More pegs in Preston’s premier 2020 feeder series
Dates and venues for the 2020 Preston Innovations FeederMasters event are out – and there’s a slightly different look to next year’s qualifiers, with some of the 20 matches having their peg numbers increased to 66, meaning 22-peg as opposed to 20-peg zones.
Tickets (£35) go on sale on Wednesday, January 15, 2020 at 10am and, as last year, will only be available via a link that appears on the FeederMasters Facebook page on that day.
The event culminates in the two-day final at Tamar Lakes in the South West over the weekend of September 26/27.
FeederMasters 2020 dates and venues
Saturday, April 4 - Decoy Lakes
Sunday, April 19 - Barston Lakes
Saturday, April 25 - JCB Lakes
Sunday, May 3 - Daiwa Hallcroft Fishery
Sunday, May 10 - Barston Lakes
Sunday, May 17 - Southfield Reservoirs
Saturday, May 23 - Gold Valley Lakes
Saturday, May 30 - Larford Lakes
Sunday, May 31 - Ferry Meadows Lakes
Sunday ,June 14 - Tamar Lakes
Sunday, June 21 - Gloucester Canal
Sunday, June 28 - River Yare
Sunday, July 5 - Ferry Meadows Lakes
Sunday, July 12 - Carr Mill Dam
Sunday, July 19 - Patshull Park
Sunday, July 26 - Nicholls Pit
Sunday, August 2 - Tamar Lakes
Sunday, August 9 - River Trent
Sunday, August 16 - Carr Mill Dam
Sunday, August 23 - Southfield Reservoirs
A National for feeder anglers coming in 2020
A new National Championships for feeder anglers has been created in a major big-match revamp by the Angling Trust.
The competition will be the vehicle for qualification for the World Feeder Champs. Furthermore, the Trust has also announced that winners of the annual Sensas Challenge will be invited to fish the World Float Champs.
Previously, qualification was achieved by teams fishing bespoke one-off events, but these proved controversial and struggled to attract numbers, with only two teams signing up for this year’s cancelled float eliminator.
However, all that will change with the big news that is sure to appeal to a wider audience.
First up is the Sensas Challenge on the Gloucester Canal at the end of March, an event that’s fished to strict international rules over two days, thus suiting the type of fishing the highest-ranked English team will do in the Float Champs in Slovenia or Italy next summer.
Then comes the new Feeder National again on the Gloucester Canal on Sunday August 23, the winner of that heading off to either Bulgaria or the Ukraine for the 2021 event, as the qualifier for next summer’s champs has already been fished.
Entry into the six a side Feeder match is just £120 per team and is open to all Angling Trust member sides and this too will be fished to international rules. Teams are welcome to register their interest in the Feeder National at this early stage by e-mailing Sandra Johnson at sandra.johnson@anglingtrust.net and application forms for all Nationals listed below will be available in the New Year.
2020 Angling Trust National & qualifier dates at a glance…
Saturday March 28 & Sunday March 29 - Sensas Challenge, Gloucester Canal (World Float Club Champs qualifier)
Saturday April 25 - Commercial National, Drennan Lindholme Lakes
Saturday June 27 - Junior and Youth Nationals, Packington Somers
Saturday July 28 - Ladies and Disabled Nationals, Gold Valley Lakes
Wednesday July 29 - Veterans and Masters Nationals, Decoy Lakes
Saturday August 1 - Individual National, Grand Union Canal Northampton
Saturday August 15 - Division One National, Grand Union Canal Northampton
Sunday August 23 - Feeder National, Gloucester Canal (World Feeder Club Champs qualifier)
Saturday September 12 - Division Two National, Gloucester Canal
Should match vets have more time to get set? - Keith Arthur
I used to be a regular visitor to White Acres and would be today if my circumstances were different. I know how well run all the fishing is down there which makes it very difficult for me to understand how in the recent Veterans’ Festival, only 90 minutes was allowed from the start of the draw to the ‘all-in’.
At least two great anglers, ironically both with Team England management experience, fell foul of this race to get fishing: John Weedon, who manages the disabled squad, and none other than the great Dick Clegg.
Dick at least got to fish, albeit starting very late without the all his required kit assembled: John on the other hand was disqualified for the day by having too much bait with him. He isn’t the first to fall foul of that very sensible rule but with terrible weather and the massive rush to start he forgot he had stuff already in his carryall.
Dick seems to have made the decision to not fish the event again because of the lack of time to set up, which is also very understandable. It’s sad and perhaps more consideration should be given to us veterans to prepare.
"Is it possible anyone other than Jamie Hughes can be Match Angler of the Year?" - Keith Arthur
Once again I see it’s time for the Angling Times awards… and there are some interesting decisions to make.
River of the year? While the Hampshire Avon will surely be in the running to usurp the Thames as River of the Year - and both have produced some stunning catches - both the Trent and Wye must also be in with a good shout. Even the Severn, described as ‘dead’ by some top names last season, has been excellent much of the time.
As for the champion Stillwater, Tamar Lakes must be right up there especially as some challengers, such as Ferry Meadows, Southfields and Bough Beech seem to have peaked and are now falling away, although I’m sure it’s temporary and probably conditions-related.
There is one decision though on which there can surely be no debate: is it possible anyone other than Jamie Hughes can be Match Angler of the Year? Lee Kerry and Andy Bennett would be shoo-ins in other years but not this year, surely!
I’m looking forward to reading the results in next week’s issue…
(Winners will be revealed in our December 10th Christmas special)