Influence: noun; the capacity to have an effect on the character, development, or behaviour of someone or something, or the effect itself...
(THIS ARTICLE APPEARED IN ANGLING TIMES MAGAZINE IN DECEMBER 2024)
Every angler in the UK has, in some way, been influenced by the people on this list, which is the first ranking of its kind to be created in the history of our sport.
Whether you’ve read an article, bought a certain item of tackle, watched a clip on YouTube, liked a social media post or fished a particular venue, chances are that the 50 individuals detailed on the following pages will have in some way contributed to the experience. As a collective bunch, their reach is certainly impressive.
Of course, the meaning of the word ‘influencer’ has changed quite markedly over the past few decades. Scroll back 30 or 40 years and those who helped form opinion and inspire others were, in the main, masters of the written word or presenters of terrestrial TV fishing programmes. Think Dick Walker, John Wilson, Fred J Taylor and the like.
While many bemoan the rapid rise of the digital era, it’s safe to say that the growth of the internet and, in particular, social media, has in many ways created more of a level playing field, one where everyone has a voice.
Some of the names on this list are more influential than others across these different platforms, and therefore more well-known, but the rankings also include people whose names you may not be all that familiar with, but who have nonetheless played a significant role in determining the direction in which the sport of angling has headed over the past 12 months.
The ranking system
So, how was the list decided upon? After drawing up an initial shortlist of more than 100 people, our expert editorial team scored each nominee on a range of factors including ‘inspiration and impact’, ‘tips and advice’, ‘social media influence’, ‘personal achievements’ and ‘product innovation’ to get an overall picture as to what degree they have each influenced the way you have enjoyed, and consumed, your angling over the last 12 months.
So, here goes – we hope you enjoy it!
50 - Tom Humphreys
The plight of the UK’s independent tackle shops has made for depressing news over the past few years, and yet more outlets sadly closed their doors for the final time in 2024. One man who has done more than anyone to try to slow the decline and encourage anglers to support their local shops is the man behind the The Tackleshop Project, Tom Humphreys. Armed with his camera, he has raised awareness and encouraged the celebration of ‘the ‘local’ via his social media channels.
49 - Andrew Race
The chairman of the Angling Trades Association and boss of highly-respected weighing scales manufacturer Ruben Heaton. Over the last 12 months he’s been extremely busy behind the scenes and has overseen plans for some exciting new initiatives which aim to pull the entire angling industry together in 225 – watch this space.
48 - Dave Marshall
Every sport has an academy with a reputation for producing elite talent, and within angling Ramsbottom AA is right up there in that respect. Head coach Dave Marshall has played a huge part in driving the next generation of top-class anglers, with the likes of Brad Lucas and 2024 Fish O’Mania finalists Ted Stewart and Harry Campbell among those to have benefited from the club’s excellence in this field.
47 - Michael Buchwalder
Success is a huge marker when it comes to inspiration, and Michael’s remarkable double gold medal tally at this year’s World Feeder Championships left its mark on many. The Ireland international represented his country during the prestigious tournament, and not only helped them to the team victory in Spain, but also won the individual title against a field dotted with many of the world’s best feeder anglers.
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46 - Rob Hales
Owner of RH Fisheries and fish farm, Rob has often divided opinion within the carp fishing world with his goal of providing day-ticket anglers with the chance of catching the fish of a lifetime.
Using cutting-edge breeding and growing techniques, his ‘Superfreaks’ strain of fast-growing carp have now been stocked in lakes all over the UK. He recently introduced a 64lb common, which he had grown on, into his popular Monument 1 fishery. A British record carp in the making, it’s accessible to all.
45 - Marina Gibson
With a huge social media following – 75,500 on Instagram alone – Marina has remained one of the sport’s most proactive individuals.
She has been vocal in raising awareness of the problems facing our rivers, supporting and promoting The March For Clean Water, as well as playing an active role in the Cancer and Pisces Trust – a charity that aims to enhance the lives of cancer sufferers through taking part in angling.
