5 minutes with: Jamie Hughes

Champion match angler Jamie Hughes is all set to attend his eighth Fish O’Mania final, his seventh in a row – but what does it take to be so consistently successful? Angling Times talked to the former three-times Fish O’ winner, angling tutor and MAP man, picking his brains on his match angling career and his love affair with Fish O’Mania…

Q) So Jamie, you’ve qualified for your eighth final, which will be your seventh on the spin. That’s quite an achievement – how do you feel about that? And how hard is it to consistently qualify? 

JH: I do fish a lot of qualifiers, but a lot of luck is still involved – you need to draw the correct peg for a chance. Persistence is key. It’s my goal every year to qualify for a final, and it hasn’t gone that bad so far. 

Q) You certainly are doing something right. How can you be so consistent?

JH: Again, this is down to persistence, it really is key. You have to approach each match differently, but the bottom line is that you have to fish positively – you have to fish to win! There is no point fishing if you don’t have that attitude. There’s no point in finishing second. 

Q) Do you spend much time practising and preparing for events? 

JH: To be honest, having fished for such a long time, I’ll have a rough idea of each venue I go to and how to approach it. In the summer months the events come so thick and fast, you also don’t have the time to practise between events.

Q) What have you learnt in previous Fish O’Mania events or finals that you reckon you can use to your advantage this year?

JH: While you do learn a little from match to match, I try to approach the fishing the same as I always have. I have the same basic approach, which is to keep things simple. I prepare the kit I need to use to win, for example. I’ll choose the line of attack I think will work on the day and go with it – if you end up on Plan C, chances are you aren’t going to win the match.

Q) What’s it like competing at the top level? It must be hard work fishing against other top angler’s week in, week out. 

JH: If I’m honest I’m used to it now – I fish hundreds of matches every year. The Fish O’ finals are a unique atmosphere, with the big crowds and the TV presence – although I do quite enjoy it now! For a newbie I think it can be quite a daunting scene, but now I’ve fished so many I can handle it better, which definitely gives me an advantage.

Q) There must be a lot of pressure to perform in a Fish O’ qualifier or final. How do you cope with it? 

JH: It’s largely down to mindset, and experience definitely helps here. I’ve seen some of the top anglers, people you’d never expect to fall apart, crumble under the pressure of a match. The pressure will always be there, but even if you do sort your head out, in the Fish O’Mania final you then have the added thought of a £50,000 winner’s prize in your mind – which really doesn’t help!”

Q) What are you expecting from this year’s final?

JH: I always like to be confident. If I get in the right mindset, and draw the right peg, then I’ll stand a good chance of winning! That said, it’s at Hayfield this year, so it’s all a little bit unknown – which may change things.

Q) Are there outside factors which affect your chances of winning? 

JH: As I’ve mentioned, peg draw in match fishing is, of course, everything – you can’t catch what’s not in front of you. On the previous venue, Arena, peg draw was essential. What it’ll be like on Island Pool at Hayfield I have no idea. Certain areas of certain lakes are often better than others. I think sometimes crowds can be an issue – they can upset the fish and completely kill your swim. The good thing is, behind me it’s normally my mates and I can turn around and tell them to shut up!    

Q) What advice would you give your younger self? 

JH: Don’t go fishing; it’ll do your head in! Seriously, though, I’d tell myself to enjoy it more. I don’t pleasure fish any more, I wouldn’t know how to. All these high-pressure matches have spoiled that side of things. That said, I have started taking my step son fishing, which is good – chances are I’ll slowly introduce him to the match scene.

Q) Where did it all start? When and how did you get into the match fishing scene? 

JH: I fished club matches on local ponds when I was 14 or 15 years old, and won my first open aged 17 on Burton Mere. I then started doing a lot of team fishing on canals and rivers, but at the age of 25 I decided to try full-on commercial fishing. Luckily at the time commercials were on the rise, as was the introduction of F1s, which I have now learnt so much about – both put me ahead of the game, which has definitely helped my match career. Those F1s are difficult to catch, like roach on a river, and learning to bag a weight of them has improved my carp catch rate tenfold. 

Q) What’s been your most memorable moment so far? 

JH: Definitely my first-ever Fish O’Mania win. I drew the ultimate peg – all of the lake’s barbel were in front of me, and I’d effectively won it after about 2½ hours. If I’m honest it couldn’t have been easier – it was my easiest-ever match win!

Q) Who have you been influenced by the most? Did anyone in particular inspire you to take up competition fishing?

JH: Like lots of people it was my mates, half-a-dozen people, a group of lads who just bounced off each other. It’s a great core of people, the match scene – I end up fishing against the same 30 or 40 anglers who travel the country for match angling. I’ve become very good friends with some of these.

Q) As we know, you’re an angling coach. How did that come about? 

JH: Basically, from me having enough of being a scaffolder for 10 years. I started in 2011 and it was going okay, but after my first Fish O’Mania final win in 2012 it’s been mental – that changed my life forever, putting me in the spotlight.