Simple Match Fishing Forum

As I've been told the trust look in I wandered what the anglers on here that don't fish it would want the trust to do to encourage them to fish it again. I know I fish it but I would scrap the naming of a squad and replace it with an amount that you can use, that way a team of mates that want to fish a league but find themselves short for a match can rope someone in at the last minute as long as they are a trust member

I think squad size is a key factor and the use of B & J.
Look how successful the Shropshire winter league has been.

I think squad size is a key factor and the use of B & J.
Look how successful the Shropshire winter league has been.

Squad size in which way?

if you don't name a squad how can you police it ,you could fill in for anyone on any league .still not that matters really

if you don't name a squad how can you police it ,you could fill in for anyone on any league .still not that matters really

You can still have a 20 man team sheet that's filled in after each round if someone new fishes, you can only fish for 1 team but it helps the smaller teams fill their places when short

I think we need to get people back team fishing rather than worrying who's fishing for who, team sizes seamed to come about when starlets never qualified for super league final 2 years on trot being beaten by Tipton who had about 30 in squad but not as many top all rounders as starlets

a team sheet of 20 will put anglers off i think i'd of thought squad size needs to come down to 8 to fish and no more than 15 on the sheet the bigger teams have too many anglers now that hang-on just to say i'm a part of who's who
behind the scenes i'm trying to put the squad together again lucky for me pete marlow is back and couple of really keen xleicester juniors [now about 35years old]put they have had there familys and have the time to fish again

These are just suggestions to toy about with.

Squads of 20 will put the smaller teams/clubs off and without them there is no League anyway.

How abouts squads of up to 16 named tops and the Leagues could be either eight or ten a side depending on which League votes for what.

My thoughts behind this are that it could help the Leagues reach the 50 mark; it could help some teams although before anyone says it it may hinder some too and it could also help with pegging on some venues.

As for bloodworm and joker you have to look at the cost involved and surely where the semi finals are. I see little point in having say, six bloodworm matches, then the final/semi final on a method feeder or a boilie venue.

As to what would be a fair cost I wouldn't like to say as the Leagues are National and peg fees can be £10 on some venues.
Maybe the individual Leagues should state the limit as what they want to pay on this?

You would also have to add on the fee for the Angling Trust who would, I assume, be responsible for the semi/final, this will need to cover peg fees and everything else that goes with it.

To be honest, whichever way you look at it, it will not be cheap.

Meanwhile the Izaak Walton (Stafford) AA will go ahead as per usual and I'm sure there will be no shortage of takers at £14 a shot all in, same as before, with the minimal of bait to get.

Just a few thoughts to mull over, chuck 'em in the crappity smack bin if you want to

to be about right i think the whole competition wants reviewing and quickly if the angling trust do read theses website surely they are turning a blind eye to most of it
i've seen on other websites want a certain fellow thinks of websites yet haven't they got websites of there own

nothing stays the same in life or match fishing. just look how localised matches have become over the last 20 years. messing about with the rules wont change the inevitable just enjoy time on the bank with your mates

Biggest best teams ie Barnsley, dorking and piglets have got the smallest squads, as they have a lot of full time anglers that can fish when they want. Small teams often have anglers that can't go every week or have to work. Too many teams are fishing short on rounds for the current naming of squads to work imho

i dont understand whats changed in the last 10 years. some years we do ok and get our wobbly cheeks kicked in the final. so what we do our best and thats all we can do we all work and have familys thats just the way it is. just to get to the final is an achievement for us

For me and this is only MY OPINION,
  for the Angling trust to encourage me and others like minded to fish the winter league again then i would like to see semis or finals on canals , or a two day match one on canal one on river/still-water , and when i say still water i don't always mean a carp venue
a bream/roach odd  carp Venue would  be sound,
  but we all know its all about the MONEY ......
squad size is important for obvious reasons .
The smaller teams that only fish with there mates , as Tony as already said are more important to look after than any others spread the money around within the league then every ones happy.... who really wants to fish a five / six team league
for me  a fourteen man squad seems about right

thus fielding a team of ten or two teams of six and still have cover for holidays /illness etc...
its all about getting anglers on the bank fishing, so as little restrictions as possible if not naming squads gets more anglers fishing then so be it'
  the only thing that would upset some anglers
is if there own Team mates who are not available suddenly are available and then can fish for another team in the league and could take points from there own team mates , and then there's the situation, when or if your team reaches Semi or final!!! 
plus the team that then gets to final decides it don't suit them and then they don't go any way....
The Anglers are out there our and other leagues have proved this..
Angling Trust over to you................

