Angling is set to have its very own ‘Premier League’ after plans to launch a new elite match fishing competition were revealed last week.
The tournament will see 20 of the very best in the business invited to take part, with two, four-match series pencilled in for 2026. Work is ongoing to decide who will make up the star-studded field, with a final decision expected in the coming weeks.
Series one will kick off on April 20 and conclude on June 30, while series two will be staged between August 11 and October 19.
The same four commercial fisheries will be used for each league, although the venues in question are yet to be named. Tens of thousands of pounds in prize money will be up for grabs, with organisers revealing that the contests – which will take place on Mondays and Tuesdays to avoid clashing with qualifiers for other competitions – will also be filmed.
Furthermore, work is ongoing to decide how promotion and relegation can be filtered into the tournament over the coming years.
Co-organiser Jon Cook told Angling Times: “We’re looking at inviting a good geographic spread of the very best match anglers to take part in an event that could finally settle the debate of who is the ‘best of the best’. Each participant will be a superstar, and we’ll be live streaming elements of each match so that people can stay in tune with the action.”
Several names have already been tipped to bag a place, with serial big-money-match winner Jamie Hughes a near certainty to receive an invite.
“A league format like this demands consistency and the winner is going to have to be on their game from start to finish,” Jamie told us.
“The elite calibre of angler involved means there will be no easy way out, and while it’s very exciting, it’s also a little terrifying when you see who you could be up against!”
