23 to 30 October 2027 · Alderney, Channel Islands
Eight days of shore fishing on the island with the best rock, beach and breakwater marks in the Channel Islands. Around 150 anglers from the UK, Jersey, Guernsey and Alderney, fishing day and night for the biggest and the most.
The festival
Alderney sits in some of the fastest tidal water in Europe, and the fishing shows it. The festival has run every October since the 1980s and brings anglers back year after year for bass, tope, bream, plaice, conger, smoothhound and more, all caught from the shore.
It is a species hunt as much as a weigh-in. Teams and pairs compete across a range of categories, the biggest fish of each nominated species take the prizes, and there are standing bonuses for anyone who breaks an Alderney or British record.
Off the rocks, it is a sociable week. Anglers stay in the island's hotels and guest houses, swap marks and bait tips in the pubs, and the whole thing wraps up with the prize-giving on the final night.
Festival film
A minute and a half from this year's week: the marks, the fish and the people who make the festival what it is. Sound on.
The week
Register, fish, weigh in, repeat. The island is small enough to get to any mark in minutes, and the festival HQ is where catches are recorded and the leaderboard goes up.
Entries are taken ahead of the festival. Email the organisers or message the Facebook page for the entry form, fees and this year's categories.
Sign in at festival HQ, collect your card and the rules, and sort bait and tackle on the island.
Fish any shore mark, day or night. Bring qualifying fish to the weigh-in during the published hours to have them recorded against your name.
Results, trophies and the record bonuses are presented at the closing night, then it is back to the pub.
News and results
Entry details, weigh-in times, results and new photo albums are posted on the festival's Facebook page first. Whatever is posted there appears here too, so this is always the place to check for the latest.
You do not need a Facebook account to read the page.
Recent posts, results and photo albums from the festival page.
View on FacebookGetting here
Aurigny flies to Alderney from Guernsey and Southampton, with onward connections across the UK. There are also boat services from Guernsey and France in season. Visit Alderney has the current timetables.
visitalderney.com
Hotels, guest houses and self-catering fill up quickly for festival week, so book early. Most are within a short walk of the harbour and the main marks.
Accommodation on Visit Alderney
Fresh and frozen bait and a good range of tackle are available on the island during the festival, so you can travel light. Ask the organisers what is on offer this year.
Ask the organisersEnter or get in touch
For entry forms, fees, categories, sponsorship or anything else about the festival, email the organisers or message the Facebook page. Replies can take a few days outside festival week.