The 16th Angling Trust RiverFest 2014 qualifier took place on a very low and clear River Thames at Medley on Saturday 4th October, and with weather conditions also far from ideal, it was a tough match for many of the competitors.

The top weight of 16-13-0 fell to Angling Trust Ambassador Dave Harrell who came up with the original idea for RiverFest.  Dave at peg 58, three swims from the bottom of the Channel section caught some early perch before a run of bream and a lone 4 lb chub put in an appearance.  All his fish fell to pole-fished worm over chopped worm and caster feed.

Second place went to the ever-consistent Simon Willsmore who booked his place in the final with 12-8-0 from peg 24 at Medley.  Simon caught a mixture of perch on worm before switching his attentions to roach on hempseed.

Making up the qualification places was Tony Marshall, who eased his way into the big money November showdown final with 8-2-0 of perch and roach from peg 2 at the top end of Medley.

Top 5 results
1. Dave Harrell (peg 58) 16-13-0
2. Simon Willsmore (Peg 24) 12-8-0
3. Dave Jones (peg 40) 11-14-0
4. John Price (peg 38) 10-5-0
5. Pete Townsend (peg 22) 9-11-0

Qualifiers to the grand final on 15th/16th November on the River Wye, Hereford are;
Dave Harrell
Simon Willsmore
Tony Marshall

There are now four qualifying matches left for 2014 and anglers wanting to take part are urged to follow the news updates on the Angling trust website at www.anglingtrust.net as there might be a few spare places available.

Photo – from left to right Simon Willsmore, Dave Harrell and Tony Marshall