Top tackle sponsor for angling’s Mr Consistent. England Feeder team ace, Grant Albutt has signed for Matrix. Grant, who is arguably the UK’s most consistent angler, is to join the company in a consultancy role. He said: “I am over the moon to be joining Matrix, which is one of the fastest-growing companies in the UK market.
Ellis Driscoll on winning the Drennan Coca Cola Festival at White Acres. On Day one I was on Trelawney and having had a practice on the lake the day before, I knew it would be hard! I had a bit of luck drawing Peg 23 (some call it “the F1 bay”) and I had a great chance of winning my lake if not the section, but to win I’d have to work hard to beat the angler on Peg 20 in particular. There are strict rules at White Acres regarding permitted baits and quantities. I used a mix of ABC Betaine green CP70 Method mix, micro pellets, 4mm pellets, 6mm pellets and casters.
Exclusive digital bookazine with FREE app and taster issue. The Angling Heroes series pulls together the best articles from the biggest names in match fishing. In the second issue in the series, we look back at 20 of Darren’s most memorable features – relive his biggest angling achievements, and learn from some of the best technical pieces to ever go to press in an angling publication. Few modern match anglers have a record as impressive as England International, Darren Cox.
First-ever ticket lands Doncaster man in final. Marukyu-backed rod Craig Jones, an accountant from Doncaster, has won the Makins Fish 'O' Mania qualifier with a 99lb 8oz bag. Fishing his first-ever Fish ‘O’ Mania qualifier, Craig brought a splendid 99lb 8ozs to the scales from Peg A13 on Lake 2. He only had a dozen fish with the biggest weighing around 15lb.
Tight finish in final round of Winter League. Matrix Dynamite Trentmen have won the Lakeside Fishery Winter League, after a close finish. Going in to the final round Trentmen were winning the league by a four-point margin, but a late surge by second-placed team, Daylite Baits almost saw victory snatched from their grasp. On the day, Daylite Baits took victory with a 10-point score, but Trentmen managed to clinch the overall title after weight countback put them 45lb in front.
Steve Hemingray replaces Stu Conroy in World Champs line-up
Steve Hemingray is to be given his chance to represent England at World Championship level.
The former European Champ said: "I am absolutely delighted to be given the chance – it is the culmination of everything I have worked for. I have faced some difficult decisions over the last few years and sacrificed a lot, including a place in the England Feeder team, to give myself the best possible chance of getting in the World Championship squad. All that hard work has paid off, and I am over the moon!”Steve will join defending World Champion Sean Ashby, former World Champion Will Raison, five-times World Champion Alan Scotthorne and England stalwarts Steve Gardener and Des Shipp, in making up the 2013 Drennan Team England World Championship squad.
FP1 Baits rod wins Hayfield 'Match This' qualifier. FP1 Baits ace Steven Mazza has won this year's Maver 'Match This' qualifying match at Hayfield Lakes from Peg 32 on Adam's Lake. Steve opted to fish the pellet waggler using 8mm pellets on the hook, and tempted carp up to 8lb to finish the match with 115-00-00 and qualify for the Grand Final in style. The fourth and latest Mega 'Match This' qualifier was attended by 65 anglers, and was the first hosted by Hayfield Lakes.
10% insurance discount for Match Fishing readers. Match Fishing magazine has secured an exclusive discount for its readers, with Anglers First Insurance. With so much expensive fishing tackle on the bank these days, the true value of an angler’s kit is often overlooked – until the unthinkable happens and it is lost, broken or stolen. Thanks to our newly signed deal, readers can now enjoy peace of mind that their kit is covered – and at a fraction of some of the prices quoted by other insurance companies.
Dubious observations of a Match Fishing reader. . . The Match Fishing editorial office recently took delivery of an e-mail from a concerned reader, reporting a number of dubious observations that he has noticed while on matches.
Darren Cox in Fish 'O' Mania Final!Garbolino-backed ace, Darren Cox has qualified for the Fish ‘O’ Mania final, after winning the 130-peg qualifying match at Shropshire’s Octoplus Boldings Fishery. Remarkably, this is the fourth time in his career that Darren has qualified for the big-money final – which this year carries a prize fund of £30,000. It is also the third time that he has qualified on his first attempt of a season!He commented: “I am over the moon to be in the final for a fourth time, and qualifying so early in the year will give me plenty of time to focus on practicing and preparing for it. "I was one of the last to draw on the day, and because I am not familiar with the pegs at Boldings, I picked the brains of a couple of local anglers after I had drawn.