Competitions great for the learning curve.

On Saturday 29^th August 2009, SouthDevonFishing (SDF) held its second Anniversary Cup Competition and Meet at Beesands (for full report follow link). All those that attended enjoyed a fantastic evening and some top quality prizes were awarded. This event and others have highlighted the many advantages there are to attending events such as these to the novice or weekend pleasure angler. There is always a massive amount of extremely useful information on offer in a relaxed and comfortable atmosphere. This information can come in different forms from simply chatting to those fishing next to you, watching what they do, to lessons from more experienced anglers such as casting supremo Andy Copping at the recent Beesands event. You may meet someone who would be willing to take you to their favourite marks to try fishing for species you hadn't caught before using techniques and tackle that are a bit different to what you're used to or maybe just someone to join you for a session every now and then. The other advantage is that people will all be using different tackle and events like these give you the chance to look at what is available, hear first hand user reviews and maybe, if the owner is willing, have a cast with a different rod and reel outfit to get a feel of what it is like. It's a real chance to try before you buy if you are looking to upgrade your equipment. Having someone around who has experience of using that gear and can show you the best way forward can be a real confidence builder before you enter a tackle shop to purchase your new kit.

The other advantage is that these meetings are a great way to glean a lot of information about the venue the event is being held on. For a lone weekend pleasure angler it would take a lifetime of fishing a venue to learn all of its nuances what with fishing being effected by so many wide ranging factors such as tides, seasons, bait andrigs, the list is almost endless. Even fishing from different spots along a mark can make a difference to why or why not you are successful, with sandbanks, rocky areas, gullies or depressions holding fish in an area while less than fifty yards away there will be no fish at all. The three events hosted by SDF so far are great cases to prove that these events really do help you learn. The first even was held at Princess Pier in August 2008, a venue previously dismissed as a barren area where only mackerel and garfish could be caught in regular numbers. On competition day an amazing 15 separate species were landed to a massive variety of tactics from mackerel to gilthead bream! Since then even more species have been added to this impressive list proving that that dismissal of a venue on heresay reports is a mistake. The winter of 2008 saw SDF host another competition at Oddicombe Beach, Torquay. This proved to be a great learning experience about the venue with competitors fishing to the right of the small slipway finding rough ground and not many fish whilst a mere fifty yards to the left anglers were catching whiting galore and not losing any gear. The most recent competition once again saw this divide but also one special fish being caught as well, a 1lb 12oz Dover Sole by John Bailey, he also won the competition. Had he found a nice depressed area in the seabed which holds the fish? One thing was sure, the left side of the beach was the productive area!

Competitions and meets are clearly an easy way to improve your knowledge, skills and experience in the company of relaxed, fun, fellow anglers and a great chance of winning some prizes and making some new friends. The next competition will be announced shortly why not sign up to the forum to find out more and join in? You'll probably learn something new and might win a prize to top off the day!