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- SUCCESSFUL MATCH FISHING ON VFM SHAREWARE'S COARSE ANGLER.
-
- Hopefully, if you are reading this you have a copy of Coarse Angler.
- If not it might be worth getting a copy from your local PD, or direct from
- VFM Shareware, address to follow later.
-
- If you are an angler and do not already have a copy of this disk, you
- may have been under the same assumption as myself. " Can't be any good."
- Whilst ordering some PD, I decided to give it a try, after all I could
- always erase the disk if I didn't like it. Much to my suprise, I found the
- game to be a very accurate portrayal of the fine art of coarse fishing.
- Having worked in the past as a professional sea angler, and on a fish farm
- it really did come as a shock as to how good this game was.
- Within 24 hours of getting the game, I decided that the asking price
- was certainly a reasonable licence fee to pay, for such an enjoyable game.
- Upon recept of my registration fee, I was sent a professional quality
- manual, by Ted Moody, creator of the game.
- Since then I have been in regular contact with him, and discussed many
- features of the game with him. In recent conversations it has been noted
- that many people are asking about the second disk for more pegs. If more
- photographs and ideas for venues were forthcoming, it might be achieved a
- little sooner. So if you have any ideas and more importantly photographs,
- that you think might be used. Send them off to him, he and many others
- would be very appreciative, and all material will be returned as soon as
- finished with.
- The manual tends to deal more with the specimen hunt, and does not
- give too much away. I decided to write a small piece on each of the pegs,
- to deal with the match fishing aspect of the game. It is not my intention
- to give a comprehensive match winning formula, but a few hints and tips to
- beat J R Hartley and others. I will not go into the tackle side of match
- fishing either, this is dealt with in the manual. Also included is a
- general section which offers a few tips, that can be applied to the game as
- a whole. For a more complete list of tackle and baits, please refer to the
- users manual. The game itself has a few touches of humour, and you might
- try using a size 20 hook to 10lb line. If you are unsuccessful in a
- specimen hunt try the option that the programmer knows nothing, your
- computer locks. It is possible by keying in a magic word to free the game.
- Its worth a look just to see the comments about the water and weather. No,
- I'm not going to tell you what the magic word is, it's in plain ink at the
- back of the manual.
-
-
- GENERAL TIPS:
- In match fishing, it is your aim to catch as great a weight as
- possible in the time allowed. 15 minutes isn't very long, but with a bit
- of knowledge and practice, you should be pulling fish in at an acceptable
- rate throughout the whole match. Try to catch the larger fish in the swim
- first, then more progressively on to smaller fish as bites become fewer. I
- have found that trying for the very large fish in a swim can be counter
- productive, as they can take a long time to play out. There is also the
- risk of losing the fish due to line breakage.
- Whilst legering, it is worth twitching your bait once in a while. If
- no bites are forthcoming, go back to the tackle box. Try changing your
- bait, line or even just your hook size. Although if your hook size is
- incorrect, you will notice that you are missing bites frequently. This can
- also apply to incorrect tackle set up.
- Float fishing requires a little extra time in setting up. I have
- found that it is worth going to the practice game, and making a small
- drawing of each of the pegs. Then making notes on your diagram as to the
- depths of the swim, and where the fish are. Make sure that you know in
- what types of water you would use a particular float. Upon proof of
- registration, I would be more than happy to provide a detailed use of all
- floats in the game. On most pegs it is worth the extra effort and time to
- find the correct float setup.
- Normally, when match fishing, one would go for the smallest hook
- possible. This is because most real match venues are over-fished anyway,
- and the fish are wary of being caught. The fish in this game are not so
- hook shy, so the trick is to use as big a hook as you can get away with-
- bigger hooks mean bigger baits, and big baits = big fish. Try a size 14
- for starters, adjusting it if you are missing bites. The only exception is
- peg 4, which seems to be full of tiddlers. Don't go berserk with the line
- size though, save the 10lb stuff for the specimen hunt.
- Finding the best bait for a particular peg can be a hard decision at
- times. I have found that whilst match fishing, go for the bait that
- produces the larger fish first. If you are lucky enough to find a large
- shoal of Bream, stick to fishing for them. They are usually of a decent
- size and are easy to play and land.
