Angling Trust Team England Fly Fishing

Qualifiers: Tony Curtis, Jake Wenman, Michael Laycock, Nick Dunn, Tim Joyce, Paul Tweddle, Graham Willis, Robert Toptalo, Neil Squires, Mark MacLeod, Anthony Roy Fox, Sean Porter, Pete Eville, Paul Roach, John Pearn, Richard Denney, Andrew Smith, Toby Dunney, Phil Shaw-Browne, David Moore, Richard Slater, Gary How, Jim Letham, Paul Cramp, Paul Wild, Malcom Hunt, Paul Calvert, Alastair Garner

The 2023-2024 AT TEFF Rivers National Qualifiers are now opening for entries.

Each Qualifier provides the opportunity for the eight highest-placed anglers to proceed to the National Final. In 2024 the National Final will be fished over two days on the River Eden. There will be thirty two places available at the National.

Ticket links will be available from the links below and updated as the season continues.
For any queries regarding the TEFF Rivers National please contact the coordinator Peter Scholes – 07935 245893.

Matches will be fished to full international rules and the AT TEFF River Qualifier scoring system. Measure, Catch and Release basis. Only in-season fish 20cms and above will be eligible for measuring / scoring / awarding fish points.

Entrants will be split into 2 groups:

Morning group – Fishing am & Controlling pm.
Afternoon group – Fishing pm & Controlling am.

Entries open: See individual Qualifiers

Entries close: See individual Qualifiers

There is no limit on the number of qualifiers that you can enter.

January 2024

Sunday 21st January (rescheduled again from the 17th December) – River Dee – QUALIFIER CANCELLED

February 2024

Saturday 10th February – R. Test, Wherwell – QUALIFIER CANCELLED

March 2024

Sunday 3rd March – South East FF Federation – Lower Itchen fishery – Organiser: Tony Fox

Organiser Tony Fox reports that the weather for the day was beautiful, and that even if the river was high and slightly coloured, it did clear later in the afternoon. Because of the levels everyone had to park at the main entrance and the walk to the first hut, which was their base for day. Despite the conditions 16 anglers landed 48 grayling, an average of 3 per rod.

Overall Results: 1. Cameron Craigs 2. Mike Heritage 3. Jim Dillon 4. Baz Reece 5. Andrew Smith 6. Gavin Walsh 7. Alex Adams 8. Harry Chance 9. Jay Curry 10. Darren Everitt 11. Daniel Tranter 12. Robert Williams 13. Alex Tipping 16= Peter Buckey 16= John Waters 16= Trevor Hayman

April 2024

Sunday 21st April – R. Ure, Wensley – Organiser: Paul Page

Overall Results: 1. Del Spry 2. Stan Moore 3. Chris Micallef 4. Danny Williams 5. Kevin Moran 6. Brian Lillie 7. Paul Fairhurst 8. Mark Withyman 9. Dan Scott Paul 10. Peter Crowe 11. Chris Richardson 12. Gavin Walsh 13. Karl Watson 14. Paul Baker 15. Tom Hunt 16. Andrew Sowerby 17. Nick Craigs 18. Anthony McKenna