44 - Gary Rodgers
Match fishing has struggled to reinvent itself over the years, but Gary has continued to work tirelessly to create new formats that have proved a hit with competitive anglers of all abilities. From short and sharp two-day festivals at some of the best commercials in the land to a ‘margin fishing-only’ match, he’s sold out events based on concepts that had never been trialled before.
43 - Wayne Gray
Wayne is a man on a mission to get as many new anglers into the sport as possible! He has donated more than 80 complete sets of tackle via his Tackle Donation Scheme through Bournemouth Fishing Lodge to help encourage kids into fishing, often working after hours and buying extra tackle with his own money. He also recently raised £1,715 for the under-16 England shore team.
IF YOU ARE NEW TO FISHING, OUR BEGINNERS GUIDE WILL HELP YOU CATCH MORE FISH.
42 - Steve Manley & Tim Price
Steve and Tim are the founders of Catch, a swim-booking platform designed to make anglers’ lives easier. Both men are highly passionate about their fishing, and have created a community where anglers can share information and make the most of their time on the bank, while at the same time making it easier for fisheries to advertise and take payments.
41 - Tommy Pickering
2024 was another successful year for one of the most decorated match anglers of all time. Not only did Tommy fish for the England Masters Feeder Team that won silver at this year’s World Championships in Hungary, he continued to inspire anglers with his thriving YouTube channel, posting regular content about big matches that he has competed in
40 - Aaron Grantham
The owner of Lindholme Lakes, he’s continued to set a high standard for other commercial fishery bosses to follow. His numerous money-saving offers for anglers throughout the year included discounts on winter day-tickets and tackle bundles for loyal clubs. He has also made giant strides to reduce the venue’s carbon footprint by installing solar panels to help power the complex.
39 -Jamie Cook
The Angling Trust’s CEO, while faced with the unenviable task of trying to unite all anglers, has continued to fight to raise awareness around major issues facing the sport, such as river pollution and declining participation in angling. The Trust has been one of the partners in the #EndSewageCoalition, and played a hand in helping to organise the March For Clean Water. Other initiatives in which they have been involved include Reel Education, which aims to introduce more school children to the sport, and the Get Fishing Awards and talent pathways.
38 - Terry Hearn
While maybe not in the limelight to the extent he once was, Terry remains one of this generation’s most influential carp anglers. This year he added a new personal best common to his highly- impressive big-carp CV in the form of a 49lb 9oz giant from Carthagena Fishery’s Brooke Lake. The video account of the capture quickly racked up close to 100k views on E-S-P’s YouTube channel, making it their most-viewed video of the year by a considerable margin.
37 - Adam Wakelin
This year Adam became only the second person ever to win the Feedermasters title twice. He was also part of the England Feeder Team that took silver home from the European Feeder Champs, while on the domestic team front he helped his Ringer Baits squad win the Bait-Tech Feedermasters Super League. He came third overall in both the UK Champs and Ireland’s Fermanagh Feeder Festival and has booked his place in both the Angling Trust Silverfish and On The Flyer Silverfish finals. A sensational year.
36 - Mick Vials
The boss of NuFish, he’s overseen phenomenal growth in the brand this year. Their product range has expanded rapidly, with Mick at the forefront of many of the successful ideas that have come to market. He’s also continued to be one of the two driving forces behind the immensely popular Feedermasters tournament, and secured another top finish 10 in this year’s final.
35 - Rich Chapman
Andy May and Jamie Hughes may be the frontmen of the mega-successful Winning Ways online platform, but Rich is the man behind the camera that creates the footage and helps to coordinate the two lads’ on-screen antics. Never short of an idea for the channel, he’s made sure that its audience continues to grow in an increasingly competitive market.
