Articles

I haven’t read all of this month’s Match Fishing magazine yet but the bits I have read really got me thinking.


The subject of team fishing is put through the ringer this week by both Lee Kerry and Alex Bones, I also found Milo Colombo extremely thought provoking.

I personally gave up team fishing because I got fed up of fishing terrible venues with long walks and no fish. The cost was never a factor in my decision, I just wanted to catch more fish.

I did notice that cost, and money was a reoccurring theme in all of the pieces written in Match Fishing magazine. It was Milo’s article that got me thinking more than anything though. I had never realised that not all countries fished for money. This may seem an alien concept for some but it’s one I can easily relate to.

I competed in karate competitions for 20 years, I was lucky enough to win pretty much every competition there was to win, the reward? More trophies than your average trophy shop and…..well that’s it really. The cost? Well I wouldn’t even want to think about it but an average local competition costs roughly £15 (per category) to enter, national competitions £25 and international competitions (representing your country) between £500 and £1000 depending on the cost of flights and accommodation etc.

It was always about winning and titles, I spent hour after hour in the gym, literally putting blood sweat and tears into it for no monetary reward. Why? Because I don’t think there is a better feeling than knowing you’re the best. Be that in your club, your county, your country or even the world. So why are anglers so obsessed with money?

The best example of the crazy mentality of match anglers is paying sections by default! Now I’ve won sections by default, and I’ve taken the money, but I always feel guilty! In what other sports do the organisers say “oh the winner has already won something so even though you came 2nd (even 3rd, 4th and sometimes 5th) you can have the prize the winner of section should have won”! If someone in your section fishes better than you, catches more than you, then surely they should then be rewarded by picking up the prize?

Everyone in the match now wants to win some money, “to cover their costs”! I’ve fished 20 peg matches (£10 to enter) where the organiser has paid first through to fourth, plus two sections (by default obviously)! The difference between the winner and the section winner (who possibly came 10th in the match) is about £10!
I think it’s this “everyone must win something” attitude at local level that is detrimental to match fishing, it breads smaller and smaller matches where nearly half of the field walk away with a cash prize.

The bigger the match, the smaller the problem, in the bigger matches the focus is once again put onto the winners.

Go to the very pinnacle of the sport, the World and European Championships and it’s not about money, it’s about being the best, it’s about the title, Drennan Team England want to be world champions……not rich!

I think it’s time more matches were introduced where the focus is on the title and not the money. I personally think the closest we have is Match Fishing’s knock out cup. I think any angler who progresses in that competition wants to win it not for the money but the prestige of winning what is possibly the hardest match fishing competition to win.

Other matches that fall into this category to a lesser extent are the National and Fish O Mania, I don’t think that the organisers of Fish O Mania need to increase the prize fund to compete with Mega Match This because the Fish O Mania title is now bigger than the cheque and I think most top anglers would still rather win Fish O Mania than Match This!

So what about trying to introduce this at a local level? County championships, not decided on points earned by winning the most knock ups in a season, but in a one off match where the winner walks away with the title of county champion and the big cup to keep forever as a constant reminder that on that day, in that year, they competed against their fellow anglers and came out as number one. The cost of entering such an event? £50….£25….£15…£10….£1 that’s right your peg fee plus £1 which will cover the cost of the admin and a cup.

What’s to stop the county winners then competing in another match, the British Championships to see who can take the title of Britain’s best?

I know what everyone will be thinking…….introduce a huge county and British Championships at a cost of just £1 and every man and his dog will want to enter it! Exactly!

So maybe the problem isn’t the cost of bait, the cost of tackle or even the cost of fuel, maybe the problem with match fishing is the cost of pools. Take away the pools and suddenly your days fishing is a hell of a lot cheaper!

I couldn’t tell you how much money I’ve won match fishing, I haven’t a clue, I can tell you though that I won one World title and five European titles at karate…….I’m poor, but proud of it!