Ten top angling festivals in 2024

Beach – March – North East

European Open Beach Championships celebrating its 30^th Anniversary – 1^st – 3^rd March

The Paul Roggeman European Open Beach Championship will be held 1st-3rd March (with their Flattie Bash warm up event taking place on Friday 1st March). The event is now in its 30th year and is the largest three-day beach fishing competition in Europe. Held on the stunning East Yorkshire coast, from Bridlington North Beach to Spurn Point. The 30th year will see some exceptional prizes and fishing equipment to be won! Competitors will be able to pick up valuable experiences, tactics, skills and techniques whilst enjoying a fun-filled weekend meeting new and old friends. We will also have several exhibitors at the event offering expert advice and some great offers on their products.

Some of the top angling companies will be exhibiting at the event hub, Sand le Mere Holiday Park to provide you with an insight into all aspects of sea angling. Held in association with Daiwa, East Riding County Council, Sakuma, Akios, Vass, Fladen and Sonik. Tickets are now on sale with weekend prices at £30 for seniors and £20 for juniors. Pairs & Team of 4 tickets are also available. Advance tickets are always in high demand, with anglers visiting from across Europe so be sure to get yours quick! Please note that tickets purchased at the event will be priced at £40 for seniors and £30 for juniors so please take advantage of the online offer.

For more information about the competition, to view the event handbook and to book tickets, visit www.eobc.co.uk or www.facebook.com/openbeachchamps

Boat and Beach – June – September – Scotland: The Mull of Galloway Festivals in 2024

There are four angling festival being held on the beautiful Mull of Galloway during. Based at the Clashwhannon Caravan Park in Drummore these events are immensely popular with anglers from all over the UK competing.

Tope Event:    8^th – 9^th June   – Prizes for the longest tope and the bull huss.

Species Event: 2^nd -4^th August – The boat or angler with the most species wins the top prize.

3 Species Event: 25^th August – Longest combined length of cod, pollack and haddock plus individual prizes.

Bass Event: 21^st -22^nd September – The longest bass wins the prize.

Fishing on the Mull is still one of the best kept secrets in the UK with excellent all-round fishing for over 50 species including bass, tope, skate, smoothound, pollack and haddock amongst the top targets.

These events are all catch and release and for more information go to the MOGSAF (Mull of Galloway Sea Angling Festival) Facebook page for more.

Boat – May – South East: The Thames Boat Championship 30^th May

This is a poplar event held in the Thames estuary based at Queenborough on the Isle of Sheppey. The event is catch and release and has long standing rules where the target species are smoothound, thornback and bass. The longest three fish for each angler are combined to give a total weight to reveal an overall winner. Prizes are also available for longest individual fish. 15 boats and 50 anglers take part and it is organised by local skipper Steve Harris and sponsored by Penn, Navionics and Tronixpro.

Details on their Facebook page: 

Boat – June – South: The Sea Angling Classic  20^th– 23^rd June

The third Sea Angling Classic will be held in the Solent and surrounding waters on 20^th – 23^rd June. It is one of the biggest boat angling events in the UK. Around 40 boats with nearly 100+ anglers take part and the prize table is one of the biggest in the UK with a boat, trailer and engine worth £120K up for grabs. The event is a catch tag and release event ticket sales will be on sale on Sunday 14^th. The event is now based at Port Solent.

For more on the 2024 event go to www.seaanglingclassic.co.uk

Kayak – July – Wales: European Kayak Fishing Championship – Oxwich 20^th July

Oxwich has become the flagship event on the kayak fishing calendar. Adding to the scale and prestige that comes with this competition the ultimate winner on the day walks away with the hotly contested ‘European Kayak Fishing Champion’ title. If you are a kayak fisherman this truly is the pinnacle for the sport here in the UK. Organised by SWKA (South Wales Kayak Anglers), who host several events through-out the year both saltwater and freshwater, the event has grown to be not just be a kayak fishing competition but a celebration of kayak fishing in general. Oxwich goes beyond just a competition, it’s about bringing the kayak fishing community together. SWKA sets up camp at Gower Farm Touring & Camping Park, raising the event marquee with the help of competitors on the Thursday before the competition.

