The 42nd FIPS-Mouche World Fly Fishing Championship was held in the High and Low Tatras, Slovakia, from the 12th-18th September 2023.

AT TEFF was represented by: Howard Croston (Team Captain/Competitor), Mark Withyman (Manager/Reserve), Scott Nellins, James Atkinson, Del Spry and Sean Brooks.

The team was sponsored by:

NIS Group Services Ltd
Insulation Contractors
A1 Fire Stopping and Drilling Services
Hardy Fly Fishing
Chatton Trout Fishery
Envirofil Ltd

DAY 1 – SESSION 1

The first championship session saw Scott Nellins come 12th on the River Orava, with Del Spry 13th on the River Hron, James Atkinson 18th on the Lower River Vah, and Howard Croston 22nd on the Upper Vah. On Lake Dedinky, the boat fishing sector, where half the field blanked, Sean Brooks was one of eight anglers to catch a single fish, which put him 11th, while five anglers managed to catch a brace. France got off to a good start, with three first places, to start the championship in 1st place with 15 placing points, with the Czech Republic 2nd with 29 points, and Spain 3rd with 32. England are currently 12th with 76 placing points, with Ireland 15th and Scotland 19th.

DAY 2 – SESSION 2

Day 2 saw James Atkinson come 5th on the Upper River Vah, with Scott Nellins also coming 5th on the Lower Vah. Howard Croston was 17th on the River Hron, and Sean Brooks 19th on the River Orava. Lake Dedinky, the boat fishing sector, saw some better catches than the previous day, with Del Spry getting 3 fish to come 4th, behind Ireland’s Sean Dempsey 2nd with 5 fish, and Mike Cordiner of Scotland 1st with 6 fish. This helped Scotland move up into 9th place overall, while England remained at 12th, and Ireland dropped a place to 16th. Spain overhauled France to lead the competition with 61 placing points, with France 2nd on 82 points, and Finland moving up into 3rd place with 88 points. With two first places Pierre Kuntz (France) leads the Individual rankings, with Gregoire Juglaret (France) 2nd with 3 placing points, and David Arcay (Spain) 3rd with 4 points.

DAY 3 – SESSION 3

In Session 3 on Day 3 Sean Brooks scored a 8th place on the Lower River Vah, Del Spry came 9th on the River Orava, Scott Nellins 17th on the Upper Vah, with James Atkinson 26th= on the River Hron. On Lake Dedinky, the boat fishing sector, Howard Croston landed 4 fish to finish in 3rd place, one fish behind the two top places, which included Pierre Kuntz (France) who added another 1st place to his championship tally. England moved up one place to 11th, with Scotland in 13th place and Ireland 18th. It was all change once again in the top three team places, with France back in 1st place with 95 placing points, ahead of Spain 2nd with 107 points, and the Czech Republic 3rd with 121 points. Thanks to his win on the lake sector, Pierre Kuntz (France) held onto his top spot in the Individual rankings with 3 placing points, with Gregoire Juglaret (France) 2nd with 4 points, and David Arcay (Spain) 3rd with 5 points.

DAY 4 – SESSION 4

Session 4 saw James Atkinson win a convincing 1st place on Lake Dedinky, the boat fishing sector, with 15 fish, 7 more than his nearest competitor. On the river sectors, Howard Croston came 2nd on the River Orava, with Sean Brooks 12th on the Upper River Vah, Scott Nellins 12th on the River Hron, and Del Spry 19th on the Lower Vah. Overall, England moved up one place to 10th, with Ireland 14th and Scotland 15th. The top three teams did not change, with France holding on to 1st place with 125 placing points, Spain in 2nd with 148 points, and the Czech Republic 3rd with 171 points. Individually, Pierre Kuntz (France) hung onto his 1st place with 6 placing points, with Gregoire Juglaret (France) 2nd with 7 points, ahead of David Arcay (Spain) 3rd with 8 points, and Tom Jarman (Australia) 4th, also with 8 points.

DAY 5 – SESSION 5

The final Session saw Sean Brooks come 12th on the River Hron, with James Atkinson 15th on the River Orava, Del Spry 18th on the Upper River Vah, and Howard Croston 22nd on the Lower Vah. On Lake Dedinky, the boat fishing sector, which was won with 3 fish, Scott Nellins was one of ten competitors who failed to catch. England remained in 10th place, with 330 placing points, with Scotland 13th and Ireland 18th. France held on to their top spot to become the 2023 World Team Champions, with 153 points, with the Czech Republic overtaking Spain into 2nd place with 196 points, and Spain dropping to 3rd with 199 points. Individually, after coming 3rd in his previous session, Pierre Kuntz (France) stormed back with another 1st place to become the 2023 Individual World Champion (4 1st places and a 3rd) for 7 placing points. David Arcay (Spain) was 2nd with 9 points, with Gregoire Juglaret (France) 3rd on 10 points.