News

Wrap up warm and get out there to catch some fish! Unfortunately that doesn’t always seem to be the case, and in the last few weeks I have been disappointed to see match attendances dropping as more and more people choose to stay at home rather than brave the cold. I must say that the warmth of my bed this Sunday when the alarm went off at 6am was still very appealing, but with a good match ahead, a flask and plenty of warm clothes it wasn’t long before I was buzzing about what lay in store. With these thoughts running through my head I wanted to use this month’s blog to try and inspire some enthusiasm to those of you who may otherwise be waiting for warmer times. First of all, it is all about getting comfy.

Due to the success of the Barston Masters in previous years, the event is now extended all-year round. And, the prize fund has doubled! All of the matches will take place at Barston Lakes and booking is via their website only. There’s a £2,015 fund up for the overall, eventual winner. Each section winner (of each round) qualifies for the final (eight qualifiers per match) Anglers fishing have priority booking for the following match £20 entry, £10 pools on the day £2,015 to the eventual winner £10 pools in the pot for the final, £10 pay out on the day, £8.

New coaching event announced. Pole Fishing magazine has announced a brand-new coaching event for 2015, where they have a line-up of the country’s best anglers to help coach you at the Pole Fishing With The Stars weekend! On May 2nd and 3rd, 2015, the exciting new event will be taking place at Garbolino Lindholme Lakes near Doncaster. The first event of its kind, the Pole Fishing With The Stars academy weekend will see 10 of the country’s top pole anglers come together, offering a unique opportunity for anglers to enjoy quality coaching from the very best in the business. Split into two separate one-day events, the weekend will see anglers spend half an hour with each of the stars, in small groups of six.

Tickets for the Northern Angling Show are on sale now. The Northern Angling Show 3 will take place on Saturday, March 28th and Sunday, March 29th, 2015 at EventCity in Manchester. All tickets purchased online will be sold at a reduced price and will include early entry to the show, automatic entry into an exclusive prize draw with over £1,500 worth of prizes – plus the option to claim various other goodies, including a free bookazine worth £9. 99!Online ticket prices to the show range from £3 to £8.

Drennan KO Cup, The ultimate test? There are some fantastic events in the angling calendar year on year, but what really proves to be the ultimate test of skill and bottle? We have 130 peg one day qualifiers where ultimately it’s down to who draws well and can keep their bottle for a full five hours without cracking under the pressure of the occasion. We also have events such as White Acres Festivals and the UK Champs where consistency is key against top opposition! But in my opinion Match Fishing’s own Drennan Knockout Cup is head and shoulders above any other competition in that it’s an invited field of the very best the country has to offer, held over a number of months and equally gruelling rounds across a multitude of different venues meaning a ‘one trick pony’ is most unlikely to progress very far in the competition, if at all! In recent years I’ve concentrated on Fish’O’Mania and making two finals along the way was great, but with ticket allocation becoming more and more difficult I found myself with a lot of time on my hands to dedicate to something else this year, and having never been able to give the Knockout Cup much time with regards to practise, it became the focus of my year. The first round at Lindholme Lakes will probably go down as one of my finest wins to date, I cannot think of a better 110 peg match to win, a red letter day of the highest order. But from what to me is a ‘standard’ day at a top quality commercial fishery, we was then thrust into the world of canal fishing now this to me personally was going to be a big challenge – I used to do loads of canal fishing and really enjoyed it, but with the main events being held on commercials I hadn’t visited one for a good few years.

School caretaker, Tim Crofts, wins our £2,110. 83 MEGA Facebook giveaway!Here at Match Fishing magazine we decided to run a huge, mega, gigantic, gargantuan, tackle giveaway. We put the competition live on our Facebook page on Friday 7th November and announced the winner, which was draw completely at random, during Joe Carass' Facebook chat evening on Wednesday 12th November. The competition clearly went down a storm as we received over 4,835 entrants and reached 175,552 people in just six days!Tim Crofts, a school caretaker, was the lucky winner who visited the Match Fishing offices today to collect his mega prize.