What's happened to Match Fishing Magazine?

[Simon R]

The last couple of months I keep thinking some sort of timewarp has occurred within the pages of the NewGear section - apparently Sonubaits Pro Expanders, Fluro Wafters and NuFish Aqualock netbags are all new - all of which have been out at least 18 months - it does make you wonder what's going on.

I won't be sad when my subscription runs out - I've bought one or other magazine from the David Hall stable since their inception in the 1970s but the quality and quantity of the articles has nose dived over the last couple of years - all the people who actually wrote their own articles have been dropped (Hadrian Whittle and Cathal Hughes to name just two) and when they are resorting to features looking inside the seatbox of anglers I've never heard of you know they must be struggling.

Does anybody know if the same clutch of Midlands commercial fisheries (and White Acres) actually pay for all the free advertising they receive since they get featured every single month.

I did think that when Matt Godfrey won the three-day Tees festival in August there'd be a full article about it but all we got was half-a-page with not even a single photo and yet the Trent festival fished around the same time - which he didn't win - got a full page write-up and a stack of photos - still I suppose we should be grateful for that half page - it's the first time the magazine has acknowledged there's life north of Lindholme for about two years.

Does anybody know what 250ml of casters equals in old money - there was an article on some big reservoir down south that measured casters in ml not pints and the author used three full bags of Daiwa groundbait so I stopped reading - nowhere locally sells the stuff and in any case if I started flinging twelve quid of groundbait in every week I'd soon be skint.

As usual the only piece worth reading was by Billy Makin. The sadly all too short article on a continental pairs festival in Holland was interesting too but everything else was just adverts for sponsored anglers products.

Even the 'free' groundbait offer for subscribers is uninspiring - it doesn't even include a bucket - bring back Sensas or Van Den Eynde and give us some proper groundbait.

I might subscribe to a year of IYCF instead - 12 months should be enough to read every article they're ever gonna write - and learn how to tie a knotless knot at least three times.


Simon

 

[Mike atkinson]

I packed that one in and pole fishing mag, about 3 or 4 years ago, I only got it for the free gbait, have you been up drumonby lately auld lad?

 

[Dave Spence]

You're better off just reading the posts on here.

 

[RMNDIL]

I loved reading Billy's articles. Best part of the mag for me. Probably an age thing as I well remember a lot of what he reminisces about.

 

[oldmanriver]

I have to agree with everything "Simon Says"
Although you can take the man out of Match Fishing BUT not take Match Fishing out of the man !
I do not fish matches and haven't done for many a year, but its the style that I like and know so I do get "Match Fishing". When Dan Webb took over it did become a kind of Trade Catalogue with his quips and jolly japes, not may I add in the same league as Snide Rumours . He is probably a nice lad but being tackle orientated to the extreme left no real pages for reports on venues, matches and real life accounts not ghost written articles.
When Dave Wesson came in as editor I did expect a change and more mature driven magazine but with only subtle changes slightly less gear stuff its overall look is "as was".
We know it will never reach everyone's expectations but the title "MATCH FISHING" should give results, accounts, tactics,specific gear for etc and stories of past glories and accounts. Also It should promote the future of Match Fishing, youth teams, national teams, ladies teams, veterans teams, disabled teams and club teams. Reports and discussions on the "now" and "future".
When Dave Wesson took over with his editorial picture of him and his cameras I hoped for more videos on their youtube page, more professional, better targeted, wider reaching up and down the country, but to no avail. Little to no content of quality has been posted just Dan Webbs tackle stuff.
With Anglers Mail biting the dust and the death knell of printed media looming could Match Fishing make a last ditch effort to do what it says on its cover and report and promote Match Fishing at all levels in all areas and when covering tackle , to meet all price points.
Billy Makins article has been a great blast from the past also "Where are they now" but seamed too fizzle out. Maybe its my age and print media will in future be only read by old farts like me who like to graze on it at leisure.

 

[G0zzer2]

I agree that Match Fishing should include results, even if they are late, as a matter of record. When I was on Match Fishing Plus we did an enormous amount of work putting in the whole of the World Championship results, which neither AT not AM ran. Not that anyone ever congratulated us on it!