Organiser Paul Page reports: The England Rivers Qualifier was fished on the Bolton Hall and Wensley Beats centred around Lords Bridge on the Bolton Hall Estate in Wensleydale. Despite all the poor weather and high river levels that has beset many of our rivers over winter and early spring, the River Ure had dropped to 0.411 on the scale at Bainbridge and the weekend was set for fine and sunny weather, light winds but still cold.
The 18 qualifier entrants met up at the Three Horseshoes inn at Wensley to pair up with their controllers. 9 fished the morning session on the Wensley Beat with the other 9 fishing the afternoon session, upstream, on the Bolton Hall Beat
The morning session’s 09:00 start on the Wensley Beat downstream from Lords Bridge was greeted with a frosty start, which once warmed up by the sun, set the weather fair with regular hatches of Grannom sedges. Del Spry won the morning session with 7 trout between 26cms and 45cms, of which 3 were in the upper 30’s and 3 in the lower 40’s cms. Del’s 44.5cms fish was the largest trout caught on the day. Danny Williams and Brian Lillie were not far behind with 6 trout each. Mark Withyman came in 4th with 5 trout. The 9 anglers who fished the morning session caught a total of 37 trout between them.
After swapping over from controlling to fishing and changing partners 9 anglers competed in the afternoon session upstream of Lords Bridge on the Bolton Hall Beat.
The afternoon session’s 14:00 start on the Bolton Hall Beat upstream from Lords Bridge was now cloudy broken by short sunny spells, however the temperature remained unseasonably cold. The regular hatches of Grannom in the morning disappeared. Stan Moore who ventured up to the top end of the beat found accommodating trout and won the afternoon session with 6 trout ranging between 22cms and 33cms. Chris Micallef, Kevin Moran and Paul Fairhurst with 4 trout each vied for 2nd, 3rd and 4th places respectively. Chris’s 43.3cms was the largest of the afternoon session. Keith McAdam came third with 3 trout and Chris Micallef fourth with 2 trout. The 9 anglers who fished the afternoon session caught a total of 24 trout between them.
Paul Page the event organiser said that the April Ure Qualifier was always a challenge as the grayling are out of season. However, with 41 trout being caught over the 2 beats, 8 of which were over 40cms, 8 over 35cms and 24 over 30cms, all wild brown trout, once again indicates that the River Ure is still a superb fly fishing river.
Wensleydale and the River Ure are a stunning place to visit and fish. Our thanks go to the Bolton Castle Estate for giving us access to the estate’s fishery and to Tom Orde-Powlett for their continuing support. Also, our thanks go to Aran at the Three Horseshoes at Wensley for his kind use of their car park at the beginning and end of the competition.

May 2024

Sunday 26th May – R. Dee, Llangollen & Maelor AA waters

River Dee Qualifier update:
We’re pleased to announce our first qualifier rearranged for the Dee from the original postponements in Nov23, Dec23 and Jan24. (What a wet Winter)!
Tickets for the qualifier on Llangollen & Maelor AA waters, Sunday 26th May 2024 are now on sale.
The river will be back to amazing form for this event as it’s bubbling and buzzing with upwings, sedges and stoneflies.
There are limited tickets available for this qualifier, please link and get yours as soon as you’re able.
Tickets available at: https://anglingtrust.net/competitions/at-teff-rivers-qualifier-river-dee-llangollen-north-wales-sunday-26th-may-2024/

QUALIFIER INFORMATION
HQ: The Hand Hotel, Bridge St, Llangollen LL20 8PL
Fishing Times: Morning group 09.00 – 12.00. Afternoon group 14.00 – 17.00
Practice: The river can be fished until Sun 20th of May, with appropriate permit.
Briefing: 07.20am
Entry Fee: £30.00
Fishing Fee: £22.00 payable on the morning directly to the organiser unless you are an L&MAA Season Ticket holder.
Min entries: 12 / Max entries: 24 Note: This is a Trout only match.
Please contact the Qualifier Organiser Simon Caddy for further details – 07884 492300.

AT TEFF matches now have an AT membership requirement. If you need to renew or sign up please visit http://www.anglingtrust.net/membership or call 0343 5077 006 (option 1).

Ticket sales close at 12.00 noon on Monday 20th May 2024

June 2024

Sunday 30th June – R. Dee, Llangollen & Maelor AA waters

Tickets available at: https://anglingtrust.net/competitions/at-teff-rivers-qualifier-river-dee-llangollen-north-wales-sunday-30th-june-2024/

QUALIFIER INFORMATION
HQ: The Hand Hotel, Bridge St, Llangollen LL20 8PL
Fishing Times: Morning group 09.00 – 12.00. Afternoon group 14.00 – 17.00
Practice: The river can be fished until Sun 24th of June, with appropriate permit.
Briefing: 07.20am
Entry Fee: £30.00
Fishing Fee: £22.00 payable on the morning directly to the organiser unless you are an L&MAA Season Ticket holder.
Min entries: 12 / Max entries: 24 Note: This is a Trout & Grayling match.
Please contact the Qualifier Organiser Simon Caddy for further details – 07884 492300.

AT TEFF matches now have an AT membership requirement. If you need to renew or sign up please visit http://www.anglingtrust.net/membership or call 0343 5077 006 (option 1).

