Twelve qualifying heats are being held around England and for the first time the contest has been expanded to include regional heats in Scotland, Wales and Ireland too.
We're hosting the pairs competition in conjunction with the Angling Trust. Places for the qualifiers must be booked in advance through the Angling Trust, at a cost of £40 per pair, per heat.
Anglers from northern England have a choice of date and venue to qualify for the final – either on the Rochdale Canal, courtesy of the Todmorden Angling Society, on Sunday 17 July, or on the Leeds & Liverpool Canal on Sunday 9 October, hosted by Wigan and District Angling Association.
A great catch
Competitors score points based on the weight of fish they catch. The five best pairs from each heat win a place in the Canal Pairs Championship Grand Final which will be held, along with a Junior Championship, on Saturday 29 October on the Staffordshire & Worcestershire Canal, courtesy of the Wolverhampton Angling Association.
John Ellis, our national fisheries and angling manager said: “The aim of the competition is to inspire anglers to experience the great fishing that can be found on their local canal.
“In 2015 the event was a great success, with more than 600 anglers taking part. This year we wanted to expand the competition to include Wales, Scotland and Ireland and give even more people the chance to get involved.
“It should be a real ding-dong battle and we hope lots of anglers will sign up.”
David Kent, Chair of Angling Trust Competitions said; “Building on the success of the first ever Angling Trust / Canal & River Trust Canal Pairs Championship, I am confident the 2016 event will be better than ever.
“We have had wonderful co-operation from local organisers in compiling a diverse and exciting set of venues, including Wales, Scotland and Ireland. This coupled with a potential prize fund of £15,000 awaiting the finalists, I feel sure we'll see a massive uptake from anglers for what is already our premier canal event.”
Qualifying heats for the Canal Pairs Angling Championship
- Saturday 2 July – Shropshire Union Canal, Hodnet Angling Club
- Sunday 17 July – Rochdale Canal, Todmorden Angling Society
- Saturday 23 July – Gloucester & Sharpness Canal, Winget Angling Club
- Saturday 30 July - Grand Union Canal (Aylesbury Arm), Tring Anglers
- Sunday 31 July – Grand Canal, Irish Angling Development Alliance/ Edenderry Coarse Angling Club
- Sunday 7 August – New Junction Canal, Doncaster & District Angling Association
- Saturday 13 August – Birmingham & Fazeley Canal, Dams and Lock Angling Club
- Sunday 21 August – Erewash Canal, Long Eaton Victoria Angling Society
- Saturday 27 August – Forth & Clyde, Scottish Federation for Coarse Angling/Scottish Canals
- Sunday 11 September – Trent & Mersey Canal, Coors Angling Club
- Saturday 24 September – Grand Union Canal, Milton Keynes Angling Association
- Sunday 25 September – Basingstoke Canal, Basingstoke Canal Angling Association
- Saturday 1 October – Kennet & Avon Canal, Devizes Angling Association
- Saturday 8 October – Llangollen Canal
- Sunday 9 October – Leeds & Liverpool Canal, Wigan & District Angling Association
For more information about the Canal Pairs Angling Championship and to book a place, please go to /news-and-views/news/canal-pairs-championship-extended-for-2016.
