Tom Scholey on why a post-match pint is vital for the sport. When White Acres fishery manager Clint Elliott decided not to pay out to anybody who failed to turn up for the presentation on his festivals, I thought it a brilliant idea. Growing up on the northern match fishing circuit, a post-match pint and presentation is very much a part of fishing a match – and sometimes even the best part of the day! After moving down to the Midlands and starting to fish a few events down here, though, I have quickly come to realise that there is a totally different mentality among a lot of anglers – and particularly, it has to be said, commercial anglers. I can still remember my surprise last year, after winning a match on a Midlands commercial, when before I'd even had chance to finish packing up, the owner was coming up the bank to give me my envelope! Quite literally, the norm at that particular place is for anglers to finish fishing and go home – and there are plenty of other places like it.
First ever sell out for Maver Match This Qualifier. For the first time ever, this weekends Maver Match This qualifier has sold out. Although tickets sales have grown year on year over the first two years of the event, qualifiers have never come close to selling out – until now! This weekends match at Peterborough’s Decoy Lakes complex has now sold out completely, with all 120 tickets taken. Maver’s Ben Hughes commented: “It is massively encouraging that to see that anglers are getting behind the event – and this Decoy qualifier is a massive milestone for us.
A quality combo! Check out the latest rod-and-reel combo from Shakespeare!There was a time, many years ago, when a Shakespeare rod was the very object of my dreams! I remember as a young 11-year-old walking by the tackle shop on my way to school and looking longingly at the purple blank on the Shakespeare Quo 12ft feeder rod. Of course, the rod was way out of my price range and no matter how hard I saved my pocket money I could never quite get there. That all changed, though, when one Christmas my dad bought me the very rod I had dreamed of, and it is a rod I still own to this day! Every angler in my town used Shakespeare gear and it was the stuff to be seen using. However, it has now been a long time since I have fished with a rod from Shakespeare, so when editor Alex Bones gave me the new Agility 12ft Feeder rod and matching 40FD reel I couldn’t wait to see what they were like.
River star to attend shop open day. Alan Clark, the new owner of Thames Valley Angling, has set up a special open day for existing and new customers on Saturday 27th April. Joining Alan in the shop on that day will be well-known river expert and former Match Fishing Magazine Editor, Dave Harrell and Angling Trust Campaigns Co-ordinator Martin Salter. The pair will be on hand to offer advice on all things to do with river fishing and also the activities of the Angling Trust.
