Stewart Lister reflects on an enjoyable Veterans Festival. I am sure I’m not alone in the belief that we are not getting older, and think we can still do what we did 25 years ago? Sure, the odd niggle here and pain there, are little reminders of the years creeping by. That along with those annoying age category questions that I see all the time on the internet, you know the ones that put us all in nice age brackets like 18 – 24 years, 25 -30 and so on. Well, you know time is marching on when the next bracket that applies to you is over 65! So, what is this all about in a fishing article? Well when you get to the magical age of 55 you become eligible to fish ‘Veterans matches and festivals’ like the Coors Veterans held annually at White Acres! It was really great meeting up with a lot of old friends as I competed in my first vets festival, I am a little annoyed with myself for not doing it a couple of years ago as I have missed out on a really great event, it’s one that will now be pencilled in my diary for as long as I am able.
Martin Holmes tells you how he won this year’s Preston Innovations Festival at White Acres.
Instead of a love-hate relationship, I have had a hate-hate relationship when it comes to the Preston Festival at White Acres! I have sworn on more than one occasion that I would never fish it again. In the half dozen or so times I have fished it I have drawn appallingly, and probably fished just as bad too! And, I have never picked up a penny other than a section win by default!
In the spring Festivals, however, I have fared much better and have had two top 10 finishes in the Milo Festival, coming 9th in 2009 and 3rd in 2012. I have also finished agonisingly 11th two years on the trot in 2011 and 2012 on the Dynamite Baits Festival.
Ex England star, Lee Thornton on why team fishing is going nowhere. I read with interest Mark Downes article in this month’s Match Fishing magazine, and was particularly interested in Mark's comments regarding how the team is treated with contempt here in the UK and like superstars abroad. Well Mark, you are of course correct, I cannot think of many people within match fishing who care one iota whether the England Team comes first or last. This of course shouldn’t be the situation, the guys at the top of the game should be given praise that they deserve but I have been thinking about why this is the case.
Tom Scholey on a great weeks fishing, and a lesson learned the hard way. The highlight of my angling year is always the three or four White Acres Festivals that I fish. In my mind, they are without doubt the most fiercely competitive events in the match fishing calendar, attracting the sports very best names, and with each one being contested over five days, these are not events that you can win by just getting lucky. I suppose my best result in Cornwall was a win in the Preston Innovations Parkdean Pairs Festival back in June with Matt Godfrey – a great week, but at a little under a third of the size of the spring and autumn festivals, hardly as prestigious.
Tom Scholey on what the Angling Trust do right. As any regular readers of my blog will know, in the past I have been quite critical of the Angling Trust and some of its competitions. I make no apologies for that, because as a journalist with an interest in match and pole fishing it is my job to highlight issues and problems as they arise. However, perhaps one thing that I am guilty of is not giving praise where it is due for some of the better ideas and events that the Angling Trust has come up with.
Lee Kerry on bagging 513lb. I read with interest a few comments following the colossal weights taken in the semi final of the Drennan Knockout Cup at Cob House Fishery “ That’s not fishing” “I would rather catch 5lb of roach on a canal” “Totally Ridiculous”!That's just to name a few. I must say that on my way for my practice session I was thinking along similar lines. I couldn’t believe that fishing such a prolific venue could be much fun.
Tom Scholey recalls a match when things didn't quite go according to plan!Picture the scene. It was the first day of my first festival of the year, and I was itching for a good result. Rigs were tied, fresh elastics were threaded and tensioned to perfection, and I was ready to take on the world. The draw put me on Peg 35 at Porth Reservoir.
Tom Scholey ponders why some match anglers are so secretive. I’m sure we have all heard the often wildly inflated stories before about anglers who are cleaning up at their local water on a new fangled ‘secret’ rig or ‘secret’ bait. And we all probably know somebody who is reluctant to tell you what or how they fish, or about certain aspects of it. Without a doubt, some anglers revel in secrecy, and like to think that they have their own special edges that sneak them a few extra fish here and there.
Craig Butterfield on why sponsorship isn't always what people think. . . As
part of my job as media co-ordinator with Middy Tackle, it is my
responsibility to select and look after the sponsored anglers.
Joe Carass recounts an extremely busy few weeks that has seen him catch a lot of fish and receive a few batterings too! Underwater Shenanigans! It has been quite some time since my last blog so I have a lot to catch up on. Firstly I must say how overwhelmed I have been by the response to the Underwater Secrets series in Match Fishing. I fully believe we are all going to become better anglers because of it.
We had a basic list of goals for the first part of the series but, as soon as Rob Hughes got in the lake, one question led to another and before we knew it, it was getting dark! If you haven’t seen the feature already I urge you to go out and buy the magazine, as you will definitely learn something from it.
Frankie Gianoncelli recalls two brilliant recent matches, when worms have worked well for him!I’m afraid that fishing has had to take a bit of a back seat to my university degree over the past few months. Thankfully that’s out of the way now, and it’s time to get some serious fishing done. I believe that at this time of year fish are starting to prepare themselves for the strenuous and stressful spawning period, which all anglers are familiar with. I have a theory that the fish need protein and sustenance in order to prepare themselves and build their energy levels up for spawning.
Our Terminator sets his sights on the country's hottest young angler. There has been one name on the lips of the men in the Match Fishing office this week, and that has been James Dent. The talented Teesside lad has had a real fortnight to remember. Two weeks ago, he won the 180-peg strong Dynamite Baits Festival at White Acres.
Top matchman Roy Marlow and crew go in search of big game fish. . . The team of weary anglers has arrived for the umpteenth Big Adventure in Key West Florida.
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.
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.