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34 - Scott Lloyd
With 39K followers on Instagram, there are few anglers out there who are as active on the platform as the Thinking Anglers and Sticky- backed big-carp ace. He regularly provides his followers with unique, and often humorous, behind the scenes footage of his latest campaigns and is quite possibly the only angler to wake up to find a Russian protection dog at the foot of his bedchair in the middle of the night!
33 - Brad Lucas
It’s been a breakthrough year for the ultra-talented 19-year-old, whose perfect score in winning the Maver Festival at White Acres was perhaps the highlight. He also qualified for the Maver Match This and Golden Reel finals, and sealed victory in several other festivals at venues including Lindholme Lakes and Redhill Fishery. He’s a regular on social media platforms, helping boost the number of youngsters that have shown an interest in match fishing.
32 - Adam Rooney
The main man at tackle giants, Guru, he’s been the brains behind plenty of products that have been launched in 2024. He’s also featured in a series of hugely popular instructional videos on their YouTube channel. It’s been a good year on the match fishing front for Adam too, with victory in the three-day Barston Lakes summer festival being right up there with his best achievements.
31 - Peter Drennan
One of the industry’s most innovative tackle bosses, Peter Drennan has overseen the launch of some of the year’s best-selling products, including the new E-S-P bankware range and the cutting- edge Drennan Method Feeders. The firm has also funded the England Feeder Team, as well as continuing to sponsor the prestigious annual Drennan Cup competition.
30 - Steve Collett
2024 was a year to remember for England’s lure fishing teams, with a gold medal secured in the Street Fishing World Championship. It caps a period of impressive growth for our lure teams across the board, and one man who has been behind much of that is team manager, Steve Collett. His selfless efforts have been pivotal in driving the side’s success, and 2025 looks set to be another big year for the lads under his guidance.
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29 - Rob Hughes
Rob Hughes continued to be one of the leading faces in fishing this year, and is a man with a schedule more hectic than most! His show – On The Bank – had another successful year on TNT Sports at a time when many broadcasters seemed to turn their backs on angling (such as ITV, for example).
In addition, he hosted the main stage at The Big One show and continued to stir opinion with his weekly column in Angling Times. Rob had a decent year on the fishing front, too, representing Carp Team England and catching a 7lb Dutch perch!
28 - Dave Lyons
Creator of the inspirational Tackling Minds charity, Dave and his team continued to spread the word about the mental health benefits of fishing. Dozens of new links and initiatives were created by the scheme in 2024 to help them reach more people, with many users claiming the intervention of the charity has played a key role in helping them better cope with issues such as drug and alcohol addiction.
27- Jeremy Wade
This list couldn’t be complete without the inclusion of Jeremy Wade. His programmes continue to be viewed by millions of people around the globe, and his audience reach is nothing short of phenomenal. On YouTube alone, for example, there are four videos on the River Monsters channel with more than 20 million views. You have to combine Carl Smith’s four most-viewed videos to hit that mark, and he’s arguably the UK’s leading fishing YouTuber.
26 - Alan Blair
When it comes to energy, enthusiasm and passion for the sport, few can compete with the force of nature that is Alan Blair. While he has arguably taken a bit of a step back on the content front this year, his films on Nash’s YouTube channel, including Beyond Banks and Borrowed Time III, have still chalked up in excess of 385,000 views.
25 - Matt Hayes & Mick Brown
The iconic duo hit the headlines earlier in the year when they unveiled plans for a brand-new series of The Great Rod Race. Thousands of anglers showed their genuine excitement at the project by donating towards the Crowdfunding appeal to raise the capital required to make the programme a reality. The target was met, and the pair spent most of 2024 filming the series, which is set to air in 2025.
24 - Bob Roberts
The ever-popular all-rounder launched his book, The Mighty Trent, this year, and it quite rightly became an instant hit. In addition, his Ultimate Trent Guide went live on the internet, offering priceless guidance to those wanting to fish the nation’s most popular river.
