Matt Godfrey

Matt is one of England’s rising match stars. A regular feature in the international set up, the current U18 world champion is the only person to have won the junior world title three times.

Matt began fishing at the tender age of just three years old, when he used to go and visit his grandparents who owned a caravan at Torksey in Lincolnshire. With the Fossdyke canal just a short walk from the site, it didn’t take Matt long to persuade his dad, Kevin to let him give fishing a try.

With most of his early years spent fishing venues around this area such as the Fossdyke, the Till and the Trent, it is not suprising that Matt has developed such an affinity to natural venues.

It was at a commercial that he was given his big break into team fishing however, when he met Glyn Williams at an open day at Shireoaks when he was eight years old. The Worksop coach took Matt under his wing, signing him up for the Worksop cadet team.

He fished his first national with the cadets aged 10 on the Bargate drain near Boston, helping the team to gold, and taking the individual bronze medal for himself.

Aged 12, he made it into cadet team yet again for the national on the River Nene in Peterborough, where he took both individual and team gold, cementing his place as one of the best up and coming anglers in the country.

The year after, the team struggled in the national, but in 2005, when Matt was 14, they bounced back yet again, taking team gold at Droitwich complex Woodlands View. This was also the year that Matt was first selected to represent his country in Serbia. The England teams did brilliantly this year, with both the juniors and intermediates taking team gold, with Matt taking the individual gold, and the intermediates also returning with an individual silver medal.

Following on from his success the year before, Matt was selected to captain Worksops junior national squad in 2006. The team took a bronze medal, with Matt finishing a respectable thirteenth individually on the Bridgewater canal. The world championships this year was in Portugal, the team secured a bronze medal, but unusually there waere no individual honours for Matt.

In 2007, Matt went on to secure his much documented second world title, taking the individual gold medal in the Czech republic. Other than his major success on the international stage, this year also saw Matt sign for Triana North, where he continues to hone his already brilliant skills, with the help of some of the teams other top anglers.

The 2008 World Championships at Ghent rowing course in Belgium provided yet another oppurtunity for Matt to shine, and shine he did winning the world title for the third time, and being the only angler to record a perfect two section wins. The team were third this year, with the intermediates finishing fourth and U22 angler Callum Dicks securing the world title in this category.

Talking about the future, Matt’s next major aim is to make it into the squad for next years U22 world championships, as well as continuing with his studies at Wales High School, where he is studying A levels.

John

Is that Horseshoe lake.
Congratulations on your SPRO sponsorship.
steve

Hi Matt
I am fishing horseshoe on sunday 9th march,what is the best way to approach it this time of year?
Congrats on SPRO
STEVE
Matt

Eyup steve. sorry i didn’t reply to your question about horseshoe this week! iv’e been away on a school residential trip since monday!!! just to let you know though, i find that pellets still work well at this time of year, feeding small amounts of micros and fishing a light rig with a 4mm expander or maggot over the top at about 8m. also scale everthing down to 0.08 bottoms and 20 hooks. if your ever on horseshoe again let us know and i’ll get some info for you. let us know how you got on, cheers, matt.
steve

Did not do too well bit new to this pellet lark,peg 7 won 25+ then 10lb then 5 then not much else.Got kiveton bottom pond at end of month any ideas on that one.
Thanks

Steve
steve newsome

question for matt,i am at horseshoe in august and am unsure how to approach it.I have been told that peg 6 is a flier but what would be good methods for the rest of the pond

thanks
steve
lewis r

I fish in and around Worksop and Kiveton, Lodge Farm a fishery I think you know. I’m thinking of fishing their winter open matches but arn’t quite sure how it fishes in winter. Any tips on bait, rigs, how far to fish etc as i am clueless having only pleasure fished there before
cheers
alan hayes

Hi Matt, i seem to have lost your telephone and address again can you please phone me 07909762947 or 07990605796 re xmas presentation

thanks

alan
Matt

eyup lewis, im not really clued up on lodge farm, but i know that last year there were a lot of carp caught on the waggler with maggot. its really deep on some on the lakes, so you can catch at like half depth even in the middle of winter just letting the bait fall through the water with a few small shot down the line. i should think that a small groundbait feeder with red maggot will also work when its hard, and then mabye a pellet line on the pole. i’d try and find a featyure, like the bottom of a shelf to fish on. Tom will probible know more than me about there mate, so it minght be wotrthg dropping him an e-mail too.
michael

ayup flower! nice catch u have there son!
daniel ball

hello
i just want to no where i could go for the trails for england if they have any coming up?
dan ball
matt godfrey

eyup dan, there is usually an application for available on the NFA website pal, thats where i get mine from, you can just print one out and there is an address to send it to on there too. if not, keep an eye out in the angling times because there is a note in there and a number to ring for an application form, or try steve sanders at KC angling centre…..
Milan Nenadovic

