JAMES HALL
I’m James Hall, (probably better known as Jim)I currently live in Hedon on the outskirts of Hull in East Yorkshire.
I have been fishing since about the age of 8, when me and a
friend had bought some little rods and reels and aquired some very basic tackle,
and off we went to Rush Lyvers Lake in Hedon. To be fair I don’t think we actually
caught anything but this definitely didn't put us off. We where back there every weekend, come rain or shine! . (Personally I think our parents just wanted rid of us!)
After a couple of years, and plenty of weekends and summer
holidays fishing we got involved with some coaching sessions at the same
venue. The coaching was part of Hull & District Angling Association; our
coach was former Barnsley Blacks captain Pete Wadsworth, who encouraged us to
join Hull & District Juniors. This is where my love for match fishing
began.
I would have practice sessions on a weekend right through
the year, including after school and in the summer holidays. The things I learned in these
sessions were invaluable, with the most important thing being that your rigs have to be perfect - by this I mean; if there are any
imperfections in the rig it could be a weakness, which may result in lost fish.
We were also taught how to refine our rigs, which helped us catch on even the
hardest of waters. These are things I still ensure I adhere to today.
As I progressed I fished in plenty of matches which
included junior national events all over the country. I fished these until I
was 16, when I was then no longer eligible to fish at junior level. It was from
the age of 16 till 21 that fishing took a bit of a backseat due to starting
work and courting. I would go every so often, but just for pleasure sessions.
The match fishing bug soon got the better of me and I was
back fishing again on the odd open match. I was surprised how quickly things
had changed with the introduction of pellet fishing; I was still in the time
of maggot and caster only! I had no real choice but to adapt as others were
doing much better using pellet.
Joining the fire service in 2001 was the point at which
things really kicked on, as I got involved with the fire service fishing
section. I ended up going to venues such as Messingham Sands near Scunthorpe,
Moorfields Farm in Goole and Risby Park in Hull, which transitioned me into the
commercial scene. This suited me really well, as I started winning a few
matches.
It was not long before I got asked to fish for the fire service team,
which was great; we were fishing matches all over the country. I was chosen to
represent the British Fire Service Team in 2012 due to some really good and
consistent results in national events, which was a great honour. Fortunately I
came 2nd in the match behind team mate Jez Lifsey, which has helped
me get selected again for this year 2013.
Some of the fire service lads also fished for Hull Midweek
club which I also joined in 2005. The level of anglers in this club was, and
still is exceptionally high, and to win matches you have to be at the top of
your game, this has helped me no end - I now regularly attend open matches including
both Messingham and Lindholme. The standard of anglers at these venues is
unbelievable, and to compete you have to continually lift your own level.
I am also honoured to have received sponsorship with tackle giants Browning, and am looking forward to a
bright future with them! 
