How competitive are you?

[TF_Waveney One]

Now that the year has reached the same stage as my cycle in life – mellow fruitfulness, prostate problems and all that. This year is one of the best for ages for the conker harvest and it reminded me how competitive I was as a kid.

I got loads of conkers from different trees, tried baking some, putting some in vinegar and fixed them all up with strings. I then put them on the back of a kitchen chair and whacked them to destruction with a marble inside one of my mothers laddered stockings! I would then compare the number of hits it took to break them. If I remember correctly the best conkers came from a particular tree and were a certain size but totally untreated but I could be wrong, it was 50+ years ago!

Anyway the point of this rather sad recollection was to say that the competitive urge that drove me to that so that I became THE conker man has totally gone from me now. Apart from knocking up some G/B before the match, tying a few hooks and rigs which are just to save time really, I don’t do much preparation at all. Sure, I enjoy framing but it rarely happens these days and doesn’t hurt any more if I don’t.

Is this just another age thing like suffering from back ache etc. or is there more to it?

3 questions for you
1. How old are you 20’s, 30,s etc.?
2. Do you do a lot of preparation for matches? – Like the conkers and I used to be, different G/B’s tested in tanks, maggots home bred and coloured, 3 of each required rig prepared ready for the match?
3. How frustrated do you get when you don’t do well? Cussing and cursing when you lose a fish or don’t get a bite, swearing at boats if they come past, chucking your gear about if you have a breakage?

Come on Guys and Gals – Let it all out. You will feel much better afterwards~think

[TF_Waveney One]

I turned 60 this year as at happens.

[Anonymous]

lifes to short…i just enjoy the day ~clap ~clap ~clap ~clap

[TF_welshmagic]

I’m 24 and extremely competitive.

I spend 3-4 evenings a week doing prep,usually tying trays of rigs and hooklengths,checking pole elastics,sorting bait etc etc. I will spend a fair bit of time on the phone to people finding out what’s been working and what hasn’t etc. I also do a final check of all my gear the night before a match,to be absolutely sure everythings where it should be. If I don’t do well I don’t necessarily get frustrated but I strive to put it right, speaking to those that did well and evaluating what I should have done differently and what i would do next time.

It’s very very hard to be succesful if you don’t put in loads of prep!

[TF_Craftytafty]

I’m 49,very competitive, always have been, can’t see that changing, you either are or you aren’t I believe.
I do stuff on my gear at least 5 nights a week. I get upset with myself if I make a mistake or doing something wrong that costs me in a match and I’m very critical of myself. just how I am but (I wouldn’t get upset at boats anymore, one cos I never fish canals and also cos I used to live on a narrowboat so I understand there side too!! lol)

[TF_Mr Whippy]

I’m 43 and keener than ever and spend odd hours all week getting everything right. Kids older, so more time helps!

If you turn up to a match with me and you have all pole rigs ready and spares, any hook and line combination you might need tied, the right elastic combinations and tensions, quality bait and all pellet choices, a stable set up with everything organised, rods you might need ready, right catapults, right landing net(s) and handles, correct clothing, right lines on reels etc. etc. then you start on a level playing field with me!

Sometimes I over complicate but by being prepared its then just down to my ability!

We all need to make sure we enjoy it though, I try not to get too angry when I show some total ineptitude on the bank!

[meat master]

i am 32 i do like having my gear in tip top condition i read match fishing pole fishing and try to get as much info as i can then use it my fishing.

competitive yes but not over the top.

i spend allot of time tying hooks hairs bands diferent strengh lines, aswell as pole rigs.
i allways have my rods set up before i get to my peg, baits are allways top notch i do beleve in having the best bait possible after all thats what the fish are looking at and hopefully going to be eating.

i do get frustrated sometimes because i should be better than i am for the amount of time i spend reading and preparing for matches.

i dont chuck gear around but allways wont to do better next time.

[TF_Waveney One]

Interesting replies so far. I suspect that it has been over the last decade that I stopped being ultra competitive.

[TF_Gary]

I can’t imagine ever having the motivation to spend 3 or more nights a week preparing my gear! Life’s too short…

[TF_welshmagic]

@Gary wrote:

I can’t imagine ever having the motivation to spend 3 or more nights a week preparing my gear! Life’s too short…

I actually enjoy doing prep!

[Anonymous]

@welshmagic wrote:

@Gary wrote:

I can’t imagine ever having the motivation to spend 3 or more nights a week preparing my gear! Life’s too short…

I actually enjoy doing prep!

but you’re a sad anorak…

[TF_MICK THE BOOKIE]

Good thread “YOUNG” Richard.
I am 64 now and lost my competetive edge many moons ago.However i love to catch a few now and then,and am over the moon if i frame.I suppose all in all i just love being on the banks with the lads and trying to connect a few bites.I know i am pools fodder,and i could just pleasure fish and save myself money,but i love Matchfishing end off..lol.