Hi Matt, see you in Portugal, as fishing there, because you have some news? pozzz of Milan SERBIA
daniel ball

thanks Matt. Keep up the good work
Chris Whitehorn

Dear Matt Godfrey,
I and a fishing buddy have read your artical “Preparation, Preparation, Preparation”, and find it excellent, however we are having trouble understanding the part as listed below:-
“Once shotted up, I place my rigs on winders. Any float under 4×12 I make to a top three, anything over that goes on a full top 4, and anything over 1g goes on a top 5. This way, I ensure I never have to add any line on the bank; it’s much easier to shorten a rig!

All rigs can be prepared at home I count the turns on my winder, and have measured them so that I know a top 3 is say 10 winds, a top 4 is 17 winds, and a top 5 is 23 winds. I recommend doing this, as it saves you getting your kits out in the garage and house, where they can easily be broken!

I like to have at least two or more of each rig made up so I have a spare that’s identical if I trash one whilst fishing.”
We are having trouble understanding the bits around the “Top 3, Top 4, and Top 5, surley you are refering to the pole elastic and not the Rigs themselves? Please explain?
Yours Faithfully,
Tight Lines,
CW & CE
rocketrollins

Dear Matt
I have seen a recent comment made by you on a popular social networking site on march 1st at 9:38am, Your comment is to a girl holding a pike and reads “ahhh, bruce!! nice snapper! did you cave its head in? horrible creatures…..” Is this how you inspire up and coming anglers by teaching them to destroy our fish because your not a fan of them? Im not a fan of those tiny wee fightless roach and perch you fish for but neverless I dont want to cave their heads in that would just be sadistic.

I hope fishing4fun has a look at your position as assistant editor.

(Northern Ireland Pike Fishing Club)
Desybellerby

matt re.your recent commentson pike. i cannot believe that someone who has ambitions to fish for his country can utter such a callous comment as did you bash its head in ,meaning the pike in the photo .hardly the words of a true angler .here in the emerald isles we are at crisis point as regards pike poaching and killing by non nationals but if they see your comment ,it,s as good as saying full steam ahead .i think that the fishing 4 fun need to seriously consider your suitability for your position desy prebait forum member .
Dougie

I have seen the same comment on Abigail’s web page and was horrified that a “top angler” would say something like this, if we all thought like that there would be no fish left would there?
Dougie
Raticanp

sure all pike anglers just bash roach,perch,rudd,carps heads in c how u like so called “ANGLER” wat a comment u ejit
Guest

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10150107070251529&set=a.438628321528.211149.570831528&type=3&theater There is no excuse for a comment like that.
Guest

For someone who wants to fish for England, you are going the wrong way about it son. You won’t get much support coming out with comments like this (in relation to Pike), “Matt Godfrey ahhh, bruce!! nice snapper! did you cave its head in? horrible creatures…
You complete asshole. The country is bad enough as it is with the EE’s killing our fish, never mind pricks like you looking to sabotage it further.
Jimmyboy

Think it’s a disgrace comments like that there’s no excuse no matter what pike have more right to be there than we have and to say cave there heads in what’s that about
Think ur a muppet posted by jimmyboy prebate member

Fran Mccormack

Well said Jimmyboy

Andy Q from prebait

One of englands rising stars that a joke! we could be doing without stars like u! disgraceful comments on a stunning looking pike on abigails web page,u should be ashamed of urself!
Miked1983

Dear mat
I would just like to say how much of a c**t i think you are regarding that comment on the pike! what kind of example is that setting to young anglers that you as well as anyone know we need in the sport. To say your a keen pike angler yourself why would you call them horrible creatures? i think your just trying to backtrack on what you said. And for an assistant editor of a fishing forum to say thats f*****g discracefull!
Garyobrienfish

ur some angler sayin commets like that to a young lady who likes fishin, i hope every time u fish a match ur swin gets hammered by the MIGHTY ESOX! i hope ur position as assistant editor doesnt last much longer

gary o brien
pike angler