River Match Attendances

Terry Comerford · Nov 26, 2003

Despite the low water levels of the summer and autumn, it was good to see river open match attendances increasing.
Even more encouraging in the first few weeks of the winter, is that river matches at Shrewsbury and Bewdley in my area, have seen attendances over the 60 mark.
With the warm and dry summer and autumn being good for fry reproduction, could the next few years see the nations rivers once again becoming premier match fishing venues?

GrahamM · Nov 26, 2003

I think there's a damn good chance that a lot of matchmen are getting bored with fishing the commercials week in, week out.

Kevan Martin · Nov 26, 2003

Tottaly agree with these comments, I don't like the commercial fishery syndrome, I much prefer to get on down to the river for a bit of 'proper' fishing. If only the rivers in Essex were as nice as the Severn or the Avon.

Terry, is this increase of people mainly down to the efforts of people like Dave Harrell, or are they as Graham suggests just getting bored with catching very easy carp?

I know that Dave Harrell has put an awfull lot of hard work and time into promoting the severn as a place to go and fish now.

Dave Slater · Nov 26, 2003

From a purely selfish view I am quite happy for most match fishing to take part on commercial carp fisheries. River fishing is usually at it's best when a roving approach is adopted. More people on the rivers means having to stay put in one swim more.

Terry Comerford · Nov 26, 2003

Dave Harrell has had a lot of influence on this return to popularity of river match fishing especially in the Bewdley area.
The local association received a grant and this has been spent on improving the banks and dozens of new platforms have been built.
It has to be said making river fishing more accessible to all,not just match anglers.
But as we all know river match anglers will not attend opens unless the venue fishes well, and the match weights have been very good all down the frame.
I don't think the matches on rivers will affect any other anglers enjoyment of flowing water, as its noticeable that the easy access stretches are the ones that river match organizers are selecting.

jason fisher · Nov 26, 2003

i hope the match lads stay on the commercials, then i can keep all these lovel fish to myself.
if the thames is anything to go by this summer the only thing stopping people finishing matches with big weights is the time of day that they are fished.
it's certainly not a lack of fish.

jason fisher · Nov 26, 2003

that sounds snooty don't it, it wasn't meant that way

Dave Rothery · Nov 27, 2003

just hope they dont stock the rivers with carp, take away the trees, create permanent pegs.......

jason fisher · Nov 27, 2003

dave i've got to agree about the trees and up to apoint permanent pegs,
but there's already carp in the rivers.
believe me a good 20 in the trent is a fight you won't forget

Alan Campbell · Nov 28, 2003

We have had some cracking matches this year on the Thames at Sandford with 20lb + of roach needed to win. Also look at Steve Dorn on Medley last week, 59lb 10oz of Perch. Say no more, rivers are on the way back. Personally I think thev'e been OK in the past, its the anglers that come off the commercials and can't work at it to get a few fish.That is where I hear the moans from.

Kevan Martin · Nov 28, 2003

Alan,

I have just read about this 59lb of perch, what a fantastic catch, 35 fish for nearly 60lb superb. I think it shows that the rivers are making some sort of a comeback.

Terry Comerford · Nov 28, 2003

Personally I like to keep the variety in my match fishing, commercials, canals, rivers, natural stillwaters, they all present a different challenge.
For me thats what match fishing is all about.

Alan Campbell · Nov 29, 2003

Same as you Terry, I love fishing and will fish anywhere. The thing is though, once you get anglers settled on one of the commercials they moan like hell when they come on a river or canal and struggle. I love the challenge like yourself. I have one day a week to get it right, but 6 to think how I will approach it, thats fishing.

Budgie Burgess · Nov 29, 2003

I dont do a great deal of match fishing these days,just the local clubs evening and winter series.More of a social thing I suppose.Did a lot for 5 years whilst I was out in Germany with the forces.

I think that variety is best as all ready said.As for comercials then I think they can offer a good match enviroment ie a lot of commercials are quite even on the draw.There one draw back seems to be that the methods are a bit limited.I dont know the guy but just for example whats Steve Ringer for example like with a stick float? See what I am getting at? The rivers certainly offer a wider challenge,expertise/competence in a far wider range of tactics required.This to some,myself included,is the real winning point for rivers.It is also for many the reason that they are not so popular.

Just a point but do you remember the "Float only" matches that were brought in on the Midlands rivers just after the feeder boom?The top matchmen of the day were expert in float fishing and the art of feeding the swim and it gave them the right hump that anyone could come along and beat them with the Plastic Pig!I couldnt understand why then but think I am starting to now .

Budgie Burgess · Nov 29, 2003

Oh BTW out in France the match scene there seems to be moving more off the rivers and on to the cannals.Dont see many on still waters though.Some of the top local match anglers I speak to say that this is also to try and even up the draw.

Peter Jacobs · Nov 29, 2003

It is good to see a return to the rivers and an albeit slight turn away from commercials. Although, a lot of modern match anglers have earned their reputations on the commercials and will remain there. As Budgie so rightly says some of them wouldn't recognise a stick float yet alone know how to fish it successfully.

By their very nature Rivers will always be a lot more 'peggy' than commercials, and the variety of skills required to be successful are far more wide and varied than on commercials. So you pay your money and take your chances in many ways.

What I would love to see now is for clubs to start to create silver fish only lake venues which I think might compete very well with commercial (carp) fisheries.

John Hepworth · Dec 23, 2003

Peter, if you live in the North East you are in luck. Durham City AC is planning to do just that. We are already bucking the national trend with match anglers re joining the club to fish our river stretches. (But we probably already have the biggest head of BIG dace in the entire UK in our waters, and a big head of small barbel in the Prebends stretch) Our only fear now is that almost all of our river water is up for lease renewal in the next couple of years, and landowners being what are will be looking at the ? signs, especially as the wear is now also considered one of the best sea trout rivers in the UK.

Peter Jacobs · Dec 29, 2003

John,

I couldn't be further away from the N.E. living as I do in Wiltshire

Sadly in the South the commercial Carp holes have overtaken real match fishing in my area, although there has been a slight increase in the river matches in my area according to some of the reports.

Dave Slater · Dec 29, 2003

If we get more match fisherman on the rivers I do hope that they don't do too much of what they call "improving" swims. Recently they have "improved" one or two of my favourite swims on the Stour. Apparently they have done this so that they can fish "properly". They can now trot their floats through these swims. The only trouble is that the big chub that were resident in these swims have now moved out as the cover has been removed. They would have been better off adapting to these swims to catch the fish present as they are very unlikely to do very well in their matches with the few small roach that are still there. Fortunately I think I know where the chub have moved to until they "improve" these swims so that they can fish "properly". Personally I hope they enjoy many fabulous matches on their commercial fisheries, with bonanza weights for all.

Ron Troversial Clay · Dec 29, 2003

I tend to agree with you Dave.

What we don't want on rivers is match anglers totally ruling the roost as it were.

"Can't fish here today mate - it's matched up for tomorrow!!"

You know the sort of thing.

River Match Attendances

Terry Comerford

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GrahamM

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Kevan Martin

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Dave Slater

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jason fisher

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