Bob has also been sharing clips from his DVD series, Barbel Days and Ways, on YouTube, and was recently given our Outstanding Contribution to Angling award. Richly deserved it was, too. A great angler and a selfless individual who is always willing to help others and impart valuable advice.
USING THE BEST BARBEL RODS WILL HELP YOU LAND BARBEL LIKE THIS...
23 - Kieran Marsden
The ‘tap, tap, boom’ shallow fishing method took many F1 venues apart during the summer months, and Kieran was one of the men who popularised what was arguably the most effective tactic of the year.
He used it to great effect during the annual Daiwa Tunnel Barn Masters, seeing off more than
120 other elite anglers to take the prestigious title. He also came within a whisker of winning the Fish O’Mania final, finishing second and just one fish short of top spot.
232 - Charles Watson
Although not a household name in angling, as Chairman of River Action UK, Charles Watson’s role in the fight for clean rivers has been significant. The group were one of the principal organisers of The March for Clean Water, helping to mobilise people from all different disciplines and hitting the streets of London to call for much-needed change. Anglers joined hands with, among others, swimmers and kayakers, all thanks to the efforts of Charles and his team.
21 - Steven Crowe
It’s been a tough year for Britain’s tackle shops, with numerous well-known independents shutting their doors for good. But one organisation that continues to thrive is Angling Direct. They recorded significant revenue increase in the UK, and are also having success in Europe. Steven Crowe is their CEO and the man at the helm of their growth.
20 - Andy Bennett
The Guru-backed star has become something of a sensation since securing his second Fish O’Mania title, with all his online content attracting huge audiences. He was also the star of the recent Guru Underwater 3 film project, with more than 100,000 people tuning in during the first week alone to watch the groundbreaking footage that submerged cameras captured at Shropshire’s Weston Pools.
19 - Darrell Peck
Voted 2024’s Carp Angler of the Year, Darrell Peck enjoyed a memorable 12 months, even by his own high standards. The Korda-backed angler landed no fewer than four sixties from French waters. The Orient and Three Islands lakes, and also banked the stunning fully-scaled mirror from The Manor Carp Fishery in the UK at 63lb 8oz.
This was backed up with 15 fifties and 20 UK forties, taking his tally of UK-caught 40lb-plus carp to more than 100! He’s also been kept busy uploading regular content to his rapidly growing subscription- based platform CarpFix.
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18 - Lee Kerry
An incredible ambassador for angling in so many ways, 2024 was another memorable year for the multi-tasking dynamo that is Lee. He continued to feature heavily in online content for Preston Innovations, SonuBaits and The Edge, and has also tasted success in plenty of big matches on a variety of different waters. He also co-organises Feedermasters with Mick Vials, helping to keep it among the elite match fishing tournaments.
17 - Adam Penning
With a large social media following, Adam has built a loyal community following with his Penning’s Carp Academy subscription channel. Undoubtedly a huge part of the platform’s success has been Adam’s ability to impart his vast angling knowledge in an informative and no-nonsense format. This year saw the channel’s first social event, held at Linear Fisheries, which proved to be a big success.
16 - Kayleigh Dowd
A hugely talented angler on several fronts, Kayleigh helped the England Ladies Carp Team win the Tri-Nations event before going on to take individual bronze in the Ladies World Coarse Fishing Championships. A brilliant role model, she works tirelessly to boost female recruitment in angling. She has also proved that being a mum doesn’t preclude your ability to compete successfully with the elite.
15 - Andy May
One of the sport’s most charismatic figures, Andy’s infectious personality continues to draw huge audiences. His work alongside Jamie Hughes for Winning Ways is incredibly popular, but it’s also been a bumper year for him on the match scene. A finalist in this year’s Golden Reel final, he’s already qualified for the two biggest winter events on the calendar – the Angling Trust Silverfish Final and the Winter Classic.
