Well there comes a time in every match anglers career when you just look out of the window before a fishing match and think ‘is it worth it?’. That’s precisely what happened on Saturday, I was all set to go and fish the open at Woodlands Lakes Nr Thirsk when I received a text message from Lee Kerry asking if we’d had any snow. My initial reaction was ‘shut up, it hasn’t snowed!’ but one peak out of the window confirmed that there was nearly two-inches of snow! The decision was then made to stay in bed! A wise choice as the match fished terrible anyway. It was an excuse for a much-needed lie-in followed by several cups of tea and lots of rig tying and having a general tackle sort out.
It’s that time of the year again when the team all get together to practice for the Angling Times Winter League semi final. This year it is up at Woodlands Lakes Nr Thirsk. Saturday saw me visit the venue for the first time this year, I was kind of hoping to draw on a pile of carp but that hope was short lived when I pulled out Peg 7 on Partridge. My end of the lake was flat calm when setting up, whilst the other end had a lovely ripple on it and I was sure that end would be where the carp were.
After last weeks poor draw at woodlands I was really looking forward to getting back up there and was looking for a good draw. There were plenty of anglers on the match so Kamasan points were on offer and also I’m doing well in the County Champs tables so was looking for a few points. I drew peg 15 on Skylark, HAPPY DAYS. This has been a consistent area all winter and the main shoal lives in that area.
Well Saturday was the big day for my Ultimate Barnsley Blacks team as it was to be one of our most important matches of the year. Semi finals are always tense affairs and with this one being at Woodlands Nr Thirsk it was always going to be a peggy match to say the least! All we could hope for was a decent draw and a good team performance. We got the good draw that we needed and one that we were confident of qualifying from. I got massively luck and actually drew Skylark 15 AGAIN! I was almost embarrassed when Lee handed me my draw but I had a job to do and with the pegging being very tight I didn’t think I would need a big weight to win the section.
The long haul to the final of the prestigious Maver Classic 2011 took place on Sunday 1st and Monday 2nd May 2011. In all over 60 qualifier matches commencing in October 2010 and finishing in late April 2011 took place. 104 finalists took part at Larford’s Match, Arena and Specimen lakes. Conditions were however far from perfect with a severe northerly wind making conditions near impossible for pole and float fishing.
Welcome to my first ever blog for the Match fishing magazine website!Over the next few months I will try and talk you through the trials and tribulations of being a modern day match angler. My blog will be a ‘warts ‘n’ all’ account of my latest matches and I wont hold anything back (even if I don’t catch much!) To open my account I will start by talking about the latest round of the Garbolino/Sensas International rules match that Darren Cox and Sean Ashby run. It was going to be the third round, this was to be held at Gold Valley and with my Barnsley Blacks team winning the league we definitely had to try our best to get a good result. On the Friday before the match we had a little practice and worked out that the match was going to be extremely hard, but luckily we had sussed out that perch were going to be the target species and these would be what we primarily fished for.
When Roy Marlow tells you that a groundbait is the best-selling mix in the world, you have to sit up and take notice. EFG161 is a Method mix that is designed for use in cold water. It has a controlled breakdown speed so will gradually release attractants into your swim. RRP £6.
Chief tester Roger Mortimore has handled many reels over the years and is impressed with the build quality and performance of the new Akios range. When three Akios multiplier reels arrived on my desk – the smaller 656CTM and the larger 757CTM and 757CS – my first impression was how solid they felt. When I removed the side plates for a closer inspection, I could see that they are extremely well made from quality materials. There are currently six reels in the stable; three in the 656 size – the CS, CT and CTM for shore and light boat fishing – and three of the larger 757 size for boat or heavy shore fishing, also CS, CT and CTM.
Joe Carass takes a close look at a new pole from Maver that has been designed for a variety of match situations. . . Maver has a huge reputation for producing some of the finest poles on the market.
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.
