Best Match weight: 392lb 4oz - Heronbrook
Favourite Venue: Porth Reservoir
Favourite Method: Waggler Fishing
Top Three Sonubaits Products:
1) Pro Expander Pellets
2) Fin Perfect Feed Pellets
3) F1 Dark Groundbait
Andy's Angling Life:
I first started fishing aged 11 with my dad, where initially my main focus was specimen fishing. Although my patience with this slower side of the sport soon grew thin and aged 13 I persuaded my dad to buy me a cheap 11m starter pole.
Within a few months I was catching loads of fish and had actually caught a new pb carp on it at 24lb, which kind of made my mind to put the bite alarms away!
I was soon entering open matches at local Viaduct fishery, being dropped off by my dad, and aged 15 I won the first which also turned out to be the golden peg… always been lucky. Soon I was winning on a regular basis and became a bit of a venue expert.
Although I was winning, I had ambitions of learning new methods, and trying new venues, practically natural ones. When I could drive, I started mixing things up a bit and entered my first Whiteacres festival in 2006, which I came second in.
The following year I joined Preston Innovations Thatchers, regarded as the top team in the South West and the breading ground of many top anglers.
With Thatchers I have learned a huge amount about methods and tactics on natural waters and I now pride myself on being an all-rounder on any venue.
In 2009, I qualified for my first big money final, Fish’o’mania. Since then qualifying for these big events has become a bit of a habit and obsession! In 2011 with a bit experience under my belt I made the first Match this final, drew an area nobody wanted to be and won the 50k first prize.
Since then I have really got the bug for these big events qualifying for one or multiple every year since. Winning many more along the way, but also coming runner up so many times, by sometimes the narrowest of margins! Not nice experiences, but ones that I’m sure make me a better angler, striving me on, giving me the determination to be the best I can be!
Angling Ambition: To win every match I fish! Be consistent, an all-round angler, and to maybe catch a few big pike or bass!