Guernsey to host climax of UK angling championship

Tuesday 06 February 2024

Guernsey will host the climax of a new national boat fishing competition.

The Boatlife Angling Championship will feature four stages across different locations - in Wales, the Isle of Wight, Plymouth and then finally in Guernsey this November.

Teams of professional and top recreational anglers will compete on behalf of brands in scoring points across eight rounds of fishing per stage. 

Anglers will target different species and use various techniques at each location to test their skills in changing conditions.

Boatlife is a national indoor boat show that runs in the Birmingham NEC every February, one of the areas is dedicated to boat angling.

“The event is once a year and we wanted to extend that to create something that is year round and gives brands a platform to promote their products,” said Richard Duff, the CEO of Boatlife Events.

The championship aims to build excitement and engagement among fishing enthusiasts through behind-the-scenes YouTube content following the teams. 

Guernsey has been chosen to help provide the “wow factor” to the championships.

“We just felt that while there may be logistical hurdles getting teams to and from the island, that  it would be great from the championship perspective to show that it's able to reach the Channel Islands and to get that following,” said Duff.

“But importantly, there's a lot of different species that are available there for the anglers to get, the conditions can be quite challenging, certainly at that time of year, so it will really put the anglers, the boats and the engines to the test.”

The Championship will be launched at the Boatlife show on 15 to 18 February with 10 teams.

More will be signed up with the aim of attracting up to 20 pro teams.

Brands will also be able to enter individual stages.

A team will consist of six anglers, with four fishing at any one time.

That flexibility could allow teams to bring in anglers with specialist knowledge about a location.

The YouTube series will stream weekly content based around getting to know the team members, tactics and styles of fishing, how they are preparing and what they got right or wrong at each stage.

The organisers are keen that the public get to interact with the teams when they are at the events.

“A big part of the championship is to push messaging around sustainability, fish welfare, biodiversity, protected areas and what the brands are actually doing throughout the year as part of their business initiatives and how their products can help with those.”

One example is Suzuki engines which filter out plastics from the sea, another are hooks that dissolve within 24 hours, or it might be around more sustainable clothing.

Each stage will also include a Privateers Cup so that local anglers can get involved, fishing for prizes from the brands involved in the championship.

The event was one of those that won funding from Guernsey’s Tourism Development Fund, which made a total of £150,000 available in one-off funding to projects.

Nine groups were chosen, among the other sporting events were the multi-sport Granite Weekender and the British Isles DanceSport Championships.

The stages

18/19 May: Conwy, Wales

13/14 July: Cowes, Isle of Wight

5/6 October: Plymouth, England

15/16 November: Guernsey