Sunday 5th November – South East FF Federation – Lower Itchen fishery (Official Practice: Saturday 4th November) – Organiser: Tony Fox – Results: 1. Mike Heritage 2. Andrew Green 3. Jay Curry 4. Baz Reece 5. Andy Ford 6. Tony Fox – Full Results: Lower Itchen results 2017
January 2018
Saturday 27th January – River Dee, Llangollen/Maelor AA Waters – Qualifier Cancelled. Date now Saturday 21st July (see below). Preference given to 27/1/18 Entrants. Fished to a minimum 20cm size limit with fishing for grayling & trout in season – HQ: Hand Hotel, Llangollen – Organiser: Carl Nixon, Northern Federation – Entry Form and Risk Assessment 27-01-18 00538 (PP)
February 2018
Saturday 3rd February – River Test, Wherwell – Organiser: Andrew Croucher – Results: 1. Adam Sinclair 2. Alex Adams 3. Andrew Green 4. Andy Ford 5. Cameron Craigs 6. Andy Deacon – Full Results: Wherwell Results 3rd Feb 2018
Saturday 17th February – River Dee, Llangollen/Maelor AA Waters – Organiser: Carl Nixon, Northern Federation – Results: 1. Mark Withyman 2. Kevin Moran 3. Peter Scholes 4. Tom Hunt 5. Paul Runec 6. Tom Speak – Full Results: Qualifier 17.02.18
April 2018
Sunday 8th April – River Ure, Wensley – Bolton Castle Estate waters – Organiser: Paul Page – Results: 1. Jonathan Barnes 2. Mark Tyndall 3. Ashley Cook 4. Keith McAdam 5. Fred Bainbridge 6. Del Spry – Full Results: 2018 Score Card (River Ure) Results Summary
Friday 20th April – River Eden – R. Eden, Sandford – from Far Bank End upstream via Black Syke Bridge to Warcop (Appleby AA water) – Organiser: Jeremy Lucas – STOP PRESS: Qualifier Cancelled. Due to insufficient applications by the closing date for entries, the Eden qualifier has been cancelled. Please note that the National Rivers Final will still go ahead on the Eden, as scheduled.
July 2018
Saturday 21st July – River Dee, Llangollen/Maelor AA Waters (rearranged qualifier) – Organiser: Carl Nixon, Northern Federation – Results: 1. Mike Dixon 2. Chris Richardson 3. Paul Fairhurst 4. Simon Clarke 5. Carl Nixon 6. Simon Caddy – Full Results: Qualifier 21.07.18
Sunday 22nd April – Bewl – Organiser: John Pearn – Results: 1st Sean Brooks 2nd Ian Whiteside 3rd Kim Green 4th Phil Thompson 5th John Pearn 6th David Franklin (through to National Final) 7th Rob Toptalo 8th Ray French* 9th= Robert Barden 9th= Paul Canning 11th Mike Heritage 12th Jim Letham (invited to Repechage)
*Unable to fish Draycote. Place at Repechage will be lost.
Sunday 22nd April – Stocks – Organiser: Paul Page – Results: 1st Phil Burgess 2nd Sam Bailey 3rd Craig Barr 4th Geoff Thomas 5th Andy Axon 6th Matt Nuttall (through to National Final) 7th Andy Campbell* 8th Ryan Feber 9th Ian Gaskell 10th Pete Scholes 11th Neil Hodgson 12th Lee Cartmail* (invited to Repechage)
*Now qualified at Stocks 2 – place at Repechage will be lost
Sunday 22nd April – Blagdon – Organiser: John Horsey – Results: 1st Alex Johnstone 2nd Martin Burgess 3rd Dave Johns 4th Paul Golding 5th Gary Morris 6th Andy Haskins 7th Dale Burgess 8th Lloyd Pallet 9th Tony Baldwin 10th Roger Truscott 11th Paul Jones 12th Paul Roach (through to National Final) 13th John Horsey* 14th Andrew Weeks 15th Graham Currie 16th John Braithwaite 17th Mark Withyman* 18th Peter Runnals 19th David Bromley 20th Julian Weddle 21st Tony George 22nd Vince Howley 23rd Malcom Hunt 24th Jeff Mason (invited to Repechage)
*Now qualified at Chew – place at Repechage will be lost
Sunday 29th April – Rutland – Organiser: Peter Hartley – Results: 1st Steve Smalley 2nd Tony Curtis 3rd Paul Runec 4th Norman Rushton 5th Pablo Mullings 6th Nick Dunn 7th Ed Smith 8th David Newing 9th Paul Wild 10th Stephen Peart 11th Mark McLeod 12th Graham Hayward 13th Lloyd Thompson 14th Mark Patten 15th Mark Rose 16th Phil Shaw-Brown 17th Ryan Feber 18th Charlie Abrahams 19th Mark Haycock 20th Ian Whiteside* (through to National Final) 21st Ian Donaldson** 22nd Frank Sumnall*** 23rd Edward Mitchell 24th Andy Axon**** 25th David Eames 26th Paul Haskey 27th Iain Barr 28th Martin Introna 29th Gareth Tilley***** 30th Paul Calvert 31st Bradley Gifford 32nd Ashley Davis 33rd William Rankin****** 34th Ron Gent 35th Kim Green******* 36th Robert Rudd 37th Eamon Mounter***** 38th Paul Tweddle******** 39th Sean Hanlon 40th Jamie Thomas (invited to Repechage)
