Simple Match Fishing Forum

wow wow lloydy nothing wrong with the sensas final all the big boys fish that one and they have still have to qualify in the top ten in the national for this one i know starlets,barnsley and shakespeare are hungry to finish in the top ten not so sure about dorking i haven't seen much of them on the trent

The sensas challenge final is the best weekend of the year and excellently run. But the 1st and 2nd teams qualify, the top ten don't have a fish off. In my opinion it is all about elitism and that is what is ruining team fishing. Preston are superb at putting something back into fishing so hats off to them

Some good and interesting comments on here, I personally think that the new format is potentially another nail in the team fishing coffin for a number of reasons some already mentioned. 1 that has not been mentioned though is that to compete in a national takes 10 anglers, if you are lucky enough to finish top 10 then you fish the qualifier which only includes 6 anglers (5 fishing and 1 reserve). How many and how often will the anglers who are not going to get a chance of fishing the qualifier will want to spend money and time to fish a national to get the big boys on the world clubs, trust me this is already happening.
I have been lucky enough to fish and be part of the team when we went to slovakia in 2009. I may be lucky and have this opportunity again. The smaller teams that get through to the fish offs will be different because I would expect them to have trials to pick there team for the fish offs, this will not happen with the bigger teams due to the international anglers in the team, Starlets have 5, dorking 5 and barnsley 3 or 4 maybe. In the long run I do think the bigger teams may struggle to field 10 proper team anglers (not ringers) because the fish off teams are picked. As lloydy said it is all about elitism now and is all built around a very small elite group of anglers. I Dont think the new structure will last 3 years it may do but there will be a rapid reduction of teams entering the national.

We think alike Dan !
I do miss the old super league days !!!!
I wish the money had been put in a re-vamped super league.
Local divisions again with each team getting a pick of a venue.
For example 6 teams of 10.
Each team gets a venue pick but due to it being local only venues within say 30 miles can be used.
There you go !!!!!!, 6 matches within 30 miles on a Saturday.
Top 2 from each league go and fish a semi-final, North and south.
Top 2 from each go to the final which could be on the Guden and fish over two days !!!!!!!!!!
Just a thought !!!!!!!!!

I think we are all yellow stream in the same pot here. It is pleasing to hear comments that are good for match fishing in general and not for a few elite teams and your own teams.

With what is going on and these extra 'stupid money' matches it is splitting match fishing like a knife through butter.

I know I am treading old ground here but I feel anglers should have a right to see a balance sheet after every decent sized match.

You would be surprised (or maybe not) at what money goes 'missing' or more likely elsewhere.

At least the Angling Trust are open about the Individual champs.

I think that if we go another 2 or 3 years without a superleague then it could be the end of team fishing

this is a great topic but we have been through this a time or two
its action thats needed but unless you have people to do the work its a waste of time
on this site we have three anglers that run a lot of matches our site is based in the midlands.what a area to start the ball rolling but you have to ask the question how committed are the anglers in your team as angling has become a selfish sport if a angler in the team doesn't like a venue he's not going to go end of if there is say a fish-o-mania qualifier or a maver pairs on the same day some of these anglers will put these matches first and then your left with the same anglers fishing all rounds or you spend hours on the phone trying to get ringers in and this is where the super league failed remember a lot of anglers can't fish two days now i for one can make some saturdays but in all fairness it cost me a lot of money to get extra staff in
i love team fishing and all that goes with it i want to fish all the big matches but its getting another 9 anglers to do the same
i think we have a good squad yet its takes a lot of time chasing and phoning around plus running matches to keep there interest going
at the end of the day you can talk all you want its action that is needed before it goes all together

Why is it selfish if an angler doesn't want to go to a venue cos he doesn't like it.
This is a hobby, nothing more to 99.9% of us and we want to enjoy it. People's spare time is important to them so they should fish where they want in my opinion.

To be honest, if I'm spending my time and ( a lot)money fishing i'd go where I wanted where I can catch some fish.

fair point taff but i'm talking about team fishing
if you want to do that sort of fishing your talking about thats fine
i'm on about the anglers that want to be a part of a team yet not put the ground work in
i wouldn't of thought you would go to a new venue and fish it expecting to win .you'd go and have a look at it first wouldn't you

True,

Why don't they want to do the work, maybe there's a reason, money, time etc.
maybe sit down and come to a compromise.

Glad I don't have the decision to make !!!!!

I dont know what fishing was like 20 years ago as i was not around then, but i am told it has changed so much. my views are that it is to easy for anglers to stick to one or two venues and make up a tray of rigs, a few top kits, ready made rods in the bag and away you go for a whole year. They concentrate on these venues and make a bit of a name for themselves and pick up a nice little individual deal whether it be cash, bait or tackle or all, in this climate anything towards your fishing helps. So why not go down that route?
However this is the lazy mentallity that anglers have nowadays and will not do the groundwork to want to be part of a good team or if you like serve an apprenticeship in learing all aspects of fishing.
We all know that it is much harder to make a name for yourself if 90% of your fishing is with a team and you are all over the country on different types of venues at different times of the year also all depends whether you work within the trade as this will have a massive effect on what you get as the saying goes "money talks".
I know that some or most on this site love there team fishing and always will do because it is a massive part of us and in our blood, just a shame more aint like it.
Now im looking forward to a weekend on the Trent, 5 o clock starts, lots of travelling, massive walks, not many fish but at least ill be surrounded by idiots like myself.
Which day will we see you Joff ?

you won't until you pack up dan

i couldn't let you see me Chuck a feeder out
well its a lot better now I've done it a few sessions
just get ready for rain dan its coming the barbel anglers said august will be wet

To me all open matches are practises for 'team' events; getting to know the water and the like. I would sooner fish, any team event, I am not bothered if they are four a side, five a side or six a side.
I'm not bothered at all about b'worm matches nowadays but everyone to their own; I have fished b'w matches much longer than most. We had a bitter cold winter last year; I was out every weekend with no bloodworm, can't remember blanking but might have.

