Angling Trust Team England Fly Fishing

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.

Programme

Wednesday 13th June: 1st captains’ meeting – Opening Dinner

Thursday 14th June: Practice Day 1 – Morning & Afternoon sessions – 2nd captains’ meeting

Friday 15th June: Practice Day 2 – Morning & Afternoon sessions

Saturday 16th June: Competition Day 1 – Morning & Afternoon sessions

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

7th June – Official Practice Sessions 1 & 2

8th June – Competition Sessions 1 & 2

9th June – Competition Session 3

10th June – Competition Sessions 4 & 5

11th Sept – Prize Giving & Closing Ceremony & Closing Banquet

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.”

The team’s progress can be followed as the competition unfolds at https://www.facebook.com/anglingtrustcompetitions/

Country: IRELAND

Venue: Lough Mask

Dates: 8th to 12th May (incl.)

Match date: Friday 11th May

Accommodation: Breaffy House Hotel, Castlebar 

Results

1. Ireland 45 fish 1552.3 cms 2469 pts
2. Wales 25 fish 905.8 cms 1415 pts
3. England 23 fish 805.3 cms 1273 pts
4. Scotland 20 fish 681.2 cms 1090 pts

Best Basket: Dave Egan (Ireland) 8 fish 273.2cms 438 pts

Biggest Fish: Andy Dunn (Scotland) 51.2 cms

Full Results: iffa2018spring

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.

National Final – Chatton fishery – Sunday 6th May 2018

Results

National Champion: Gareth Tilley – 8 fish – 5 pegs – 13 pts

AT TEFF Bank Team Manager Alan Jenkins with 2017/18 National Bank Champion Gareth Tilley

2. Andy Taylor – 8 fish – 4 pegs – 12 pts

3. Alec Harvey – 8 fish – 4 pegs – 12 pts

4. Ed Upton – 7 fish – 5 pegs – 12 pts

5. Lee Cartmail – 7 fish – 4 fish – 11 pts

6. Mark Harrison – 7 fish – 4 fish – 11 pts

7. Brian Lillie – 7 fish – 3 fish – 10 pts

Full Results: 2018 Bank National Final Results 2018 Bank National Final Results

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:

1. Local Qualifiers (4 North, 4 South)
2. Regional Eliminators (1 North, 1 South)
3. 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.

Details: ATTEFF BANK HEATS FARMOOR 2017

Enter via the Angling Trust Game Fishing Events website page here >>

North

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)

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 >>

National Final Rules: ATTEFF FINAL RULES

The Bank National co-ordinator is Jim Tuck. You can contact Jim Tuck with any queries on 07985232437.

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.

Jeremy Lucas, Rivers Team Manager

AT TEFF has undertaken a review of the Bank National and has produced the following document outlining our approach to the competition and changes will be implanted for the 2018/19 Bank National.

AT TEFF Bank National Restructure 2018-19 & beyond – FINAL

AT TEFF Bank National Restructure 2018-19 & beyond – FINAL

Ben Thompson, Senior Competitions & Performance Manager, AT TEFF

Spring Home International Loch-style team 2018, Lough Mask, Friday 11th May

Stephen Peart (manager), Ron Gent (captain), Charlie Abrahams, Rob Allan, Iain Barr, Sam Bailey, Martin Burgess, Martin Introna, Tim Joyce, Mark Mathieson, Mark Thomas, Phil Thompson, Robert Toptalo, Graham Willis & Mark Withyman

Autumn Home International Loch-style team 2018, Llyn Brenig, Friday 7th September

Paul Angell (manager), John Horsey (captain), David Bromley, Ashley Davis, Tom Davis, Paul Golding, John Hardy, Paul Haskey, Malcolm Hunt, Mike Lightfoot, Eddie Mitchell, Stephen Peart, Leigh Pond, Ben Race & Paul Runec

Congratulations and the best of luck to everyone involved.

England Loch Style teams 2018: England Loch Style teams 2018

The 2017 Bank Home International was held at Forbes of Kingennie country resort, near Dundee, Scotland, on Wednesday 25th October.

