Introduction

If you thought fishing was a slow and relaxing pastime, think again. In the Great Rod Race, Matt Hayes and Mick Brown take up the fast and furious challenge of catching over 30 species of freshwater fish from British and Irish waters in 30 days. Will they succeed in this mission impossible? We'll have you hooked.

The task sees Matt and Mick travel all over the UK in an epic journey of over 4,000 miles. Starting on Ireland's beautiful West Coast on the mighty Lough Corrib on an August day, the final whistle blew on the banks of the river Test in Hampshire four weeks later. In between, Matt and Mick spanned the country, visiting Devon, Wales, the Midlands, the North East, the Lake District and the Home Counties.

Custom van The two fishing fanatics travelled in a custom-designed van, specially fitted out to help the lads store a huge range of tackle necessary to catch 30 different fish species. The challenge provided a tough test for Matt and Mick's all-round angling ability. Matt calculated that during the filming of Rod Race he used 37 different fishing methods. "It was by far and away the toughest challenge I've ever taken on in the sport," he says.