[TF_Dodge]

I am 40 summat and i am as competitive now as i was in any form of sport 25 years ago. Apart from angling i use to play cricket at a very high level (cheshire county league) keeping very fit in the process. As long as i stay relatively healthy and my eyesight doesnt deteriorate too much i will try to continue to fish at the highest level i can all year round. I love doing prep before the weekends matches plus all the info recieved and banter from team mates during the week , we are so lucky nowadays with modern technology ie , mobile phones and puters etc ~clap . What does annoy me nowadays is the band of “win at all costs ” merchants mostly on the commie circuit , it is seriously sad ! Having to work all week and even some weekends plus having a balanced family life with my wife and 3 teenage kids is far more important to me than any fishing match though !

[TF_Cutnut]

Anything taken to extremes is obviously..extreme
competition is useful as a tool for self improvement ..being able to watch someone else approach the same set of tasks in a game can be a learning experience on several levels.
Character is usually on display in how people compete..sometimes in ways that are not always evident in non pressurized interactions. It becomes harder to be deceptive about yourself when you are being challenged by the speed of good competition.
How you accept the outcome, how you express your emotions verbally afterwards can be quite illuminating as well. Actual winning and losing isnt as important if what you are seeking is self improvement.. I’ve always fished for the fun of it and care less if I win or lose.

I really don’t give a toss these days and some of my rigs have been in use for the last six years at least, maybe I might change a hook if I loose one.

I’m now 52 and have realised like the Bulls of old that you can have all the heifers if you take your time. :0)

[TF_pr@ngler]

I think preparation and competitiveness are different things. Sure they are related, but there are very competitive and competent anglers who take pride in doing no preparation at all.

For us mere mortals though, a bit of preparation helps your odds of doing well.

As for me, I am 53 and was as keen as mustard in my late 20s and early 30s. Then kids came along and my career took off, and those things are more important. More recently there are other things I like to do as well as fish; getting out on my bike being a case in point.

So, I probably have a few days every year where I really take everything apart, re-tie rigs, polish my float bristles and alphabetise my hook collection. Before any outing I also find an hour or so be sure I have the right rigs and hooks.

I am pretty competitive on the bank and always reflect afterwards about what went well, what didn’t and what to do next time. But I also realise that I’m not good enough to loose sleep over every miscast or hook pull.

[TF_Serious Sam]

Age 40 and very competitive, I hate losing but try not to let on 😮

Only been matchfishing the last couple of years so expected to get a drubbing for a while but as I’m getting better I’m getting more and more self critical so preparing better as I don’t want to lose due to lack of effort on my part.

Odd thing is though when I do win I often feel guilty if it’s against mates, especially if drawing a flyer . . . just me ?

Always been very competitive about everything, probably due to being a shortarse 😉

[TF_NoCarpPlease]

I’m 43

I have the odd binge at prepping rigs etc, and then use them for the next 3 or 4 years!!!!!
I’ll put aside an hour either night before or early in the morning to chuck the right gear and bait together. Might even mix up some groundbait night before.
I try to make sure that I replalce hoooks and shot etc when I’m running out …..

I do beat myself up when I’ve not done the peg justice – but equally I will often choose to fish a method that I enjoy, rather than one that might maximise the peg’s potential.

[TF_Gavin]

I’m 29.

Yeah, I’d say I was pretty competitive. I don’t spend hours doing my gear now, probably an odd midweek short stint checking bits, then Saturday making sure I have everything present and correct. That said, fishing is never far from my mind and I’m always running things over in my head!

I try not to get frustrated on the bank when things aint going well, as that makes matters much worse! I think I’m quite good at keeping a lid on it there, but things can change once I’m home!

[TF_baz-65Participant]

Even though I am approaching 70, I still get a buzz when I can go fishing. Some weeks I am too poorly to go, but on good days I am still so thrilled to get onto the bank. Gone are the days on a box, its a chair now,poles gone, shake too much, so its back to the waggler. I hardly ever win a match, but catching fish, being on the bank, the craic,and the wildlife, especially a kingfisher make my day. Everyday I can go is a bonus, and I still have fantastic memories, of 65 years fishing.

[TF_Waveney One]

@baz-65 wrote:

Even though I am approaching 70, I still get a buzz when I can go fishing. Some weeks I am too poorly to go, but on good days I am still so thrilled to get onto the bank. Gone are the days on a box, its a chair now,poles gone, shake too much, so its back to the waggler. I hardly ever win a match, but catching fish, being on the bank, the craic,and the wildlife, especially a kingfisher make my day. Everyday I can go is a bonus, and I still have fantastic memories, of 65 years fishing.

Brilliant reply baz!!

Let’s hope that all of us can still get out and do a fish a few matches when we are 70!! There are a few on my local match circuit who are approaching your age and most I have known for years. They still enjoy the matches but are nowhere near as competitive as they were. Every day is a bonus for some especially those who have been ill or had bad scares!

