How the youngest-ever FishOMania winner was crowned

Brad Lucas showed just why so many of the sport’s elite performers rate him as one of the best in the business as he put in a performance that defied his age to take the title.

The 20-year-old starlet has only been fishing for since 2019, but he proved he has learned an awful lot during that time to win an exhilarating match by just over 1kg, making him the youngest angler ever to win the tournament.

In an event that will be remembered for countless twists and turns, Brad eventually saw off the fierce challenge of Steve Openshaw, with his 54kg 225g total just about pipping the 64-year-old’s 53kg 200g haul.

Angling Times caught up with Brad to find out how he went about bagging the prestigious trophy plus the £50,000 cheque that came with it.

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Fancied draw

“Peg 19 was a draw that gave me a swim that was a little deeper than most others, and on such a shallow lake, that felt like a good thing.

“I knew I had a chance, but I didn’t have a clear plan in my mind about how to make the most of drawing the swim.

“I opted to start with an expander pellet over micros down the edge, fishing in the slightly deeper water away from the bank where I felt the carp would be comfortable.

“There were a couple of missed opportunities in the first few minutes, and I quickly decided to switch to a bigger pot to introduce a little more bait and fish slightly more over-depth.

“It was a move that worked an absolute treat and within the first half an hour I had 11 carp for just under 16kg which was way beyond anything I’d expected.

“Bites slowed a little in the next half an hour, but another five fish got me up to 23kg, and I was up to 28kg after 90-minutes.”

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Sudden drop-off

“It’s fair to say that the next hour was a disaster, only adding another 1kg to my tally in the next hour. With other anglers catching well and my gap getting reduced before I was eventually ousted off top spot, I had to act.

“My bank runner Harry Bignall kept my head in the game, encouraging me to be positive with my feeding to try and draw some fish back in to my peg.

“Fishing on the long pole either just off the far bank or tight to it then became the game plan, firing casters in via a catapult.

“It was a ploy that worked, and between the three and a half and four mark I managed another 13kg, before backing that up with another 7kg in the next half an hour.

“Steve Openshaw was still breathing right down my neck though, as was Kerry Kirkwood, and I felt I needed a solid final period to get my hands on the title.”

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Tense times

“The rain had been quite heavy all day, but it was truly biblical in the final half an hour, and that had an impact on the long pole line. The fish could no longer hear the casters raining in, and the area became devoid.

“No matter what I tried, I just couldn’t get a bite, and when the final hooter went, I felt I’d fallen short. Word got round to me that Steve Openshaw had only caught one carp in that segment though, and the size of it would be key to which of us won the day.

“Thankfully, I’d just about done enough, beating Steve by a smidge over 1kg.

“It’s difficult to put into words how it feels to win. The support I had was truly incredible, and I’ve never experienced anything like that in my life before.

“One thing I will say to any youngsters out there or anyone wanting to achieve anything, is just to keep going at it. Put the effort in, take advice off those who know best, and your time will come.”

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FishOMania Top 5 Result

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