Angling Trust Team England Fly Fishing

The Angling Trust reports: A dark and dismal start to today’s Qualifier at Ellerdine with the weather changing drastically after lunch. We caught up with the Match Organiser and AT TEFF Bank Manager, Lee Cartmail, who explained it fished as expected. With several competition regulars getting among fish from most pegs and with Gareth Tilley on eleven fish, Jake Wenman and Stephen Pattinson on six, and one of today’s lady anglers, Joan Russell, with a brace and therefore in contention.
We’ve two more peg changes to go in this afternoon’s match and the conditions are perfect for applying many methods. It will be really interesting to see who masters the rest of the Qualifier, locating and landing enough to see them back here for the final in 5th May 2024.

The Angling Trust reports: It’s all over until the next date now and our anglers have fished as hard as possible with lots happening in the final few sessions.
There were plenty of opportunities as fish began to show higher in the water, even topping and giving away their exact position and direction of travel.

The Angling Trust reports: That dark and dismal start to yesterday’s Qualifier at Ellerdine, soon changed up as the sun broke through and the wind dropped. The sky then cast over again, wind increased too, then begin swirling towards the lodge end of Meadow Lake, for the rest of the afternoon, the weather settled in as very changeable.
Our competitors change peg location eight times during the match, each time they did not only was it a different area they fished, but different conditions too.
Match Organiser for the weekend and AT TEFF Bank Manager Lee Cartmail, noted that Ellerdine had fished perfectly for the Qualifier. With the top spot anglers finding fish on the majority of pegs and the majority of the field having some form of action from peg changes too. Especially in the afternoon, as various competitors leap-frogged around each other on the points table.
The fishing was close too regarding results, our top two rods on twelve fish each, so sorting on points. As was the final qualifying spot, with four anglers all on four fish and counting points back, to announce the final positions.
The final results read: 1st Jake Wenman, 2nd Gareth Tilley, 3rd Robbie Dodds, 4th Steve Pattinson and 5th Bruce Blackshaw, all five will be invited to join the winners from last month’s Qualifier at Blackdyke Trout Fishery to the Final back here at Ellerdine on 5th of May 2024.

Newhaylie Trout Fishery, Largs, Scotland

1. Scotland 112 pts
2. Ireland 135 pts
3. Wales 170 pts
4. England 176 pts

Top Individual: Sean Kirwan (Ireland) 13 fish

Although practice sessions had seen cold easterlies blast across this fishery, which is sited 400ft above the town of Largs, less than half a mile from the Irish sea, match day saw a flat calm, with gin clear water, in the morning session.

Nigel Duncan, The Edinburgh Reporter: ‘Then the wind got up in the post-lunch session, making it difficult to cast and to find the right tactics. Roly-poly in one section of the lake, slow retrieve in others. Even fast retrieve was tried as the clock ticked down.
The fickle wind, which kept changing direction, also made it difficult. Finding the right pattern was crucial to find fish who were generally thought to be around 5ft under the surface.
Slow glass lines and floating lines were used as was the controversial bung.’

Scottish Captain David Lynch: “I am over the moon, brilliant, and I am very pleased for the boys who have had a tough week. The weather conditions have not been great but we got gold. The boys were inexperienced and I am the only man in the team with a previous bank cap. They have worked hard and we have worked well as a team.”
He revealed that the ‘hot’ pegs on practice did not produce and he added: “We were lucky that we picked up fish on the very hard pegs. The conditions were different, morning and afternoon, and there was a bitter, cold wind after lunch.
“This morning was good and it was fishing better but the wind killed it. We were winning at lunchtime and we held on to it. We told the guys to keep at it, we had the flies and we knew the tactics and we didn’t change anything, we just kept going.”