- When getting near the end of a match, check to see the weight of fish
- that you have caught. If your weight is a little low, a last ditch gamble
- for a large fish might just tip the scales in your favour. This has the
- added bonus, if you hook a large fish, of being able to play it out even
- when your time has run out. At this point don't try to rush the fish, you
- will have as much time to land it as you need.
-
- Note from Ted-
- These are Mark's match tactics. Studying my notes on the pegs, I can
- see other ways of getting your name on the hi-score table. You may find an
- approach of your own equally effective. The weather and water conditions
- also make for a difference in fishing methods, which must be taken into
- account. In other words, there is no single formula for winning matches in
- Coarse Angler. Ivan Marks, one time champion match angler gave the answer
- when people wanted to know his "secret"- YOU'VE GOT TO WORK AT IT.
-
- -********************-
-
- THE PEGS:
- Peg 1- River Torm:
- Personally, I find this the hardest of all to win. Try legering for
- the Chub first, then when bites drop off switch to Roach, Dace and
- Grayling. Make absolutely sure that your drag is set correctly on this
- swim, as large fish have a habit of snapping rods. Effective methods are
- leger for Chub and Barbel, and a light float set up for Roach, Dace and
- Grayling. Don't fish too fine on the bottom as you will lose a lot of fish
- or catch Gudgeon.
- As far as I am aware two species of record fish are in this swim.
-
- Peg 2- Elm Lea Lake:
- It is possible on this swim to score quite high points in a match. I
- have found float fishing for Bream to be very effective. It also produces
- the odd Eel of around 2lb. It can take some effort to find the Bream, but
- when located the fun begins. As soon as bites drop off, switch to a
- lighter tackle and fish for Roach. When playing in the Bream, be prepared
- for the fish's second run. They come in easily, until near the net.
- As far as I am aware only one species of record fish is in this
- swim.
-
- Peg 3- Farm Pond:
- This is one of my favourite pegs of the game. Leger or float seem to
- be just as good as each other. Try legering and float fishing on the
- bottom, for Bream, Crucian Carp and Tench. It is possible to catch Carp
- during matches, but as with most matches it can be counter productive
- fishing for large fish. There are several hotspots, that need to be
- searched out, to find the Bream and Crucian Carp. When bites drop off try
- a spot of surface fishing with light tackle for Rudd.
- As far as I am aware two species of record fish exist in this swim.
-
- Peg 4- Canal:
- You will need to be very quick to hit all of the bites on this peg.
- Try legering, and float fishing on the bottom for small Bream and Roach,
- the odd small Chub may show up whilst fishing for these. If possible try
- to avoid using "animal" based baits when fishing on the bottom, as there
- are a large amount of bootlace Eels, and their bites can be difficult to
- connect with. Light tackle float fished at mid-water produce large amounts
- of small Bleak, Perch and Roach. Don't expect to score high points on this
- peg as the fish are quite small.
- Be prepared for an escapee Carp, which I can only presume has come in
- from upstream. It might be worth trying to catch this fish whilst fishing
- a match on this peg. Although you may have to strengthen the tackle to do
- so.
- I am sure that there are no record fish on this peg.
-
- Peg 5- Weirpool:
- Try fishing for a couple of Barbel, with leger tackle the odd large
- Chub may put in an apperance, be very cautious whilst playing the former,
- they seem to have rockets surgically implanted. Don't spend more than four
- minutes fishing for the above, switch to a lighter set-up, and try for
- Bream and Roach. If the bite rate drops off change to a light float tackle
- and fish for Roach, Dace and small Grayling. This is not normally
- necessary on this swim, as the Bream are quite prolific, if only of just
- over a 1lb in average weight. There are also some small Pike in the swim
- that can help towards a better weight, but it needs a little bit of a
- search to find them.
- There is only one species of record fish in this swim.
-
- Peg 6- Estate Lake:
- Try spending around seven or eight minutes fishing for Tench in this
- swim. Then switch to a lighter tackle for the Bream. As with most pegs
- you will find the Bream in several spots. The odd small Crucian Carp and
- Roach may be caught on this peg, but the mainstay are the Tench and Bream.