lloydy,
I really don't think anything can stop team fishing at the top level in the uk from loosing appeal.
There are many reasons,
Cost, shift work, commercial fishing, natural venues loosing out due to walks etc., smaller teams not being able to compete with the big teams, etc.
I think the main reason is the sponsorship and the culture of our fishing needs.
All the big money events are on an individual level on commercials, end of.
Unlike our european friends we do not have the structure of team fishing to make it really strong. The continent has more canals, canalised rivers, drains etc on a larger scale. Access is good, logistics all good. They have not embraced commercial fishing and probably don't need to !
This in turn has attracted team sponsorship and main sponsored events are team based in europe.
Once the commercial boom took off in this country, suddenly anglers could have plenty of fish to catch and no walks ! I could probably list a load of other benefits ( and I am not really a carp angler !) but it does not matter, the tackle trade took off with commy fishing and that's where the sponsored money is at.
I do miss the old captain morgan cup and the drennan super leagues, however falling out due to various reasons put an end to the super leagues. In hindsight the structures were not firm enough and this led to dictatorship from some competing teams.
I have tried to rack my brain about this team fishing lark and the only way I could see a return would be to:
The Angling Trust to revive it by employing a person with good experience to promote it, gain sponsorship, increase team competitions etc.
Maybe the rod licence folk could sponsor one !
In other words it ain't likely to happen.
The end.

Smaller teams are the most important. What happens when your team of mates enter a canal league, finish 2nd in league and get sent to a carp semi or vice versa? They mainly fish league because they like venues, are not interested in going further then get pelters when they don't want to fish semi so drop out next year. If they could use up to an amount of anglers instead of naming them at start they could then try to get a team to fish. This isn't ideal as it means anglers fishing semi ain't part of the team, but it means semi gets fished without anglers being forced. I hope you understand where I'm coming from cus I ain't very good at explaining by writing

Why bother with these leagues murrins league/middlewich/tony keeling leagues have been class we dont need to go and fish places we dont want i.e. holes in the ground. Just catch a few fish local(ish) have a good day and they aint exactly small matches either. If folks want to fish puddles them let him its there loss not mine. If the angling trust want to make it a winter league on puddles let them i wont be there tho.

Having a winter league without naming squads would open the door and create a loophole for some to manipulate?

Take the thought that you can only fish for one team as an instance...............
We are talking at National level here and you have to bare in mind the logistics of it all. As a little starter some anglers do have the same name; we had this problem with the Kamasan and FIVE Dave Smiths!

It would also add a significant amount to the entry fee to check all this.

I found CWH commemts very interesting, the only thing I can add is that in my day it was ALL about team fishing, - Is it today, it can't be, entries and interest prove that.

Choppie's point on the commercials is also very valid but I do honestly think the match angler (natural waters for the want of a better term) themselves have not helped with this either. Lookong at in in real depth I honestly feel a winter league may prove to be too expensive per angler but I stand to be corrected.

Lloydy, I admire your attitude towards team fishing a million%. If I had the use of a Tardis and could go back in time you would be one of the first I would drop in on

Meanwhile as a few have rightly indicated, enjoy what there is around here.
Confucious, a very wise man, says. "The grass isn't always greener on the other side of the hill."
Take advantage of it

Why bother with these leagues murrins league/middlewich/tony keeling leagues have been class

Its Mr MURRIN to you ............

Problem is I think you're all right! The winter league won't survive and that will be the end of proper team fishing.
Ben, you may not want to fish big leagues and pit your wits against the best but some do, neither is right or wrong, it's like being content playing for Walsall when there's a chance to play for wolves

Dave i do want to pit my wits against the best(i do fish against you remember) but i dont want to be part of commercials when there is less on after xmas will try and venture onto the river and in spring me and ian have a go tenching. But if bettering myself is going on a commercial then i dont want part of it. Is that right MR MURRIN.