Content & Images courtesy of Nigel Duncan Media, The Edinburgh Reporter

Newhaylie Trout Fishery, Largs, Scotland
Wednesday 25th October

The Angling Trust reports: Our anglers headed North, braving the blustering from Storm Babet, and as the guys were traveling from the North East, we presume the wind carried them in the right direction.
On landing they will have got to work in readiness for the week ahead, practice and fly tying at the front of their thoughts.
Our manager Lee Cartmail has sent us snaps recording the presentation of their official teamwear for the event, and added some notes so we can see who’s fished before and who’s new on the squad.
We attended the Team Qualifier earlier in the year, and can say without a shadow of doubt, that the new caps are as worthy of their places as our old hands.
We can’t wait for the match days to come, and wish the team all our very best.
Lee told us: ‘This afternoon I had the honour to present Paul Runec with his 3rd international cap and captain’s badge, James Stephenson his 4th cap, Gareth Tilley with his 4 cap, David Neilson with his 2nd cap, Josh Piper with his 2nd cap, Ali Tait with his 1st cap, and Brian Blackett with his 1st cap.
Congratulations and well-deserved.’

Due to circumstances beyond TEFF’s control, next year’s National Loch-style Final will be on the weekend of 21st and 22nd September, not 28th and 29th as previously published. Venue to be Rutland Water.

Ian Colclough

LADIES

DAY 1 – SESSION 1

In the first Ladies championship session the boat sectors saw Louise Callow win her session on Leighton Lake with 9 fish, with another win for Lianne Frost on Sullivan Lake, also with 9 fish. Samantha Edmunds came 4th on Tunkwa Lake, while Gwynneth Mooney failed to catch on Edith Lake.
On the Similkameen River, despite the top two catching 54 fish between them, Sheena Goode was one of six competitors to blank. The Czech Republic were leading the team rankings, with 15 placing points, with Sweden 2nd with 23 points, and England 3rd with 26 points. Scotland were 7th with 33 points.

DAY 2 – SESSION 2

The second session saw Lianne Frost win another session in the boat sectors, this time on Tunkwa Lake, with 3 fish. Louise Callow came 3rd on Sullivan Lake, Gwyneth Mooney was 5th on Leighton Lake, while Sheena Goode failed to catch on Edith Lake. On the Similkameen River, where once again the top two anglers caught 59 fish between them, Samantha Edmunds was one of six competitors to blank. England remained in 3rd place with 55 placing points, with Canada moving up into 2nd with 42 points, and the Czech Republic 1st with 32 points. Scotland were 8th with 69 points. With two 1st places Lianne Frost led the Individual rankings, ahead of Katerina Svagrova in 2nd with 3 placing points, and Eliska Markova 3rd, also on 3 points, both from the Czech Republic. Louise Callow was 4th with 4 points.

DAY 3 – SESSION 3

In the third session Samantha Edmunds came 2nd with 4 fish on Edith Lake, with Gwyneth Mooney 4th on Sullivan Lake, Sheena Goode 5th on Leighton Lake, and Louise Callow 9th on Tunkwa Lake. On the Similkameen River, although half the field failed to catch, Lianne Frost managed to save a blank, putting her in 4th= place. England remained in 3rd place with 79 placing points, with Canada 2nd with 68 points, and the Czech Republic 1st with 41 points. Scotland remained at 8th with 104 points. Individually, Lianne Frost dropped to 3rd with 6 placing points, behind Eliska Markova (Czech Republic) 2nd, also on 6 points, and Katerina Svagrova (Czech Republic) 1st with 4 points.

DAY 4 – SESSION 4

The fourth session saw Louise Callow come 5th= with 3 fish on the Similkameen River. On the boat sectors Samantha Edmunds was 3rd on Leighton Lake, with Lianne Frost 5th on Edith Lake, and Sheena Goode 8th on Sullivan Lake, while Gwyneth Mooney was one of three anglers who failed to catch on Tunkwa Lake. England dropped to 4th place with 110 placing points, with Scotland 10th. The Czech Republic remained in 1st place with 59 placing points, with Canada 2nd with 83 points, and the USA 3rd with 99 points. Lianne Frost dropped to 5th place in the Individual rankings, on 11 placing points, with Katerina Svagrova (Czech Republic) 1st with 7 points, Eliska Markova (Czech Republic) 2nd with 7 points, and Kathy Ruddick (Canada) 3rd with 8 points.

