Saturday, 21st June saw the 16th FishOMania qualifier take place at Weston Pools in Oswestry, where scorching conditions and stacked section draws made for a high-pressure affair. It was Andy North who held his nerve, making no mistake from a red-hot draw to punch his ticket to the £50,000 Grand Final.

Drawn on peg 12 on the Claypit, Andy found himself with expectations firmly on his shoulders. Known as a flier, the peg had delivered in previous events, and Andy more than lived up to the billing. Fishing pellet shallow on the long pole brought a steady run of small carp for the first three hours, before a tactical switch to maggots and groundbait down the edge brought a stamp uplift. At the weigh-in, he totalled 191lb 7oz, which was over 40lb clear of the chasing pack.

Runner-up on the day was Welsh ace Mikey Williams, who made the most of peg 3 on Jack’s Pool. He assembled 147lb 9oz of carp to edge out third-placed Les Marshall, who weighed 142lb 5oz from peg 36 on the Claypit. Andy Bennett also featured high in the standings, taking fourth with 139lb 9oz from peg 48 on the Canal Lake, while Rob Stevenson and Sam Slockett completed the top six with 136lb 14oz and 129lb 2oz respectively.

Congratulations to Andy North who becomes the 19th angler to secure a spot in ths year’s FishOMania Grand FInal. Below is a list of all the anglers that have booked a place in next month’s Grand Final.

List of FishOMania 25 Finalists to Date

• Dave Shires (2024 FishOMania Winner)
• Andy Power
• James Howarth
• Kristian Jones
• Joost Vos (International Qualifier)
• George Reynolds
• Dylan Mertens (International Qualifier)
• Steve Openshaw
• Jamie Hughes
• Dale Shepherd
• Gary Thomas
• Ben Lord
• Daniel Squire
• Callum Dicks
• Charlie Law
• Jack Stamp
• Rob Swan
• Kerry Kirkwood
• Andy North

With just a handful of FishOMania qualifiers remaining, attention now turns to Hallcroft Fishery on Wednesday, 25th June, where another hopeful angler will look to secure their place in July’s Grand Final. This year’s FishOMania Grand Final takes place on Saturday, 19th July, at Westwood Lakes in Boston.

Spectator tickets are now available.

• Entry: £7.00 per person
• Group of 4: £20.00
• A service fee and £2.95 booking fee per order apply
• Parking: £7.00 per car / £10.00 per van (available when booking)

Head over to the FishOMania website to get your tickets now.