Angling Trust Team England Fly Fishing

The Angling Trust reports: With Walthamstow Reservoirs fishing so well since the New Year and showing some promise from the captures taken over the weekend, 10th & 11th, it was a shame the form didn’t carry over to yesterday.

Our AT TEFF Bank Manager Lee Cartmail posted a brief match report and results, of which explained.
Lee thanked the support of his good friend Gary Morris, finding his advice on where to peg the reservoir for Sunday invaluable. He split the lake into 3 zones.

Zone 1 – The Causeway, 4 pegs
Zone 2 – East bank 3 pegs
Zone 3 – House bank 3 pegs

During the day anglers would fish very similar water to each other, unfortunately finding fish and turning follows into scoring points was more than a challenge. Most anglers began deep, and line choice showed in the guise of faster DI line choice.

Zone 1 was where it was happening, the peg rotation was tweaked so every angler got at least 3 goes in Zone 1. After the first 40-minute session we had 3 fish caught from 2 zones after Session 2 we had fish from all 3 zones, going into lunch I had 5 anglers on the scoreboard.

We had a 30-min lunch break, after which it warmed up and those who noticed swapped the DI lines to Glass lines and the fish started getting caught, it had turned into a two-horse race for first place, 9 of the 10 pegs today produced at least one fish and 9 anglers caught.

I can safely say the winner was sensibly sharing info with teammates that pushed him across the winning line off one of his teammates, Fast Glass and a Black & Red Tadpole finding the fish that stuck.
A total of 20 fish were caught giving a rod average of 2.

Winner – Tim Joyce 5 fish 9 points
2nd – Gary Morris 4 fish 8 points
3rd – Frank Daley 2 fish 4 points
4th – Billy Bridgeworth 2 fish 4 points
5th – Iain Scott 2 fish 4 points

Lee Bartlett 2 fish 4 points
Dave Perks 1 fish 2 points
Mike Sutcliffe 1 fish 2 points
Sam Al-Mukatar 1 fish 2 points
Andrew Willoughby 0

Congratulations all the lads as it was a such a hard slog, well done all.
Please remember our next event is at Chatton Fishery in Northumberland 24th March: AT TEFF Bank National – Angling Trust

PLEASE BE AWARE THAT THE DATES & VENUES ANNOUNCED BELOW ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE. COVID GUIDANCE WILL ULTIMATELY DRIVE WHETHER SOME OR ALL OF THESE EVENTS CAN GO AHEAD.

Eligible anglers must declare their intention to join the programme by completing the following application form and returning it to ffnscott@gmail.com

NOTE: CLOSING DATE FOR ENTRIES – THURSDAY 29TH FEBRUARY 2024

Download the EPP 2024 Application Form from the page on the AT website: https://anglingtrust.net/our-competitions/team-england/team-england-game/team-england-fly-fishing-2/at-teff-elite-performance-programme/

All anglers must be a current member of the Angling Trust to participate.
Please see below for the confirmed dates & venues for 2024.

Event 1
Venue: River Tees,
Date: 4th & 5th May 2024
Hours: 7:30am briefing (fishing 08:30am > 18.30pm)
Fishing Fee: TBC (payable to organiser)
Practise cutoff date: 3rd May on designated practice water. 20th April on Match stretch.
Event organiser: Scott Nellins

Event 2
Venue: Farleton View, Lancs
Date: 6th May 2024
Hours: 8am briefing (fishing 09.00am > 16.00pm)
Fishing Fee: TBC (payable to the fishery)
Practise cutoff date: 22nd April
Event organiser: Scott Nellins

Event 3
Venue: River Dee
Date: 27th & 28th July 2024
Hours: 7:30am briefing (fishing 08:30am > 18:30pm)
Fishing Fee: £40 (payable to the organiser)
Practise cutoff date: 26th July on designated practice water. 13th July on Match stretch.
Event organiser: Scott Nellins

Event 4
Venue: Llyn Clywedog
Date: 29th July
Hours: 8am briefing (fishing 09.00am > 16.00pm)
Fishing Fee: £TBC (payable to the organiser)
Practise cutoff date: 15th July
Event organiser: Scott Nellins

EPP Factsheet

The Angling Trust reports: Hosted at some of the finest trout fisheries in the country, TroutFest 2024 will see seven individual qualifying matches take place over the next few months, all leading to the grand final on November 3rd. Each qualifier will be fished from the bank and the top anglers from each event will win a TroutFest fishery trophy and a golden ticket to the final where 28 rods will compete for the inaugural title, main trophy, and winner’s purse.