14 - John Ellis
A man with a huge passion for bringing new blood into the sport, John is the long-standing National Fisheries and Angling Manager for the Canal & River Trust (CRT) and helped to organise, promote and run several major events aimed at promoting the sport and encouraging participation this year – such as The National Celebration of Young People and Fishing 2024.
13 - Penny Gane
Some people in positions of power within fishing are often accused of doing relatively little, or appearing to do so, but one woman who that criticism cannot be levelled at is Penny Gane. The Head of Practice at Fish Legal, she has played a crucial role in fighting angling’s corner against the regulators and water companies this year. The pinnacle of her efforts came at the March for Clean Water, where she gave an impassioned speech to a crowd of thousands.
12 - Martin Bowler
The nation’s most famous specimen angler continued to delight his fans in 2024. As well as continuing his long- running and popular Angling Times column, Martin pushed on with FishFlix – his subscription video service. It’s made for the specimen angler, offering unique and beautiful films ranging from tactical pieces right through to inspirational stories from other key players in the big-fish scene.
11 - Neil Spooner & Tom Dove
Unfortunately there was no new Monster Carp TV series this year, but the affable duo have continued to keep their fans entertained with a whole host of content via Korda’s numerous channels in the form of podcasts, videos and vlogs. The most popular has surely been their Dovey and Spooner VS... series on YouTube which has seen them undertake various challenges against other anglers. We’re all hoping for another season of Monster Carp soon though!
10 - Des Taylor
One of the sport’s biggest and most recognisable characters, a more passionate angler you will struggle to find. Widely regarded as the ‘voice’ for the everyday angler, Des has never been afraid to air his opinions on a wide range of topics, including pollution, participation levels, predation and access to angling, while also frequently challenging those in positions of power.
A true all-rounder who enjoys a variety of tactics encompassing coarse, fly or sea fishing, his appeal spans a broad church of anglers. Des’ willingness to embrace modern technologies has seen him develop a large audience base on social media, with his ever-growing Des Taylor Angling Facebook group now boasting a following of 40,000 members. He actively engages with his followers through regular posts and also his popular ‘Friday Night in the Tackle Den’ live streams, where he discusses
the latest topics from the world of angling as well as answering questions from members.
In his long-running Angling Times column he has continued to deliver a blend of practical advice, humour and bold opinions on the state of the sport. Not everyone will agree with everything Des has to say, but he is ever-willing to stand up for his beliefs, and is passionate about topics centred on securing the long-term future of angling. Despite now being well into his seventies, Des remains a hugely influential figure on the angling scene, and has an enduring legacy that has lasted many years.
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9 - Jamie Hughes
Jamie Hughes is certainly no stranger to big finals, and this year saw him reach more of them than in any other 12-month period of his career! Unsurprisingly, he tasted plenty of glory too in 2024.
The Matrix-backed star won Maver Match This for the second time, was runner-up in the UK Champs and Fish Midlands, and competed in the Fish O’Mania and The Golden Reel finals. He’s also got a shot at more success this winter, having qualified early for the big-money Angling Trust Silverfish and Winter Classic finals.
His online presence continues to grow too. As well as playing a large part in the success of Winning Ways alongside the ever-affable Andy May, Jamie also featured heavily in Matrix’s underwater YouTube films, known as Submerged.
IF YOU WANT SOME EXPERT TIPS FROM JAMIE, THIS ARTICLE IS FOR YOU...
8 - Bob Mortimer & Paul Whitehouse
In terms of bringing angling to the general British public, there’s nobody in the UK that’s done more for the sport in recent years than Bob Mortimer and Paul Whitehouse. In their hit show, Gone Fishing, the likeable pair stepped away from the over-macho and often slightly tacky nature of many angling programmes, and showed what fishing is really about for most: enjoying peace and quiet in beautiful surroundings, spending time with friends, and maybe catching a fish or two.
