Koppang, Norway – 27th July-2nd August

The 11th FIPS-Mouche Masters World Fly Fishing Championships (for competitors aged over 50) was held in Koppang, Norway, from 27th July-2nd August 2026.

PARTICIPATING COUNTRIES

Australia – Belgium – Channel Islands – Czech Republic – England – Finland – France – Italy – Mongolia – Netherlands – Norway – South Africa – Spain – Sweden – USA

AT Team England FF was represented by: Simon Kidd, Bernie Maher, Andy Taylor, Graham Willis & Mark Withyman (Captain/Manager)

Manager Mark Withyman reports: ‘The 11th FIPS-Mouche World Masters Fly Fishing Championship is underway in Koppang, Norway, with Team England arriving full of optimism as the opening ceremony marked the official start of a week of world-class competition. Anglers from across the globe gathered in Innlandet to celebrate the sport before turning their attention to the challenging rivers and lakes that will decide the championship.
Representing England are Simon Kidd, Bernie Maher, Andy Taylor, Graham Willis, and Mark Withyman, who also serves as Captain/Manager. The squad brings a wealth of international experience and will be looking to build on England’s proud tradition in world fly fishing.
From an England perspective, the opening ceremony was about more than tradition—it marked the culmination of months of preparation and the beginning of a fresh challenge against many of the world’s strongest masters teams. With registration complete and the national flags proudly displayed, Team England now turns its full focus to the competition, aiming to make a strong start on Norway’s renowned trout and grayling waters and challenge for honours throughout the week.’

RESULTS

Session 1
Captain/Manager Mark Withyman led Team England’s charge in the 1st session of the World Masters with 4 fish and 3rd place at Lake Isteren, one of the two boat sectors. On the other boat sector, Sølensjøen Lake, Graham Willis avoided a blank to finish 11th. On the river sectors, Andy Taylor scored 10 fish to come 8th on the River Glomma, while Bernie Maher finished 9th on the Nordre Rena/Unsetaa River with 8 fish, and Simon Kidd was 11th with a brace on the Femundselva River. England started the competition in 9th with 42 placing points, while Spain were out in the lead with 12pts, ahead of the USA 2nd and France 3rd, both with 24pts.

Session 2
The second session saw the better results for England on the two boat sectors, with Bernie Maher scoring 2 fish for 5th place on Lake Isteren, while Andy Taylor came 6th with 3 fish on Sølensjøen Lake. On the river sectors Simon Kidd was 11th with 2 fish on the River Glomma, while Mark Withyman came 12th with 6 fish on the Femundselva River, and Graham Willis failed to catch on the Nordre Rena/Unsetaa River. England dropped a place to 10th with 89pts, while the top three positions remained unchanged, with Spain 1st with 30pts, the USA 2nd with 39pts, and France 3rd with 53pts. Spain were also doing well individually, with Jordi Oliveras Cortina the leader with 3pts, teammate Juan Jose De La Fuente 2nd, also with 3pts, and Francois Deloup 3rd with 4pts.

Manager Mark Withyman reports: ‘Team England have completed the opening two sessions of the 11th FIPS-Mouche World Masters Fly Fishing Championship in Koppang, Norway, with the squad producing a determined performance against some of the world’s strongest over-50 international anglers.
Fishing across the spectacular rivers and lakes of the Innlandet region, competitors faced challenging conditions that demanded adaptability, precision and consistency throughout the opening day of competition. With three sessions remaining, England will continue to focus on consistency as the competition moves towards its conclusion, with every placing point likely to prove crucial in the race for team honours.’
Mark Withyman commented “We’re pleased with the commitment shown by every member of the team. Norway has presented some demanding venues, but the anglers have worked hard, adapted well and continued to battle for every fish. There is still a long way to go in this championship and plenty of opportunities to move up the leaderboard”.

Session 3
Captain/Manager Mark Withyman was again England’s top performer in the third session, scoring 13 fish on the River Glomma to come 5th in his section. Elsewhere on the rivers, Andy Taylor finished 11th on the Nordre Rena/Unsetaa River with 5 fish, while Bernie Maher was 14th on the Femundselva River. On the boat fishing sectors on the lakes, Simon Kidd was 9th with 3 fish on Sølensjøen Lake, while Graham Willis was one of several who failed to catch on Lake Isteren. England dropped two more places to 12th with 142 placing points, one behind Sweden, while the first two team places stayed the same, with Spain some way ahead in 1st place on 54pts, with the USA still 2nd with 78pts, the same points score as Italy who moved up into 3rd place. A 2nd place in his session saw Jordi Oliveras Cortina (Spain) retain the top Individual spot with 5 placing points, with Karl Engerbrecht (South Africa) 2nd, and David Sokolowski (Czech Republic) 3rd, both on 6pts.

Session 4
Two of England’s better performances were again on the lakes, with Andy Taylor scoring 2 fish to finish 4th on Lake Isteren, in a session that saw half the field blank, and Mark Withyman counting 5 fish to come 5th on Sølensjøen Lake. On the river sectors, Graham Willis was 10th on the Femundselva River, while Simon Kidd was 11th on the Nordre Rena/Unsetaa River, and Bernie Maher 12th on the River Glomma. England rose two places to 10th with 184pts, with Spain consolidating their 1st place on 67pts, some way ahead of Italy, which moved into 2nd on 101pts, with the USA 3rd on 110pts, and France 4th on 114pts. Jordi Oliveras Cortina (Spain) remained top Individual with 8 placing points, joined by teammate Unai Urkia Irastorza in 2nd with 13pts, with Francois Deloup (France) 3rd, and David Sokolowski (Czech Republic) 4th, also on 13pts.

Session 5
The final session saw Simon Kidd come 3rd with 4 fish on Lake Isteren, where again there were several blanks, and Bernie Maher score 3 fish for 12th place on Sølensjøen Lake. On the rivers, Graham Willis came 8th with 6 fish on the River Glomma, while Mark Withyman was 7th with 10 fish on the Nordre Rena/Unsetaa River, and Andy Taylor also 7th with 4 fish on the Femundselva River. England finished the competition in 10th position with 222 placing points. Their top individual was Captain/Manager Mark Withyman who ended up in 22nd place with 32pts. Spain maintained their lead to become the 2026 World Masters Champions with 87pts, well clear of Italy in 2nd place with 127pts, France 3rd with 132pts, and the USA 4th with 133pts. Another 1st place in his session saw Jordi Oliveras Cortina (Spain) take the Individual top spot with 8pts, again some distance ahead of Francois Deloup (France) in 2nd with 14pts, and Pat Weiss (USA) 3rd with 15pts.
The Ladies’ World Championships, run concurrently, saw a close-run contest with South Africa finishing in 1st place with 82pts, ahead of France 2nd, and Finland 3rd, both on 83pts. Maria Elizabeth Heyns (South Africa) was Individual Champion with 9pts, with Julie Quillard (France) 2nd, and Maria Tuominen (Finland) 3rd, both on 10pts.