*Already qualified at Bewl – his place at National will go to 21st angler at Rutland – Ian Donaldson
**Replaced a dual qualifier – place at Repechage will be lost
***Now qualified at Carsington – place at Repechage will be lost
****Already qualified at Stocks – place at Repechage will be lost
*****Now qualified at Eyebrook – place at Repechage will be lost
******Now qualified at Blithfield – place at Repechage will be lost
*******Already qualified at Bewl – place at Repechage will be lost
********Now qualified at Stocks 2 – place at Repechage will be lost
Sunday 13th May – Carsington – Organiser: Ian Colclough – Results: 1st Mark Harrison 2nd David Currie 3rd Michael Laycock 4th Frank Sumnall 5th Ben Fox 6th Nick Donald 7th John Henshall (through to National Final) 8th Lester Booth 9th Leigh Pond 10th Mick McLintic 11th Mike Dixon 12th Richard Hood 13th John Hood 14th Warren Langridge* (invited to Repechage)
*Now qualified at Stocks 2 – place at Repechage will be lost
Sunday 20th May – Chew – Organiser: John Horsey – Results: 1st John Horsey 2nd Mark Withyman 3rd Mark Miles 4th Matt Kingdon 5th Michael Walker 6th John Bowen 7th Tim Wellman 8th Andy Cottam (through to National Final) 9th Alan Williams 10th Gary Haskins 11th Jay Curry 12th John Braithwaite* 13th Malcom Hunt* 14th Keith Gollop 15th Andre Gysler 16th Jim Letham* (invited to Repechage)
*Already has Repechage place – this place will be lost
Sunday 27th May – Eyebrook – Organiser: Run by Fishery – Results: 1st Eric Caisley 2nd Bradley Gifford 3rd Paul Davison 4th Thomas Bird 5th Paul Haskey 6th Ben Race 7th Gareth Tilley 8th Mark Thomas 9th Jonathan Wood 10th Eamonn Mounter (through to National Final) 11th Lee Cartmail* 12th Bart Farmer 13th Richard Slater 14th Ian Gaskell* 15th Mick McLintic* 16th Ashley Davis* 17th Ron Gent* 18th Mark Tremaine-Coker 19th & 20th Leigh Pond* & Tom Davis (invited to Repechage)
*Already has Repechage place – this place will be lost
Friday 8th June – Blithfield – Organiser: Ian Colclough – Results: 1st Andy G Taylor 2nd Yousef Dar 3rd Simon Caddy 4th John Hardy 5th Mike Lightfoot 6th Dom Sheratte 7th Tim Joyce 8th Tom Gott 9th Tony Baldwin* 10th Mark Miles** 11th William Rankin (through to National Final) 12th Andrew Esplin 13th Jay Curry*** 14th Mark Withyman**** 15th Peter Crowe 16th Dermot Speight 17th Peter Hartley 18th Paul Davison***** (invited to Repechage)
*Already qualified at Blagdon
**Already qualified at Chew – qualifying place goes to William Rankin
***Already has Repechage place – this place will be lost
****Already qualified at Chew – this place will be lost
*****Already qualified at Eyebrook – this place will be lost
Sunday 17th June – Stocks – Organiser: Paul Page – Results: 1st Warren Langridge 2nd Andy Campbell 3rd Neil Hodgson 4th Lee Cartmail 5th Neil Heath 6th Paul Tweddle (through to National Final) 7th Martin Griffiths 8th John Braithwaite* 9th Graham Willis 10th Ian Gaskell* 11th Bob Fitzpatrick 12th Derek Moore (invited to Repechage)
*Already has Repechage place – this place will be lost
Repechage – Saturday 14th June – Draycote – Organiser: Ian Colclough – Results: 1st Graham Willis 2nd Gary Haskins 3rd David Eames 4th David Bromley 5th Paul Calvert 6th John Braithwaite 7th Richard Hood 8th Martin Griffiths 9th Alan Williams 10th Leigh Pond 11th Ron Gent 12th John Hood 13th Ashley Davis 14th Bart Farmer 15th Malcom Hunt 16th Eddie Mitchell (through to National Final)
The new Angling Trust Loch Style Team Championship competition, sponsored by Scientific Anglers was hosted at Eyebrook Trout Fishery. Televised by BT Sport, the teams competing were:
1. BRFFA Team Cortland
2. The Ospreys
3. FNF Nymphomaniacs
4. Elinor
5. Fish Hawks
6. Flash Attack Reservoir Dogs
7. The Renegades
8. Pitsford Pirates
9. Draycote Rio Masters
10. H.F.A
11. Tannerhill Raiders
First Day
The first session saw challenging conditions with a clear sky, warm temperatures and a brisk wind. This was likely to be a low scoring affair but fish were being caught.