Ticket sales close at 12.00 noon on Monday 24th June 2024

National Final

River Eden

Entries & Results Spreadsheet

Qualifiers – Top 15: 1. Nick Donald 2. Andy Campbell 3. Martin Griffiths 4. John Hood 5. Ian Gaskell 6. Neil Thomas 7. Garrick Ekard 8. Ben Watson 9. Richard Hood 10. Rob Wheeldon 11. Paul Hawkins 12. Paul Angell 13. Frank Sumnall 14. Mark Rose 15. Sean Gaskell

FULL RESULTS

AT TEFF would like to extend a warm welcome to Simon Caddy, who joins the executive as National Rivers Coordinator, taking over from Peter Scholes who recently announced his intention to step down following the Home International in June.
Simon brings a wealth of experience to this role, as both a competition angler, fly tyer and fly fishing retailer.
Simon will commence activities immediately, and will work closely with Peter Scholes to ensure a smooth handover of responsibilities when Peter steps down officially, following this year’s Rivers International.
Please join us in welcoming Smon to the role and offer him your full support.
Simon’s email is: buzzzflyfishing@gmail.com

Pete Scholes has decided to step down from his role on the AT TEFF Executive as National Rivers Co-ordinator. This will be effective after this year’s International Final on the River Tees In June. The AT TEFF Executive would like to thank Pete for his tireless work in organising the National Rivers Qualifiers and National Finals during his tenure.

This now creates a vacancy on the Executive and applications are welcomed from anyone interested in filling this position. The job description is attached/copied below and interested parties should contact Alex Adams at alex.adams1969@gmail.com

Note: Closing Date for Applications – Midnight March 31st

Pete has kindly offered to share his wisdom with anyone interested in undertaking the role and is on hand to ensure a smooth handover of responsibilities ahead of him formally standing down.

The TEFF Exec has looked at the process for next year’s qualifiers – details are below.

The aim is to give anglers a fair and even chance of progressing to the National final, and to also raise additional funds through entry fees to support all our teams in future. After careful consideration it has been decided to allow anglers to make three entries in 2024. Entries will be ‘controlled’ by having venues in three blocks, each block with its own opening and closing dates. That way we can control the numbers progressing – you will know after you fish if you have qualified. If you have not then you can enter another heat in another block. The percentage progressing from each block will vary – as an example, Block A may see 55% go through, but Block B may only be 50%, and C 40%. The aim is to get a final with around 100 anglers but, as this year’s final is at Rutland, we could have up to 120 anglers. A maximum number of anglers at each venue will be fixed. Once a heat is ‘full’ no more entries will be taken at that heat. NB: The rule on how brown trout are recorded has been amended, and the rules updated.

How it works

You can enter up to 3 heats – one in each block below.
Note entry opening and closing dates
Entries to Block B – note the short entry period!
You may decide to only enter one heat or two heats – it is up to you, but note that the percentages progressing will be slightly less in the later heats.
We hope to keep entry fees at just £30 per entry.
Those entering at Anglian Water will need to book boats and fishing through their website, and also enter on line at the AT website. Purchase tickets here>>
There is a link to the calendar from the TEFF website – on the right hand side.

Venues & Dates 2024

Block A
Entries open 1/3 and close 10/4

NW / MIDS	14/4 booked	CARSINGTON – Max 32
MIDLANDS	21/4 booked	GRAFHAM – Max 50
SW	28/4 booked	BLAGDON – Max 38
SE	28/4 booked	BEWL – Max 16

Block B
Entries open 29/4 and close 6/5

MIDLANDS	Prov 10/5 Fri	BLITHFIELD – Max – 20
MIDLANDS	12/5 booked	PITSFORD – Max 30
NE	19/5 booked	SWEETHOPE – Max 16
SW	19/5 booked	WIMBLEBALL – Max 20
SW	26/5 booked	CHEW – Max 30

Block C
Entries open 27/5 and close 17/6

RUTLAND

23/6 booked

Max 52

NATIONAL FINAL

21 & 22 Sept

RUTLAND – up to 120

Ian Colclough

The Angling Trust reports: With Walthamstow Reservoirs fishing so well since the New Year and showing some promise from the captures taken over the weekend, 10th & 11th, it was a shame the form didn’t carry over to yesterday.

Our AT TEFF Bank Manager Lee Cartmail posted a brief match report and results, of which explained.
Lee thanked the support of his good friend Gary Morris, finding his advice on where to peg the reservoir for Sunday invaluable. He split the lake into 3 zones.

