Competitions
20 October 2025
England dominate at Home Nations Bank International
It was the proverbial clean sweep for the Angling Trust Team England Bank Fly team at this year’s Home Nations Bank International, as they not only won team gold, but also secured all of the individual honours on offer too!
Fished on Ireland’s Woodford Fly Fishery, the team of Jake Wenman, James Stephenson, Andy Taylor, Stevie Peart, Graham Willis, Tony Baldwin and Frank Daley finished on 134 placing points at the end of the one-day match, 16 clear of hosts Ireland, Wales taking bronze of 157 points and Scotland fourth with 174.
It didn’t end there either, as skipper James landed the largest fish of the match at 57cm to take the plaudits there, Graham Willis being overall top rod on the day with five placing points to win the prestigious Brown Bowl.
“We were the first team out on the fishery in practice, with a plan based on instinct and exploration,” said Jake Wenman. “We spread across the lake, testing a variety of methods—from pulling zonkers to fishing dries – and by the end of the day, we had a strong early idea that the fish were high in the water, and we were developing a solid game plan.”
“Captain’s orders on the practice days were clear: stay off the match-day patterns and use alternatives. We still caught well—but, most importantly, we gave nothing away,” Jake continued. “Match day was flat calm and not ideal, but we were ready. We started strongly with nearly every angler catching early. That momentum carried through the day, with Graham Willis and James Stephenson in particular on top form. By the afternoon, we were 17 points ahead!”
“The afternoon wasn’t all plain sailing though, as the fishing slowed down, with only one of us catching early on. Sport picked up though and even with one fish being disqualified, we knew that we were in with a serious shot at the final whistle,” he explained. “Ireland had enjoyed a storming afternoon and finished strong, and with the disqualified fish in the back of our minds, we knew it was going to be tight – definitely a silver, but every chance of gold. Then, the moment came. Our manager Bruce gathered us around and shared the news – gold! The joy was indescribable, and it ended up being that clean sweep, a golden week that none of us will ever forget.”
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