FULL match results from every region, and lots more are in Angler’s Mail magazine this week and every week.
Here online at www.anglersmail.co.uk, we now bring you match fishing blogs to read from some of the sport’s biggest names, and rising stars – for free.
We recommend you check back each Monday for a new match fishing blog, delivering advice and insight.
Jon Arthur is one of our regular team of bloggers – read a different match fishing blog here every Monday from now onwards.
Don’t miss Angler’s Mail magazine for full coarse & match coverage
THIS week’s issue of Angler’s Mail reveals some exciting changes that are in store for the magazine – and brings you up to speed with what’s been happening throughout the coarse and match fishing scenes.
This weel’s Angler’s Mail cover star Andy Browne has just caught the huge chub you see him holding, and others. Find out how to do it!
Inside the magazine this week, exclusively, there’s all this – and more:
The best late-season river hotspots to ensure your season ends with a flourish.
Find out how to catch a 2 lb roach!
2015/16 rod licences, just unveiled – full report.
Anglers mourn death of a true float fishing master.
Bag-up on roach with a match ace – Action Replay reveals his tactics.
Exclusive Matchman of the Year latest including tables. See all the names in the frame in our exclusive Preston Innovations-sponsored series, with big money prizes.
Latest match fishing results and pictures.
GOT A MATCH FISHING RESULT TO REPORT? OR GOT SOME MATCH NEWS OR PICTURES?
Email to anglersmail@timeinc.com and it will be considered for our big value weekly magazine.
Full reports (results galore!!), pix and more on what’s proving to be the most exciting season for Matchman of the Year is in Angler’s Mail magazine – EXCLUSIVELY.
AN ALL-NEW Angler’s Mail magazine hits the shelves this week (Tuesday, March 10) – with an exciting new look and new contents.
The magazine is still priced £1.90 but – following extensive research, talking to anglers – every issue delivers more of many key things.
Match anglers will love the first of a new series, where we join Andy May, twice winner of the Angler’s Mail Matchman of the Year series.
There’s also an exclusive new weekly match fishing column from one of the hittest anglers in the England set-up.
And exclusive news on the climax of match fishing’s No.1 league for individuals – the Preston Innovations-Angler’s Mail Matchman of the Year series.
Plus, if you are hungry for match fishing results, there are region-by-region venue results galore! Including new South East, South West and North East regions.
Amongst the exciting changes, you’ll find:
MORE VENUES – top places to fish, recommended by a regional team in a new look Where To Fish This Week section. This is a mega section, with over 200 top waters per week… easily accessed, and with info you can trust.
MORE COLUMNISTS – Matt Hayes, the TV star, reveals his Top Tips each week. Andy Little, the big fish legend, is back in the Mail’s new Specimen Hunters series. Plus there’s Lee Kerry, one match fishing’s hottest properties. And other new faces and guest experts.
MORE TIPS – throughout the mag there’s ideas galore to help you catch more fish.
There’s many more new things beginning in the new Angler’s Mail magazine this week…get a copy this week and every Tuesday to stay in touch with the whole coarse fishing scene.
A new match fishing blog will appear here, exclusively online, this week.
Kayleigh Smith achieved one of the best results by a lady angler with her runner-up spot in the 2015 Sensas Challenge on the River Soar, just before the end of the running water season. Here’s how the Leeds-based 24-year-old England international did it. Plus there's Bag 'em Matchbaits-sponsored Kayleigh's top tips for springtime fishing.
Lumpy perch did the trick for Kayleigh, using what her team had learned from practise sessions.
Lumpy perch did the trick for Kayleigh, using what her team had learned from practise sessions.
THE Sensas Challenge is a team match, fished over two days to international rules, and attracting teams from all over the country including the French international side.
During practice on the River Soar, this year’s venue, it was apparent it was going to be difficult and if everyone in the team could catch a fish we would be doing well!
My Matrix Dynamite Baits Trentmen team worked out that in certain sections there were some big perch to be caught, and we reckoned if we could catch one of these it would be mega team points.
One perch leads to another for section win
I drew B section (Sutton) and peg 31. This is one of the sections that we thought that those vital odd perch would get caught.
I fished a roach mix at 13m with bloodworm where I was just trying to catch a fish, and a perch line short where I fed worms in soil. About 40 minutes into the match John to my right caught a kilo perch at 13. But I knew I had to leave my perch line for at least an hour before having a go.
After fishing for a any kind of fish on bloodworm long for an hour and half without even an indication, I decided to have a go for a perch. After about ten minutes on the perch line float disappeared and I was into my first perch. It was roughly a kilo, maybe a bit smaller than John’s.
That was it; I decided it was pointless fishing long in hope of hooking a little roach as I have a fish in the net, which was more than what most of the section could say. I re-fed with worms in soil and sat back over it and waited.
The guy to my left hooked a perch but unfortunately lost it right at the net, then a guy a few pegs to my right landed one, they were all roughly the same size.
With 45 minutes left of the match my float went again and I landed my second perch which was definitely bigger than my first.
Time was called and as far as I was aware only a few roach had been caught at the bottom of the section. I was the first to weigh in my section as I was the first to have caught a fish, and I weighed 2.350kg. That proved just enough for the section win as Hadrian Whittle had 2.300kg of roach and skimmers from the last peg in my section.
Kayleigh (left next to winner Matt Godfrey). Read the new-look Angler’s Mail magazine for the new weekly column by Lee Kerry (on the left, and part of the winning Drennan Barnsley team at the Sensas Challenge.)
Another prickly pair brings a perfect score
I drew the same section but seven pegs downstream (B 38) toward an area where a few tiny roach had been caught the day before. I was confident for a few bites and maybe another big perch.
I set up the exact same as day 1, I was fortunate enough to catch a gudgeon second run down on the running rig at 13m which I knew would get me some team points as there were going to be some blanks in the section.
I fished this line for the first hour catching six tiny fish, as soon as an hour had passed I dropped on my perch line, the float was not even in five minutes before it disappeared and my first perch was in the net.
I dropped a ball of soil and worms in and went back out and caught four more small fish. After about half an hour I had another drop on the perch line and only had to wait ten-15 minutes before the float went again; I was into the biggest perch of the two days which was quickly landed.
With two perch safely in the net I thought I might as well drop a ball in and leave it half hour and try it again – but no more turned up.
The last two people in my section (Calum Dicks and Darran Bickerton) had been catching small roach most of the day and were admitting to just short of two kilos. I was pretty sure my perch were at least a kilo each but thought it might be quite close.
In the end my two perch weighed 2.630kg, Darren had 1.500kg and Calum had 1.700kg giving me another section win and a perfect 2 points over the two days.
The only other person to have a perfect two point score was Matt Godfrey. He ended up beating me on weight by 500gr, so I finished second individually.
My team (Trentmen B) also did very well ending up fourth overall qualifying for final in France in October!
All in all, an excellent two days which proves just how important practicing is in team events like this.
Kayleigh’s now looking forward to some rod-bending and elastic-stretching action on the commercials. Read her three seasonal tips below.
Kayleigh’s top 3 spring tips
Now the weather is starting to warm up the fish will be looking to feed, it is always worth feeding a positive line just in case.
Natural baits such as worms accompanied by casters are very good this time of year.
It is worth setting a line up in the margin as this is where the water will warm up the fastest.
