Fish o' Mania 2017 match report
It's Fish O' Mania time again with £50,000 up for grabs to the winning angler, along with the title of Fish O' Mania champion. Live on Sports 3, the competition is being held at Cudmore Fisheries, Stoke. You can keep up with the action by checking out our regular updates this afternoon. Angling Times will provide you with the updates you need, just in case you can't get to a TV screen this afternoon. A total of 25 anglers, including the first international competitor from Germany, will battle it out for glory on a beautiful afternoon at the Cudmore Fishery.
Here is the Vanarama Fish‘O’Mania XXIV PEG DRAW
1. Lee Bennett
2. Andy Power
3. Bob Giles
4. Andy Adams
5. Jason Collins
6. Chris Weeder
7. Jamie Hughes
8. Steve Jackson
9. Paul Blinkhorn
10. Stephen Openshaw
11. Adam Richards
12. Jason Redgrave
13. Tony Curd
14. Ross Harold
15. Steve Cooke
16. Steven Hamilton
17. Will Raison
18. Ben Sharp
19. Keith Pentland
20. Dave Roberts
21. Lee Kerry
22. Markus Billen
23. Steve Barraclough
24. Colin Scott
25. Richard Chapman
Hour one
Bob Giles stormed into an early Fish O' Mania lead during the first hour of the competition at Cudmore. The Welsh Wizard, 49, making his 18th appearance in the competition, took 3k 300gr in the first half hour and followed that up with two lovely carp in second 30 minutes to post a total of 6k 800gr from peg three. Steve Cooke on peg 15 also had a fine first hour with just over five kilos. Former World Champion Will Raison, on peg 17, found the going hard with no carp yet plenty of silver fish to show for his first hour's work. But the 42-year-old from Aldershot saw his swim die as the first hour progressed. Jamie Hughes was in fourth place after the first-hour. Lee Kerry on peg 21 was the only angler not to catch in the first hour.
Hour two
It's all change at the top of the leaderboard with bookies favourite Jamie Hughes, gunning to become the first angler to win the Fish O' Mania title for a third time, storming to the top with two carp weighing a total of 4k 500gr - taking his grand total to 9k 050gr. Changes in the weather, with more sunlight and wind, pushing sport down among the 25 anglers. But Hughes bagged two big carp on pellet to take over top spot from Chris Weeder who had a fine first half-hour. Weeder was leading after three weigh-ins with 6k 900gr ahead of Bob Giles at peg three on 6k 800gr. But after four weigh-ins, Hughes remains on course to make Fish O' Mania history
Hour three
Jamie Hughes consolidated his bid to make Fish O' Mania history by landing 5K 425gr of carp in the third hour of enthralling contest at Cudmore Fishery. He now has a total of 14k 475gr. Lee Bennett on peg one had briefly threatened to make a challenge for the top spot by taking a slender lead at the halfway point in the hour. But four good sized carp put the two-time winner Hughes back in pole position as the rest of the field faltered. With eight weigh-ins to take place before the final klaxon, Hughes has a four kilo lead and it now appears that the tournament is his to lose. Before it began Hughes made it clear he wanted to become the first angler to win it for a third time and unless Hughes blanks for the rest of the time left, he is on the brink of achieving that ambition.
Hour four
Jamie Hughes continued to maintain his lead after four hours of intense fishing but veteran Steve Jackson, the oldest angler in the final, stormed into second place with his eyes on the runner-up prize of £10,000. Hughes leads the way with less than one hour to go with 23k 275gr but Jackson overhauled Ross Harold with 16k 700gr. Harold could only finish the fourth hour mark with 15k 975gr. While Hughes looks set to create Fish O' Mania history, Jackson is in line for the second spot after an afternoon fishing through the pain barrier. A plumbing accident earlier in the week left Jackson with a dislocated thumb and he was in clear pain throughout the match. But as the contest wore on, the pain wore off, and he is on the brink a nice pay day for the runner-up place.
The Result
Jamie Hughes created Fish O' Mania history by becoming the first angler to win it for a third time. Hughes, champion in 2013 and 2015, destroyed the 24-man opposition in the 2017 tournament at Cudmore Fishery, Stoke to collect a £50,000 first prize with a total catch of more than 26k. The 34-year-old angling coach from the Wirral shrugged off a slow start to power into the lead with a succession of big carp. Once in front, Hughes, determined to win it for a third time, was in no mood to let it slip. An emotional Hughes told Sky Sports: "It's incredible, it will take a while to sink in." Angling Times columnist Keith Arthur commented: "This is almost Usain Bolt stuff." Hughes was a clear winner over runner-up Andy Power, who made an astonishing late run in the last hour to finish second and clinch the £10,000 prize ahead of Ross Harold and Steve Jackson.