Former veterans world champion Harry Billing wins 2025 coarse DragonMania

Former veterans world champion Harry Billing can add the title of Welsh individual coarse angling champion to his glittering career CV after he won yesterday’s Angling Cymru DragonMania Final at Weston Pools.

The 71-year-old Sonubaits and Garbolino sponsored angler, from Winwick near Warrington, took the trophy and £2,000 winner’s cheque after winning the match with a bag weighing 84lb 7oz in total off peg six on Canal Pool.

His margin of victory was only 4oz more than defending champion and Weston regular Matty Dawes who, with 84lb 3oz off peg 17, went agonisingly close to making it back-to-back DragonMania titles.

Speaking afterwards, Billing, who was individual and team vets world champ in 2016, said: “It’s fantastic, I’m absolutely delighted with that.

“I had an aerator, so I started shallow on the aerator on ide and caught a few there. Came short on pellet, which didn't really work, so I've gone long to 16 metres where it's a little bit shallower – cut maggots in there and never really looked back then.

“I was told it was a decent peg and I was half hoping to catch 70 pound and possibly win the section to be fair. I’ve just picked away all day, had an eight pounder and a five pounder and they’ve made all the difference.

“With 10 minutes to go, I went down the left edge with hemp and corn, which has made the difference. Just beat Matty, who I think is a brilliant angler, by the way.

“I’ve probably fished 9.5 out of 10 today; it's impossible to fish the perfect one but I think today, under the circumstances, and having not seen the venue for months, I fished a decent match, made some choices at the right time, which turned out to be good.”

A stellar field of top coarse match anglers had been vying to become DragonMania champion, with this final being contested by the winners of the 20 qualifying matches that were staged at six different venues across Wales between April and September.

All were gunning for a share of the £3,000 prize pot for the final, with £2,000 on offer for the outright winner, and four section prizes of £250 up for grabs.

The weather was good, overcast and cloudy, but most of the competitors would have liked a breeze to ripple the surface, and to push the falling leaves away.

As always, everyone had their idea of the favoured pegs that may win but, with such a high-class field, anything could happen.

Most anglers fished short to start, whilst priming the longer shallow line, and then hoped for some later edge fish – and that’s pretty much how it panned out.

Andrew Griffiths (peg 42) went off strong catching ide and a few f1’s to the bridge, Matty Dawes (17) had a couple short then went long and shallow, while 2025 Daiwa Pole Fishing Masters champion Mikey Williams (23) also caught early and it looked as though they would run away.

However the fish switched off, and on, and off and on again all day and everyone had a few in the end.

Billing (6) started catching at 16m, Andrew Price (12) had a few down his right edge, this year’s FishOMania runner-up Steve Openshaw (48) had a late run and Richie O’Connor (26) and John Harvey (36) had a peg to peg battle.

In the end, it was Billing’s patient game that won; he weighed a very creditable 84lb 7oz, a mix of carp and silvers, just 4oz ahead of last year’s winner, Chester’s Matty Dawes, with 84lb 3oz.

“I'm not too disappointed, because I feel like I've had a good match,” said Preston Innovations backed Dawes, who last month won the prestigious Golden Reel event at Larford Lakes in dramatic fashion.

“I feel like I've been on the methods, I've just been a bit wrong side of weights but that's fishing isn't it. That's match fishing.

“There’s a few people who could have won it, when you think back, there was a 72 as well, and a couple of 60s, so a few key decisions there and they could have got it right at the end of the day.

“But well done to Harry; he doesn't come to this venue a lot and he's a class angler.”

Results:

Winner – Harry Billing (6) – 84lb 7oz

Sections winners:

A – Steve Openshaw (48) – 43lb 4oz

B – Andrew Price (12) – 72lb 13oz

C – Matty Dawes (17) – 84lb 3oz

D – Richie O’Connor (26) – 62lb 4oz