The seven qualifiers will begin on Sunday February 11 at Walthamstow and will see events staged at Chatton Fishery (Sunday March 17), Elinor (Sunday March 31), Exe Valley (Sunday April 14), Ellerdine (Sunday April 28), Innis Fly Fishery (Sunday May 12), and Bank House (Saturday June 22).

Anglers can book in at as many qualifiers as they wish to increase their chances of reaching the final which will be hosted at the superb Millets Farm Fishery, in Abingdon, Oxfordshire. The final is scheduled to take place on Sunday Nov 3rd 2024.

“The purpose behind the new event is two-fold, firstly to give game anglers an exciting new competition to be part of in 2024 and secondly to help raise awareness and much-needed funding for the England Youth Flyfishers squad,” explained Angling Trust Head of Competitions, Steve Fitzpatrick.
“The host fisheries for TroutFest 2024 are all dedicated supporters of the England Youth Flyfishers and have stepped in to help run the qualifiers in their areas and we can’t thank them enough for their backing. We hope that game anglers will embrace this new competition and in doing so support the EYFF squad.

In addition to the 27 qualifiers, England’s top performer at the Youth Home International in August will be invited to take part in the grand final.

England Bank Team Manager Lee Cartmail is excited by the new competition and believes every angler should get involved.
“TroutFest ticks a lot of boxes for me. Firstly, who doesn’t love hearing about the budding generation of England’s young anglers being supported in their quest for international competition fishing? This competition will help them progress as it helps support their Elite Coaching Program and Home International practice.
“Secondly, four of the fisheries offer a great opportunity for our AT TEFF Bank National competitors to have a practice under match conditions before their specific qualifier. There are few waters that don’t alter under match pressure.
“Thirdly, every fishery has its local anglers and they’ll be fishing for their very own TroutFest Fishery Cup which they can proudly display in the lodge for a year.
“What’s more, the September final is on a beautiful fishery most anglers will not have had the pleasure of fishing before – I wish everyone who competes the very best of luck.

How to book your ticket
Entry to each qualifier will be £40 per angler and there will be limited spaces at each qualifier. The top four anglers at the four qualifiers with 20 anglers, and the top three at the smaller qualifiers will each earn a golden ticket to the final.
Based on a sellout, the top prize for the winner at the final will be £1,000 as well as their name engraved on the inaugural trophy. Entry to the final will be £75 per angler which will cover day tickets, prizes, and lunch – the rest will go towards supporting the England Youth Flyfishers squad.
Tickets for TroutFest 2024 are on sale now via the Angling Trust website here: https://anglingtrust.net/our-competitions/game-competitions/angling-trust-troutfest/

Each Qualifier heat will see 5 anglers progress to the National final at Ellerdine Lakes on the 5th of May 2024.
Registration: 8:30am
Briefing/Peg Draw: 8:45am
Fishing Times: 9:00am until 4:00pm
Rules: Max 3 rods set up per angler
Bung must have at least 3 materials in the dressing. Glue does not constitute a material.
Rule Amendments from the FIPS-M International Bank Rules:-

1. We are not measuring fish, the standard 1 point per fish, 1 point per peg, maximum 6 points per peg will be used
2. No booby flies at all venues
3. Fario style bungs are allowed at all venues

A full set of Bank International Fly Fishing rules are available to download here>>

All entrants will be required to pay their fisheries fees on the day of the qualifier. Fees will be set by the individual fishery.

Angling Trust members only.
Please ensure that your membership is valid and up to date at the time of applying and for your qualifier/s you are fishing otherwise the Angling Trust reserve the right to refuse entry to fish the event.
Join today at  www.anglingtrust.net/membership

November 2023

Sunday 19th November – Blackdyke Trout Fishery, Thetford

December 2023

Sunday 10th December – Ellerdine Lakes Fishery, Ellerdine, Telford TF6 6QR – Ticket sales close on the 3rd of December 2023 – Entry here>>

January 2024

Sunday 28th January [rescheduled] – Press Manor Fishing Lakes, Birkin Lane, Ashover, Chesterfield S45 0LQ – Ticket sales close on the 14th of January 2024 – Entry here>>

February 2024

Sunday 18th February – Walthamstow No5, Ferry Lane, London E17 6NU – Ticket sales close on the 11th of February 2024 – Entry here>>

March 2024

Sunday 24th March – Chatton Trout Fishery, Alnwick NE66 5RA – Ticket sales close on the 17th of March 2024 – Entry here>>

April 2024

Sunday 7th April – Elinor Trout Fishery, Lowick Road, Kettering NN14 3EE – Ticket sales close on the 31st of March 2024 – Entry here>>

National Final

Sunday 5th May – Ellerdine Lakes Fishery

The Confederation of English Fly Fishers, the body that evolved into Team England Fly Fishing, was formed 50 years ago, in February 1974. See the Archive section for more information.

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