When the Angling Times team speak to fishing guides, they regularly tell us that clients who are beginners or returning lapsed anglers have been inspired to hit the bank after watching the duo’s programmes.
In the 2024 series of Gone Fishing– the show’s seventh – Bob and Paul continued to delight audiences, with trips ranging from the North of Ireland in search of salmon right through to spinning for bass and sea trout fishing on Blakeney Point, Norfolk.
Season eight will have a more personal edge, as each location over the six episodes is being chosen for its personal relevance to Bob or Paul. Some fans believe the series might be the finale for the two pals – if so, one thing for sure is that when their programme ends, it’ll leave a gaping hole in the angling media.
7 - Feargal Sharkey
For a good many years the desperate plight of British rivers was only really known to those who egularly interacted with them, anglers being a key part of that group. But one man who’s played a huge role in raising awareness of the pressing pollution issues among the wider general public is the resolute Feargal Sharkey.
Known by many as the frontman of the former punk band The Undertones, the lifelong fly-fisher has been a powerful voice in the mainstream media when it comes to raising the profile of the fight against sewage. This year, he’s regularly been on national television, appearing on Good Morning Britain in August, where he highlighted that ‘every river in the country is polluted’.
More recently, he’s had a segment on LBC’s Nick Ferrari at Breakfast, in which Feargal has travelled around the country, taking water samples from various rivers and showing the public the worrying results, before urging them to stay away from swimming in such rivers for their own safety while also calling out the water companies responsible for the degradation.
Alongside his TV appearances, Feargal continues to be a prominent voice for our rivers on social media. His account on X (formerly Twitter), has more than 220,000 followers, and he’s not afraid to directly challenge offending water companies or take aim at other organisations’ ‘limp- wristed’ approaches when it comes to dealing with the regulators.
If there’s a breakthrough in the fight for clean water over the coming years, Feargal’s one man who deserves recognition.
6 - Carl Smith
Broadening the appeal of angling to a younger generation is often a hot topic of conversation.
One of the biggest idols for this new audience is without a doubt angling’s biggest YouTube content creator, Carl Smith. In the last year he’s added more than 50,000 new subscribers to his channel, taking the total number to well over half a million.
In 2024 his films charted his adventures at a variety of venues in the UK, Europe and even America, each one racking up hundreds of thousands of views. Angling Times readers also voted for his compelling Obsession film – which charted the high and lows of targeting a huge park lake common – as the Fishing Film of the Year in the recent National Angling Awards.
Fans are kept updated with the behind-the-scenes goings on via his various social media channels, and are also now able to purchase a selection of merchandise from his recently launched online store.
5 - Matt Godfrey
One of the sport’s biggest assets in so many ways, Matt has continued to be a highly popular figure with anglers of all abilities. The presenter and star of a huge volume of Tackle Guru’s online content, he has interviewed dozens of the biggest names in angling in detail via the brand’s podcast.
Aside from his relentless media work, Matt’s top-tier angling skills have kept him as one of the first picks for both the England team and Drennan Barnsley Blacks.
Also this year, one of his first forays into management ended in a gold medal. Partnering up with Billy Reynolds and James Dent, he steered the England under-15s to team gold in Serbia, with Barnaby Newman and Charlie Drinkwater taking individual gold and silver respectively.
4 - Ali Hamidi
2024 was another busy year for the force of nature that is Ali Hamidi. Incredibly, it is now three years ince he left his long-standing role at Korda to launch his own tackle company One More Cast. The brand now boasts a huge range of gear, covering everything from terminal tackle to clothing and luggage, even shelters.
The most notable launch of 2024 was The Magic Wand, which followed the controversial Magic Twig that was released in 2023. The video explaining the new version and the development that had gone into both products was by far OMC’s most-watched this year with 162,000 views, and the product has sold by the thousand in tackle shops.