Day 1 Results:
FNF Nymphomaniacs 517cms
Elinor 513cms
BRFFA Team Cortland 414cms
The Renegades 335cms
Flash Attack Reservoir Dogs 241cms
Fish Hawks 208cms
Draycote Rio Masters 175cms
The Ospreys 163cms
Pitsford Pirates 121cms
Tannerhill Raiders 93cms
H.F.A 78cms
Second Day
This looked like another challenging day with similar conditions but a lighter wind.
Congratulations to FNF Nymphomaniac’s on winning the first Loch Style Team Championship and securing a cheque for £4,000 in the process!
Congrats also go to Flash Attack Reservoir Dogs on finishing 2nd and to Fish Hawks finishing 3rd, winning £1,500 & £1,000 respectively.
Huge thanks to all who took part, to the team at Eyebrook Trout Fishery and our competition sponsors Scientific Anglers. Andy Ford has confirmed that an hour long special covering the event will be broadcast on BT Sport on July 16.
Andy Ford comments: “I’ve been wanting to cover a Loch Style event for TV for years. And now I have.
Just got back from filming the Angling Trust Loch Style Team Championships. It was a fantastic competition, brilliantly run and at a stunning location.
The weather did its best to stuff things for the anglers, with water temperatures at Eyebrook up to 20 degrees at times, bright sunshine, zero colour cover – but the class of the field ensured we got loads of action. I reckon there were well over a hundred international caps shared between the 66 anglers on show.
Great to meet up with so many people at a location that was simply fantastic. Properly supported, this has potential to be a huge competition. I reckon there will be an awful lot more than 11 teams wanting to take part next year. I sense there won’t be many of those who were in it this year who won’t be back!
We’ve filmed for an hour-long show, which will be on BT Sport on Monday July 16th. I’ll advise times and channel as soon as the schedulers let us know. Please like and share this post to get the word around.
In the meantime, I’ve put together a short promo film to give you a taste. Great pictures from James Roberts.”
The Angling Trust reports:
FNF Nymphomaniacs Win the Angling Trust Loch Style Team Championships
Saturday 30th June, 11 teams of six anglers from around the UK gathered at Eyebrook Trout Fishery in Leicestershire to compete in the new Angling Trust Loch Style Team Championship which was to be held over two days. The event was filmed by BT Sport, bringing loch style angling to the main stream and raising the general profile of angling in the process.
There was a lot at stake over the weekend as anglers had the opportunity to land a huge cash payout of £6,500, product packs from competition sponsors Scientific Anglers and the top five teams would receive an invite to the Airflo Invitational event in spring 2019.
A new format in Loch Style match fishing featured three 3-hour sessions each day, fished on a full catch, measure and release basis with the cumulative total over two days determining the winning team. Four anglers from a team fished each session while the other two team mates were boat stewards for another team. One familiar feature for the competitors was the match being fished to international rules however a general feeling of excitement and trepidation greeted the organisers on day one, would the format work, would the conditions spoil the event?
The weather in the week leading up had been relentless sunshine with a stiff breeze and the weather looked set to continue over the weekend of the event and so it proved but, any concerns about the format soon disappeared after the first session when anglers were afforded the opportunity to regroup to discuss their tactics, change boats and disappear off for the second session without a hitch.
The conditions on day one were harsh to say the least, water temperature began at 16C and rose to 20C by the time the final session ended, clear skies dominated the day, air temperatures peaked at 28C and the brisk breeze meant boats drifted quickly. With the majority of fish sitting deep in the main basin and reluctant to take a fly fished quickly, anglers were presented with the challenge of getting and keeping their flies deep enough without fishing behind the boat. FNF Nymphomaniacs, Flash Attack Reservoir Dogs and Elinor got out of the block fast with six, five and five fish respectively and set the tone for what appeared to be a three-way battle at the top of the leader board until the end of the competition. A total of 68 fish were caught on Day 1, catches peaking in session one and as expected, gradually deteriorating as the day unfolded. FNF Nymphomaniacs led the way but only just, 4cm ahead of Elinor in second place.
Anglers arrived on Sunday to a forecast much the same but importantly the brisk wind that had caused issues on day one had eased and this made a big difference to the tactics and approach that would be adopted and ultimately the catches. Boats didn’t drift as quickly meaning anglers could stay at the correct depth for longer but the fish appeared to come up in the water as fish were seen both feeding and splashing around, presumably trying to remove any little critters that had settled on the fish after a few days in the depths. This gave anglers the opportunity to change their approach and still add to their tally, dry fly proved successful while others persisted with sinking lines and continued to catch throughout the day. FNF Nymphomaniacs, Elinor and Flash Attack Reservoir Dogs continued to lead the way in session one and two and it looked a three-way battle however Fish Hawks caught steadily and a stunning final session resulted in nine fish landed and propelled the Fish Hawks into the mix. As the final session came to an end, uncertainty about the result was evident and the wait for the official results began. A total of 123 fish were caught on Day 2 giving a total catch of 191 for the weekend, a great result in such hostile conditions and testament to the quality of anglers on show.
