Severn Matches vs Pleasure

 I often read along the lines that matches on the Severn produce such big weights, often of Barbel, compared to pleasure anglers, that the match anglers must have some magic ability.

Although you could say, I haven't been fishing the Severn for all that long, and don't as yet match fish it, I feel like sharing my thoughts on the matter.

Firstly, I have heard it said you can catch Barbel on any peg on the Severn. I don't believe this to be true, and the fish will be where they want to be on the river given certain conditions. There will be flyer pegs on matches.

This leads me to my next point, it's also said that there's more pressure on the river in matches, and as a result, the feat of match men is even greater. This is not always true. Often when there's no match on, the river will be just as busy, if not busier on some stretches.

Going back to my first point, this fish will hole up in certain spots based on the conditions of the river, and it's not unusual for only a few pegs to produce in either situation.

If you do believe that match men catch more fish, this could lead you to believe it's because they fish lighter. While there may be a slight truth in this, it's not always the case. Any decent angler of either discipline will be using appropriate tackle, as heavy or as light as they deem necessary to safely land the fish.

I also hear of tremendous weights from both matches and pleasure fishing. Obviously you can choose your peg when pleasure fishing, but there's not always the guarantee you will be on the fish. 

What I would say though, is that the open matches are most often held on stretches near or in the towns of Bewdley or Bridgnorth, and these are noticeably prolific stretches in variable river conditions, and still are not always won with Barbel.