Dave Brittain of Ilminster claimed victory in the latest Fish ‘O’ Mania qualifier at Viaduct Fishery in Somerset. He will now go on to compete in the Fish ‘O’ Mania Grand Final in Doncaster to fight for the biggest prize in angling.

It was the local boys who went to town at this event with the top five places all going to local anglers. Terry Fell, the NFA event organizer said, “It was great to see some of the country’s top anglers taking part in the event but showed the importance that local knowledge can play when it comes to clinching the top prizes”.

The competitors who took part faced difficult conditions, with the day being very bright and sunny making the fish tough to catch. Despite the weather Dave, an engineer from Somerset used all his local knowledge of Viaduct to good effect by taking a winning weight of 129lb 10oz. He caught his fish on waggler and pellet, fishing shallow with his biggest catch being a Carp of 9lb.

Dave’s best outing at a Fish ‘O’ Mania qualifier had been at this years Woodlands Lakes where he fished excellently to claim third spot. Coming so close before, winning Viaduct was extra special for Dave who stated when asked about the final, “I am really looking forward to fishing in the final of one of the Country’s top fishing competitions.”

Another local angler, Vince Brown a 26 year old Window Fitter from Bridgwater took second place with 89lb 08oz of Carp. Vince took 12 fish with the largest being 18lbs alternating between pellet and paste. Michael Duckett from Wedmore in Somerset recorded a weight of 72lb 8oz for third place. With this third place Michael who is owner of Lands End Fisheries proved that he not only knows how to keep fish but also knows how to catch them.

Fourth place went to Craig Gilroy another Somerset angler from Frome who caught 71lb 10oz. Fifth place went to the son of the co-owner of Viaduct Fisheries Matthew Parsons who left Dad Ian in the shade to record 71lb 4oz.