Attention To Detail

Matt Brown DVSG

Matt started fishing at the age of 11 and for years fished for bites, match style, and would often catch more than the adults on the same venues. Influenced by the England squad fishing the world champs he bought his first pole. The resurrection of the River Don was a dream come true and from 1986 he fished regularly for the roach using the stick float.

In 1988 Matt moved to Basingstoke and for a couple of years fished the Kennet and Thames. Although he caught decent barbel and good chub, his light line approach would often result in lost fish. Back in Doncaster in 1991 he continued to fish for the River Don’s roach and when the EA stocked barbel in ’92 they became a regular feature in his catches. In 1995 he targeted the carp in Cusworth Lake and caught the biggest two in the lake on the same day. Although Matt enjoys travelling and fishing venues that offer a better chance of big fish, such as the Trent, he still craves that elusive River Don double figure barbel.

Attention to Detail

How many times have you been keeping an eye on what other anglers are catching and it’s usually the same one or two that catch most of the fish? Maybe you’re one of the lucky ones who are always wondering why everyone else is sat watching motionless, floats, quivertips or bobbins while you’re bagging?

Get your rig right and the rewards can be high. Get it wrong and you will lose fish

So what makes these anglers different? Why does one angler catch more fish than another?

The two anglers that I hold in most esteem are match angler Alan Scotthorne and carp and specialist angler Terry Hearn.

I briefly met Alan at a fishing show but I’ve read many of his articles over the years and the thing that comes across is his meticulous attention to detail. I get the impression that he puts so much time in tying and testing rigs that he is more prepared than any angler alive.

All of his hooklinks are identical in length meaning that should he be broken during a match he can replace the hook and carry on fishing with a minimal amount of fuss and wasted time. He strips and re-ties his pole rigs after use to ensure that any fish he hooks has the best chance of ending up in his net. He tank tests different groundbait mixes to see how they break down and how the fish react while most other anglers just take the manufacturer’s word for it.

Having everything organised means you can catch a fish, bait up the feeder, cast back out and get back in that nice warm sleeping bag. It also means your bait is in the water for longer improving your chances of catching

Terry Hearn spends huge amounts of time looking for the fish before fishing. How many times have you just turned up in the swim nearest the car park and fished? In Terry’s writing it is evident how much time he spends climbing trees, baiting marginal areas and watching, talking to other anglers all with the distinct goal of locating his target fish and understanding their behaviour.

Now I’ve not mentioned tackle, but how many of us feel we could catch loads if only we had the latest barbel rod, or the newest big pit reel?

I was able to land, weigh, photograph and return this Tench in just a few minutes, which was nice, because it was far too cold to be out in the open!

Although tackle can sometimes make a difference it’s still not as important as choosing the right tactics and making sure that everything you have control of is done to the best of your ability. Don’t take short cuts.

So what can you do to catch more fish?

• Get out of the habit of thinking ‘that’ll do’. Be sure that everything you do is done right. The more you settle for second best the more you’ll get seconds best.
• If you’re tying rigs and something doesn’t look quite right tie it again. It could cost you fish.
• Make sure you have an idea of what’s on the bottom of the venue your fishing. Time spent plumbing around is never wasted and the more you get used to it the more proficient you’ll become.

• Having everything you need to hand, will allow to you fish more efficiently. This will add up to many more fish during your fishing lifetime

  Time spent walking a venue, looking out for signs of fish is invaluable. Talk to other anglers. You’ll find that if you share your knowledge with them they’ll be more open and you’ll lean more in return. It’s a great way of making new friends too.

• Be organised with your tackle at home. The sooner you can grab the right gear the sooner can be on the bank catching.
• Be organised with your tackle on the bank. If you can get into a routine you’ll be able to re-tie a rig quicker, weigh, photograph and return a fish quicker, change tactics quicker and so on. Read match magazines and look at how anglers arrange their tackle around them. Match anglers need to be organised to maximise their chances but this approach will benefit all anglers.

• Is your rig exactly how you want it? Is the hair length spot on for the bait you are using? Is the hair leaving the hook in the way it should? Is the hook point alright? Have you checked there is no damage to the line? Don’t take shortcuts!

  Don’t underestimate the importance of bait quality. That means that if you’re going to use maggots make sure you riddle them off, remove the skins and keep replenishing the Maize they are stored in. Large, soft maggots will often outscore two week old, sweaty, shrunken grubs. Likewise, make sure your groundbait is mixed perfectly. Riddle out the lumps and cover with a damp cloth.

• Use the best hooks, hooklength materials, leads, swivels and anything that the fish might come into contact with. I’m amazed that some people won’t spend £ 3.50 on a pack of hooks but they will spend £ 200 on a rod! If you want the maximum amount of bites it is critical that you get your rig right.
• If your goal is to learn a new water or technique, throw all your effort at it. Read everything you can and test what you have learned. If something isn’t going to plan try and work out why – don’t just accept it as one of those days.
• Once attention to detail becomes second nature you can concentrate on the harder things such as getting the feeding right.