speceimin or match?

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Simon Clews

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I've been fishing for about a month and have decided to specialize in either speceimin or match fishing. What advice could you please give me to help pick which one.
Thanks
Simon
 
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John Pleasance

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If you REALLY feel that you have to choose one discipline at this early stage in your angling developement then I would suggest that you choose match fishing.

You will learn far more from match anglers about feeding and getting bites than you will from specimen hunters.When you have got bored with catching small fish you will then be able to apply your knowledge to catching bigger ones.
 
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Steve Andrews

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I think it is more dependant on your nature. Are you prepared to sit, for possibly days on end with out so much as a bit, but with the reward of a big fish. Or are you happier putting together a weight of fish over a shorter period.

Myself, I can't sit with nothing happening for more that 5/6 hours. Plus I hate to blank. I'd rather catch a finger roach than nothing at all. I'm also very competative. Whilst I don't yet match fish (I have fished just 1 so far) it is much more me.

That being said I have just been fishing for the last 20 years. Enjoy your fishing and don't feel the need to specialise just yet.
 
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ED (The ORIGINAL and REAL one)

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Whats wrong with doing both .........
 
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Budgie Burgess

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Yeagh (sorry that was a bit Wol like!) Totally agree with Eddie.True allrounders are few and far between these days.IMO too be a good angler in any of the different areas of angling requires knowledge of them all.Just look at todays top anglers.Like them or not you can not deny that the likes of Wilson and Hayes are extremely sucsessfull.Also it is great fun being an all rounder.All ways something new to learn.In the old days any specimen hunter could hold his own against a matchman because he had been there.I doubt if many could these days.
 
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ED (The ORIGINAL and REAL one)

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Put a float rod in the hands of some of the younger carp anglers and they wouldn't know what to do with it.....all they know is Bivvies --bolt rigs --boilies--bite indicators--bed chairs...........
 
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Dave Rothery

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ZZZZZZZZZZzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

didnt take long to start slagging off carp anglers did it!
 
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Ron (Rontroversial) Clay

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A lot of young carp anglers would not know how to go fishing Dave.

Give them a mission for example, go out and catch six roach on that little river or canal.

They wouldn't have a clue.

Although I have never been a mad keen match angler, I appreciate the skills that they possess, and oddly enough I have won a few matches in my life.

The best was a bass fishing tournament wher I caught the biggest weight, most fish and the heaviest fish.
 
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Stu Black

Guest
Simon, I've been fishing for over 20 years mate, never fished a match, and only last season turned towards speccy carp fishing. Just enjoy being out there and do whatever takes your fancy
 
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ED (The ORIGINAL and REAL one)

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Wasn't having a go at carp anglers Dave .....I was having a go at the mentality of some of the young anglers coming into our sport ..You see them in the tackle shop with Mum and Dad --buying a full carp set up and within 6 months they are selling it all simply because they havent caught a 20. ----they want to be instant big fish anglers ... and it just doesnt work like that...
Now if they also honed all the other skills i.e. float fishing ,fishing on rivers,fishing the leger ,maybe a bit of match fishing they would get far more enjoyment out of the sport......
Graham , myself and a group went to Authon in France cat and carp fishing one year and took about 4 young lads with us ,and one of them (who fished solely for carp in England )was watching Graham and John float fishing for carp along one of the margins and asked could he have a go ---John tackled a float rod up for him and he caught his first 20 ---He'd never float fished before and said he didn't know you could catch carp on the float on sweetcorn .....after that you couldn't get him off the float .....and he had quite a few more fish ...
 
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Ron (Rontroversial) Clay

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Well said Eddie.

To any very young angler I would say just go out and catch fish. Use methods that work. Float fishing, legering etc. In my area there are miles and miles of canal and river fishing that any youngster can fish for next to nothing and they are full of fish.

In time you will get the inclination where your fishing should develop. I was brought up under the wing of people like **** Walker and Tag Barnes who were, at the time, pioneers of specimen hunting.

I followed their leadership.
 
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Chris Bishop

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Just concentrate on catching a few on methods you enjoy and set yourself a few challenges like a personal best fish, learning something different or catching on a new water.

Whatever discipline you end up in, don't forget the only person you're fishing against is yourself.

Lose sight of this and it's very easy to get disillusioned.
 
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Ron (Rontroversial) Clay

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And if you see a more experienced or older angler catching fish, dont walk up to him, or skyline him with the usual inane question: "As tha caught owt mate?"

First of all he may not be a mate of yours, secondly, he may not take too kindly to you interrupting him.

Rather approach the angler quietly, sit down low behind him and address him as "sir".

You will be surprised at the reaction this brings. In an hour or so you may learn more about fishing than weeks reading all the books and magazines available.

Well it did with me.
 
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Les Clark

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I agree with everything that as been said,just don`t rush,you will branch out in time,naturally,just learn and enjoy.
 
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Simon Clews

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Thank you all for the help, I've decided that I'll do both as I like amassing big weights of fish but just as prepared to sit and wait or stalk for a big fish. Thanks again for your help.
 
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Ron (Rontroversial) Clay

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And be happy! :eek:)

By the way if you can beg or borrow the book "Advanced Coarse Fishing" by Graham Marsden, there is a chapter in it where Graham approaches an old roach angler who really knew a thing or two about catching good roach on the local canal. And what he learned stood him in good stead for the rest of his life.

This chapter is a classic and such an experience also happened to myself.

Read it, if you can get a copy of this lovely little book.

If not, I might, just might get Graham to re-publish this chapter on FM. It epitomises all that young anglers should learn and experience.

Come on Graham, what about it?

Put the best chapter in your book on FM.
 
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Stu Black

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Ron, are you the old roach angler who really knew a thing or two about catching good roach on the local canal?
 
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Ron (Rontroversial) Clay

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Stu, many years ago I met a grizzled old geezer on the Chesterfield canal near a place called Shireoaks near Worksop.

He only ever fishing bread paste to about a size 10 hook.

He used to throw out a small amount of mashed up bread, virtually in the margins next to his float and he hated Sheffield matchmen. He called them "Pimpers"!!

I've forgotten his name, yet all I ever did call him was "sir".

He was a great roach fisher. The fish he caught from this canal were huge, certainly many over the 11/2 lb mark.

Somehow, the art of fishing bread paste has been lost.

Yet it is still one of the best big roach baits ever.
 
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