[TF_shep2]

ditto top reply baz 65 ~clap you remind me of an old lad from our club he was early 80s + absolutely gagged for match fishing + craic with lads.During winter whilst we were sat there wih 600 quids worth of windstoppers+goretex he was there with a vest underneath an old blazer with a roll up int gob watching his tip hard as nails that lad was ~clap

[TF_barnsleybornParticipant]

you only have to look at the top anglers to see how much prep helps your performances. Alan Scotthorne, Lee Kerry, Matt Godfry, Joe Carass and the likes all take there personal tackle shop on the bank, trays of rigs every hook tied ect A bit embarresing when i sneakily tie a hook on the bank when im next to them then get beat by 6oz
Thats one of the main differences between us and them

[Pola Bear]

im 29 im really competitive spend 5 to 6 hours befor every match doing my gear… i would find every thing i can about a place befor i go… when fishing it eats me up for ages if i do bad… i did no good in the fisho final this year and i was gutted for about 2 months…

[TF_davenfish]

go fishing once a week
prepare the night before
tie rigs once a month
dont care if i win or not
all i want to do is catch fish
have done better this year than i have for a long time
maybe its an age thing im 41 and run 30 – 40 miles a week
im no good at running (or fishing) but i love them more than ever
i run my own business and dont want to make a million pounds i want a successful business
only thing i would say is that its whats in the water that counts
everything on the bank is irrelevant
but what do i know !!

[TF_MICK THE BOOKIE]

As stated before,i think this is a top thread posted by Richard,and judging by the replies so do you all.It certainly looks like an age issue,and the post from baz65 really sums up the questions asked by Waveney.Our young “Fisho” finalist,Ben(polar bear)tells us of his competitive nature,and how he beats himself up if he thinks he has done badly,not just in the match but in his preparation also.Ben is a very good angler,and i know he will always do his utmost to get the best result possible from any given peg on the day.
We all have our elderly match anglers on our venues across the country,and i know,like me,you admire and respect these wonderful characters who turn up in any weather to sit with us on the banks.They are the lifes blood of the sport we love,and judging by the ones(older than moi),that fish on our matches,they all “cut the mustard” and still can show the youngsters a thing or two about getting fish in the net.But it aint the winning that drives them on,its the taking part and the pleasure they get from sitting on their boxes with us and having the craic.Of course we all prepare and try and give ourselves a chance of doing well,but if like me,it gets very hard to see a number 8 shot let alone put it on a rig…lol. ~think ~think ~think ~think ~think ~shh ~shh

[TF_Waveney One]

Well said Mick. I actually had a result yesterday, 28lb 8oz in a silver fish only open match where even the crucians didn’t count. I put over a dozen of them back along with a few ‘proper carp’ that would have doubled my weight at least. I did do a little preparation in that I made a couple of phone calls as I hadn’t fished these matches before and made up 4 rigs for the day.

I knew when I was at my peg though that I wasn’t getting as much out of my peg as those around me who when they hooked a carp were deliberately breaking off asap and I was playing them in. There was swearing and comments about ‘trash’ fish etc from around the lake from guys who would be fishing for carp today! Interestingly enough these comments and the swearing was all from the younger members. Fortunately for me, I lumped into a few bream that swung it my way. In the end I missed out on first by 9oz that I could have caught if I didn’t play the carp and pulled for a break but was more than happy with my result!

[porky]

Failing to prepare, is preparing to fail.

I know this to be true as i heard Roy Cropper say so on corrie.

[TF_BacseyParticipant]

Im also a competitive angler and think a lot about my fishing,i like to know that i have rigs to cover all situations in a match and will never write myself off or panic from any peg,good or bad.I dont like the thought of fishing a peg wrong but of cause this does happen and i hope to learn from it,prep is important and time must be spent on it to be successful.I always have and always will love match fishing,in my opinion the best sport bar none.

[TF_AnthonywatersParticipant]

I fish matches once a fortnight and prep wise I have everything covered plenty of hooklengths and rigs tied rods ready to cover any application but its not important for me to win at all costs I have a days fishing and if it comes then all well and good if I blow out I never sulk otherwise I would spend my whole life sulking !

[TF_AnthonywatersParticipant]

I fish matches once a fortnight and prep wise I have everything covered plenty of hooklengths and rigs tied rods ready to cover any application but its not important for me to win at all costs I have a days fishing and if it comes then all well and good if I blow out I never sulk otherwise I would spend my whole life sulking !

[TF_BacseyParticipant]

I think at the end of the day the fishing must always be the real winner,as long as i get my string pulled im happy.I cant understand people who draw and go home because they dont think they can win,ever since i was a kid i just loved fishing good or bad.

[TF_MICK THE BOOKIE]

@Bacsey wrote:

I think at the end of the day the fishing must always be the real winner,as long as i get my string pulled im happy.I cant understand people who draw and go home because they dont think they can win,ever since i was a kid i just loved fishing good or bad.

~clap ~clap ~clap Bang on the money Dave.As long as we are matchfishing with our mates,i dont mind if i am last which i invariably am……If you believe that,i am a skint Bookie(which i am)….lol.

See you Sunday at Willy mate.~clap ~clap

[TF_bramParticipant]

i dont prepare half as well as i used to and ive had a terrible year.i suppose that sums it up doesnt it.
im still as competitive as ever and get really narked when i dont do well.
maybe this thread is the kick up the arse i need!

[Author]

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