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Fish O'Mania's Coming Home
And, unlike another sporting event which concluded this weekend, for angling retailer Fosters of Birmingham, fishing success really did come home, with staff member Peter Black claiming the top spot, and that impressive prize fund, with an overall weight of 51.35kg, over 12kilos ahead of his closest competitor.
At just 21, Peter is the youngest-ever winner of Fish O'Mania, and proof that angling is a sport with a vibrant future ahead of it, and a wealth of young talent ready and able to take it forward.
Tactics and Tribulations
Fish O'Mania sees weigh-ins every half an hour; after the first weigh in of the five hour match, Peter found himself in fourth position, and admits that he struggled through the middle of the match, mainly down to a tackle decision that proved not to be to his advantage.
Having switched to the waggler, Peter found himself struggling. Rather than stubbornly fighting a losing battle, and sticking by his tackle choice, Peter switched to pole fishing, a decision, and a tactic, which paid off handsomely as the competition came to a close.
For a young angler, perhaps the most remarkable thing is that Peter Black managed to keep calm throughout the match, and make the right choices with a focus that some anglers with decades more experience can't always rustle up when the pressure's on.
With a maturity well beyond his years, Peter approached the Fish O'Mania final with a plan to simply enjoy the day. As many anglers, and participants in other sports, have found, approaching a major competition with the view that it'll be “a good day out” is often the key to turning a good day into a great day, and an enjoyable session into a winning one.
In The Money
The cool-headed common sense that saw Black through to become the 2018 Fish O'Mania Champion was still in evidence when he talked about his plans for that £50,000 prize money. While he admits he does plan to enjoy himself a bit with some of the money, his main focus will be looking into buying a house – so, no sudden urges to throw in the towel on the day job! As an angler, the opportunity to work for a tackle retailer such as Fosters is one that it would take something big to make you even think about walking away from. Anglers are uniquely keen to be involved with every aspect of their sport, not just the action itself.
Fosters have certainly got an intelligent, dedicated team player in their ranks, and, here at Angling Direct, we're looking forward to hearing more from this young man, and are sure he'll go far, both in the angling business, and on the competitive scene.
Passion With Purpose
When angling retailers employ passionate, talented anglers, they get double their money. Not only can someone with hands on experience offer relevant advice to customers, tailored to their skills and ambitions, having a successful angler on staff is likely to be a major draw for new customers, giving them the kind of confidence in a retailer that no amount of promotion could buy.
When passion is blended with purpose, the results offer something good for everyone.
Want To Get Started In Match Fishing?
If your attention's been grabbed by that £50,000 prize money, and you're thinking about making a start in match fishing, then have a look at our range of tackle, bait, and accessories, from seatboxes and clothing, to keepnets and fishing poles, we've got tackle to suit every budget, and help you achieve any match angling ambitions.
If you're new to match angling, why not pop into your local Angling Direct or Fosters store, where friendly, knowledgeable staff will be happy to offer advice on suitable venues for beginners, good clubs to join, and the best tackle to buy.
Good tackle retailers care about encouraging the next generation of anglers, and raising the profile of angling as a vital, vibrant sport. Passion for our sport, meeting and melding with the purpose of making quality tackle and accessories available to anglers of all backgrounds, budgets, and levels of experience.
