Competitions
TOUGH TIME FOR TEAM ENGLAND IN EUROS
Poland was this year’s host Nation for the 28th FIPS-Mouche European Fly Fishing Championships, and our intrepid squad members knew from the off, they and neighbouring Nations would be hard to beat.
Hosted at hotel Salamandra in Lesko-Krosno, Poland, from the 27th August to the 2nd September. This year England was represented by: Bernie Maher (Captain/Manager), Simon Clarke, Brian Lillie, Gilliaum Vermeulen & Mark Withyman.
The official program begun on Tuesday, 27 August 2024, with the Opening Ceremony followed by five intense days of competition on the: Sanok, Lesko, Hoczew, Zwierzyn Rivers and Lake Myczkowce. The access to rivers in Poland offers its own unique issues as Anglers found themselves battling inflatable dinghies as well as the stunning local fish.
It was nip and tuck over the five days as various teams climbed up or slipped down the table, final session rounded off with Simon Clarke taking 3rd spot on the Hoczew, great performance on the dry fly only sector and eleven fish. Mark Withyman finish 4th on the Lesko, with four fish.
Elsewhere, Brian Lillie took 9th spot on the Sanok, whilst Gilliaum Vermeulen was 13th on the Zwierzyn, with Bernie Maher drawing the unfavoured Myczkowce Reservoir and one of four competitors unable to avoid a blank on this boat sector.
England finished the competition in 12th place, with Ireland in 9th. Poland were European Team Champions with 98 placing points, well ahead of France in 2nd on 135 pts, and the Czech Republic 3rd with 139 pts.
Poland showed their dominance also having the top three Individuals, with Szymon Konieczny European Champion with 9 placing points, Michal Fejkiel 2nd on 16 pts, and Adam Wnekowicz 3rd with 17 pts.
Follow this link for the full story and complete breakdown of points: https://te-ff.org/