With plans for the imminent release of a new range of rods, as well as branching out into the bait market, Ali’s OMC juggernaut shows no signs of slowing down, and we expect to see more of its products on the bank. In a bid to attract younger anglers into the sport, Ali, working alongside Cypography’s Elliot Gray, released a children’s book called The Rod Squad.
Authored by Kes Gray, it follows five young anglers on various fishing adventures, and is designed to be as interactive and engaging as possible. Understanding the financial pressures faced by schools and educational institutions, Ali even offered 200 complimentary copies of The Rod Squad to those who work with children.
3 - Steve Ringer
The Angling Times columnist has had an unforgettable year on the match scene, winning his section in each of the four rounds of the UK Champs to be crowned the victor for the first time in his career. He also represented England in the European Feeder Cup staged in Belgium, and put in three sensational performances to take the individual gold.Away from the competitive side of things he’s continued to swell his online presence, appearing in plenty of Tackle Guru videos to reveal his top tactics to help others become better anglers.
Steve featured heavily during the recently released Guru Underwater 3, sitting alongside fellow star Andy Bennett to analyse footage from submerged cameras, and providing feedback on how anglers could change their approach based on the findings. His long-running Angling Times column continues to prove extremely popular, with Steve answering reader questions in detail each week.
STEVE WAS VOTED MATCH ANGLER OF THE YEAR IN 2024, ROUNDING OFF AN EXCEPTIONAL 12 MONTHS.
2 - Mark Pitchers
The online ‘competitions business’ model has experienced rapid growth in the angling market over the last couple of years, and there are none bigger in this arena than Mark Pitchers’ portfolio – which includes Capital Carp Competitions and the match/coarse fishing- based Capital Catch Competitions.
But it isn’t just the competitions side of the business which has helped Mark to rise markedly up our rankings compared to 2023. Earlier this year, in collaboration with Preston Innovations and Matrix, Capital Catch introduced a revolutionary new big-money match format.
Rather than having to go down the traditional route of securing places on qualifiers and then having to compete against some of the best in the business, The Ultimate Fishing Competition and The Ultimate Feeder Competition followed a simple raffle format where any angler could purchase a ticket for £1.99 and be in with a chance of being picked as one of the finalists.
In a further expansion of the business, Capital Catch has employed some of the sport’s best social media content creators in the form of Hassan Khan and May Potter, who deliver regular content with high-profile anglers such as Andy May and Dean Macey.
1 - Danny Fairbrass
Retaining the number one spot for the second year running is Korda’s head honcho Danny Fairbrass. As the founder of one of the sport’s biggest brands, his unwavering commitment to innovation, education, and the advancement of carp angling, has seen him remain at the forefront of developing cutting-edge equipment and content that continues to revolutionise angling.
Following Korda’s first foray into the rod market in 2023 with the flagship Kaizen Platinum range, this year they released the more affordable Kaizen Green rods. These flew off tackle shop shelves and were the best-selling carp rod of 2024.
As well as product innovation, Korda has, for a long time, been in the vanguard of angling video content, with a range of popular franchises such as Underwater and Thinking Tackle. Without a doubt its most successful film in 2024 was Underwater: Norton Disney, which features Danny and Tom Stokes attempting to outwit the pressured carp that live in the busy Lincolnshire day-ticket complex.
Famed for his rig mechanics and a drive to find the best presentation for a certain situation, Danny’s use of the ‘shot on the hook rig’ in this film not only resulted in one of the year’s biggest trends (let’s be honest, we were all simply relieved to hear someone talking about something other than a Ronnie rig!) it also sparked extensive social media debate about carp rigs and the mechanics behind them.
Further to all this, Danny and his team continued the amazing work carried out by the Embryo Angling project, which he launched a decade ago. In 2024 this saw several new additions to the fishery portfolio, including branching out further into Europe with Carparena in Belgium and Carplantis in the Netherlands.
He has also continued to boost awareness of the cancer risks anglers face, and helps to raise money for the Melanoma Focus charity.