DAY 5 – SESSION 5

In the fifth and final session Samantha Edmunds came 2nd on Sullivan Lake, while Lianne Frost was also 2nd on Leighton Lake, and Louise Callow 3rd on Edith Lake. On Tunkwa Lake Sheena Goode was one of four anglers to fail to catch, while Gwyneth Mooney was also one of four to blank on the Similkameen River. England finished the competition in 5th place, with Scotland 10th. The top three remained unchanged, with the Czech Republic the 2023 Ladies World Champions with 84 placing points, Canada 2nd with 105 points, and the USA 3rd with 119 points. Louise Callow was 4th Individual with 13 points, one behind Kathy Ruddick (Canada) 3rd with 12 points. The 2023 Ladies Individual World Champion is Katerina Svagrova (Czech Republic) with 8 points, with Eliska Markova 2nd with 10 points.

MASTERS

DAY 1 – SESSION 1

The first Masters championship session saw Tony Baldwin come 6th= on the Clearwater River, with Graham Willis 7th on the Similkameen River. On the boat sectors Chris Bobby came 7th on Tunkwa Lake, with Bernie Maher 11th on Sullivan Lake, and Baz Reece 12th on Corbett Lake. Spain topped the team leaderboard with 23 placing points, with France 2nd with 27 points and Ireland 3rd with 28 points. England were 12th with 43 points.

DAY 2 – SESSION 2

In the second Masters session Graham Willis came 2nd= on the Clearwater River, and Chris Bobby was 12th on the Similkameen River. The boat sectors saw Baz Reece come 4th on Sullivan Lake with 9 fish, and Tony Baldwin 8th= on Corbett Lake, while Bernie Maher was one of five anglers who failed to catch on Tunkwa Lake. England moved up one place to 11th, while Spain remained in 1st place with 35 placing points, with the USA moving up into 2nd with 55 points, and the Czech Republic taking 3rd with 56 points. Ireland dropped to 6th place. Jordi Oliveras (Spain) was top Individual with two 1st places, ahead of Juan Carlos Castro (Spain) in 2nd with 3 points, and Bret Bishop (USA) 3rd, also with 3 points.

DAY 3 – SESSION 3

The third Masters session saw Bernie Maher come 4th on the Similkameen River, while Chris Bobby was one of eleven anglers who failed to catch on the Clearwater River, where two anglers landed just 3 fish between them. On the boat sectors Tony Baldwin won his session on Sullivan Lake with 12 fish, with Baz Reece 7th on Tunkwa Lake, and Graham Willis 10th on Corbett Lake. England moved up three places to 8th, while the USA overtook Spain to take 1st place with 72 placing points, with Spain on 74 points, and Ireland moving into 3rd with 89 points.

DAY 4 – SESSION 4

In the fourth Masters session Tony Baldwin scored another 1st place, this time on Tunkwa Lake with 9 fish, with Graham Willis also winning his session on Sullivan Lake with 10 fish, and Chris Bobby coming 7th= on Corbett Lake. On the river sectors Bernie Maher was one of 10 competitors who blanked on the Clearwater River, while Baz Reece also failed to catch on the Similkameen River. England moved up to 7th place, just behind Ireland in 6th. Spain pipped the USA into 1st place with 104 placing points to 105 points, with Canada in 3rd with 114 points.

DAY 5 – SESSION 5

The final Masters session saw Tony Baldwin score a 2nd place on the Similkameen River with 21 fish, while Baz Reece was one of ten anglers who failed to catch on the Clearwater River. On the boat sectors, Chris Bobby was 3rd on Sullivan Lake, with Bernie Maher 5th on Corbett Lake, and Graham Willis 6th on Tunkwa Lake. England moved to a final position of 6th on 180 placing points, five points behind Ireland in 5th place. Spain remained in 1st place to become the 2023 World Masters Champions with 134 placing points, just one point ahead of the USA in 2nd, while France overtook Canada to finish in 3rd with 149 points. The Individual Masters World Champion was Pete Erikson (USA) with 11 placing points, ahead of Mike Learmonth (Canada) in 2nd with 15 points, with Jordi Oliveras (Spain) on 18 points, and Tony Baldwin moving up in to 4th, also on 18 points.