As the results were read out it became evident that things were tight at the top and the Fish Hawks final session proved vital as they leapfrogged Elinor into 3rd place by a margin of just 23cm, enough to secure a cheque for £1,000, on such fine margins are competitions decided. The consistency of both FNF Nymphomaniacs and Flash Attack Reservoir Dogs from start to finish meant they were competing for first place and a cheque for £4,000. It was the Nymphomaniacs who triumphed with 34 fish and a total length of 1488cm and the top prize, beating the Dog’s 29 fish which gave them 1241cm and a cheque for £1,500.
FNF Nymphomaniacs team captain Gareth Jones said: “When the AT Loch Style was announced, our team couldn’t wait to enter and we joined the AT immediately to ensure we got an early entry. We just love going away as a team and feel that as a group we need to support all the events we can during the course of the season.
“The fishing was tough and in very difficult conditions we expected the fish to be deep. With very limited practice we hatched a plan to fish water depths of 20ft-25ft where we stood the best chance of keeping our flies on the deck for longer. Matt Griffiths played a blinder and his 15 fish deep on the Booby Basher was an incredible feat over the two days, when most other competitors just looked on in awe.”
“As a team, we feel incredibly privileged to have won the inaugural event and the cash prize of £4,000 will go a long way to funding our fishing during the rest of the season. So, a massive thanks to all involved in running the event and we’re looking forward to defending the title next season.”
Ben Thompson, Senior Competitions & Performance Manager at Angling Trust, said: “I am delighted with how the competition went and the feedback from anglers has been incredible. Conditions were tough to say the least but the sheer determination, perseverance and skills on show were immense, demonstrating just how high the standard of the competitor is in the UK.
“This is the first step we are taking to improve and increase our offer to competitive fly fishers and it has been a successful first step. We have a competition that we hope will now become a flagship event and only grow bigger in future years. Plans for 2019 are well underway and judging by the feedback we have received, the competition will be even more popular next year and we hope to be able to announce the dates soon.”
He added: “On behalf of the Angling Trust I would like to thank all the competitors for entering and supporting the event, the fishery staff at Eyebrook for their hospitality and commitment to providing an excellent event and to competition sponsors Scientific Anglers for their support. Make sure you tune into BT Sport on July 16th to see the action unfold.”
A New Loch-style Team Fly Fishing Competition
With a top cash prize of £4,000, there is a guaranteed minimum pay out of £6,500 in total spread between the top 3 teams and product packs for 4th – 6th placed teams from competition sponsors Scientific Anglers. The 2 day competition will be broadcast on BT Sport and you can book your ticket via the link below
Unique format and structure, something totally new in Loch Style team fishing, a televised major fly fishing competition and a big cash pay out. Hopefully the start of something that will grow year on year!
The Angling Trust has teamed up with Scientific Anglers to introduce a new loch style fly fishing competition with an exciting new format and big prize fund.
The two-day competition will be for teams of six anglers and be held at Draycote Water and Eyebrook Fishery on the 30th June and 1st July 2018. Based on a sell out of 30 teams, the prize pot will reach a whopping £8,500 and Scientific Anglers will provide prizes from their range of products.
The competition will be open to both Angling Trust and non-Angling Trust member clubs or match groups from the UK and abroad.
The competition will be fished to international rules and scored on a full catch, measure and release basis. Each angler will fish both Draycote and Eyebrook over the course of the event and the combined team length in centimetres over the two days will determine the overall result and winning team.
Entry fees are all inclusive and cover fishing permits and boat hire for two days, the cost of entering for Angling Trust member clubs is just £450, equivalent to £75 per person while non member clubs entry fee is £500. Individual membership is not a requirement to compete. In addition to the discounted entry fee, Angling Trust member clubs will also receive priority access to tickets. Angling Trust Club/Match Group membership starts at £60 and clubs can find more information on the Angling Trust website.
Entry to the competition for Angling Trust member clubs opens on 5th February 2018 and non members can enter from 5th March 2018, with the closing date on Sunday 10th June 2018. Entries for the competition will be via the Trust’s online booking system.
Ben Thompson, Angling Trust’s Senior Competitions Manager, said: “We want to actively promote and encourage team fly fishing but we understand it can be expensive when travel, accommodation, practice and entry fees are factored in. We have structured this new competition in such a way that it minimises those costs for competitors because there are no heats or qualifiers and teams go straight into a big money match.
“The format of the competition will enable anglers to fish in the same boat as their team mates but the use of boat stewards will allow us to regulate the match and protect the integrity of the competition which will ensure a fair and even playing field for all competitors.”
The Loch Style Team Championship is the first phase of the Angling Trust’s plan to create more competitive opportunities for grassroots game anglers. The Trust is also piloting a new approach to entry to its competitions by offering priority access and discounted entry to members while opening events to non Angling Trust members in an effort to increase participation.