Results:

1. England – 104 total placings – 65 fish – longest fish 57.6 – 67180 fish points
2. Scotland – 144 total placings – 50 fish – longest fish 76.9 – 53460 fish points
3. Wales – 154 total placings – 48 fish – longest fish 67.0 – 49900 fish points
4. Ireland – 198 total placings – 37 fish – longest fish 66.8 – 38660 fish points

Individually, Glenn Appleby (England) was 1st, with Gareth Tilley (England) 2nd, and James Stephenson (England) 4th.

Full Results: 2017 Bank Inter Results

Representing AT Team England FF were: James Stephenson, Glenn Appleby (captain), Colin Harris, Gareth Tilley, Ed Upton, Ben Race, Lee Cartmail (reserve), and Alan Jenkins (manager). Congratulations on a great result!

The AT Team England FF Bank team would like to thank their sponsors:

Snowbee (shirts)

Craghoppers (fleeces)

Grantz (clothing)

Ed Upton of Ellerdine Lakes (fly-tying materials)

The best of luck to everyone involved.

Country: SCOTLAND

Venue: Lake of Menteith

Dates: 12th to 16th September (incl.)

Match date: Friday 15th September

Accommodation: Buchanan Arms Hotel, Drymen

Another win for AT Team England FF! Following gold at the Spring Loch-style International at Chew, Team England FF achieved another convincing victory at the Lake of Menteith.

Results 

1. England 101 fish 4214.2 pts 
2. Wales 65 fish 2757.3 pts
3. Ireland 64 fish 2730.8 pts
4. Scotland 63 fish 2711.0 pts

Best Basket & Top English Rod: Iain Barr (England) 17 fish 712.0 pts

Best Fish: Iain Barr (England) 64.0 cms 

AT Team England was represented by: Stephen Peart (manager), Iain Barr (captain), Craig Barr, Tom Bird, Martin Burgess, Mike Dixon, Tony Donnelly, Ed Foster, Tony Fox, Tom Gott, Mark Rooney, Phil Shaw-Browne, Tom Speak, Andy Taylor & Mark Tremain-Coker.

Congratulations to all AT TEFF members for another great performance.

Full Results: iffa2017autumn

Manager Stephen Peart reports: Following on from the convincing win for AT Team England at the Spring Loch Style International held at Chew Valley, the Autumn team were feeling the pressure to replicate a similar result in Scotland. The Autumn AT England team had a youthful appearance with five of the fourteen team members under the age of 30, adding a youthful vibrancy which was complemented with seasoned Internationals and three first-time caps.  Iain Barr had been appointed captain due to his previous experience, energetic personality and ability to lead anglers in a match that historically has a highly charged competitive edge. 

Three days of variable weather conditions, ranging from moderate winds and sun to perfect balmy overcast conditions, meant that each day of practice provided very different challenges for anglers from the four home nations. The teams identified that a lot of fish were to be found in Gateside Bay around to Stable Point, and from Stable Point down to the Mallings.

During practice the England team quickly identified these areas fished differently depending on the conditions. When it was sunny and windy Di3 and Di5 lines fished with a four fly cast consisting of either two Fabs or Boobies with Diawl Bachs sandwiched between caught consistently. The Fabs were either Biscuit or Tequila in sizes 10 to 14, while the Boobies used were either a Cat Booby or a Candy Booby. The Diawl Bachs were quite flashy, with pearl and red holographic ribbed flies the main patterns, which were fished very slowly and hung deep.  When the winds dropped the England team fished the Snowbee 3ft Buzzer Tip line with the same combination of flies, fished washing line style.  

Team England also identified the shallow water from Reedy Bay down to the Hotel Bay holding a large head of fish which responded well to floating line techniques. During practice Tony Fox and Andrew Taylor caught well on small Orange F Fly, Yellow Owl and Hare’s Ear Culs finding favour with the obliging trout.  Otter Bay also responded well to dry fly tactics but as this area tended to hold residential trout, the area only fished for the England team when the conditions were favourable and the trout rising freely. Tom Bird enjoyed some fantastic sport during the Wednesday practice taking ten rainbows in a hectic two hour spell on Black Midas dries. 