Zone 1 – The Causeway, 4 pegs
Zone 2 – East bank 3 pegs
Zone 3 – House bank 3 pegs

During the day anglers would fish very similar water to each other, unfortunately finding fish and turning follows into scoring points was more than a challenge. Most anglers began deep, and line choice showed in the guise of faster DI line choice.

Zone 1 was where it was happening, the peg rotation was tweaked so every angler got at least 3 goes in Zone 1. After the first 40-minute session we had 3 fish caught from 2 zones after Session 2 we had fish from all 3 zones, going into lunch I had 5 anglers on the scoreboard.

We had a 30-min lunch break, after which it warmed up and those who noticed swapped the DI lines to Glass lines and the fish started getting caught, it had turned into a two-horse race for first place, 9 of the 10 pegs today produced at least one fish and 9 anglers caught.

I can safely say the winner was sensibly sharing info with teammates that pushed him across the winning line off one of his teammates, Fast Glass and a Black & Red Tadpole finding the fish that stuck.
A total of 20 fish were caught giving a rod average of 2.

Winner – Tim Joyce 5 fish 9 points
2nd – Gary Morris 4 fish 8 points
3rd – Frank Daley 2 fish 4 points
4th – Billy Bridgeworth 2 fish 4 points
5th – Iain Scott 2 fish 4 points

Lee Bartlett 2 fish 4 points
Dave Perks 1 fish 2 points
Mike Sutcliffe 1 fish 2 points
Sam Al-Mukatar 1 fish 2 points
Andrew Willoughby 0

Congratulations all the lads as it was a such a hard slog, well done all.
Please remember our next event is at Chatton Fishery in Northumberland 24th March: AT TEFF Bank National – Angling Trust

PLEASE BE AWARE THAT THE DATES & VENUES ANNOUNCED BELOW ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE. COVID GUIDANCE WILL ULTIMATELY DRIVE WHETHER SOME OR ALL OF THESE EVENTS CAN GO AHEAD.

Eligible anglers must declare their intention to join the programme by completing the following application form and returning it to ffnscott@gmail.com

NOTE: CLOSING DATE FOR ENTRIES – THURSDAY 29TH FEBRUARY 2024

Download the EPP 2024 Application Form from the page on the AT website: https://anglingtrust.net/our-competitions/team-england/team-england-game/team-england-fly-fishing-2/at-teff-elite-performance-programme/

All anglers must be a current member of the Angling Trust to participate.
Please see below for the confirmed dates & venues for 2024.

Event 1
Venue: River Tees,
Date: 4th & 5th May 2024
Hours: 7:30am briefing (fishing 08:30am > 18.30pm)
Fishing Fee: TBC (payable to organiser)
Practise cutoff date: 3rd May on designated practice water. 20th April on Match stretch.
Event organiser: Scott Nellins

Event 2
Venue: Farleton View, Lancs
Date: 6th May 2024
Hours: 8am briefing (fishing 09.00am > 16.00pm)
Fishing Fee: TBC (payable to the fishery)
Practise cutoff date: 22nd April
Event organiser: Scott Nellins

Event 3
Venue: River Dee
Date: 27th & 28th July 2024
Hours: 7:30am briefing (fishing 08:30am > 18:30pm)
Fishing Fee: £40 (payable to the organiser)
Practise cutoff date: 26th July on designated practice water. 13th July on Match stretch.
Event organiser: Scott Nellins

Event 4
Venue: Llyn Clywedog
Date: 29th July
Hours: 8am briefing (fishing 09.00am > 16.00pm)
Fishing Fee: £TBC (payable to the organiser)
Practise cutoff date: 15th July
Event organiser: Scott Nellins

EPP Factsheet

The Angling Trust reports: Hosted at some of the finest trout fisheries in the country, TroutFest 2024 will see seven individual qualifying matches take place over the next few months, all leading to the grand final on November 3rd. Each qualifier will be fished from the bank and the top anglers from each event will win a TroutFest fishery trophy and a golden ticket to the final where 28 rods will compete for the inaugural title, main trophy, and winner’s purse.

The seven qualifiers will begin on Sunday February 11 at Walthamstow and will see events staged at Chatton Fishery (Sunday March 17), Elinor (Sunday March 31), Exe Valley (Sunday April 14), Ellerdine (Sunday April 28), Innis Fly Fishery (Sunday May 12), and Bank House (Saturday June 22).