Scotland Secure Gold in the International Fly Fishing Association Rivers International
Friday, June 22nd, probably the most difficult conditions this season in terms of conditions for fly fishing. England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales met on the River Ure to contest the IFFA River International on the magnificent Bolton Castle Estate in North Yorkshire. The harsh reality of the results suggests indeed that the conditions were hostile, despite the conditions each and every angler gave their all and it was Scotland who prevailed and took the gold medal.
Team England was ferociously captained by Fred Bainbridge whose boundless energy drove the entire team, which included three new caps, Gilliaum Vermeulen, Del Spry and Mark Harrison, such that even this comparatively inexperienced team was always going to be a threat. Fred’s intimate knowledge of the Ure, and tactical prowess was shared with the team from the day he was made captain and the team also benefited hugely from the experience of veteran dry fly master, Jonathan Barnes.
The draw for starting pegs did not aid England’s cause, but then a draw should never be an excuse. The standard at international level, on rivers, is now higher than it has ever been, and vastly experienced England manager, Jeremy Lucas commented “In my own observation I witnessed an exemplary performance, both in the build-up preparation and the international itself, of each team member. This includes the perception and experience of our seasoned reserve, Scott Nellins. It was heartening to see them go out there, with the entire range of methods and fly types at their disposal, with strength throughout a team – which was biased towards the inexperienced at this level – and then to see such a performance.”
The morning sessions were generally poor for England and the team found themselves in last place at the lunch time break. In such testing conditions avoiding the blank was incredibly important, but unfortunately for England, through no lack of effort, they recorded a couple. However, Jonathan Barnes secured two first placings in his morning sessions, while both Fred Bainbridge and Del Spry secured one second placing. Although with the afternoon to come, England were still confident they could recover and move up the table.
To a degree, England showed this as the team romped away to two firsts and two seconds in the third session, but the river had also ‘died’ by this time. Clear skies and bright sunshine meant conditions failed to improve, while a strong downstream wind developed making conditions even more challenging for all anglers on the water. The final session came down to avoiding the blank and England’s Mark Harrison took two fish, enough to win his section in very challenging conditions. Despite the team registering measurable fish it wasn’t enough to challenge the other nations for the title and Team England finished in third place as the event came to an end.
The ever popular and magnificent competitor Terry Bromwell, of Wales, to great applause, won the Moc Morgan trophy for the top individual, while his team fished hard they could only manage a fourth place. Ireland pushed the overall winners closely and had the consolation of the Mike Childs trophy for the day’s biggest fish (42.9cm), though it was Scotland who stole the day.
Jeremy went on to say “On such tiny things do international fly fishing championships hinge. Had Jonathan Barnes caught a fish in his last session, he would have won the day. Had the single fish caught by Fred, Gilliaum and Del been a little bigger, they too would have massively influenced the results. Finally, the best team on the day always wins, but Team England performed admirably, all the way back to the moment it was formed on last year’s National Final, and each member can hold his head high with pride. It was a great privilege to be with them throughout the campaign. Our congratulations go to Team Scotland on winning the event and to Terry Bromwell and Brian Russell on their individual achievements.”
Individual: Terry Bromwell, Wales, with six placing points. Top England rod, in 5th, was Jonathan Barnes. Other Team England placings: Fred Bainbridge (Captain), 11th; Del Spry, 15th; Gilliaum Vermeulen, 16th; Mark Harrison, 18th.
Entries for this year’s Qualifiers will open on 1st March at 8.00am. Entries will only be taken on-line and through the Angling Trust dedicated website – link below.
Significant changes have been made for 2018 and details can be found by clicking the Google Drive link below. This link will open a dedicated folder containing all the documents you will need to read.
You can now see all major competitions on the link below. It is possible for you to set up alerts to you home PC, laptop or mobile. This way you will know when dates are added or deleted. Comp results will be posted in the calendar for the loch-style events soon after the day they are fished.
The 2018 5 Nations Championships took place from 13th-18th June in Puy-en-Velay, Haut-Loire, France. Three teams from France, three from Ireland, two from Scotland and one from England competed.
Sunday 17th June: Competition Day 2 – Morning & Afternoon sessions – Prize & Gala Dinner
Monday 18th June: Breakfast
The competition was held on Lac Malaguet in Monlet, Lac Bouchet-Saint-Nicholas (both from drifting boats), Bouchat Ponds in Mazet-Saint-Voy, and the River Loire between Chadron and Goudet.
You will find more information on their Facebook page here
AT Team England FF was represented by Mark Withyman, Simon Kidd, Carl Nixon & Terry Phillips.
Mark Withyman
Carl Nixon
Simon Kidd
Terry Phillips
The best of luck to everyone involved.
Practice Sessions
Competition Day One
England got off to a good start on the first day, finishing in 4th place behind the three French teams. Mark Withyman won his session on Lake Malaguet from the boats, with Carl Nixon coming 4th on Malaguet and 3rd on Lake Bouchet from the bank. The River Gazeille was a tougher proposition, though, with only Terry Phillips avoiding a blank here.
