Ahead of this Saturday’s Fish‘O’Mania at Hayfield Lakes in Doncaster we profile the 24 anglers taking part, continuing with the next six who qualified for this year’s Grand Final.
Paul Blinkhorn
Qualified From: Tunnel Barn Farm (122.19kg)
Previous FishOMania Finals: 2017 (18th)
Paul Blinkhorn returns for his second FishO final having featured the last time the match was hosted at Cudmore Fisheries. He was also a semi-finalist in 2016. Nicknamed ‘Blinky’, he’s been fishing for 35 years and lists Des Ship as his favourite angler.
Chris Lane (Shropshire)
Qualified From: Moorlands Farm (80.29kg)
Previous FishOMania Finals: Debut
HGV Driver Chris makes his FishO debut this weekend, seven years after taking up angling. He came close last year, finishing second in a qualifier at Moorlands Farm, and lists three of this weekend’s line-up among his favourite anglers; Andy Bennett, Jamie Hughes and Andy Power. The 28-year-old enjoys the peace and quiet of fishing and describes himself as fun, kind and always there to help others.
Ryan Lidgard (Barton-upon-Humber)
Qualified From: Lindholme Lakes (126.89kg)
Previous FishOMania Finals: 2016 (15th), 2018 (9th)
Lidgard makes his third appearance at the FishOMania Grand Final this weekend. The two-time Lindholme Festival winner is known as ‘Sturgeon’ to his friends and has been fishing for 15 years. His biggest match bag was 343lbs and the 27-year-old says defending FishO champ Andy Bennett is his favourite angler.
Colin Scott (Bolton)
Qualified From: Weston Pools (92.82kg)
Previous FishOMania Finals: 2017 (20th)
Colin Scott returns for his second bite at the FishO Grand Final, having struggled on a tough peg on debut at Cudmore in 2017. The father-of-two was UK Carp champion that year and is a Manchester United fan who is currently enjoying seeing his son learn ‘the art of goalkeeping’.
Lee Farmer (Hinkley)
Qualified From: Makins Fishery (73.03kg)
Previous FishOMania Finals: Debut
Bricklayer Lee Farmer has qualified for his first FishOMania having been a Maver Match This finalist in 2012. His biggest match bag is 311lbs caught in just three hours. He describes himself as outgoing, hardworking and all-round nice guy who enjoys the banter that comes with fishing.
Timo Quillmann (Germany)
Qualified From: Carpodrom, Belgium (87.70kg)
Previous FishOMania Finals: Debut
Germany’s Timo Quillmann won his regional heat and German qualification final to earn his debut at FishOMania. He enjoys paintballing and says Jamie Hughes and Andy May are his favourite anglers.
In line with government guidelines, FishOMania 2020 will be staged behind-closed-doors with no public admittance. The event will be shown live on Sky Sports Action from 11.30am on Saturday, August 29. International broadcast details can be found here.
Live scoring from both matches will be available at www.fishomania.net and for the latest news and exclusive content, follow FishOMania on Facebook and Twitter. Archive footage from previous FishOMania finals can be viewed free at https://Matchroom.Live and on the Matchroom Multi Sport YouTube channel, where the draws can also be viewed.
