3 November, 2025 | Match & Coarse | Angler Blogs | Articles | News

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Joe Jaggar’s Iberian Masters 2025

England international Joe Jaggar runs us through the results of his Iberian Masters campaign for 2025!

This year was the third edition of the Iberian Masters freestyle and, after a bit of a disappointing half way finish last year, I was keen to improve.

In my previous trips to the venue, I’d faired fairly well, but last year knocked me back a bit in all honesty.

My intention was for two days practice on Fortaleny and one on Riola, as that’s how most draw rotations would have you fishing on match days.

The first day was a bit of a write off to say the least. I managed a few hours fishing in between setting everything up for the weekend ahead. I did manage a few fish across, but nothing on the short line and this is the main line where I feel the points are often won and lost, so I definitely had to work on this over the next two days.

For the Second day, I was out of the hotel and down to the river in darkness, skipping breakfast as I knew we’d have to be down early to claim pegs. There were already people down before I got there too!

I managed to catch fish on all three lines – across, middle and short, which was the target, to help suss out what’s what etc, so a really productive day all in all.

Third day, paella day on the Thursday, so we went as close to the school as we could on Fortaleny and fished in D section. I concentrated on fishing across early, extracting them from the reeds and short once back from paella. Again, a mega productive day, working bits out on both lines.

So, going into the weekend, I had my plan sorted, across and middle (mainly on Riola for the middle line) with maggots and lots of them, and then I’d feed short with copious amounts of corn and a mixture of Dynamite Green Swim Stim pellet and groundbait, and then fish maggots over the top once going onto it.

I felt I’d fished really well in practice, but you just don’t know until the weekend. Also, regardless of how well anyone fishes, you need good draws on this venue or you’ve no chance.

 

Day 1

I’ve drawn E4, avoiding the end peg in F section and I’ve been on the bend. I’m sure I’d fished this peg before too in a previous event, but with the changing terrain, I couldn’t be sure.

I’ve settled on a lovely chuck across, tight into a cut back in the reeds. It was always going to do fish, but getting them out could be tricky as there were a lot of fallen reeds to the left which came a long way back.

As predicted, I was into fish from the off but, as feared, I did lose far too many that took me left.

I knew the majority of the section was fishing tough though and felt I was comfortably top 3 for most of the match.

Dropping onto my short line with 90 minutes to go, it was absolute lift off and I had a good run until the very end.

I’ve weighed 25,440 which was second in the section, just 140g shy of the section winner Loluta.

So it was good start to the weekend, although I did feel that dropping the one point by such a small margin could prove costly in the end with the sections being so small this year and very little room for error…

 

Day 2

On day 2 I’ve drawn the peg of all pegs, the end bridge peg at Riola. The end pegs on this venue are so incredibly strong, you just have to take your chance and make them count.

With this said however, the first half of the match was ridiculously slow.

I’ve managed two fish across, before going down the middle and landing 3 but losing another 2.

The bites just weren’t the same down the middle, very scatty and they weren’t seeming to “pull themselves on” like they do on the other lines and this is all I could put the hook pulls down to.

I’ve then gone short and it didn’t seem right – there were signs but no bites at all.

I couldn’t quite work it out at first, but soon realised I was too short, in too shallower water.

I had a re-set, clipped back up and went 11m, fed this and left it alone for 8 minutes.

Once I went on this line, it was hard to keep the rod in the water, the action was coming that quick!

I’ve ended up with 33,620 to win both the section and the match.

I knew I hadn’t got it right, but was content that I’d made up for that late on and it hadn’t cost me, which was probably more rewarding than if it had just kept going round all match.

So, overnight, I was sat in third with a great weight advantage!

 

Day 3

I’ve drawn C7, which ran from end peg C1 to me on C7. Far from ideal but felt I could give myself a chance of a top 3 finish with a good day.

It’s been rock hard fishing across, I just couldn’t get a proper pull!

I’ve caught bass, catfish, bleak and a tiny carp, but no sign whatsoever of a proper carp.

I was going to have to catch short again if I had any chance of reasonable points.

Fortunately the last two hours have seen me catch 4 carp and a small carp short, one of them with minutes to go, to weigh 10,350 and come third in the section.

I felt I’d really saved some points there, but with only 15 kilo winning the section, not catching one across early had also cost me.

 

The Results

Come the final results, my 6 points have left me in 4th, my mate Andrei sneaking up from behind to win his section and overtake me and the previous top two, Adrian and Sergiu switching places but remaining on the podium.

Although I feel I probably could’ve done a little better, you can’t grumble at 4th in a top international event which has always been dominated by the Romanians from day 1.

I’ve had my draws, you need ends and bends on this venue and I had one of each, but I also think I made the most of them too, it’s one thing drawing them, you’ve still got to get your bites and get them in the net.

I feel I really had something going on with that short line as it’s caught me fish every day and I felt like when I dropped on it, I almost knew I was going to catch as opposed to hoping I was going to catch like in previous year.

There really is no place like the river that’s used in this event, it’s so unique, I don’t think I’d use the set up I’ve used this week anywhere else or the amount of bait either!

That’s it now for international events for me for 2025, the passport is going away until February I think, where I’m fishing in Italy!

A massive thank you to the lads who drove the van out for us and Dragon Energy for the use of the van and also Dynamite Baits for their continued amazing support.

-Joe