Competition Day Two
Good performances by Mark Withyman and Simon Kidd, who won their sessions on Lake Bouchet and Lake Malaguet, plus a 2nd place by Carl Nixon on Lake Bouchet, saw England go into the medals, to take 3rd place behind France Red in 1st and France Blue in 2nd.
The 2018 FIPS-Mouche European Fly Fishing Championships took place from the 6th-11th June in Vyšší Brod, Czech Republic, on the Vltava River and the Květonov reservoir near Kaplice.
Programme:
6th June – Arrival of Teams, Registration, Captains’ Meeting and Opening Ceremony
You will find more information at the official website here, and on their Facebook page here.
Team England FF was represented by Ben Bangham, Andrew Croucher, Mike Dixon, Harry Fox, Andy Cliffe, Steve Cullen and Martin Dixon (manager).
Ben Bangham
Andy Cliffe
Andy Croucher
Steve Cullen
Mike Dixon
Harry Fox (reserve)
Martin Dixon (manager)
First Day
Session 1: England made a good start and were lying in 5th place with 35 placing points. Andy Cliffe won his session on Lake Kvetonov (boat) with 34 fish, while Steve Cullen was 5th off the bank. On the Vltava River, Mike Dixon was 7th, Ben Bangham 10th and Andy Croucher 12th. France were in first place with 19 placing points, ahead of the Czech Republic on 26 points, Spain with 27 points, and the Czech Ladies with 33 points session-1-teams-after-session-1
Session 2: England’s good form on the boats continued with Steve Cullen scoring a 4th place with 15 fish, although Andy Croucher was one of four who failed to catch in the bank lake sector. On the river, Ben Bangham came 6th, Andy Cliffe came 11th and Mike Dixon 12th. This was a good session for the Czech Republic, who overtook France to move into first place with 44 placing points, with Spain 2nd on 48 points, France 3rd with 51 points, and the Czech Ladies 4th with 61 points. England dropped to 7th position with 85 points, behind Scotland on 81 points and Finland on 73 points session2-teams-after Individually, Finland’s Ville Ristolainen is leading with 4 points, ahead of the Czech Republic’s Pavel Chyba and Tomas Adam, both on 5 points, with the Czech Lady Marketa Prochazkova 4th on 6 points. Steve Cullen is currently in 11th place with 9 points session2-indivs-after-session
Second Day
Session 3: Ben Bangham came 5th on the lake bank sector with 4 fish, while Andy Croucher came 9th in the boat sector with 12 fish. On the river, Andy Cliffe came 7th, Mike Dixon 11th and Steve Cullen came 12th. England dropped a place to 8th with 128 points, just one point ahead of Slovakia and Ireland, and two points behind Italy. A bad session for the Czech Republic saw them drop to 3rd place with 82 points, with France returning to 1st place with 74 points, one point ahead of Spain in 2nd. The Czech Ladies are still 4th with 100 points session-3-teams-after-session Individually, Pavel Chyba of the Czech Republic is lying 1st on 6 points, ahead of Finland’s Ville Ristolainen, also on 6 points, with Tomas Adam of the Czech Republic 3rd with 8 points session-3-indivs-after-session
Final Day
Session 4: With one session to go, England put in some good performances on the lake with Ben Bangham coming 2nd on the boats with 13 fish, and Mike Dixon getting 3 off the bank to put him 8th. On the river, Andy Cliffe came 9th in his session, Steve Cullen 10th, and Andy Croucher 16th. England dropped to 10th place with 173 points, five behind Scotland and eight ahead of Ireland. France extended their lead with 88 points, with Spain 2nd with 98 points, the Czech Republic 4th with 103 points, and the Czech Ladies 4th with 141 points session-4-teams-after-session Individually, a win in the lake bank session saw the Czech Republic’s Pavel Chyba retain his 1st place with 7 points, ahead of Spain’s Luis Alfonso and Daniel Martin, who are both on 12 points session-4-indivs-after-session
Final Session: Mike Dixon continued his good spell on the lake to finish 3rd with 7 fish in the boat session, while Andy Cliffe saved a blank on the bank. On the river, Ben Bangham came 6th (just missing out on 5th place by largest fish), with Andy Croucher 11th and Steve Cullen 13th. Even so, England still dropped a place to finish 11th with 217 points, with Ireland 10th with 208 points, and Scotland 9th on 206. The top three team places saw a dramatic reversal with the Czech Republic the 2018 European Champions with 119 points, France 2nd with 132 points, Spain 3rd with 143 points, and the Czech Ladies an impressive 4th with 168 points session-5-teams-after-session Individually, Pavel Chyba of the Czech Republic held onto his lead to become the 2018 European Champion with three 1sts, a 4th and a 5th, with France’s Sebastien Vidal and Jean-Benoit Angely 2nd and 3rd, and the Czech Republic’s Tomas Adam in 4th place. The top ladies were Marketa Prochazkova 10th, Tereza Rutova 11th, and Katerina Svagora 25th (all Czech Republic). England’s Ben Bangham put in a consistent performance to finish just out of the top ten at 12th session-5-indivs-after-session
Medal Ceremony
Andy Cliffe – Winner Sector 5 (lake – boat)
Wychwood links up with Team England Fly Fishing
L-R: Martin Dixon (Manager), Harry Fox, Andrew Croucher, Steve Cullen, Ben Bangham, Mike Dixon & Andy Cliffe
Angling Trust has announced a new partnership with Wychwood that will see the tackle firm become Official Supplier to Team England Fly Fishing’s European Team.