However, the thinking by Those In Power is that all local newspapers carry results (which they don't as a lot are anti-angling). And they assume that any that aren't in local newspapers are online, which is not the case, as for some reason a lot of fisheries can't be bothered to get the results from organisers or even out their own matches online. Even then they think we want to know only the top few. Of course it could be that they also want to save money on staff!

When I used to fish the Classic in Ireland (400 competitors) they gave every competitor the full results - every peg and every weight - every day. We used to carry that to the next year so we could see what pegs had fished.

That was class! Even Decoy don't carry any results on their website or Facebook page. It's down to us ordinary anglers to get results out on the net now. And Angling Times, the last time I bought one, had about 12 results in, ten days late, from the whole country. Rubbish, compared with what we used to get in.

 

[Simon R]

have you been up drumonby lately auld lad?

Nope - you have to book in advance now and it's been chocka all summer so I haven't bothered
Lockdown permitting we've got Christmas match booked up there on 13th December

Simon

 

[Paul_T]

Does anybody know what 250ml of casters equals in old money

No, but it's easy enough to measure out. Presumably you use a pole and a cupping kit? 250ml is generally the largest of the cups available. Fill it with casters and bosh them into your mix - job done!

 

[fishcatcher4]

I cannot see the point in putting match results in as you can get them online and in most cases on the same day.

I must say that the magazine is not as good as it used to be but you can't please everybody.

 

[HawkerMan]

The best place Iv'e found for match results is M.A.M. Match Anglers Matches on facebook.

 

[chefster]

I cannot see the point in putting match results in as you can get them online and in most cases on the same day.

I must say that the magazine is not as good as it used to be but you can't please everybody.

I like it as it’s quite varied now it’s joined forces with polefishing, and as you say what’s the point in putting match results in there!, when AT etc used to do it, half of it was made up, ie, how many fished, how winners/framers caught etc...some of the old codgers just live in the dark ages , don’t like change, and like to criticise it, simple don’t subscribe or don’t buy it ?‍

 

[baggy]

I think I’ve bought it once in two years. I think it is very rare that a feature shows something that hasn’t been done before by someone else. I‘ve bought match fishing since the early 90s when the magazine was a lot different when it was broken into tutorials and monthly write-ups that could be superstars or club anglers. It was a great read back then as it was really varied, these days it is just a glorified advertorial.

If I want to learn something it’s easy to find on YouTube or one of the subscription channels like Jamie Harrison or Paul Holland. They also seem to go into more detail.

 

[G0zzer2]

I cannot see the point in putting match results in as you can get them online and in most cases on the same day.

Not in my experience. Even the Angling Trust matches often give only the basic details, and then never on the same day. I want to know the angler, weight, peg number, how he caught, and more than just the top three.

 

[chefster]

Not in my experience. Even the Angling Trust matches often give only the basic details, and then never on the same day. I want to know the angler, weight, peg number, how he caught, and more than just the top three.

Half the time , most of all those details were made-up in Angling Times, etc

 

[Chris Calder]

Stopped my polefishing and matchfishing mags about 4 years ago, used to like it when you got a bucket and the sensas groundbait though.

 

[Simon65]

I have been buying it since the first one came out ( must be nearly 40 years ) and agree it’s a bit patchy , recognise that COVID has restricted what they can do but I will continue to buy it as I would certainly miss it if it stopped being published

 

[G0zzer2]

Half the time , most of all those details were made-up in Angling Times, etc

Not by the staff. Possibly by the organiser...

 

[chefster]

Not by the staff. Possibly by the organiser...

Whole point being is apart from the result, and probably peg numbers, the rest was very misleading and had to be taken with a pinch of salt .. I don’t buy matchfishing mag to look at match results,from all over the country, which are neither here nor there to me..

 

[Northantslad]

Anglers mail went last month and after donkeys years. Quite sad really.

 

[fishcatcher4]

Not in my experience. Even the Angling Trust matches often give only the basic details, and then never on the same day. I want to know the angler, weight, peg number, how he caught, and more than just the top three.

Sounds like you are wanting a report and not just the results mate.

I think you are asking a lot from a monthly mag as they are forced to be out of date.

If you are looking for results in your local area some clubs have their own website or they might be on facebook.

It is hit and miss though depending on where you want the results from.