Match Fishing.

[Mushty]

I've watched a few matches now and will be using my TTSM rods as I'm comfortable using them with any casting style. Have a good supplier of bait but need to get to know the venues but will only learn them by fishing and watching others.

Yep,
this time of year Loop rigs and maybe small baits, slightly smaller hooks? Size 4’s?…might hook some bonus flat fish
Good luck

 

[The Third Earl]

I fished boat and beach matches for many years,at National level, was even on a winning team a few times.That was back in the day when we fished for proper fish, big ones that looked the part.

The boat fishing match scene was very competetive , and it was a pleasure , but suddenly for some reason, conservation I think, the whole ball game changed, and the catch by weight vanished , and the catch by species came ramming in like a tornado.
It was and in my opinion still is pathetic, seeing grown men dribbling over two rocklings and a just insize dab… I tried it , and just could not summon up any interest at all.I hung up my boat match fishing for ever.

However if that is what makes them happy .

I did enjoy the odd beach match as well, but unpegged opens attracted out and out cheats who weighed in fish caught elsewhere , were outed , and gave the whole match scene a bad taste, so that went the way of boat matches as well.

Certainly Matches now do nothing for me .

I o enjoy my fishing though, there are still good fish to be caught, it takes a bit more effort these days though.

Dave

 

[Mr Fish]

I fished boat and beach matches for many years,at National level, was even on a winning team a few times.That was back in the day when we fished for proper fish, big ones that looked the part.

The boat fishing match scene was very competetive , and it was a pleasure , but suddenly for some reason, conservation I think, the whole ball game changed, and the catch by weight vanished , and the catch by species came ramming in like a tornado.
It was and in my opinion still is pathetic, seeing grown men dribbling over two rocklings and a just insize dab… I tried it , and just could not summon up any interest at all.I hung up my boat match fishing for ever.

However if that is what makes them happy .

I did enjoy the odd beach match as well, but unpegged opens attracted out and out cheats who weighed in fish caught elsewhere , were outed , and gave the whole match scene a bad taste, so that went the way of boat matches as well.

Certainly Matches now do nothing for me .

I o enjoy my fishing though, there are still good fish to be caught, it takes a bit more effort these days though.

Dave

I do agree with you on the species hunt side, especially as a comp format.
What ever floats people’s boats I guess but going out on a boat then dangling scraps of mackie over the side to catch a weaver or whatever makes little sense to me either.

That said, for a long time I’ve thought the heaviest bag format in any competition is shockingly wasteful and does little for fish welfare even if they’re returned, which mostly back in the day they weren’t.
I still recall when I started out sea fishing, reading in the magazines of so many hundreds of pounds of conger caught in boat competitions and phrases such as ‘the well was filled with eels’.
At the time I knew no better either, though never fished boat comps, and maybe back then such things were sustainable.

Thankfully attitudes have mostly changed but I do think anglers have to take some responsibility for declining stocks.
Which is a bit off topic I guess.

As far as competitions go, I think these days best specimen is the way to go.
It’s a different skill, maybe not as skilful as catching by volume, and perhaps more luck involved, though there’s an element of that with pegged shore comps.

 

[goose]

Would that be the Tony's Tackle "Old Farts" matches..?

Ian.

The old farts is mainly Worthing/ Shoreham area and was run by Mick Perfect and Tony fishes a few but he runs his own comps from the shop but most are Sunday morning four hour comp.