The team is currently in the Czech Republic participating in the 24th FIPS-Mouche European Championships which will be held between the 6th – 11th June. The Milton Keynes based brand Wychwood will be supporting the team with a variety of clothing and accessories.
Pat MacInnes, marketing manager for Wychwood said; “As part of its ongoing growth the brand is working with Angling Trust, angling’s national governing body that organizes and runs the system of teams that represent England at international level. We’re immensely proud to be involved with Team England and with one of our own staff on the team – Steve Cullen, brand manager for Wychwood – we are wishing the boys huge success on this world stage.”
Ben Thompson, Senior Competitions & Performance Manager for Angling Trust said; “We are delighted to be working alongside Wychwood. The team at Wychwood have a vast amount of experience in producing high quality tackle and clothing, their support as Official Supplier to Team England Fly Fishing European squad for 2018 is a sign of their commitment to promoting and supporting Team England and competitive fly fishing at the highest level. Both the Angling Trust and the team members are very grateful for their support and we wish the team the very best of luck in the forthcoming championship.”
AT Team England FF were represented by: Stephen Peart (manager), Ron Gent (captain), Charlie Abrahams, Sam Bailey, Iain Barr, David Bromley, Martin Burgess, Martin Introna, Tim Joyce, Mark Mathieson, Mark Thomas, Phil Thompson, Robert Toptalo, Graham Willis & Mark Withyman
Congratulations to Ireland on their convincing victory.
Brilliant day at Chatton Trout Fishery today for the AT Team England Fly Fishing Bank National Final. 105 fish caught between 24 anglers in challenging conditions giving a rod average just shy of 4.4 fish per angler. Congratulations to Gareth Tilley on becoming National Champion 2017/18. The England Squad for the Bank International in October at Chatton Trout Fishery is: 1. Gareth Tilley, 2. Edward Upton, 3. Andrew Taylor, 4. Alec Harvey, 5. Lee Cartmail, 6. Mark Harrison 7. Brian Lillie (reserve), Manager Alan Jenkins. Congrats to everyone for reaching the final and a huge thank you to event organiser Alan Jenkins and to all the controllers who gave up their day to support the event. Finally a massive thanks to the excellent team at Chatton Trout Fishery for their amazing hospitality, a fabulous fishery and always well looked after!
L-R Brian Lillie, Andy Taylor, Alec Harvey, Ed Upton, Gareth Tilley, Mark Harrison, Lee Cartmail & AT TEFF Bank Team Manager Alan Jenkins
This competition consists of 3 stages:
Local Qualifiers (4 North, 4 South)
Regional Eliminators (1 North, 1 South)
National Final
1. Qualifiers
8 qualifying events will be held around the country between June and November. Note: Entries for qualifiers will close on the Wednesday prior to the qualifier being fished. A maximum of 24 rods are available of each event. The top 6 anglers from each qualifier will progress to either a Northern or a Southern Regional Eliminator, depending on the venue from which they qualified. Entry fee is £15 per event, there are no restrictions on the number of events you can enter. Fishing fees are additional to your entry fee and are payable on the day of the event. Entries for the next qualifier will be opened the day after the previous qualifier.
Each stage of the competition will be fished to FIPS Mouche rules.
