Sammie Perkins Blog

Geplaatst HENGELAAR BLOG at Oct 19, 2010

In the first of Sammie's weekly blogs she talks about her fishing and the forthcoming Ladies World Champs in South Africa...

Hello all and welcome to the new Dynamite Baits website! I hope you are enjoying all of the new information, pictures and tactics that are now available to you. I think one of the most exciting things on the new site is the forums and blogs which will give you the opportunity to follow Dynamite’s top anglers on a regular basis and interact and I can’t wait to start writing week in, week out about my fishing.

For those of you who don’t know who I am here’s a little bit about myself… I’m 19 years old and I basically LOVE fishing! I started at the age of four and I mainly participate in matches but I love the sport and like to try all types of angling when I get the chance.

Like most of you reading this, I also have to fit my match fishing in around a full time job as well as a social life like which does limit me slightly.

I fish for Dynamite Fox Match Trentman in the Winter League and various other leagues and I have represented the HV Power Electrical Ladies Team England for the last four years. Before this I also fished for England Juniors for three years.

Representing England, like most that have been given the opportunity, gives me immense pride and this is what motivates me the most in my fishing is to try and get to the top and stay there. My biggest ambition is to represent the full England Team and, in doing so, be the first English lady to represent the country in the World Champs. Although this is possible, it would certainly be a long way away, but I’m a patient person!

At the minute I’m currently preparing for the Ladies World Championships (next week). My friends and family are very supportive but I have been in my own little bubble the past couple of weeks but I’m very thankful for the support they give me - my Mums house looks more like a tackle shop than a living room at the minute! For the last two weeks it’s been the only thing on my mind as this year has been a real headache!

Off to South Africa!
The event is to be held in South Africa which is very exciting as it is the first time the Ladies has been held there. However, it has proved to be a logistical nightmare - how on earth do you get you gear from England to South Africa in one piece? With a lot of thought, planning and favours is the answer! I assumed we would just fly our tackle over in a big container, but it seems all is not as simple as it is in my mind!

The container has to be authorised by a lot of different people and then you need someone to sign and receive it at the other end. Then you have to get it back…

Our managers, Dick Clegg and Joe Roberts, made the decision to take our tackle on the plane following a bit of sweet talking with the Airline. We have an individual allowance of 45kg’s (including tackle and clothing for 10 days), plus 7 kilos of hand luggage. Now, if you bear in mind I usually take over 200kg’s of tackle and I like to take two suitcases, you will see the problem we face!

However, this year it’s a case of two pairs of shorts. Five t-shirts and a bikini anything else I’ll have to wear on the plane or buy out their! The fishing sounds superb, Bloemhof Dam is the venue and with 70kg’s expected to be needed to win a section in three hours it could be by far the best Championships to date. Carp are the target species with sweet baits supposedly being the best, sweetcorn and groundbait sounds like the main attack and I’ve got some Peach & Mango Hookbait Dip as well as Frenzied Strawberry Sweetcorn already packed!

For the catfish, it sounds like the opposite and worms and fishmeal are the baits but when these are in your peg you won’t catch the carp. We have a 11.5m pole limit and with the carp going up to 20kilo (40lb+) I’ve got some Maver Invincible’s packed along with 12 top kits with super strong elastic. The majority of my 90 rigs are tied on 0.265mm Genesis reel line which may sound a little crude but it’s not just the powerful wild fish you have to contend with, it’s the heat! Depths range from 6ft-10ft and there is the possibility of catching a few fish on the waggler. However, it sounds like by the day of the race the amount of bait that will have gone in on the pole will see the fish crawling up the bank!

Rig-wise, I’ve got some Carpa Forces tied along with some floats from the Perfect range (sizes 4x16 up to 6gram). Both are designed with the line going through the body and carbon stems to make them ultra-strong. I have whipped some line around the eyes and varnished them as once you get to the World Champs you really don’t have as much time as you need with two three-hour practice sessions each day, a two-hour setting up period and a 30km drive to the venue.

By the end you are mentally and physically drained!

The countdown is now on in my mind (and calendar) and the excitement is building. With a bit of luck I’ll be able to keep you all up to date with my progress (keep an eye on this site) during the weeks practice and the all-important match days so until then tight lines and take care.