Looking to get back into match fishing again

[Burton Bridge]

Anybody else had a large break from match fishing and decided to take the plunge back into it?

 

[dalesman]

Had a break for 12 years, The only thing stopping me is the cost of a pole and its bits and pieces rollers etc.

 

[Burton Bridge]

Had a break for 12 years, The only thing stopping me is the cost of a pole and its bits and pieces rollers etc.

Yeah they aren't exactly cheap are they? Can cost more than your bloody car!

However if you pick your venues, I.e only fish narrow snake lakes 11 - 13m wide then a £600 pole will do ya. I'd think about top kits mind you. Mind you your still pushing a grand by the time you have all your bits.

 

[markcw]

What ????? How much for all the bits ?

 

[peter crabtree]

Had a break for 12 years, The only thing stopping me is the cost of a pole and its bits and pieces rollers etc.

A pole isn’t compulsory to fish matches, if I can get away with it I will always fish rod and line in matches and leave my pole in the bag. When carp are involved I find I lose many more on the pole than on rod and line.

 

[Burton Bridge]

What ????? How much for all the bits ?

Well think about it, 550 quid for say a map 101 or if you want a bit better pole at 13m 800 for a 301, then couple decent tall rollers 60 quid each. Then ya pole sock tenner pole sock arm 20 nicker and then a spray bar and a couple of additional top kits for duplicate rigs....

You might want to con yourself but I'll bet you have spent close to a grand, am I right? I don't like thinking about it either ??

 

[Burton Bridge]

A pole isn’t compulsory to fish matches, if I can get away with it I will always fish rod and line in matches and leave my pole in the bag. When carp are involved I find I lose many more on the pole than on rod and line.

Yea true, in particularly if you pick your venues where the pellet waggler/ feeder is an option. I'd guess you could win and never put your feeder rod down sometimes?

It's the traditional waggler that is under used nowadays.

 

[markcw]

Well think about it, 550 quid for say a map 101 or if you want a bit better pole at 13m 800 for a 301, then couple decent tall rollers 60 quid each. Then ya pole sock tenner pole sock arm 20 nicker and then a spray bar and a couple of additional top kits for duplicate rigs....

You might want to con yourself but I'll bet you have spent close to a grand, am I right? I don't like thinking about it either ??

Actually I spent £1300 on a UK made Daiwa about 5 years ago, 7 topkits, cupping kit short number 4. I acquired another 11 interlastic kits and spare sections and a tourney pro extension to take it to 17 metres, all new( shop price would have been £1500+) I didnt pay anywhere near that.
My pole rollers (3) cost a total of £80 and 2 of those are top range PI rollers, my PI spray bar £30, ( racing bar handle type.)
Feeder arm,umbrella arm, side trays, some new some second hand.
You dont have to buy new to have top range tackle, I buy and sell now and then so I know what to look for for price wise,
If you want decent poles get UK Daiwa or Tricast. Or if possible top end shimano from a few years ago.
I wouldnt have a MAP pole.Tried a friends 501, was afraid of breaking a couple of sections.
I had a top range Middy last year,AD price was £1800 , I couldnt get on with it do sold it and kept my Daiwa.

 

[markcw]

O

Well think about it, 550 quid for say a map 101 or if you want a bit better pole at 13m 800 for a 301, then couple decent tall rollers 60 quid each. Then ya pole sock tenner pole sock arm 20 nicker and then a spray bar and a couple of additional top kits for duplicate rigs....

You might want to con yourself but I'll bet you have spent close to a grand, am I right? I don't like thinking about it either ??

Out of curiosity, do you match fish ,?
You put a couple of additional topkits for duplicate rigs , why buy extra?,
A good pole package should come with at least 7 topkits and cupping kit, and more importantly either power or match kits or a mixture of both.

 

[Burton Bridge]

Mark,

Have you read my posts? I don't match fish I'm looking to get back into match fishing. It appears you have took exceptional to something I've said, why?

@dalesman replied with the cost of poles and pole related equipment being a blocker for him, something I can understand/sympathise with. You seem to have took the route of second hand equipment, good for you but still you have still spent over a grand, so as I said to dalesman, it's expensive.

Cheaper poles, although 400/700 quid isn't cheap to family man with 2.4 children and a Mrs a 500 pound pole won't come with 7 top kits it will come with 3 kits 4 tops, zero short kits. Then you need rollers, elastic, stonfos, floats, pole socks bump bars. All I said was "we are still pushing a grand by the time you have all your bits" and we are.

BTW I love map poles, used them for years brilliant poles. The problem pole manufacturers have is the more a company sell the more they end up in the hands of people who misuse them. Diawa are fantastic I have had a wiggle with a air z but if it were me I'd take a 901 or 1001 over an air z all day long. We are all different personally second hand poles are not for me, rods/reels/boxes yea poles no chance.

