The Angling Trust Facebook page has announced the England squad for the Freestyle Method Feeder World Champs. Tommy Pickering has named an experienced team in the new-look England Freestyle Feeder team for the 2025 World Championships. World Feeder Champion Steve Ringer, Adam Wakelin, and Pemb Wrighting join the team. They will compete alongside captain Phil Ringer, Alex Dockerty, and Wayne Bartholomew in the six-man squad. The championship will take place in July at Odivelas Dam in Portugal.
After two challenging years, the team has undergone a strategic overhaul, focusing on international knowledge and rigorous preparation. Steve and Adam will continue to be part of the England Nations Feeder squad, while Pemb brings experience as a previous U20 float silver medallist.
Freestyle Method Feeder World Champs 2025 – Odivelas Dam
In terms of the venue, the event will take place on the massive Odivelas Dam reservoir, which successfully hosted the World Club Feeder Championship in June 2024. Spanning approximately 5 km long by 3km wide, it is one of the largest dams in the region and contains a diverse array of fish species. These include carp, barbel, carassio, catfish, bleak, and largemouth bass.
The competition will see teams adopt free running Method feeder (Freestyle) tactics using maximum 25cm hook lengths, alongside the use of pellets/wafters and the ability to hair rig. A limited quantity of natural baits is also allowed.
Team captain Phil Ringer expressed enthusiasm about the venue and their preparation:
This venue sounds fantastic, and we’re excited to get started. We’re putting in the work to make sure we know the water and the tactics it demands. On top of the 5 days official practice before the event we’ve got three trips planned to Odivelas Dam to allow the team to refine tactics and adapt to the venue’s unique characteristics.
The team management consists of Tommy Pickering, Nigel Franks, Mark Morris, and Mark Eves. Notably, this year’s competition sees an expansion of team sizes from five to six anglers, with one serving as a reserve.
The Angling Trust and England Freestyle Feeder team thanked sponsors Ringer Baits and Dragon Energy Drinks for their support. They also thanked Nick Speed and Joe Jagger for their valuable contributions over the previous two years.
What are the Freestyle Method Feeder World Championships?
The Freestyle Method Feeder World Championships is a relatively recent addition to the international competitive angling calendar. The 2025 event marks only the fifth iteration of the championship. Since its inception in 2021, the competition has quickly gained traction worldwide, attracting top anglers from various nations.
The Freestyle Method Feeder World Champs differs significantly from the traditional Feeder World Championships. This specialised competition focuses on method, hybrid, and pellet feeder fishing. Anglers are limited to using only these specific feeder types and can only use short hook lengths of 25cm or less.
Originally conceived as a “commercial World Championships”, the Freestyle event aims to showcase skills specific to method feeder fishing, which has gained popularity in commercial fisheries. Despite its name, the Freestyle championship is more restrictive in terms of techniques and equipment compared to the traditional Feeder Championship, reflecting the specific skills and tactics required for success in this growing discipline.
The Freestyle Method Feeder World Championships will take place on the 12th and 13th July 2025.
