 Riverfest 2017 Winner Mike Bedding with Dave Harrell. | Hot on the heels of the Angling Trust’s announcement of the Riverfest Final switching to the River Severn at Shrewsbury, dates and venues for the big money event’s 2018 qualifying rounds have been unveiled. Riverfest has moved its mega money final after five years on the River Wye at Hereford. |
The Angling Trust Riverfest final will switch to the River Severn at Shrewsbury in 2018.
The brainchild of former England International Dave Harrell, Riverfest was launched in 2001.
It rapidly achieved status as the pinnacle of running water match fishing, with a £13,000 champion’s jackpot plus a total prize pot approaching £40,000.
The final was won in 2017 by Shakespeare Superteam’s Mike Bedding with 50 lb 7 oz. He is pictured above with Dave Harrell.
In 2018, Riverfest will still be concluded by a two-day event decided on total weight, fished by 72 anglers who top their 20-peg zone in 24 qualifiers spread across the country.
Dave Harrell explained about the reasons behind the venue change, and his hopes for future Riverfest years.
“The Wye at Hereford was never intended to host the final forever. We review the competition after the final every year, and this time we felt it was time for a change
“Much as I love the Wye, my personal belief is the river is in a slow decline – in large part due to predation from cormorants and goosanders which have drastically reduced numbers of roach in particular.
“Big weights from pegs where fish are tightly shoaled can mask a decline, as can matches on a flooded river where everyone fishes ‘big fish or bust’ tactics,” continued Dave.
“But in this year’s final, with Day 1 fished in as close to perfect conditions as you’d get at the time of year, the poor results from the upstream section were a telling yardstick.
“I cringed on day two when the 250 quid top prizes in two six peg sections had to be drawn from a hat, with the next section as won with a single fry,” he admitted.
“As founder and organiser of Riverfest, its success is personal to me. I want to provide a final where everyone still stands a chance of winning at the halfway stage. Overall weight format allows that, a switch to points wouldn’t.”
Although Dave acknowledges that a summer final would open up a wider choice of venues with prospects of better and fairer sport, the downside would be splitting the event between different calendar years in order to fit in all the qualifying rounds.
The brainchild of former England International Dave Harrell, Riverfest was launched in 2001.
It rapidly achieved status as the pinnacle of running water match fishing, with a £13,000 champion’s jackpot plus a total prize pot approaching £40,000.
The final was won in 2017 by Shakespeare Superteam’s Mike Bedding with 50 lb 7 oz. He is pictured above with Dave Harrell.
In 2018, Riverfest will still be concluded by a two-day event decided on total weight, fished by 72 anglers who top their 20-peg zone in 24 qualifiers spread across the country.
Dave Harrell explained about the reasons behind the venue change, and his hopes for future Riverfest years.
“The Wye at Hereford was never intended to host the final forever. We review the competition after the final every year, and this time we felt it was time for a change
“Much as I love the Wye, my personal belief is the river is in a slow decline – in large part due to predation from cormorants and goosanders which have drastically reduced numbers of roach in particular.
“Big weights from pegs where fish are tightly shoaled can mask a decline, as can matches on a flooded river where everyone fishes ‘big fish or bust’ tactics,” continued Dave.
“But in this year’s final, with Day 1 fished in as close to perfect conditions as you’d get at the time of year, the poor results from the upstream section were a telling yardstick.
“I cringed on day two when the 250 quid top prizes in two six peg sections had to be drawn from a hat, with the next section as won with a single fry,” he admitted.
“As founder and organiser of Riverfest, its success is personal to me. I want to provide a final where everyone still stands a chance of winning at the halfway stage. Overall weight format allows that, a switch to points wouldn’t.”
Although Dave acknowledges that a summer final would open up a wider choice of venues with prospects of better and fairer sport, the downside would be splitting the event between different calendar years in order to fit in all the qualifying rounds.
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