Match fishing – chances are it’s a style of competitive fishing you’ve never heard of. While match fishing is hugely popular throughout Europe, its seemingly bizarre tactics leave even experienced American anglers scratching their heads. But don’t confuse something unfamiliar with a sport that’s simple or unsophisticated. To the contrary, a quick search of the Internet will reveal a world of highly evolved angling complexity.
Match fishing competitions find participants confined to small areas called pegs, along a bank, with the goal of catching the heaviest combined weight of fish during a prescribed time period. Equipment and tactics vary depending on the venue and available species. Top competitors catch six fish or more per minute over a three-hour period—all the while managing delicate tackle, adjusting presentations and continually metering precise quantities of ground bait into the water to attract fish and keep them feeding. Competitors often employ tiny size 16-20 hooks to target fish less than four-inches long but must be ready to battle larger fish like carp on the same gear.
Six accomplished female anglers will represent the United States at the 24th Annual Ladies’ Match Fishing World Championships in Szolnok, Hungary on Aug. 26 and 27. The first-ever ladies team was assembled by the United States Angling Confederation.
The team consists of Barb Carey, Hannah Stonehouse Hudson and Kristen Monroe, all of Wisconsin, Elise De Villiers and Penelope Smit, of Florida, and Shelly Holland, of Minnesota. De Villiers and Smit are veteran match anglers, while Carey, Holland, Hudson, and Monroe will be competing for the first time in Hungary.
“We don’t expect miracles,” said Team Coach, Attila Agh, a lifelong match angler from Hungary who moved to the United States 17 years ago and has since become a U.S. citizen. “Our competition has been fishing in this way for their entire lives. But I am very encouraged by the spirit our ladies are showing, their angling ability and their competitive nature. They are learning the necessary skills that are new to them and progressing quickly.”
Agh warned the competition not to count the Americans out, and the team agrees.
De Villiers, who started her match-fishing career in the U.S. nearly 20 years ago, coached and fished on South Africa’s ladies team in the FIPSed WorldChampionships in 2012 and 2013. “I’m very excited that the U.S.A. will have a team competing in Hungary this summer,” she said. “I’m enjoying getting to know these other wonderful ladies and helping to prepare them however I can. I’m extremely proud to be representing Team USA.”
In addition to maintaining a rigorous training schedule, the USA Ladies’ Match Fishing Team is raising money to offset significant costs leading up to the competition. Individuals and businesses interested in helping financially are invited to make tax-deductible donations of any amount at www.gofundme.com/team-usa-ladies-match-fishing.
Visit www.teamusafishing.org for more information, or join the conversation on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/TeamUSALadiesMatchFishing/.