Stick floats history

[AllRounder]

Backhand, I think we must have fished the same matches at some stage- an awful lot of your comments ring very true.
Coming from Coventry I was fortunate to have The great Billy Lane coach me as a Coventry Junior squad member and indeed personally sell me my first "proper" rod - a Hardy matchmaker no less. I started match fishing club matches at an early age and remember my first Open match on the Oxford Canal and promptly drew Billy Lane in my section!
As you say,proper matches then 100 pegs plus. The Trent Championship which I fished had 1200 anglers taking part (10 sections of 120 anglers ) - imagine that today!

[Backhand]

Backhand, I think we must have fished the same matches at some stage- an awful lot of your comments ring very true.
Coming from Coventry I was fortunate to have The great Billy Lane coach me as a Coventry Junior squad member and indeed personally sell me my first "proper" rod - a Hardy matchmaker no less. I started match fishing club matches at an early age and remember my first Open match on the Oxford Canal and promptly drew Billy Lane in my section!
As you say,proper matches then 100 pegs plus. The Trent Championship which I fished had 1200 anglers taking part (10 sections of 120 anglers ) - imagine that today!

In about 1982-1986 ish I fished a series of Team/League matches on the G U Canal around the Northampton area, although some of the matches were in M Keynes as well, Wolverton being one of those. One of the years there were 36 teams of 6 anglers 216 pegs for a canal match. The following years League AGM they decided to limit it to the first 30 teams that entered. Still 180 pegs. Absolutely brilliant matches.
Do you know Mick Cotton?

[AllRounder]

Hi Backhand I do indeed! travelled with him a few times a great team man.
I fished the Angling times winter league 85/86 season I think for the Axe and compass team.
Great days.

[Backhand]

Hi Backhand I do indeed! travelled with him a few times a great team man.
I fished the Angling times winter league 85/86 season I think for the Axe and compass team.
Great days.

I think I fished in that AT league as well. I used to fish with Dave Groom, I know one year in the previously mentioned league, we were called " The Dave Groom Six " only cause David couldn't think of a name. I think we fished the Winter league as Leighton Rovers (because we all came from Leighton buzzard). I remember the Axe & Compass, always had a strong team. I think they had a team in the team of 6 as well. Billy Makin and Ray Mills used to fish, but there was also some very good anglers from Northampton. Dick Rogers, Dave Smart, the Kent brothers.

[Backhand]

Not only matches have declined in numbers of participants but coarse fishing in general. Rivers are deserted, club membership is way down. I suppose the commercial ponds are partly responsible with the Coney Island fishing they offer, but I think there are fewer coarse anglers anyway. Still seem to be plenty of sea anglers though, despite the fishless seas. But perhaps they have declined too; I'm not in a position to compare.

I couldn't agree more. A stretch of the G U Canal that I have been fishing since I was a boy was once crowded at weekends. Most angler's that only managed to get out once at the weekend wanted to catch Bream and/or Skimmers. If you didn't get up there at first light you never got a decent Bream swim. As a teenager I remember setting out in the dark on my bike for the 2 mile ride. I got to Church lock and there were already a dozen cars in the car park. This same area you can go there now and there isn't anyone there, ( apart from me ) Most years the Bream swims aren't even fished once. They used to be just bare mud in the summer where everyone had sat. Now there is long grass and sometimes bushes. I like it to a certain extent cause I've got it to myself when I go, but where did everyone go. The Canal around the Leighton Buzzard area has got more Bream in it than at any time I know, yet nobody fishes for them.

[AllRounder]

Backhand I've sent you a PM

[Kevin]

This thread is taking me back to the back pages of the times when it was full of the great and the good.
The trust river fest matches are helping revive the natural venue scene with more anglers fishing my local Saturday open leading up to the qualifier .Last season I met Mark Addy on the Weaver he won with 19lb of Roach.
I only fished matches as a junior, sport fishing took me away but I love to read about match fishing back in the seventies.Did any of you lads get to fish the Woodbine challenge on the river Guden?there is a vid on youtube of one final.
I once fished against the current World Champion Ian Heaps,he battered me and everyone else fishing the slider.
Happy days thanks for posting Backhand

[Backhand]

Backhand I've sent you a PM

[Backhand]

This thread is taking me back to the back pages of the times when it was full of the great and the good.
The trust river fest matches are helping revive the natural venue scene with more anglers fishing my local Saturday open leading up to the qualifier .Last season I met Mark Addy on the Weaver he won with 19lb of Roach.
I only fished matches as a junior, sport fishing took me away but I love to read about match fishing back in the seventies.Did any of you lads get to fish the Woodbine challenge on the river Guden?there is a vid on youtube of one final.
I once fished against the current World Champion Ian Heaps,he battered me and everyone else fishing the slider.
Happy days thanks for posting Backhand

I never did because I was to young and useless them. But I think others from Leighton Buzzard did. I will have to go and ask my mate Ivan he will remember, he remembers everything from 20-65 years ago, but can't remember where he fished last week, lol. Don't tell him I said that.

[Backhand]

This thread is taking me back to the back pages of the times when it was full of the great and the good.

Kevin, I see your an Idler from Knutsford.
I have played County standard Table tennis for years, how I ever managed to fit it in with all the fishing I did. When I stopped Match fishing in 1992, I did it to play more TT. I used to drive all the way to Knutsford on a Sunday to play in a Tournament run by Mike Johns at the football club/sports club. A very long journey but worth it. It used to take me about 3 1/2 to 4 hours. On the way home to Bedfordshire I used to get on the M6 and they would already be queueing for Birmingham happy days.