 

[markcw]

No not took exception. My Daiwa pole I bought new,£1300, the Middy was used once and I couldnt turn down what he wanted for it, In fact when I sold it I did a 300 mile round trip to sell it.
The Daiwa topkits and extension, the 2 PI rollers were in with it as well. It was basically buying a joblot of tackle, some I kept, some I sold ,some I gave away to people who had kids who were starting fishing.
I meant the shop prices of middy, daiwa kits ,extension and pole rollers would have cost way over a grand, in fact it would be nearer to 3grand. If I was you, I would put aside what you would spend on a new pole and buy a good second hand one.
You could pick a Daiwa G20 up for £600, a G50 at a push, both come with numerous topkits, Same with a Maver600.
As for rollers have a look at the Leeda concept, if your seatbox has 25mm legs go for either Daiwa dtech attatchments or maver. They are half the price of Preston.
I used to reckon on around a tenner a topkit to elasticate at one time, now with many kits having side pullers and pre bushes it's just the elastic you pay for and stonfo/dacron connectors.
I suppose I am now lucky in a way that I can go and buy what I like, such as the new maver or Daiwa.or if inclined the1001 map.
I wouldnt because I could not justify paying that amount, same goes for a carbon seatbox,
My tackle now is tailored to my fishing I do now I am in oxford ,Its more feeder and pellet waggler, I still go on the odd commercial down here just to keep my hand in pole fishing so to speak. As for matches I am going in a few on the gravel pits here wheras in the northwest I was never off the commercials or canals, fishing either individual or in a team.

 

[Burton Bridge]

No not took exception. My Daiwa pole I bought new,£1300, the Middy was used once and I couldnt turn down what he wanted for it, In fact when I sold it I did a 300 mile round trip to sell it.
The Daiwa topkits and extension, the 2 PI rollers were in with it as well. It was basically buying a joblot of tackle, some I kept, some I sold ,some I gave away to people who had kids who were starting fishing.
I meant the shop prices of middy, daiwa kits ,extension and pole rollers would have cost way over a grand, in fact it would be nearer to 3grand. If I was you, I would put aside what you would spend on a new pole and buy a good second hand one.
You could pick a Daiwa G20 up for £600, a G50 at a push, both come with numerous topkits, Same with a Maver600.
As for rollers have a look at the Leeda concept, if your seatbox has 25mm legs go for either Daiwa dtech attatchments or maver. They are half the price of Preston.
I used to reckon on around a tenner a topkit to elasticate at one time, now with many kits having side pullers and pre bushes it's just the elastic you pay for and stonfo/dacron connectors.
I suppose I am now lucky in a way that I can go and buy what I like, such as the new maver or Daiwa.or if inclined the1001 map.
I wouldnt because I could not justify paying that amount, same goes for a carbon seatbox,
My tackle now is tailored to my fishing I do now I am in oxford ,Its more feeder and pellet waggler, I still go on the odd commercial down here just to keep my hand in pole fishing so to speak. As for matches I am going in a few on the gravel pits here wheras in the northwest I was never off the commercials or canals, fishing either individual or in a team.

Cant speak for its predecessors but the Daiwa g90 is right in that sweet spot IMHO, it is a brilliant pole for the average matchman I thought! However by far and away the most impressive pole I felt was the matrix MTX 3 in that £1400 mark, I thought it was unrivalled by anything including poles narrowly above it in price. Middy I never looked at and Maver I wouldn't look at because I have lost all confidence in them. My old man used to use nothing but maver poles then the quality took a nose dive and it shows by the amount on the bank, commercials used to be full of maver poles but nowadays Daiwa/Map seem to have filled that spot. Shame for them but as soon as your reputation is shot, its that old retail saying isn't it? It's harder to regain trade after having it than it is too build trade from a clean start.

Anyway digressing, I have had some mega bargains in second hand market but I'm funny with poles, they are so easy to damage and I see so many anglers mistreating them... naa ill buy new. I still stand by my original comment mind you, no matter what you do or short cuts you take, pole fishing is expensive and personally I think its sad that you need a pole to be able to compete in matches in most circumstances. Personally I'd like to see traditional waggler/stick float matches particularly in the winter, I often wonder if these existed (in numbers) 1) Would match fishing have died off as it has? 2) Would the bivvy type fishing of exploded amoung younger anglers?

Personally I think cost is putting of match fishing and furthermore its killing the match fishing style.

 

[Peter Jacobs]

The best advice I could offer would be to stick to one or two similar venues that responds well to one method.

That way you'll not be spending a king's ransom on different rods, reels and poles and accoutrements . . . . .

That way you will stand a better chance of a result and not become just more pools fodder for the semi-pros.