Lochend was the final area that held a good head of fish and again this area responded well to both the Snowbee 3ft Buzzer Tip and Booby/Fab combination with Diawl Bachs, and Dries when the conditions allowed. 

As match day dawned the weather was cloudy and overcast. As is traditional in an England Squad, Iain Barr delivered the daily captain’s team meeting and briefing on match tactics and individual expectations. The match tactic was to get as many English rods into the area from Mallings to Gateside Bay and effectively block off the area from the other competing nations. To do this we would require luck in the toss of the coin for captaincy and control of the boat. As I talked to all of the team members prior to the match start it was apparent that the coin toss had been kind and at least 8 English boats had won control of the boat for the first two hours. 

At the off, half of the field headed towards Gateside Bay, with an even split of boats heading towards Lochend and Otter Bay, with a further 6 boats heading into Hotel Bay. The tactics that had worked well in practice were still working on match day. Tom Speak, fishing his first International Loch Style match, had two fish from Reedy Bay on Dries in the first ten minutes, which quickly settled any pre-match nerves. As the match wore on it was becoming obvious that the England team were catching consistently, with information being filtered around the team on who was fishing where and the best methods. The English team managed to execute their plan perfectively with eight boats spread from Mallings to Gateside Bay catching constantly, and with no other teams around to challenge, accumulated a match wining total.

Iain Barr had 17 fish for the match to claim the Brown Bowl. He concentrated his efforts from Mallings down to Gateside Bay for the entire match. He fished a Snowbee Buzzer Tip line for the first two hours with the Fab/Diawl Bach combination accounting for eight of his 17 trout. As the wind got up and the sun came out he changed between Di3 and Di5 lines with the same cast of flies to continue catching a superb bag of trout. Second placed angler in the match was England’s Martin Burgess who also had 17 trout for the match, narrowly missing out on the top individual spot. Martin also fished Gateside around to the Mallings using an Airflo 6ft Slow Tip with a Cat Booby/Diawl Bach combination. A brilliant catch by both anglers. England then blocked out the three top individual spots with Tony Fox landing 10 fish. He caught two from Otter Bay on his Orange F-Fly in the first hour of the match before also moving into Gateside Bay where he took another fish on his Orange F-Fly dry. A move to the Mallings drifting towards Dog Isle resulted in a further 5 fish in one drift on a Pink-arsed Fab /Cruncher combination.  The top three rods resulted in 44 trout towards the England final total of 101 and was the backbone of a fantastic team performance. 

England weighed in first, and it was quickly obvious that they would be the team to beat, with all the team having fish to measure. Their total of 101 trout turned out to be a huge 36 trout ahead of second placed Wales. My favourite analogy from England vice-Captain Ed Foster was that we had won by 15 meters if you had laid out the 36 fish in a straight line and measured them!!! In a sprint finish that is a country mile. By the end of the weigh in, England had claimed 4 of the top 5 places with Iain Barr adding the largest fish trophy to go with his Brown Bowl. Phil Shaw Brown fishing his first senior International match finished in 5^th place.

This was a real team effort, pre match knowledge sharing on flies and tactics, backed up by dedicated and well organised practice and record keeping. Communication on the water was the key element to our success, and each and every team member, from experienced captain Iain Barr to new caps Phil Shaw Browne, Tony Donnelly and Mark Tremain Coker, all contributing to a performance to be proud of.

AT Team England FF would like to thank our sponsors: 

Craghoppers and Snowbee for their continued support with team clothing and Fulling Mill, Guide Flyfishing, Snowbee for tackle requirements and Costa for their help with sunglasses.

Menteith Fishery Manager Quint Glen and the staff for providing an exceptionally well stocked and run fishery. Over the two official practice days and match day, Team England caught and returned 280 trout. 

The Buchanan Arms Hotel for accommodating the teams and hosting the Gala dinner and prize giving.

