Calling all match anglers

And what are your suggestions regarding species like zander and pike?

Over to you.

They all count Ron, no matter how long it takes!

But, I have seen anglers "snap off" pike, because of the time waste factor.

I?ve been saved embarrassment by a big perch on a lob many a time on winter matches, but have also had pike rob me of a few section points so its win some-loose some with predators.

I still say pike should count in matches, it?s a fish, and if you?ve got the skill or the luck to get one out then fair play.

once had a 2 1/2lb pike on the witham, hooked fair and square in the mouth on a worm, it did'nt count and the match was won with less than a pound - robbed!

My view Ron is that before you enter a match you read the rules.
If you are prepared to fish under those rules, then you pays your money and takes your chances.
If the rules say that Pike and/or Zander don't count then, thems the rules, so its not a question of hate in my mind.

I too have had instances of Pike taking decent Roach, Rudd, Ide and Chub(lets) during a match and I don't like it, especially if I have to dispatch the fish due to injury, but that is fishing.

I have also won matches by targeting Perch on chopped worm so to me it is 'swings and roundabouts' really.

What I don't like to see though is when an angler (term used lightly) deliberately snaps off when a Pike or Zander takes either his catch or his bait. I hate to think of that fish trailing a hook and line around until it can rid itself of the incumberance.

One river that I fished a lot of matches on in Norway was well populated with jack Pike that were a right nuisance, but I played those in and released them which cost me valuable time.
To me, it is a case of what seems right for the individual, but I will remonstrate with any angler that I see deliberately snapping off to save time.
Matches used to be very important to me, but not at the expense of any fish!

Thanks Peter, a well rounded answer.

hi ron a thread very close tomy boot, as peter said you read the rules you know the score, BUT it does get abused as 1 of my previous threads shows, when i had a chap next to me on the cut off channel as we all know totally devoid of pike,, NOT,, fishing a pole with 16 elastic, 12 hook, 4 lobs, trolling it backwards and forwards in his swim aiming to catch a pike ,his explanation you,ve gotta catch about 100 roach mate if i clonk a meat eater(think he was a local) so rules can be broken if be it in a round about way. cheers

Steve,

Not on the Cut-Off mate, preds don't count in matches organised by King's Lynn AA; which runs the water.

Lynn run good matches, I cover some for the local papers up here, have bank-walked/photographed one or two and have spoken to a lot of people ranging from former/current internationals to Joe Soap, never heard a single complaint.

Guests/other clubs booking the water might have their own rules.

A guy had a 15lbs zed in a Lynn match last season, think it was on worm/feeder intended for bream.

Eventually landed it on a 2.5 hook-length, quite a feat in itself, to find they don't, err, count in Lynn matches.

What a capture anyway. I saw a bream angler catch a 12lbs zed - again on worm - from another river up here a couple of seasons back, again I was amazed at the bloke's skill in landing it.

I don't see why it's a thorny thread. You will get pike hitting fish on the way in on the Cut, because the roach and bream are concentrated along the match length and there are a lot of small pike there.

Most match guys I've spoken to seem to regard them as an occupational hazard of fishing what is a very level water.

No-one blanked in their last open and the average weight was six or eight pounds; while a few ounces separated the top half dozen places.

Great water, managed by a club where match anglers, visitors and predator anglers all get on well.

On a slightly different subject *blatant plug* the club is doing a teams of three league on there in the New Year.

Call Mike Grief 01553 671545 for info or to book.

morning chris, i was,ent knocking kings lynn ac at all ,i think they are a good club ,it was a match run by a.n.other ,and as for the venue i think in winter you cant beat the channel or the drains thats why i travel miles to fish them twice a week, were up at ravely drain next week for a hemp match, i cant wait. merry grimble mate

do trout come under the banner of predator Ron?
only ask cos on my local Derwent at Matlock which insidently is run by a match orientated club,the match anglers have waged war on the native browns in that stretch for years...by war i mean any trout caught is unseramoniously wacked on the head and taken home for ''dogs,ferretts,or old couple down road'' ,i have even,god forbid found the things stuffed under bushes after matches have finished.
and might i add that this even goes on out of season.
and regardless of fish size.