Open matches ? - Talk Angling fishing chat and tackle advice

Ian.B · 29th August 2007, 09:27 PM

Are opens a good way to improve match angling skills or as a small club angler are you unlikely to pick up any tips from the regular top finishers ?
Anyone had any good or bad experiences trying the 'opens' route ?

Thanks, Ian

P.s. suppose my local venue for opens would be Hallcroft Fisheries (about 7 miles) where the likes of Jamie Masson & Tom Pickering used to fish fairly regularly (& might still do). So would expect to get whooped... but don't mind learning the hard way as long as I learn something new now & again !

compleat tangler · 29th August 2007, 09:29 PM

my best advice would be to get into team fishing a.s.a.p. you will learn quicker and improve quicker! several heads are better than one

good luck

keith · 29th August 2007, 09:35 PM

Ian,

I have found locally to me the guys who fish the opens regularly are fairly open and honest after the event. If you can get as much practice on the waters concerned then at least you will be prepared, have an open mind and try the things you are told, they may work and you can fine tune as you go along to your strengths. Most of the top names are approachable after the matches and try to find out where you went wrong rather than where they did well. Its all part of the learning curve and with the cost of open match fishing its worth trying to get as much info as possible for your money. With a little bit of luck and a lot of practice you never know a brown envelope may be just round the corner.

keith · 29th August 2007, 09:37 PM

CT

IMO Team fishing is fine if you have a team that will accept you. You normally need a few good results to get noticed before a team comes along. It may be an idea though to go with a couple of mates and pool the info gained.

compleat tangler · 30th August 2007, 06:12 AM

your right keith but when i was younger ( a long long time ago!) i became steward for hull and disrict for nationals etc then bank ran. fished the practise matches and got noticed that way plus learnt loads quickly but it does cost a lot to learn and you have to stick at it.

D N W · 30th August 2007, 08:35 AM

I came to fishing after an injury stopped me playing rugby and was therfor relatively old when i first started. After i was a pleasure angler for 2 years i joined a local club and learned more in 2 months than i had done in the 2 years. It was cheaper than fishing opens but i was learning all the time, the one thing i would say is do a bit of groundwork and join a club that anglers fish opens has well has these anglers will be more switched on rather than the old boy that nods off on is deck chair. Once you can compete with the best anglers in the club then pick a couple of open matches and stick to them until you start winning coin and then go further afield. It takes time but there is no getting around it.

If you do go down the open route straight away i would go some where else other than halcroft, your right jamie fishes there regular and so do other proffesional anglers also the regulars fish there every day so they can compete with them, if you turn up once a week you will be battered every match and could get dissilutioned. Try the likes of wetlands nice anglers the fishing is better and you can use a variety of methods and would learn faster.

Ian.B · 30th August 2007, 11:41 AM

Thanks for the replies lads.
The local club I am in looks like folding this year so I'm looking for something new.
Fishing the Opens was more about convenience rataher than threatening top honours (which would be nice but unlikely !), i.e. you can fish when you like rather than have ten set weekend matches, some of which you can't always make.
But you're quite right about becoming disillusioned (& skint !) by fishing against venue regulars at places like Hallcroft, & I'm not that chatty or pushy so probably wouldn't learn much.
There was another small club I fished a couple of years ago (about 20 members) where I won one & made top five a few times, maybe I will join them again next year & try the Opens if I do well with them.

Thanks again.

Kingfisher · 30th August 2007, 11:57 AM

That's what a lot of us do Ian. Club first,opens occasionally!

D N W · 30th August 2007, 01:01 PM

Ian i am in the same position as yourself working 12 hour shifts and not being able to get of on the same day each week so club fishing is out for me, i therfor had to fish opens to get a match which has been expensive but gave me a good grounding from some of the best anglers around and i am now reeping the benefit with plenty of match wins. So if you have to fish opens go for it but choose youre venues wisely.

Ian.B · 30th August 2007, 06:09 PM

All sounds like good advice. I honestly don't mind being chucked in at the deep end (so to speak). Means I plan my match from the bottom not the top..... i.e. first priority is don't blank & after the first fish is netted the 2nd priority is not to come last !
Then through the match if I sence I'm mid table only then do I dare to contemplate making the top five..... or who knows... even top three !....
It all makes for a good day.