Kamloops, British Columbia, Canada – 24th-29th September

The 8th FIPS-Mouche Masters World Fly Fishing Championships (for competitors aged over 50) and the 2nd FIPS-Mouche Ladies World Fly Fishing Championships was held in Kamloops, British Columbia, Canada from 24th-29th September 2023.

AT TEFF was represented by:

MASTERS – Bernie Maher (Captain/Manager), Tony Baldwin, Baz Reece, Chris Bobby & Graham Willis

LADIES – Chris Bobby (Manager), Louise Callow (Captain), Samantha Edmunds, Sheena Goode, Lianne Frost & Gwyneth Mooney

‘Safely arrived in Canada for the World Fly Fishing Championships.
Keeping nice and warm thanks to Airflo’

PARTICIPATING TEAMS

MASTERS

Australia – Belgium – Canada – Czech Republic – England – France – Ireland – Italy – Japan – Netherlands – South Africa – Spain – USA

LADIES

Australia – Canada – Czech Republic – England ­– Netherlands – New Zealand – Scotland – South Africa – Sweden – USA

PROGRAMME

Day 1 – Sunday, Sept 24, 2023
1:00pm: Captains’ Meeting and Draw at Coast Hotel’s Conference Center
3:00pm: Registration and Check-in at Competition Hotel
4:30pm – 8:00pm: Parade of Nations, Opening Ceremonies, Entertainment, and Banquet

Day 2 – Monday Sept 25, 2023
9:00am: Start of Session 1
12:00pm: End of Lake Sessions
12:15pm: End of River Sessions
12:00pm – 1:00pm: Lunch at Competition Sectors
6:00pm: Dinner at Hotel’s conference center banquet room

Day 3 – Tuesday Sept 26, 2023
9:00am: Start of Session 2
12:00pm: End of Lake Sessions
12:15pm: End of River Sessions
12:00pm – 1:00pm: Lunch at Competition Sectors
6:00pm: Dinner at Hotel’s conference center banquet room

Day 4 – Wednesday Sept 27, 2023
9:00am: Start of Session 3
12:00pm: End of Lake Sessions
12:15pm: End of River Sessions
12:00pm – 1:00pm: Lunch at Competition Sectors
6:00pm: Dinner at Hotel’s conference center banquet room

Day 5 – Thursday Sept 28, 2023
9:00am: Start of Session 4
12:00pm: End of Lake Sessions
12:15pm: End of River Sessions
12:00pm – 1:00pm: Lunch at Competition Sectors
6:00pm: Dinner at Hotel’s conference center banquet room

Day 6 – Friday Sept 29, 2023
9:00am: Start of Session 5
12:00pm: End of Lake Sessions
12:15pm: End of River Sessions
12:00pm – 1:00pm: Lunch at Competition Sectors
4:00pm: Conservation Symposium: “The B.C. Small Lake Fishery” (Keynote Speaker: Brian Chan)
6:00pm: Awards Banquet Dinner at Coast Hotel’s Conference Center Banquet Room
7:00pm: Medal Presentations and Closing Ceremony
8:30pm-11:00pm: Celebration Party with Live Music and Dancing

SECTORS

MASTERS
I. Similkameen River (bank session)
II. Clearwater River (bank session)
III. Corbett Lake (boat session)
IV. Sullivan Lake (boat session)
V. Tunkwa Lake (boat session)

LADIES
I. Similkameen River (bank session)
II. Edith Lake (boat session)
III. Leighton Lake (boat session)
IV. Sullivan Lake (boat session)
IV. Tunkwa Lake (boat session)

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

Venue: Grafham Water
Official Practice: Friday 22nd September
Competition: Saturday-Sunday 23rd-24th September
Entry: Through Loch-style Qualifiers held throughout year

DAY 1 – SATURDAY 23rd SEPTEMBER

Keith Wallace reports: The weather at Grafham water was good to anglers today with sunshine and a moderate Westerly breeze on the water. Fishing wasn’t easy but fish were caught using certain methods.