- Leger can be effective for both species, and it is hard to miss the bites
- when using the correct tackle, but give float fishing a try fishing on the
- bottom.
- There is only one species of record fish in this swim.
-
- Peg 7- Gravel Pit:
- Try long range float fishing and legering for Bream, small Perch may
- become a nuisance if using small baits. The odd Pike may be caught whilst
- fishing on the bottom so take care. Eels of around 2lb also make a show,
- and it is worth catching a few of these to top up your weights. Small
- Tench and Roach are also present, but try to stick with the Bream for good
- weights in this swim. To the best of my knowledge, this peg contains one
- species of record fish.
-
- Peg 8- River Brent:
- This swim is a real joy to fish, and if it was based on a river, I
- would love to know where. Bream yet again make up good weight on this peg,
- but take care with the swifter bites as they can be Barbel. It is worth
- trying to play these out as are the Chub. If bites slacken off switch to a
- fine float tackle, and fish for the Roach, don't spend to long with these,
- as they can be a little tricky, until the correct depth and tackle/bait
- combination has been found. If there is time left try trotting at
- mid-water for small Perch, it is rare that you may need to do this, but
- every little helps. With this peg, it is a very good idea to "twitch" the
- bait once in a while, whilst legering for Bream.
- There is only one species of record fish present in this swim.
-
- Peg 9- Wild Tarn:
- This swim produces a few good tussles, fish on the bottom for medium
- sized Pike. Be prepared for some nice Eels, so fairly stout tackle is
- recommended. When the bite rate drops off, try for Perch. It is worth
- noting in the manual where these might be. There are also some small Roach
- in the swim, although I have found it quite unusual to have to fish for
- these during any matches.
- There is one species of record fish in this swim.
-
- Peg 10- Park Lake:
- I have found this to be an awkward swim to win matches from. Float
- fishing on the bottom, or legering produces Crucian Carp, Tench, Roach and
- smallish Bream. Yet again small Eels can be a bit of a pain when using
- certain baits. Try to fish from the start for Crucian Carp and Tench, the
- odd Roach will be caught, but the bite rate can be quite fast. As bites
- slacken off try for the small Bream, or mid-water for perch and roach. I
- have also caught small Rudd near the surface. I have been informed that
- there are also Carp in this swim. Although I have yet to catch one during
- a match.
- There is one species of record fish in this swim.
-
- Peg 11- River Slack:
- This peg produces good numbers of small fish, mainly Dace and Roach.
- It is possible with the correct presentation to catch Chub and Grayling of
- reasonable size to make up the weight. Light float tackle trotted through
- the swim is effective for the Dace and Roach in good numbers, although I
- prefer to leger throughout the time allowed. This enables Grayling and
- Chub to be caught, which make for a better weight.
- There is one species of record fish in this peg,and I am sure Ted will
- be pleased to note. That it still remains uncaught, although not unhooked!
-
- Peg 12- Wharf:
- The first time that I fished this peg, I did myself a little
- injustice. I did so well, that I have yet to better my score. Start by
- fishing on the bottom with stoutish tackle for the middle weight Pike.
- Then switch to fishing for Bream. It is possible to get a very good score
- on this peg, by fishing close in for a large fish. I won't spoil your fun
- as to what it is, but is well worth trying for when the Bream bites drop
- away. Reasonable Perch can also add to a very respectable score in this
- swim. Small Roach can also be found on this peg.
- There is one species of record fish in this swim.
-
- -********************-
-
- I really hope that these tips are of some use, and I haven't given too
- much away, and spoilt any enjoyment of your piscatorial pursuits.
-
- Best Wishes,
- Mark.
-
-
- DISCLAIMER
-
- I am in no way related to Ted Moody and if you were under that false
- assumption, I am sure he would be highly offended.
- If you want to discuss anything pertaining to fishing, comics, life
- the universe and everything. Drop me a line (Pun intended). You might
- even be interested in sending me a copy of your scores on disk to see if I
- can beat them, not that I disbelieve written scores,but I am an angler as
- well!
-
- MARK ALLINGTON
- 19, HIGH WEST STREET
- DORCHESTER
- DORSET
- DT1 IUW
- 04/05/95
-