Match Fishing In North America
by Mick Thill

Match fishing, at its highest level, national and international competition, is fiercely competitive. The match fishing competition begins on local waters throughout each country. Eventually, each country has a national team. This is the Olympics of match fishing, wildly popular in Europe, where the best anglers are household heroes. This has been my life for 36 years, from my early teens when I won my first competition in England, where I was raised, an American citizen living with my English mother.

Match fishermen fish from shore, from "pegs," which are 12 to 15 yard areas drawn by chance. They fish for total weight, no matter the species or size, usually with poles, some measuring more than 50 feet. Some long range fishing also is accomplished with long rods and reels.

The angler draws a portion of the bank that he’s never seen before. Competitors sit 13 yards away on each side, while perhaps a thousand people stand close behind, watching every move. The object is to catch whatever is in your area, fishing 6 inches from shore to as far out as you can reach.

Naturally, big fish are preferred, but they’re usually spooked by the commotion, so smaller fish are sought until the big fish settle. If they don’t settle, competitors must concentrate on the little ones, sometimes fish so small they might be considered bait in North America. Yet even these tiny fish may have been caught and released before, so they’re excruciatingly wary. All fish are important, so the angler must know each species well enough to catch as many as possible during a three-hour period. The rules include no ledgering (bottom fishing). A float must be used with the bait.

This form of fishing is beginning to catch on in North America. Two thriving clubs presently exist in Chicago and another in Merrilville, Indiana. Other clubs are forming in Georgia, Texas, and Wisconsin. Meanwhile, America’s national team under the banner of the American Federation of Anglers has competed in world events since 1982. World events include the World Championship, World Club Championship, Junior Championship, Women’s Championship, Ice Championship, and Physically Challenged Anglers’ Championship. A world Carp event is planned soon. America will compete in the World Championship in Italy in 2000. Canada also has a team, based in Toronto. The first international match between the U.S. and Canada took place on April 29 in Windsor, Ontario, the first leg of the North American Challenge Cup. This was won by the U.S.

Ultimately, of course, the skills used to compete in matches are, at their essence, skills that any angler can use to catch fish anywhere in North America. Beginning anglers don’t need a lot of high-priced tackle to be highly successful at catching fish and having fun.

Post by Doug Stange-

* Mick Thill, Skokie, Illinois was for more than two decades a fixture in the inner circles of the English match fishing world, winning his first club event at age 15. Over the years, he won many of the most important events and fished on some of the most visible teams in England’s history, at one point representing the 70,000 member Central Association London Team in the English National Championship. After returning to America, he became the first American to win a World Championship Gold Medal, along with other medals. He is the only angler in the world to win medals in match and world ice events and has been captain of team USA since 1982.

This article contributed by www.mickthill.com