BOATS AWAY AFTER THE BRIEFING

WEIGH-IN

DAY 2 – SUNDAY 24th SEPTEMBER

BOATS AWAY

Ian Colclough: Press Release: The Final was held at Grafham Water over two days on 23rd and 24th September.
Practice proved that the fishing was going to be a challenge for the 100 qualifying anglers taking part.

Day 1 of the Final dawned with good conditions for fly fishing but no one told the trout. Top rod on the day was Mark Macleod with a very impressive 9 fish for 17lb 1. For this win Mark was allocated 1 place point. Mark was using a four fly set-up with two Fabs, one on the top dropper and one on the point, with a UV Cruncher and Hare’s Ear between. His line of choice was 3ft Midge-tip. He concentrated his efforts at Deep Water Point, Rectory Bay and ‘G’ Buoy Point. His fish came to the nymphs in the morning, and the coloured flies in the afternoon.

Day 2 proved even more of a challenge, with a change in weather to cloud and a gusty strong Southerly wind making fishing the North shore of the lake difficult. Despite his win on Day 1, Mark knew that he must not blank on Day 2, as a blank is awarded with 100 place points, and he would then be out of the running. He need not have worried as he caught 3 trout on the day, weighing 4lb 9ozs, giving him a further 29 points and a total of 30. This was enough to see him finish in 6th spot and gain a place in next years AT TEFF Loch-style Team.

Overall National Loch-style Champion was Ian Gaskell, who finished 7th on Day 1 and 1st on Day 2. Close behind was Ben Race, who had the same place points (8) but was pipped by Ian on overall bag weight. For the first time a father and son have made the team – well done Ian and Shaun who finished 18th!
The rod average catch over the two day final was 2.43 fish.
The anglers that will make up next years two teams are:
Simon Bird, Sean Brooks, Andy Cottam, Richard Denney, Nick Dunn, Pete Eville, Simon Gaines, Ian Gaskell, Shaun Gaskell, Gary Haskins, David Johns, Mark MacLeod, Mark Miles, Stanley Moore, Gary Morris, John Piper, Sean Porter, Ben Race, Jim Rigby, Paul Roach, Riccardo Saccone, Philip Shaw-Browne, Dom Sheratte, Richard Slater, Philip Thompson, Paul Tweddle, Ben Watson, Jake Wenman

National Loch-style Champion Ian Gaskell is presented with the trophy by Paul Angell of Team England Fly Fishing

The 28 anglers that will form the two TEFF Loch-style Teams for 2024

Press release by Ian Colclough – Team Manager

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.

Country: SCOTLAND
Venue: Lake of Menteith
Dates: 12th to 16th September (incl.)
Match date: Friday 15th September
Accommodation: King Robert Hotel, Bannockburn

RESULTS

1st Scotland 158 fish 336lbs 2.7ozs
2nd England 104 fish 225lbs 3.4ozs
3rd Ireland 100 fish 215lbs 1.10zs
4th Wales 72 fish 158lbs 15.4ozs

Best Basket: Ronnie Gilbert (Scotland) 20 fish 40lbs 4.5ozs

Heaviest Trout: Brian Mackenzie (Scotland) 4lbs 14.7ozs

AT TEFF was represented by: Martin Burgess (captain), Graeme Bell, Dale Burgess, Andy Cottam, David Currie, Tony Curtis, Richard Denney, Tony Fox, David Johns, Alex Johnstone, Mark Macleod, Ben Race, Philip Thompson, Daniel Tranter & Ian Colclough (manager).

Congratulations to Scotland for a convincing victory.

The Angling Trust reports: Today is match day, with teams from Scotland, Ireland, England and Wales practicing for most of the week. We are waiting on the lake shore to see which methods and tactics have worked best.
It’s not fished as well as envisaged due to unseasonal water temperatures. However, with anglers of this high standard fishing they’re sure to winkle out a trout, one of our Irish officials has predicted 10 fish to be a great catch.

