Talent Pathway

Successful candidates are provided with preparation kits and Mainline Match bait for the course, and while passing the Pathway is a great achievement, there is also the chance of candidates getting selected to represent the country in the U15s England Team at the end of it! The third and final session each year is used as a trial for this, and aside from certificates and loads of prizes being handed out to framing places, section winners and more, five lucky and skilled anglers are chosen to make up that years England squad to compete in the World Championship. This is based on progression throughout the sessions, performance, attitude, preparation levels and commitment.

Applications for the Talent Pathway appear in December on the Angling Trust website, but are advertised across Tackle Guru and the Angling Trust social media. To enter, candidates must be capable match anglers, able to set-up and fish alone, with good match fishing experience. Due to the significance of the selection process in this event, the standard of angler on The Pathway is very high. The coaching is taken very seriously with some of the best match anglers on the planet passing on lessons, giving demonstrations, and making the assessments for the event. Often techniques such as deep-water pole fishing, bloodworm and joker fishing, big waggler, whip and slider fishing are covered, with the aim of giving these young anglers advanced experience about international style fishing methods at an early age.

We are very proud that the Pathway has already started to feed and filter anglers though to other international teams, with many of the England U20s and U25s squad now made up of anglers that have progressed through the course, some going on to further high level team commitments fishing for the likes of The Sensas Starlets and The Drennan Barnsley Blacks. Only recently, Joshua Duffy, who spent several years on the Talent Pathway program, was crowned the U20s World Champion!

While we’re very keen to promote the likes of the Talent Pathway and Match Academy as high-level coaching events for young anglers, we support beginners and newcomers to the sport in our other events like open days, fishing schools and by being involved with the Canal And River Trust ‘Lets Fish’ events, that have inspired and instigated some fantastic young anglers to progress through to the Talent Pathway and beyond!