Manager Paul Page reports: England’s team arrived at Ballyvourney, Ireland, early Thursday evening to start their preparation for the forthcoming FIPS-Mouche rules-based 5 day fly fishing championship.
The Championship itself starts officially on Sunday 27th, closing on Wednesday 30th September.
Due to weed problems on the proposed Bank fishing lake, the two match days are now to consist of three sectors on Lough Leane at Killarney and one on the River Allow at Kanturk. Six nations — England, Scotland, Ireland, France, Belgium and Luxembourg are represented by nine teams.
The England Squad, comprising Paul Page (Manager), Bernie Maher (Captain), Jay Curry, Paul Baker and John Bowen started their practices Friday on the River Allow, above the competition sector at Kanturk, and also took the opportunity to walk the nine competition beats.
Today and tomorrow our team are boat fishing on the three Lough Leane sectors.
The Draw for river pegs and boat partners is scheduled for Sunday evening and the Opening Ceremony on Monday evening.
More news to follow on Monday, once practices finish, and we know who’s fishing where over the Competition’s four fishing sessions.
Manager Paul Page reports: Today our private practice has finished and the official championship starts.
Later this afternoon, all teams will parade around Ballyvourney, ending up at the museum for the Opening Ceremony and dinner. On Saturday and Sunday, the team hired two boats and their gillies to practice on all three sectors of Lough Leane.
The weather on Saturday was fair, but on Sunday, the major storm forecast for tomorrow showed its early teeth with prolonged strong gusts of up to 50 mph. It was uncomfortable, to say the least. Despite this, the team caught fish using the patterns that our International Loch Team had provided information about.
At yesterday evening’s Captains’ Meeting, the draw for groups was undertaken, and this afternoon a further draw for boat partners and river pegs will be done.
So we now know the sequence of all four sectors each of our team members will fish during the three-hour a.m. and p.m. fishing sessions on Tuesday and Wednesday.
More news tomorrow evening after Day One of the championship.