Anglers can book in at as many qualifiers as they wish to increase their chances of reaching the final which will be hosted at the superb Millets Farm Fishery, in Abingdon, Oxfordshire. The final is scheduled to take place on Sunday Nov 3rd 2024.

“The purpose behind the new event is two-fold, firstly to give game anglers an exciting new competition to be part of in 2024 and secondly to help raise awareness and much-needed funding for the England Youth Flyfishers squad,” explained Angling Trust Head of Competitions, Steve Fitzpatrick.
“The host fisheries for TroutFest 2024 are all dedicated supporters of the England Youth Flyfishers and have stepped in to help run the qualifiers in their areas and we can’t thank them enough for their backing. We hope that game anglers will embrace this new competition and in doing so support the EYFF squad.

In addition to the 27 qualifiers, England’s top performer at the Youth Home International in August will be invited to take part in the grand final.

England Bank Team Manager Lee Cartmail is excited by the new competition and believes every angler should get involved.
“TroutFest ticks a lot of boxes for me. Firstly, who doesn’t love hearing about the budding generation of England’s young anglers being supported in their quest for international competition fishing? This competition will help them progress as it helps support their Elite Coaching Program and Home International practice.
“Secondly, four of the fisheries offer a great opportunity for our AT TEFF Bank National competitors to have a practice under match conditions before their specific qualifier. There are few waters that don’t alter under match pressure.
“Thirdly, every fishery has its local anglers and they’ll be fishing for their very own TroutFest Fishery Cup which they can proudly display in the lodge for a year.
“What’s more, the September final is on a beautiful fishery most anglers will not have had the pleasure of fishing before – I wish everyone who competes the very best of luck.

How to book your ticket
Entry to each qualifier will be £40 per angler and there will be limited spaces at each qualifier. The top four anglers at the four qualifiers with 20 anglers, and the top three at the smaller qualifiers will each earn a golden ticket to the final.
Based on a sellout, the top prize for the winner at the final will be £1,000 as well as their name engraved on the inaugural trophy. Entry to the final will be £75 per angler which will cover day tickets, prizes, and lunch – the rest will go towards supporting the England Youth Flyfishers squad.
Tickets for TroutFest 2024 are on sale now via the Angling Trust website here: https://anglingtrust.net/our-competitions/game-competitions/angling-trust-troutfest/

Each Qualifier heat will see 5 anglers progress to the National final at Ellerdine Lakes on the 5th of May 2024.
Registration: 8:30am
Briefing/Peg Draw: 8:45am
Fishing Times: 9:00am until 4:00pm
Rules: Max 3 rods set up per angler
Bung must have at least 3 materials in the dressing. Glue does not constitute a material.
Rule Amendments from the FIPS-M International Bank Rules:-

1. We are not measuring fish, the standard 1 point per fish, 1 point per peg, maximum 6 points per peg will be used
2. No booby flies at all venues
3. Fario style bungs are allowed at all venues

A full set of Bank International Fly Fishing rules are available to download here>>

All entrants will be required to pay their fisheries fees on the day of the qualifier. Fees will be set by the individual fishery.

Angling Trust members only.
Please ensure that your membership is valid and up to date at the time of applying and for your qualifier/s you are fishing otherwise the Angling Trust reserve the right to refuse entry to fish the event.
Join today at  www.anglingtrust.net/membership

November 2023

Sunday 19th November – Blackdyke Trout Fishery, Thetford

December 2023

Sunday 10th December – Ellerdine Lakes Fishery, Ellerdine, Telford TF6 6QR – Ticket sales close on the 3rd of December 2023 – Entry here>>

January 2024

Sunday 28th January [rescheduled] – Press Manor Fishing Lakes, Birkin Lane, Ashover, Chesterfield S45 0LQ – Ticket sales close on the 14th of January 2024 – Entry here>>

February 2024

Sunday 18th February – Walthamstow No5, Ferry Lane, London E17 6NU – Ticket sales close on the 11th of February 2024 – Entry here>>

March 2024

Sunday 24th March – Chatton Trout Fishery, Alnwick NE66 5RA – Ticket sales close on the 17th of March 2024 – Entry here>>

April 2024

Sunday 7th April – Elinor Trout Fishery, Lowick Road, Kettering NN14 3EE – Ticket sales close on the 31st of March 2024 – Entry here>>

National Final

Sunday 5th May – Ellerdine Lakes Fishery