 

[Burton Bridge]

The best advice I could offer would be to stick to one or two similar venues that responds well to one method.

That way you'll not be spending a king's ransom on different rods, reels and poles and accoutrements . . . . .

That way you will stand a better chance of a result and not become just more pools fodder for the semi-pros.

Venue specialists I guess semi professional/professional anglers secretly hate these people. It's exactly what I'm planning on doing

 

[markcw]

Venue specialists I guess semi professional/professional anglers secretly hate these people. It's exactly what I'm planning on doing

What venue you thinking of ,?

 

[markcw]

Cant speak for its predecessors but the Daiwa g90 is right in that sweet spot IMHO, it is a brilliant pole for the average matchman I thought! However by far and away the most impressive pole I felt was the matrix MTX 3 in that £1400 mark, I thought it was unrivalled by anything including poles narrowly above it in price. Middy I never looked at and Maver I wouldn't look at because I have lost all confidence in them. My old man used to use nothing but maver poles then the quality took a nose dive and it shows by the amount on the bank, commercials used to be full of maver poles but nowadays Daiwa/Map seem to have filled that spot. Shame for them but as soon as your reputation is shot, its that old retail saying isn't it? It's harder to regain trade after having it than it is too build trade from a clean start.

Anyway digressing, I have had some mega bargains in second hand market but I'm funny with poles, they are so easy to damage and I see so many anglers mistreating them... naa ill buy new. I still stand by my original comment mind you, no matter what you do or short cuts you take, pole fishing is expensive and personally I think its sad that you need a pole to be able to compete in matches in most circumstances. Personally I'd like to see traditional waggler/stick float matches particularly in the winter, I often wonder if these existed (in numbers) 1) Would match fishing have died off as it has? 2) Would the bivvy type fishing of exploded amoung younger anglers?

Personally I think cost is putting of match fishing and furthermore its killing the match fishing style.

Cant speak for its predecessors but the Daiwa g90 is right in that sweet spot IMHO, it is a brilliant pole for the average matchman I thought! However by far and away the most impressive pole I felt was the matrix MTX 3 in that £1400 mark, I thought it was unrivalled by anything including poles narrowly above it in price. Middy I never looked at and Maver I wouldn't look at because I have lost all confidence in them. My old man used to use nothing but maver poles then the quality took a nose dive and it shows by the amount on the bank, commercials used to be full of maver poles but nowadays Daiwa/Map seem to have filled that spot. Shame for them but as soon as your reputation is shot, its that old retail saying isn't it? It's harder to regain trade after having it than it is too build trade from a clean start.

Anyway digressing, I have had some mega bargains in second hand market but I'm funny with poles, they are so easy to damage and I see so many anglers mistreating them... naa ill buy new. I still stand by my original comment mind you, no matter what you do or short cuts you take, pole fishing is expensive and personally I think its sad that you need a pole to be able to compete in matches in most circumstances. Personally I'd like to see traditional waggler/stick float matches particularly in the winter, I often wonder if these existed (in numbers) 1) Would match fishing have died off as it has? 2) Would the bivvy type fishing of exploded amoung younger anglers?

Personally I think cost is putting of match fishing and furthermore its killing the match fishing style.

I looked at the Matrix MTX3. Yep it's a good pole, I have the MTX Margin pole, I would put that more or less on par with the legendary Shimano Beastmaster 850b, I regret selling mine at times,
but at my age I will stick with my Daiwa G50 for my main pole.
I used to run a summer and winter series of matches for my local club, we had rod only matches in the series, plus a bread only match in the summer series.

 

[Burton Bridge]

What venue you thinking of ,?

Don't know yet, I'm thinking going for some low key club matches first and see how I go.

 

[Burton Bridge]

I looked at the Matrix MTX3. Yep it's a good pole, I have the MTX Margin pole, I would put that more or less on par with the legendary Shimano Beastmaster 850b, I regret selling mine at times,
but at my age I will stick with my Daiwa G50 for my main pole.
I used to run a summer and winter series of matches for my local club, we had rod only matches in the series, plus a bread only match in the summer series.

Did you see any uptake in participation from members who wouldn't normally fish matches in your rod only matches? Do you still run them and if so where abouts do you hold them ... I'm interested ?

 

[steve2]

Don't know yet, I'm thinking going for some low key club matches first and see how I go.

You will find out that there are some very good match anglers in these club matches.

 

[markcw]

Did you see any uptake in participation from members who wouldn't normally fish matches in your rod only matches? Do you still run them and if so where abouts do you hold them ... I'm interested ?

Did you see any uptake in participation from members who wouldn't normally fish matches in your rod only matches? Do you still run them and if so where abouts do you hold them ... I'm interested ?

It was a series that had to be booked onto at the start.they were club venues in the northwest.
Nope,I dont do them anymore, I moved out of the area.