Angler's Name
Weight (lbs/oz)
Peg # / Lake
Zac Brown (Preston Innovations / Sonu Baits)
194-00-00
4 (Copse)
Les Wetton (Mosella UK)
167-08-00
8C (Pathfield)
Craig Goldstraw (Middy / Bag 'Em Baits)
156-12-00
1 (Woods)
Ben Townsend (Matrix / Spotted Fin)
151-08-00
40 (Woods)
Reece Hearn (Matrix Image / Bag 'Em Baits)
150-12-00
28 (Pathfield)
Ross Harold
136-00-00
33 (Woods)
Richard Bond (Matrix Image)
126-08-00
20 (Woods)
Jon Whincup (Frenzee)
117-08-00
26 (Pathfield)
The final Southern qualifier of the 2017 Maver Mega Match This campaign marked a return to Coleman's Cottage in Essex where fifty four (54) anglers lined the banks of Copse, Pathfield and Woods lakes. Anglers were given plenty of room on the day with the standard of sport and weights recorded being very good. Competing anglers needed in excess of 150lbs in order to grab a British Pole Championship qualification place. Conditions on the day were ideal with plenty of cloud cover coupled with a good breeze producing fourteen weights over 100lbs.
England international Kayleigh Smith thinks that the secret to match-winning success is a balance of both…
Bites or weight, what is more important to you? I know this depends on the style of fishing you do and how seriously you take each session, but for many the tactics we choose are often set by which one of these paths we want to go down.
Do you want to get bites all day and have to work really hard for a match-winning catch, or do you sit it out for a couple of big fish knowing that just a couple of bites could win you the match?
As I do quite a lot of team fishing I often approach a match knowing that putting fish in the net is important; a few extra ounces here and there can make a big difference when just a few points separate the teams at the top. What I have found, though, is that this mentality doesn’t always serve you best when it comes to individual matches. I’m not the type of angler who likes to sit it out for just a couple of bites, but I have had to alter my approach in individual matches to a more positive one.
Want to improve your canal fishing? If the answer is yes then you simply cannot afford to miss this guide from Graham West and Lee Newson.
Canal anglers don’t come much more experienced than Preston Innovations’ Lee Newson and Graham West. The dynamic duo have put in thousands upon thousands of towpath hours over the years, and certainly know how to keep those fish coming.
We decided to put them on a popular stretch of the Grand Union Canal at Three Locks, near Leighton Buzzard, to see how two different approaches can yield some amazing results.
Ferocious wind, hard-fighting fish and snags to pull them away from in every direction… if Carlsberg did pole tests…
Rookery Waters in Cambridgeshire is my venue of choice to put the eagerly awaited Colmic Airon F66 through its paces, and more specifically the venue’s Magpie Lake. Like all of the lakes here at Rookery, Magpie has a healthy stocking of mixed species with carp being the most prominent species on offer, and hard-fighting ghost carp a key target for visitors to the venue.
During the summer months the lake’s surface is largely covered by picturesque lily pads, and although they dwell below the water’s surface as we exit winter and make our way into spring their stems and emergent buds still remain below and form a safe haven for any hooked fish to dive straight into.
Sitting myself on Peg 35 gave me a swim smack bang in front of the largest area of submerged lilies on the lake.
Match Fishing’s David Haynes takes two new waggler rods from Rive for an outing.
Rive? That’ll be seatboxes then.
Well, yes, but not this time. The French tackle giant now has so many more items of tackle worth serious consideration than ‘just’ seatboxes.
Top northern angler Jamie Wilde reveals his all-time top 10 tips for rod-and-line success with carp when the water temperature plummets!
1. Go Large!
Clearly, the size of the fish matters in any match, although every carp counts and adds pounds to the final weight. Taking your time and being patient can be the difference between losing and landing a fish.
Bites can be very hard to come by during winter months so bigger fish like this can really make a difference.
Bait-Tech is delighted to welcome three new faces to theirteam of consultants. With the ever-evolving trends on the UK Commercial Match scene, we feel it is vital to keep on top of this to continue the development of cutting edge bait products to bring to market and stay at the forefront of the industry.
The latest recruits will help them with the most modern commercial fishery methods and techniques offering a stream of advice we feel is invaluable to us in terms of future products – The domination of F1 orientated fisheries requires a specialised approach and these anglers are synonymous with being at the top of their game when it comes to the species.
Joining Bait-Tech are:
Shaun Little – The Matrix Brand Manager has for long been at the top of the sport and F1 filled venues are where he spends most of his time on the bank.
Angler's Name
Weight (lbs/oz)
Peg # / Lake
Steve Rothery
140-14-00
32 (Moat Island)
Ben Dales
114-01-00
29 (Moat Island)
Ben Fisk (Bauer Media)
109-02-00
1 (Bridge Island)
Ryan Laycock (Pontefract)
106-04-00
20 (Canal)
Adam Richards (Browning)
99-03-00
28 (Reed)
Adrian Higginbottom (Matrix)
97-04-00
61 (Moat Island)
Matt Godfrey (Guru)
90-01-00
35 (Moat Outer)
James Hall
81-00-00
17 (Moat Island)
British Pole Championship Qualifiers: Steve Rothery, Ben Dales & Ben Fisk
One hundred and ten (110) anglers attended this latest qualifier at Retford's Hallcroft Fishery. Despite conditions appearing ideal with plenty of cloud cover and with a slight ripple on the water, most anglers found the going tough early on in the match with the heavy, muggy atmosphere hampering what would have otherwise been an ideal day. That said, as the day progressed, the conditions improved a little with the resident carp moving into the margins during the final ninety minutes.
Winner on the day, and next to book his place on this year's big money final, was Steve Rothery.