The Angling Trust reports: Just under an hour to go and despite the unseasonably warm water and lack of wind, making solid drifting impractical.
The fishing may be a little better than first predicted, after talking to one of the lakes local stalwarts who believes we have an angler with sixteen trout and several chasing tight behind.
There’s a really tight match forming, we popped afloat on the guidance of the Fisheries Manager and witnessed half a dozen fish landed.
Boat 4 containing Scotland’s Derek Hassett & England’s Daniel Tranter was one of these. Then on boat 21 Ireland’s John Mulvanny & Wales’s Chris McAllister were also seen netting fish.
With such a low breeze, it’s only courteous to keep at least 50 metres from the boats. They are also well spread out, so it was quite fortuitous we got these action shots.
The boats are in at 18:00, and we aim to post the results shortly after.

The Angling Trust reports: The boats returned to the lodge at 18:00 last night with the race to decamp boat seats and tackle to the coaches and cars in readiness for the weigh-in.
For our competing anglers to return to the King Robert Hotel for the Gala Dinner and Presentation. This is where the teams and individual anglers celebrate the brotherhood of the sport and proceedings of the day.
Business began with a toast to the monarch and results of the day, teams are first up in order of position, followed by the individuals of the match and top rods of each team.
Scotland showed their intimate knowledge of the venue with a worthy performance to catch the Gold spot, and a creditable Individual performance with top bag of twenty trout.

AT TEFF Team England at Menteith. With thanks to Craghoppers for their support

TEFF Loch Style International – Lake of Menteith, Scotland, 15th September 2023

The International is fished between teams of 14 from England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales. Each county hosts an international every other year, one in the spring and one in the autumn.

Team members began to gather for this important Autumn International on 9th September at the team hotel in Bannockburn. Practice took place over the following five days. Conditions were unseasonal with very light or no breezes making covering water difficult. Water temperatures were high following a sustained spell of hot weather. This usually deters the fish from feeding, however the trout at Menteith had not read the script with many fish taking up residency in only 2 or 3 feet of water. Fish were to be seen and caught over open water on pulling tactics but the majority, it was felt, were tucked well into the bank and reed beds. Menteith holds a good head of large fish and several of over 5lb were caught on practice.

After the last day of practice the team had identified several areas that they felt held a good head of trout with one of two areas holding some larger fish. A dozen or so ‘top’ flies were also found to be working and all team members were equipped with these ready for match day. Floating lines with small boobies and nymphs seemed to be working best.

Match day loomed with a flat calm and some brightness – not ideal fly fishing conditions. Most boats headed to either International Bay or Loch End with the rest going out towards the cages or Herons Bay.

Boats arrived back at 6pm and a very quick tot up of the teams catch indicated a total of 104 trout caught. It was apparent that the hosts, Scotland, had caught substantially more that this! The final results were announced at the fishery. Scotland did have a substantial catch – an impressive 158 trout for 336lb. It was nail biting to see if England had secured a second, silver, spot. Ireland weighed in with 100 fish for 215lb and Wales with 72 fish for 159lb. England pipped the Irish by just 10lb with their 104 fish for 225lb giving them second place and a silver medal.

Top English angler was Phil Thompson with an impressive 12 fish for 26lb 5oz – well done Phil.
Phil gets to keep the Grafham Trophy for the year.
Top overall bag went to well known Scottish angler Ronnie Gilbert with a magnificent catch of 20 trout for 40lb 5oz.

Overall the England Team performed very well – it was always a big ask to beat the hosts on a water they know so well. As manager I could not have asked more from them. A great team that gelled really well. A special thank you to Martin Burgess the team captain, his dedication and team management was second to none. Also a huge thank you to all the staff at Menteith fishery and all the people involved in organising this event.

Special thanks to Dan Tranter and Dave Currie of the England team for all the fundraising they did prior to the event to help the team with their financial costs – great work!

The team comprised, Martin Burgess (Captain), Phil Thompson, Dave Johns, Tony Curtis, Ben Race, Alex Johnstone, Dale Burgess, Tony Fox, Mark Macleod, Andy Cottam, Dave Currie, Richard Denny, Dan Tranter, Graeme Bell. Thanks also to travelling reserve Alan Clark for his help with the admin (and fishing so well in support of the team).

Full results are on the IFFA website http://www.iffa.net/

Ian Colclough – Team Manager