For more information contact SWKA on Facebook 

Beach – August/September – South: Orvis Saltwater Fly Fishing Festival 30^th August – 1^st September

The Orvis Saltwater Fly Fishing Festival returns for its fifth year from Friday 30th August – Sunday 1st September 2024 in Chichester Harbour and Hayling Island. Over 130 anglers from all over the UK descend on the beaches of Hayling Island in pursuit of bass and mullet. The annual festival welcomes all ages and abilities and although there is a competition element, the main aim is to bring together like-minded anglers to forge new friendships, develop new skills and learn more about saltwater fly fishing, which is becoming increasingly popular on the UK coastline. The weekend celebrated a record number of catches alongside a record number of competitors.

The 2024 Festival will take place in early September with tickets on sale at www.orvis.co.uk/products/osff24

Beach – September – South: Big Lerf Weekender – September

The Weekender is a worldwide, free entry, online lure fishing festival which gets bigger every year. The event celebrates the huge variety of species that can be caught on lures across the world. It is run through The Big Lerf Facebook and Instagram pages. Competitors work together to add species to the total but there are also individual prizes for UK, Ireland and international anglers in various categories. The Big Lerf Weekender takes place in September dates to be confirmed.

For more information visit Ben Bassett’s blog at www.benbassettfishing.home.blog or search The Big Lerf on Facebook or Instagram.

Boat – September – Ireland Rosslare Small Boats Festival 7^th – 13^th September

The Rosslare Small Boats Festival is a four-day species hunting competition. The boat crew who catch the greatest number of species are crowned the winners. There are also prizes for largest nominated species, the heaviest round and flat fish, best specimen of the week, heaviest fish of the festival, best newcomer, biggest bass and boat returning the most fish alive. The competition is fished from Kilmore Quay Harbour, a purpose built, modern marina with excellent berthing and boat launching facilities. The species fishing around Kilmore Quay is some of the best in the whole of Ireland, it’s not uncommon for over 40 species to be landed during the competition. Over 40 boats take part with anglers from all over Europe taking part.

Go to https://www.rosslaresmallboatsfestival.com Or contact  John Belger, on 01704 566195/ 07814 422943

Beach and Boat – October – South West: 63^rd Dartmouth Fishing Festival – 5^th – 7^th October

This festival is open to everyone with shore, sea, river and wreck categories covering most species on a percentage basis for specimen fish. The festival attracts between 100-200 anglers, many travelling from right across the country, with a weigh-in every afternoon at the Dartmouth Angling and Boating Association clubhouse. Entry fee is reduced for fishing all three days.

More information on the festival will be available in due course at www.dartmouthfishingfestival.com

Beach – October – Channel Islands: Alderney Angling Festival – 26^th October – 2^nd November 

Sea Angling ‘heaven’ on the most northerly Channel Island and this week-long specimen hunt competition is in its 38th year and cash prizes are awarded for species based on best percentage of the local record list. Bass, conger, tope, huss, bream, pollack, mullet, wrasse, mackerel, garfish and many more are caught and catch and release operates where possible. The autumn fishing can be outstanding from the 900m breakwater with various rock and beach marks and many specimen fish being landed. 80 anglers from the `UK and Europe travel to Guernsey every year for this popular event.

The festival takes place from 26^th Oct – 2^nd Nov. More information is available from alderneyanglingfestival@outlook.com. See the Festival Facebook page for details.

Beach – October – South East: British Open Shore Championships – 6^th October

Held at Deal this is one of the most popular events in the South east of England organised by Deal and Walmer Angling Association. Fished under beach match competitions with points allocated per fish it always produces plenty of fish on one of the best angling beaches in Kent.

For details go to the Facebook page