Young angling stars to watch out for in 2024

Kaden Dixon

The Luton star only started fishing in 2023 and appears a good listener when coached. Performed well at the Regional Celebration in his first fishing competition. Came last in the Grand Union Junior Champions, but what impressed me is that is he wasn’t deterred. Kaden’s mature enough to know that in every match, you win some, you lose some. The following week, he was individual runner up at the Daiwa Global Communities Fishing Celebration. What a first fishing season.

Harun Khan

Missed the National Fishing Celebration but turned up with enthusiasm at the Grand Union Junior Championships in October. You could see he was learning fast from the excellent support coaches and was as keen to learn more.

The Alcott brothers

Frankie and Alfie have been fishing for 18 months now, with the usual sibling rivalry. Both performed amazingly at the various fishing celebrations. Frankie adapted in the Angling Trust Junior National where he represented Northampton Nene. Steve Broome reckons Frankie’s arguably the better prospect, but I would plump for Alfie.

Jak Wilkes

The Telford based angler is full of enthusiasm. I appreciated the way he bounced back from a disappointing day at the Global Communities Fishing Celebration, then he put on a terrific performance at the Tommy Pickering Talent Pathway. He certainly deserves a place at the 2024 Tackle Guru Talent Pathway but with limited places available, that’s not necessarily guaranteed.

Ismail Bright

This West Yorkshire based young fellow is passionate about his fishing. I watched him at the Daiwa Global Communities Fishing Celebration getting beaten by the amazing event winner, Jack Stone. It was clear to me that Ismail wanted to understand why and recognised it probably wasn’t just down to luck. If he can surround himself with better anglers and learn from them, he can quickly develop to the next level.

Mason Riley

A product of Pelsall school who has impressed me most this season with his tenacity. Carried the USA flag at the Daiwa Global Communities Fishing Celebration opening ceremony and was part the strong Northern team that finished fourth.

Emily Jane Clark

She’s impressed me every time I’ve seen her fish, with excellent levels of concentration. Providing she sticks at her fishing I see no reason why she won’t be a contender for the Angling Trust Tackle Guru Talent Pathway in two or three years time.

Kian Clark

Now a young junior, Kian has improved in leaps and bounds this year. His Global Communities effort where he finished 8th was the performance of his career. Come on Kian, keep it up.

Aziz Yusif

Pegged below bridge 51, Aziz bagged more than a kilo of gudgeon in rhythmical manner. He backed that up being part of the Global Superstars team that won the cadet section of the Daiwa Global Communities. Simply amazing. We just hope he hasn’t peaked too early in his fishing career.

Dominic Stinton

Some people are said to be born anglers, and Dominic fits that category. It’s been fascinating seeing his rapid improvement in such a short time. We were delighted he picked up a trophy for the best weight in his team at the Daiwa Global Communities. I’m expecting really big things from Dom in 2025 and 2026.

Vinnie Barnett

A cracking young angler from the Wellingborough Angling Club who fishes beyond his years. Already winning junior club matches at seven years of age, the sky’s the limit for Vinnie once he has gained more experience on a wide variety of fishing venues.

William Holt

The young Welsh wizard only started fishing in 2023 and forced his way into the Wales cadet team for the Daiwa Global Communities following an impressive debut performance at the Cheshire Regional Celebration in early September. Sure to be a regular at the Port Sunlight Angling club for years to come, and who knows after that.

Ammar Hirani

First caught my eye at the Bumble Hole Regional Celebration and followed that up with an impressive 1.5kg weight at the National Celebration. You can tell he is keen as he followed the scales for maybe 30 pegs. Ammar carried the Ugandan flag at the Daiwa Global event and never stopped trying that day.

Michael Wright

The Wirral based young fellow has made steady progress, supported by a wonderful grandad. I will be fascinated to see what further progress he makes in 2024. Can he build on his skills which already brought Michael a top weight in team trophy at the 2023 Daiwa Global? In my opinion, the odds are in his favour, especially if he fished local junior club matches on a regular basis.

Reggie Pierre

The southern raider is a lucky fellow in having one of the best taxi dads in the UK. I’ve only watched Reggie twice and fleetingly at that. If truth be told he’s not drawn the best areas, but it’s clear that he is getting the basics sorted and is full of enthusiasm. I for one expect Reggie to be a household name in a few years time.

Florence Bate

Nine-year-old Florence has been a regular angler for at least two seasons and always catches fish. Her confidence, determination and skill levels keep steadily increasing and many reckon she’s now as good as grandad Ray, who may even need to build her a bigger trophy cabinet if she goes on to fully realise her huge potential.

Cayden Grimes

One of 42 Stoke on Trent Angling Club members who attended the 2023 National Celebration, Cayden’s improved significantly in the past 18 months, helped by a supportive family. His 2022 Commonwealth Games performance kickstarted his improvement and his consistency. A possible Talent Pathway contender in a couple of years if he continues to improve.

Quentin Houreau

He only started fishing in the summer of 2023 and a late sign up to the National Celebration. Quentin is a natural and he is already beginning to take the steps to master the rod and reel. I can see Quentin’s French team challenging for top five medals at the 2024 Daiwa Global Communities event.

Lyric Tedds

Can this talented young person switch from commercial fishing to the more delicate techniques required for success in natural fisheries? I believe she'll definitely manage it, and by 2024, her performance in canals will really show off her skills.

Joseph Briggs

We’ve seen steady and consistent improvements from this young fellow who has now joined the successful Ramsbottom Angling Club juniors. He will certainly be in good hands there. Because of this, there is no reason why he won’t reach the level that literally dozens of other juniors in the club already have.

Taylor Archer

This seven-year-old star of the Winsford Angling club was a last-minute call up for the cadet section at the Daiwa Global Celebration. Struggled initially, but after some coaching support Taylor went on to show what he could do, and it was impressive. A few tweaks here and there and the lad will be a serious contender.

Morgan Hughes

Had barely been fishing when he made his debut at the Bumble Hole Regional Fishing Celebration but took to fishing like a duck to water. Assuming the West Midlands angling academy finally gets off the ground, and Morgan decides to get involved, the sky is the limit for him.

Tia Rathbone

The second Stoke on Trent angling club member in the list, Tia’s twice represented St Peters Academy in the schools section in the National Celebration. I’ve been impressed with her focus, feeding patterns and how she controls her equipment. If she was fishing every week alongside more experienced anglers, the possibilities would be endless.

Holly Bailey

The second Wybunbury Angling club member chosen. You can quickly tell she has been coached by Andy Fairclough; all those good habits having been usefully passed on. With debut at the National Celebration, and Global Community Fishing Celebration appearances under her belt, I fully expect Holly to kick on in 2024.

Casey Dodman

The Rochdale Walton Angling club are one of the unsung heroes of the Let’s Fish club deliverers. Pegged near Freddie & Lily May Kirk at the National Celebration, Casey held his own among these talented individuals. It was the way he did so, decent rig and pole control, feeding patterns and catching steadily throughout the day which made me take notice.

If you know anyone who is keen on getting into fishing, you can find out more about our Let’s Fish programme by emailing [email protected]