MORE than 100 anglers gathered at a Bolton fishery to take part in a televised fishing contest which could net them a £25,000 prize.

The keen fishermen - and women - spent more than six hours at Bradshaw Hall Fisheries, trying to hook carp, perch and bream, as cameras from Sky Sports' Fish-O-Mania contest captured the action.

They were competing for the chance to appear in the final in Doncaster in August, which will be broadcast live for a full day on Sky Sports, with the winner taking home £25,000.

The victor in the weekend event was also rewarded with a £1,000 prize, and footage from the heat will be shown during the televised nine-hour final.

It is the first time that a heat for the annual competition has been held in the North-west, and it attracted fishermen from as far afield as Devon.

The anglers included novices, teenagers, sponsored fishermen and a few professionals, all patiently waiting at their pegs for that all-important bite.

The event at the fishery in Slack Lane, off Bradshaw Road, was one of 17 heats to be held across Britain.

One of the venue's owners, John Kelly, said: "This is a very prestigious competition and is a big event in the fishing world, and all the well-known names from across the UK take part.

"It was decided by the National Federation of Anglers that we would hold the North-west event, and we were really proud to have been chosen, as it brought a lot of new anglers to the fishery.

"It's definitely good for Bolton's angling scene, and we hope to keep the event coming back here annually."

The eventual winner of the event was Stephen Jackson, who caught mainly carp weighing in at a total of 33.38kg.

Mr Jackson, aged 49, who comes from Devon, said: "I was lucky to have drawn a good peg on the day, which helped a lot. I love fishing. I have being doing it since the age of 14 and match fishing is an extension of that.

"Last year, I travelled 5,000 miles around the country taking part in various fishing contests."

Mr Jackson won the final back in 2001 and is hoping to do repeat his success again this year.

It is the fourth time Mr Jackson has gone through to the final. He is now hoping to net the big prize for the second time.