The 2008 Cadet, Junior and Intermediate National Angling Championships supported by Pentax UK is taking place next weekend (5th July) on the Stainforth and Keadby Canal in Thorne near Doncaster.

The competition is bound to be tough as there will be over 35 teams and over 200 competitors across all the categories all looking to go home a winner.

The canal that the youngsters will be competing on will be 20m wide and in some places up to 30m, so the conditions on the day will prove telling when it comes to the expected weights. Although it’s a wide canal, standard canal fishing techniques will work with the best baits being squat, pinkie, maggots and casters.

Anglers will have a range of fish to catch including perch, skimmers, roach and perhaps most importantly there are some big shoals of bream. If they are feeding well it could well be bream which have the potential to really influence the match if they are fished in the right way.

Mark Downes, Joint Team Manager for the England Youth Teams is a strong believer in the value of the Championships stating, “For any budding young international angler, the Cadet, Junior and Intermediate National Angling Championships are one of the first stepping stones to representing their country at international level. The top teams consistently produce top quality anglers that go on to represent their country at the highest level”.