Press Manor – Sunday 4th June 2017 – Results: 1. Rob Frame 2. Peter Davison 3. Colin Harris 4. Tim Gilchrist 5. Lee Cartmail 6. Jim Tuck (top 6 qualify)
Chatton – Sunday 9th July 2017 – Results: 1. Gareth Tilley 2. Carl Nixon 3. Alec Harvey 4. Trevor Wadds 5. Craig Crompton 6. Rob Sharpe (top 6 qualify)
[Sharpley – Sunday 10th September 2017 – CANCELLED]
Knitsley Mill – Sunday 15th October 2017 – Results: 1. David Neilson 2. Chris Micallef 3. Aaron Copeland 4. Conor Metcalf 5. Lee Wilkinson 6. Jack Hardy (Fish caught: 61 – rod av: 4.6 – Top 6 qualify)
Sharpley – Sunday 3rd December 2017 – Results: 1. Steve Greathead 2. Andrew Taylor 3. Simon Lee 4. Ben Race 5. Iain Scott 6. James Stephenson (top 6 qualify)
South
Innis – Sunday 9th July 2017 – Results: 1. Jed Stone 2. John Huckings 3. Paul Jones 4. Steve Wiggins 5. Alex Johnstone 6. Dave Johns (top 6 qualify)
Ellerdine – Sunday 12th November 2017 – Results: 1. Mark Harrison 2. Ollie Jenkinson 3. Graham Kennerley 4. Anthony Meadows 5. Ed Upton 6. Jimmy Edwards (top 6 qualify)
Rib Valley – Sunday 3rd December 2017 – Results: 1. Paul Heskey 2. Ed Foster 3. Bill McIllroy 4. Lee Bartlett 5. Ian Watts 6. Sean Brooks (top 6 qualify)
Blackdyke – Sunday 28th January 2018 – Results: 1. Craig Barr 2. Brian Lillie 3. Dave Franklin 4. Richard Lindsey 5. Tom Finney 6. Jonathan Fromant (top 6 qualify)
Please note Tom Finney caught 8 fish during the match however his first 5 fish were disqualified after an official inspected his fly and found the barb was not fully crushed down. In line with AT TEFF rules, fish caught prior to and during the session where the official inspected the fly, were removed from Tom’s score card which reduced Tom’s overall catch of 8 fish to 3 fish which were caught in the afternoon. The local organiser reported the infringement to AT TEFF, the incident was reviewed by the AT TEFF executive and a final decision made. Tom’s score minus the disqualified fish was still sufficient for him to take 5th place, and to qualify from the heat and progress to the South Regional Eliminator.
2. Regional Eliminators
Northern: Thrunton Long Crag, Northumberland – Sunday 11th March 2018
Results: 1. Conor Metcalf 2. Gareth Tilley 3. Andrew Taylor 4. Lee Cartmail 5. Peter Davison 6. David Neilson 7. Rob Sharpe 8. Rob Frame 9. Alec Harvey 10. Tracey Tuck 11. Trevor Wadds 12. Lee Wilkinson (top 12 qualify)
Southern: Elinor Trout Fishery, Kettering – Sunday 18th March 2018
Results: 1. Craig Barr 2. Tom Finney 3. Ian Watts 4. Jed Stone 5. Mark Harrison 6. Steve Wiggins 7. David Perks 8. Ed Foster 9. Ollie Jenkinson 10. Brian Lillie 11. Dave Johns 12. Anthony Meadows (top 12 qualify) Reserves: Mick Loy & Alex Johnstone
Alan Jenkins reports: 117 Fish Caught, for a Rod Average of 5.08. Congratulations to all the qualifiers and all competitors who fished in near-Arctic conditions, and special thanks to the controllers for their efforts recording fish caught and checking flies, and especially their good humour considering the conditions.
Entry fee to a Regional Eliminator is £15, with the top 12 placed anglers from each of the Regional Eliminators invited to fish in the National Final.
3. National Final
The AT TEFF National Final will be held at Chatton fishery on Sunday 6th May 2018. Entry fee is £15. 24 anglers will compete for the title of National Bank Champion and a place in the 2018 England Bank team.
Please note: To compete in the Bank National Final you must be a valid member of the Angling Trust. You can join here >>
We have been very fortunate to have been offered the Appleby Angling Association waters of the River Eden to hold a Qualifier and the National Final for 2018. It is our hope that we can use these waters for many years ahead, with Elite Performance Programme (EPP) sessions, Qualifiers and National Finals, and the possibility of the IFFA Rivers International in 2022. Rivers with such potential are extremely difficult to find in England, and to retain these, long term, has proved historically challenging. The experience we have in 2018 is crucial to keeping the Eden as one of our AT TEFF waters. The populations of trout and grayling are entirely wild.
Dates have been set as follows:
Qualifier: Friday, 20th April – R. Eden, Sandford – from Black Syke Bridge upstream to Warcop (trout only; from 12 to 20 competitors) STOP PRESS: Qualifier Cancelled. Due to insufficient applications by the closing date for entries, the Eden qualifier has been cancelled. Please note that the National Rivers Final will still go ahead on the Eden, as scheduled.
England River National Final: Thursday-Friday, 27th-28th September – R. Eden, Sandford – from Black Syke Bridge upstream to Warcop, plus Holme Farm/Crackenthorpe – from Colby Laithes (confluence of Hoff Beck with the Eden) upstream to Holme Farm Bridge (32 competitors)
In both these events (and in any practice days), IFFA rules will apply. Additionally, there will be a strictly enforced rule to preclude the use of the ‘bung’. Any form of foam or cork bodied indicator fly will not be allowed. Dry flies used in methods such as trio and duo, should be flies that can reasonably be expected to take a fish. Also, ‘shuffling’ is to be completely avoided. There are species of upwing fly in the Eden which are now nationally rare. Appleby Angling members will be observing from time to time, while AT TEFF organisers will also be present. We have to be seen to be fishing this river in an environmentally responsible way.
Details of practice day tickets and a map of the AAA waters will be published in due course.
Our right to fish is under serious threat. Little by little our right is being eroded. What are you going to do when you can no longer go fishing, play Tiddlywinks?
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