What is it.

That distinguishes the angler who is recognised for his catches when compared to your average angler?

my belief is that often those guys put much more into their fishing, building up their skills in every aspect. Quickly learning to achieve consistency in their results. Question most of those anglers in private, and it becomes quickly evident ''luck'' plays a very small part in their outlook, consistant results being their ultimate aim.

Practice makes perfect, or as near as humanly possible.

In my experience, it's largely down to the ability to self promote. I've encountered some excellent anglers along the way that no one will ever hear of. They say little or nothing about what they catch or where they catch it. Conversely, I've met some, that I've thought were pretty average, that are reasonably well known. The waters they have access to, and the depths of their pockets, can also play a significant part in whether an otherwise excellent angler actually catches anything significant enough to gain wider attention.

There are plenty of excellent anglers out there, whether they become recognised, by the wider angling public, is largely down to whether they want to be.

It's publicity that gets the angler recognised, I caught quite a few 2lb Roach and 1lb Dace last season which I put in the angling press, I got a nice hat and a decent cheque and got labelled a 'Roach expert' Then they got my name wrong and called me Colin, this made we think which was worse. So I stopped the fame game. As someone who can't ledger or lure fish to save his life i'd settle for the average angler monicker all day long.

I expect the best anglers on here are rarely in the press or on the hdygo thread content in the knowledge they could more than hold their own against a recognised angler, or have been down the fame route and found just wetting a line to be much more rewarding.

It may be that anglers recognised for their catches "put much more into their fishing". But that might be a euphemistic way to say some are driven and obsessive maniacs, and their whole lives revolve around fishing, conceived in terms of targets, weights etc.

I recently read the memoirs of an angler who had travelled the length and breadth of the country to catch an impressive list of specimens of several species. I was struck by the single-mindedness of it all, but I finished the long book - several hundred pages - with no sense of why he liked fishing and a strong impression of an ultra-competitive and rather anti-social outlook that had long forgotten the pleasure of being in a lovely place or the kick of getting a bite. It all seemed a bit of a grind.

No offence to the full-time anglers and the professional and semi-professionals, but my admiration goes more to the anglers who fish and have a life, and yet seem, for all that they spend a relatively short time on the bank, to be able to catch fish anywhere they sit down. I have a couple of friends like that, and I envy their skill rather than the fanatical endurance that lies behind some kinds of success.

I can remember certain match anglers who would phone up the match fishing correspondents on a Sunday evening to ensure that match reports for matches that they'd done well in were reported.

In the big fish world there were/are definitely a few anglers who have turned fish chasing into a full-time job.

There are several waters local to me that are out of this world but you would need very deep pockets and to know the right people to get a chance to join the syndicates involved but serious fishing on such waters would yield mind-blowing catches.

sponsorship can also drive it - the reason you or the team is sponsored is for brand publicity.

As a confirmed match angler I can pretty safely say there is an open route to benchmark yourself if you want to. In many ways the average standard in opens is so much higher than when I started in the 80s - albeit with much lower attendances.

But even then it can be skewed:
In the modern era many people have made something of a name for themselves by winning and farming in 20 peg knockups.
Equally - anglers winning on commercials tend to be more widely publicised and recognised than those on rivers, drains, canals etc.

I certainly haven't got it whatever it is! I enjoy fishing regardless of success! It relieves stress and gets me out in the fresh air and provides excercise! I like my Tackle and planning on what to try next and what I need to do it! For me fishing is a hobby, a pastime and nothing more ! I have had many such pastimes!!!

I think Sam Vines has nailed it perfectly.

Some anglers are happy to court publicity, and in some cases judge their success in column inches of publicity rather than fish landed.

Other anglers of equal, or perhaps even greater skill and success prefer to remain anonymous and revel in solitude.

You can have all the skill in the world, but you can only catch what's infront of you and that's only if it's wiilling to be tempted to take your bait.
If you can't entice it to take your bait then you banjaxed.
Regarding matches and match anglers, from what I see and read the peg you draw is a major part of winning regardless of who you are!
Imo luck still has a massive part to play in angling success....jmo folks.

The thing is,the top specimen anglers will only fish waters with the best chances of success,milking any available information as to where most fish have been caught etc,this giving them a chance to use they're immense knowledge to give success,very little luck,just lots of graft,culminating in a fish,most of us try to plan our approach,these guys take that to a higher level.
As for match angling,I've met some pretty obnoxious fellas particularly at the top level,their single minded will to win pushes them into a dark place,some in their search for higher recognition join teams,but they are not team players and want every halfpenny,so they chase a win before team points are secured,they definitely don't see a nice venue,or the pleasure of a day out,just the building of their profile....that said there are also some great guys at the top level and match fishing can be brilliant fun,trying to get the best out of your peg is really the name of the game,beating others around you by doing so is the benefit...

As others have said being able to get onto the right waters is a big part of catching large fish but even on those waters there are anglers that will be more successful than others.

tigger said:

You can have all the skill in the world, but you can only catch what's infront of you and that's only if it's wiilling to be tempted to take your bait.
If you can't entice it to take your bait then you banjaxed.
Regarding matches and match anglers, from what I see and read the peg you draw is a major part of winning regardless of who you are!
Imo luck still has a massive part to play in angling success....jmo folks.

Click to expand...

agree that luck has a significant part to play on any one day - but equally over a series of matches or season or seasons the luck factor in match fishing equals out.