I really prefer the nationals, to me that is the pinnacle; can't begin to explain what it was like on last years canal National when I couldn't fish the crappity smack but there you go

I dont know what fishing was like 20 years ago as i was not around then, but i am told it has changed so much. my views are that it is to easy for anglers to stick to one or two venues and make up a tray of rigs, a few top kits, ready made rods in the bag and away you go for a whole year. They concentrate on these venues and make a bit of a name for themselves and pick up a nice little individual deal whether it be cash, bait or tackle or all, in this climate anything towards your fishing helps. So why not go down that route?
However this is the lazy mentallity that anglers have nowadays and will not do the groundwork to want to be part of a good team or if you like serve an apprenticeship in learing all aspects of fishing.
We all know that it is much harder to make a name for yourself if 90% of your fishing is with a team and you are all over the country on different types of venues at different times of the year also all depends whether you work within the trade as this will have a massive effect on what you get as the saying goes "money talks".
I know that some or most on this site love there team fishing and always will do because it is a massive part of us and in our blood, just a shame more aint like it.
Now im looking forward to a weekend on the Trent, 5 o clock starts, lots of travelling, massive walks, not many fish but at least ill be surrounded by idiots like myself. 
Which day will we see you Joff ? 

I agree that with some anglers it can be the lazy easy way out but many anglers, myself as an example travelled all over the country 20 -30 years ago, fished all the big team matches, winter leagues, nationals etc,did ok, won a few quid, had a few laughs on lots of venues on all types of fishing, Bream fishing, upper and lower Trent, Derwent,canals, Witham, Welland, Avon etc etc.

But now, I just can't be ar*ed, I'm nearly 50 and I haven't got the inclination anymore. Spose i've got the T shirt and now I just want to go and enjoy it catch a few fish without all the hassle and I know there are plenty more who are the same. I couldn't care less about sponsorship or being recognised, I just want to do my own thing, if i mess up ( which I do frequently!!!!) then it affects me only.

I take my hat off to you guys who team fish cos I know what it entails. Maybe also there are more alternatives nowadays and it is more expensive. Years ago we all used to go, sat and sun end of. Now when you ask a lot of anglers if they went anywhere on a satday, it's nah, did this, did that, don't go both days now.

Crafty, I understand and respect the anglers such as yourself who have been there, done it and now enjoy there fishing and go where suits them but it is worrying that not many anglers around my sort of age are in to there team fishing, I know that each team has a couple or three but who is coming through to take the older lads places when they wrap up. In 10 years time I will be 37 and I believe that by then team fishing will all be based around 4 and 5 man team events and another 10 years on from that be no team fishing at all apart from the elite few anglers that are involved in the england squad.
My previous post was not aimed at you older guys who have been there and done it all but aimed more at my generation of anglers. Barnsley have a team now racked out for the next 20 years with the younger anglers they have but I think are the only team with that. The north east has a lot of younger very good lads into there team fishing whereas in the midlands we seem to be a bit behind them.
Anyway enough of being negative there is a division 1 national to be won by a lucky team.

I'm 62 and still go all over the crappity smack place, luv it. Don't win a lot, couldn't give a crappity smack

10 years i'l be 37 
i'm nearly 50 
whats going on when we become 50 do we suddenly stop fishing taff 
we just don't want the long walks
dan as long as i'm fishing there will be team matches to fish 
i like the point you made about barnsley ,but 80% of the anglers up north wouldn't.  fair play everyone up north wants a barnsley jacket but there is a massive problem  the fact all these anglers came from other teams and now these other teams don't want to fish against barnsley so in the near future where are they going to find a team match in the north
take our summer league i split the team in two i could put one very good team out and one not so good but what would you think this would do to the league if we won it every year  :-/the smaller teams wouldn't fish so its a very thin line match fishing is treading
you said yourself the top three teams are full of internationals
we haven't one [two veterans with silver medals]if starlets fished the summer league you could put 3 or 4 top teams of six in barnsley the same dorking two maybe Shakespeare could put three in so suddenly you have a very competitive league  where the likes of tipton,trentmen,quorn and many other teams would then have the backing of the rest of there team to compete.what i mean by that is the top teams because they have committed so many teams they wouldn't have many chances of changing that team week in week out where as tipton would probably only have one team so there team would benefit from having enough anglers to pick and choose from each round[from a team sheet of 10] i can see this is one way where match angling can carry on without teams getting the hump as deep down i think most of the smallers teams do want to compete at a high level    

Is that 37 stone Dan lol

Is that 37 stone Dan lol

Just a couple of stone more than you then Lloydy ?

Nice one dodge , dont they say as you get older you get uglier and ya knob shrinks if that is the case then i reckon i must be about 98 really.
Fiskerton was solid today joff, had 16lb of roach and never won my section old rob perkins had 21lb of bream and skimmers and ended up first one out and took the section.