The 2024 FishOMania is just around the corner, returning once again to Westwood Lakes, Lincolnshire, on Saturday, July 27. To kickstart the excitement for this standout event, we present an exclusive profile of all 25 participating anglers, offering insights into their backgrounds.
Alex Dawson secured his spot in this year’s FishOMania, after qualifying at Old Hough Fishery in Cheshire on April 27. The two-time FishOMania champion Andy Bennett was the next to make it through, after topping the Oaks Fishery qualifier in North Yorkshire May 4, followed by James W oodfine who qualified at Moorlands Farm Fishery in West Midlands May 8. Kieran Marsden and Jamie Hughes were the next to qualify after their successes at the Glebe Fishery in Leicestershire on May 11 and Weston Pools in Shropshire May 15, respectively.
Meet the 2024 FishOMania Anglers:
Name: Alex Dawson
Age: 29
Place you first went fishing: Centre Parcs when I was six years old
Favourite place to go fishing: Izaak Walton Fisheries, but a close second is the Murray River, South Australia
What would you do with the £50,000 if you won?: Flights to visit the family in Australia and the rest on a house deposit
Favourite method: Any type of hard pellet fishing
First FishO memory (competing or watching): Cudmore Fisheries watching Matt Hall win his second title
Bank runner name: James Howarth
Best FishO finish?: Top 10s in four different qualifiers
Other sports you follow: I play hockey through the winter months to a high standard, and also follow cricket, golf, football (Everton fan), and international hockey
Name: Andy Bennett
Age: 39
Place you first went fishing: Local pond called Sadjas
Favourite place to go fishing: Currently Monkhall Fishery
What would you do with the £50,000 if you won?: Invest it
Favourite method: Mudline fishing
First FishO memory (competing or watching): Watching Neil Machin at Hayfield on TV; that was a great final
Bank runner name: Connor Barlow
Best FishO finish?: Two-time winner
Other sports you follow: English 8-ball pool
Name: James Woodfine
Age: 23
Place you first went fishing: Local farm ponds
Favourite place to go fishing: Monkhall Fishery
What would you do with the £50,000 if you won?: I would buy a van and put the rest down as a house deposit
Favourite method: Caster shallow
First FishO memory (competing or watching): Seeing Andy Bennett win in 2019
Bank runner name: Simon Woodfine (Dad)
Best FishO finish?: This will be my first final
Other sports you follow: F1
Name: Kieran Marsden
Age: 36
Place you first went fishing: Carr Mill Dam in St Helens
Favourite place to go fishing: Ullswater in the Lake District
What would you do with the £50,000 if you won?: Give it all to my three children
Favourite method: Cage feeder fishing for skimmers and bream
First FishO memory (competing or watching): When Jamie Hughes won his first FishOMania in 2013
Bank runner name: Gary Rodgers
Best FishO finish?: 6th overall at Hayfield Lakes in 2021
Other sports you follow: Football, I love to watch Liverpool
Name: Jamie Hughes
Age: 41
Place you first went fishing: Local ponds near my hometown
Favourite place to go fishing: Hayfield Lakes
What would you do with the £50,000 if you won?: Holiday to Disneyland Florida
Favourite method: Pellets on the pole
First FishO memory (competing or watching): Competing in the first final in 2009
Bank runner name: Rich Chapman
Best FishO finish?: Three-time winner
Stay tuned for more profiles of the anglers competing in FishOMania 2024!
