Angling Trust’s RiverFest is back with a bang and is bigger and better than ever with four more qualifiers and a whopping prize pool of £34,000 expected to be paid out over the two day final in November.
Subject to all tickets being sold, there will be 10 main prizes in the final ranging from £500 for 10th place, up to £12,000 to the winner. Section prizes of £250 will also be paid out every six pegs on both of the final days. A teams of three prize has been introduced for 2015. The teams will be made up of the three anglers who get through from each of the 24 qualifying matches with £450 paid to the winning team.
There are some major changes in the way tickets will be allocated for this year’s competition. Due to the incredibly high demand in 2014, the Trust has introduced a three-week window for applications which will open 23rd March and close on 12th April. This means no tickets will be allocated until after the closing date and entrants do not make payment when they submit their entry.
A random computerised draw will determine ticket allocation for each of the qualifiers and the Competitions team will publish the list on the website then contact entrants for payment. There is a caveat to this process, to prevent abuse by anglers applying for all tickets with the intention of only fishing a few. The Angling Trust has stipulated that anglers must pay for each successful entry. Failure to do so will result in their full allocation of tickets being withdrawn. Any tickets remaining after the random draw will be sold on a first come first served basis.
TICKET APPLICATION AND ALLOCATION PROCESS
23/03/15 – 12/04/15 Open for entries
13/04/15 – 14/04/15 Random draw and publish list on website
15/04/15 – 25/04/15 AT contact entrants for payment for tickets
27/04/15 – 01/05/15 Tickets issued via post
Angling Trust Ambassador Dave Harrell, the creator of the competition, said, “We are delighted to have been able to increase the size of the competition, giving an additional 240 anglers the chance to qualify for the final. We’ve got some great new venues as well as established favourites and we’ll have an additional 12 anglers in the final this time. It’s going to be a great competition!”
Ben Thompson of the Angling Trust said “The demand for tickets for this competition is huge and we have acted to make the process as fair as possible to those who want to enter. We are in the process of developing an online entry system meaning it will be even easier to apply for RiverFest and our other competitions in future. We expect the online system to be live by the summer of 2015.”
The final will take place on the River Wye at Hereford over the weekend of 14th/15th November and an additional section below the old river bridge will be included for the first time. Spectators will be welcome to watch the final, free of charge and there will be a bookmaker present on both days for competitors and public to have a flutter.
QUALIFIER VENUES AND DATES
1. Sat 20th June – River Calder, Mirfield
2. Sat 27th June – River Swale, Morton
3. Sun 5th July – Bristol Avon, Newbridge to Saltford
4. Sun 12th July – River Trent, Newark Dyke
5. Sun 19th July – River Tyne, Corbridge to Wylam*
6. Sat 25th July – River Trent, Holme Marsh*
7. Sat 1st August – River Weaver, Northwich
8. Sat 15th August – River Soar, Sutton Bonnington
9. Sun 16th August – River Yare, Langley
10. Sat 22nd August – River Tees, Bowsfield to Yarm
11. Sun 23rd August – River Nene, Orton*
12. Sat 29th August – River Don, Sprotborough
13. Sat 5th September – River Severn, Bewdley*
14. Sun 6th September – Great Ouse, Littleport
15. Sun 13th September – River Wye, Breinton to Eign
16. Sat 19th September – River Severn, Bridgnorth
17. Sun 27th September – River Trent, Burton
18. Sat 3rd October – River Thames, Medley
19. Sat 10th October – River Severn, Upton
20. Sun 11th October – River Medway, Barming*
21. Sat 17th October – Warwickshire Avon, Eckington
22. Sun 18th October – River Severn, Shrewsbury*
23. Sat 24th October – Yorkshire Ouse, Hunters Lodge to Linton-on-Ouse
24. Sun 1st November – River Nene, March
*NEW VENUES
Final
14th/15th November – River Wye, Hereford
1st Reserve Weekend 21st/22nd November – River Wye, Hereford
The competition is open to Angling Trust members only. Entry fee is £25 per qualifier. Closing date for entries is 12th April 2015, entries received after this date will not be processed in the random draw. To download an entry form and to find out more information visit www.anglingtrust.net/riverfest
