have done it all before and part of the experience is to learn from how they fish. My best tip would be to fish the method you feel most comfortable with, don't try to fish competitively using a method you are inexperienced with, I was in a peg next to PJ watching him cast a feeder to within a foot of an island EVERY cast. Suffice it to say I stayed on the wag, I've lost enough feeders in trees not to attempt it. The only difference between "pleasure" (not my favourite word) and match fishing is the weigh in, enjoy the day. Ian
sam vimes
Well-known member
Much depends on the venue and the fish they are aiming to catch. Of the matches I've fished, I've never used more than two rods (float and feeder) and a pole. If I've been quite familar with the venue, there's a good chance that I'd set up, and stick with, just one rod/pole and method. In some situations having less kit set up can actually be an advantage. The temptation to chop and change can be detrimental. For every time that a change has paid dividends, there'll be a match angler wishing they'd stuck to a single method.
peter crabtree
AKA Simon, 1953 - 2022 (RIP)
You'll probably find most ppl will fish the pole...
And they generally beat ppl who fish with any amount of rods....
C
chefster
Guest
You can only use one rod at a time anyway,its all about making the right choices of which to set up,someone could set up 4 rods ,multiple top kits,etc,but if they dont fish the correct methods on the day,its a waste of time..setting them up in advance,simply means that you can be ready for all eventualities,and this will save you time in a match...Gazza
I remember my 1st match on two hears ago with our club on the river irwell
Nkw the river is on its way back from being ravaged by pollution from the industrial era so the match was to promote both the club and the river
Well the night before the cbairman and a few others went down and cut the pegs and numbered up and reported there was fish to be seen everywere,looking good deffo,unbeknkwn to us a mile or so upstream a raw sewerage pipe that actually runs under the river (stupid place to have laid it) had fractured earlier in the day but then overnight ruptured.
Cosequently this pushed the fish as far away as they could get away from it and only three fish were caught none by me ????
Just fish your way and forget what everyone else is doing and enjoy it and you just never know you might get a top three place good luck buddy and let us know how you get on
Andy
Nkw the river is on its way back from being ravaged by pollution from the industrial era so the match was to promote both the club and the river
Well the night before the cbairman and a few others went down and cut the pegs and numbered up and reported there was fish to be seen everywere,looking good deffo,unbeknkwn to us a mile or so upstream a raw sewerage pipe that actually runs under the river (stupid place to have laid it) had fractured earlier in the day but then overnight ruptured.
Cosequently this pushed the fish as far away as they could get away from it and only three fish were caught none by me ????
Just fish your way and forget what everyone else is doing and enjoy it and you just never know you might get a top three place good luck buddy and let us know how you get on
Andy
will do m8, it wont be till at least april tho
definitely nothing to be worried about - it is just a bit of fun and even the best can have a bad day!
things to watch out for:
rules ... for example no baiting before the whistle / all-in, one rod and one hookin the water at any point,no articficial lures or baits.
etiquette....casting or baiting too close to another's swim may be looked at dimly.
top tips: good advice above about sticking to methods you know and trust. Don't worry about what other people are catching until you have more experience about whether it's a good indicator to change tactics. Most match anglers are happy to divulge info about pegs and methods before and especially after a match. But take all info at face value and use the bits that make sense to you - don't follow slavishly.
My first match was in the early 80s, a 100 peg open on the Great Ouse at Radwell (I didn't know about club matches back then as I'd taught myself to fish). I didn't have a fishing box and turned up carrying my gear on a push bike (2 villages from where I lived). I don't remember much about it, save a few gudgeon ..... but I must have enjoyed it because I'm still match fishing (sometimes successfully) over 30 years later.
Good luck!
things to watch out for:
rules ... for example no baiting before the whistle / all-in, one rod and one hookin the water at any point,no articficial lures or baits.
etiquette....casting or baiting too close to another's swim may be looked at dimly.
top tips: good advice above about sticking to methods you know and trust. Don't worry about what other people are catching until you have more experience about whether it's a good indicator to change tactics. Most match anglers are happy to divulge info about pegs and methods before and especially after a match. But take all info at face value and use the bits that make sense to you - don't follow slavishly.
My first match was in the early 80s, a 100 peg open on the Great Ouse at Radwell (I didn't know about club matches back then as I'd taught myself to fish). I didn't have a fishing box and turned up carrying my gear on a push bike (2 villages from where I lived). I don't remember much about it, save a few gudgeon ..... but I must have enjoyed it because I'm still match fishing (sometimes successfully) over 30 years later.
Good luck!
thanks for all ur help guys also wat is the terminology used before, during and after the matches? and in my angling club booklet it says for open matches to call a number yet I cannot see any open matches on the list, just cup matches and monthly ones