Ross-on-Wye Angler Hadrian Whittle put in an incredible display to win the River Wye 3-Day Angling Festival in Hereford last week.
On one day alone he caught 1440 Fish to weigh 44lbs and secure a zone win.
Heavy rain at the start of the week meant the river was running high for the first day, but as the river levels dropped, the fishing got better.
80 of the top anglers in the country battled it out over the 3 days, catching many different species of coarse fish. Roach, dace, perch and barbel all featured as the anglers amassed over 4000lbs in 3 days.
Once again proving the River Wye to have the best coarse fishing in the UK.
But it was just one species that champion Whittle targeted, and that was Bleak. These small white bait-like fish are in huge shoals in Hereford at present, and the former Wye Champion has a proven himself as the best in the business at amassing match winning totals through skill, concentration and endurance.
Speaking after his Win, the 51 year old professional Angler said:
“I’d much rather catch bigger fish generally but with conditions less than ideal I knew the safest bet was get my head down and target the small fish. It’s something I’ve spent a lot of time perfecting, and catching sometimes 6 fish per minute, is actually quite draining.”
Event organiser Dave Roberts was delighted with how well the event ran. He said:
“It’s turned out to be a great competition once again, although the heavy rain earlier in the week did have us worried for a while.
“The Wye fish have obliged though and we’ve seen a variety of methods used for many different species.
“We’ve had the best anglers in the country here this week, but it’s nice that the title has gone to a local angler. Hadrian is a tremendous angler, and is regarded as the best in the business at catching big weights of small fish. A worthy champion.
“This competition is the hottest ticket in river angling. Some people have had to wait years to get an opportunity to fish. We have already started planning for 2023 and are going to make it bigger and better.”