Report & pics: AT Lake of Menteith Report 2017

The 37th 2017 FIPS-Mouche World Fly Fishing Championship was held on the 5th-11th September in Slovakia. The event was fished on the rivers Váh, Belá, Poprad and Orava and on the water dam Palcmanska Maša „Dedinky“, situated in the Gemer, Liptov, Orava and Spis regions in the central and eastern part of Slovakia.

Programme:

5th Sept – Team Registration, 1st Captains Meeting & Draw, Opening Ceremony & Welcome Dinner 

6th Sept – Official Practice Sessions 1 & 2

7th Sept – Competition Sessions 1 & 2

8th Sept – Competition Session 3 & Free time

9th Sept – Competition Sessions 4& 5

10th Sept – Conservation Symposium, Awards & Closing Ceremony, and Final Banquet

You will find more information at the official website here>> and on their Facebook page here>>

AT Team England FF was represented by: Howard Croston, Phil Dixon, Scott Nellins, Simon Robinson, Andrew Scott & Paul Page (captain/manager).

Session 1: Howard Croston had a good start, catching 32 fish to come 2nd in Sector V on the Vah river, with Scott Nellins coming 14th on the Poprad river, Andrew Scott 27th on the Bela, Phil Dixon 25th on the Orava, and Simon Robinson 19th on Dedinky Lake. After the first session England were in 19th place, with France 1st, Slovakia 2nd and Spain 3rd.

Session 2: Scott Nellins did well on Dedinky Lake, landing 6 fish for 5th place, with Simon Robinson coming 8th on the Vah river, Howard Croston 10th on the Orava, Phil Dixon 18th on the Bela and Andrew Scott 25th on the Poprad river. England moved up to 14th place, while France remained in 1st place with 60pts, ahead of Slovakia and Spain, both on 72pts, with the Czech Republic 4th with 82pts Teams-after-session-2 Individually, Jordi Oliveras of Spain currently leads with two 1st places, with two Czechs, Antonin Pesek and David Chlumsky in 2nd and 3rd with 3pts and 4pts Individual-after-session-2

Session 3: After a great performance in this session England moved up to 8th place overall, with 1st places for Andrew Scott with 11 fish on Dedinky Lake and Simon Robinson with 50 fish on the Orava River. Phil Dixon was 4th on the Poprad river, Howard Croston was 4th on Bela, with Scott Nellins 11th on the Vah river. France extended their lead overall with 80pts, ahead of the Czech Republic on 107pts, Spain on 117pts, and Slovakia on 123pts Teams-after-session-3 Individually, the Czech Antonin Pesek is in the lead with 5pts, with David Chlumsky, also Czech, 2nd with 7pts, and Gregoire Juglaret of France 3rd with 8pts. Out of the French team, four are currently in the top 7 places. Howard Croston is currently in 12th place. Individual-after-session-3

(The afternoon of the 8th September is designated as Free Time with the 4th and 5th Sessions to be fished on the 9th.)

Session 4: England remained in 8th place overall, with a 1st place for Phil Dixon with 16 fish on Dedinky Lake, Andrew Scott coming 6th on the Vah river, Howard Croston 7th on the Poprad river, Simon Robinson 19th on the Bela river, and Scott Nellins 28th on the Orava river. The Czech Republic drew level with France on 127pts each, with Spain 3rd on 141pts, and Slovakia 4th on 170pts session-4-teams-after-session

Session 5: England finished in 9th place overall, with Andrew Scott getting a 2nd place with 40 fish on the Orava river, Howard Croston coming 6th on Dedinky Lake, Simon Robinson 7th on the Poprad river, Scott Nellins 21st on the Bela river, and Phil Dixon 28th on the Vah river. With 124pts France drew clear of the Czech Republic on 168pts to become the 2017 World Champions, with Spain 3rd with 179pts and Slovakia 4th with 219pts session-5-teams-after-session Individually, Antonin Pesek of the Czech Republic was the 2017 World Champion, with Gregoire Juglaret, Sebastien Delcor and Julien Daguillanes of France in 2nd, 3rd and 4th place session-5-individuals-after-session