FIPS-Mouche World Fly Fishing Championship

44th FIPS-Mouche World Fly Fishing Championships 2025, Czech Republic

The 44th FIPS-Mouche World Fly Fishing Championships took place in the South and West Bohemia, Czech Republic, from the 25th to the 31st May 2025.

PARTICIPATING TEAMS

Australia – Belgium – Bosnia – Canada – Czech Republic – England – Finland – France – Germany – Hungary – India – Ireland – Italy – Japan – Latvia – Lithuania – Luxembourg – Mongolia – Netherlands – New Zealand – Norway – Poland – Portugal – Romania – Scotland – Slovakia – Slovenia – South Africa – Spain – Sweden – USA – Wales

AT TEFF was represented by: Howard Croston (captain/manager), James Atkinson, Sean Brooks, Brian Lillie, Scott Nellins & Del Spry (reserve).

RESULTS

ENGLAND FINISH 6TH

Session 1
England got off to a good start with Sean Brooks coming 2nd on Lipno 2, the boat sector, with 23 fish, and James Atkinson also getting a 2nd place with 25 fish on Vltava 28 Vyssi Brod, while Howard Croston was 3rd with 32 fish on Vltava 29 Devil’s Stones. Elsewhere, Brian Lillie was 18th on Otava 5,6,7 Susice, and Scott Nellins 26th on Vltava 27 Rozmberk. England were in 3rd place with 50 placing points, behind Slovakia 2nd on 47pts, and the USA 1st with 33pts. Wales were lying 15th, with Ireland 24th and Scotland 27th.

Session 2
England put in another good performance with James Atkinson 5th on Vltava 27 Rozmberk, Brian Lillie 7th on Lipno 2, the boat sector, Howard Croston 8th on Vltava 28 Vyssi Brod, and Sean Brooks 9th on Vltava 29 Devil’s Stones. Scott Nellins was 26th on Otava 5,6,7 Susice. England dropped one place to 4th with 103 placing points, behind Poland who moved up into 3rd with 89pts, and France 2nd with 88pts. The USA remained in 1st place with 74pts. Ireland moved up into 12th, one ahead of Scotland in 13th place, while Wales dropped to 26th. Pierre Kuntz (France) was the Individual leader with one 1st and one 2nd place.

Session 3
England kept up the pressure with another good day, which saw Howard Croston get a 2nd place on the Vltava 27 Rozmberk, and Sean Brooks also coming 2nd on Vltava 28 Vyssi Brod. On Vltava 29 Devil’s Stones Brian Lillie came 11th, with Scott Nellins 13th on Lipno 2, the boat sector. Otava 5,6,7 Susice again proved tricky, with James Atkinson finishing in 29th place. England moved up into 2nd with 160 placing points, one ahead of France in 3rd, and behind Poland who moved up into 1st place with 140pts. With a 3rd place performance Pierre Kuntz (France) remained the Individual leader with 6 placing points, although Howard Croston and Sean Brooks were 6th and 7th, both with 13pts. Ireland dropped three places to 15th, with Scotland 13th and Wales 28th.

Session 4
England had a mixed day in the 4th session. On Lipno 2, the boat sector, James Atkinson came 7th with 6 fish, but the team found it tough on the river sections, with Scott Nellins coming 22nd on Vltava 29 Devil’s Stones, Sean Brooks 23rd on Vltava 27 Rozmberk, and Brian Lillie 26th on Vltava 28 Vyssi Brod, while Howard Croston was one of 15 anglers to blank on Otava 5,6,7 Susice. England slipped down to 8th place with 266 placing points, while Scotland are 11th, Ireland 15th, and Wales 26th. France moved up into 1st place with 175pts, with Poland dropping to 2nd with 188pts, and the USA moving back up to 3rd with 213pts. Individually, another session win put Pierre Kuntz (France), already the World Champion in 2023 and 2024, on 7pts, and with a good chance of retaining his title for 2025.

Session 5
In the final session Howard Croston gained a 2nd place on Lipno 2, the boat sector, with 9 fish, with Scott Nellins 13th on Vltava 28 Vyssi Brod, Brian Lillie 16th on Vltava 27 Rozmberk, Sean Brooks 18th on Otava 5,6,7 Susice, James Atkinson 20th on Vltava 29 Devil’s Stones. England finished in 6th place, with Ireland 10th, Scotland 17th and Wales 25th. France are the 2025 World Champions with 220 placing points, with Poland 2nd on 251pts and the USA 3rd with 260pts. Individually, Pierre Kuntz (France), added another 1st place to his tally of two 1sts, a 2nd, and 3rd, to become the individual World Champion for 2025, making it a hat-trick with his 2023 and 2024 titles. Gregoire Juglaret (France) was 2nd with 15pts, and Michael Bradley (USA) 3rd with 18pts. Howard Croston was England’s top performer, finishing 11th, with Sean Brooks 28th, James Atkinson 38th, Brian Lillie 71st and Scott Nellins 108th.

Images: Český rybářský svaz

The Angling Trust reports: ‘What might have been’ was probably the overriding thought of the England Men’s Fly Fishing squad after returning from this year’s World Championships in the Czech Republic with sixth place under their belts.
Sitting in second place after the third day of action, a poor day four saw medal chances take a severe blow and despite rallying in the final match, there was a little too much damage to repair. Their total score of 335 placing points left them 75 adrift of a bronze medal and 115 behind champions France.
Fielding a squad of skipper Howard Croston, Scott Nellins, James Atkinson, Brian Lille, Sean Brooks, reserve Del Spry and Manager Mark Withyman, England got off to a fine start, ending day one in third spot with 49 points.
Day two saw them slip a couple of places down to fourth, but a much better draw on day three saw England roar back into second spot, firmly eyeing up a medal. However, fishing can be cruel and by day four, it was obvious which beats on the rivers Vltava and Octava were good and which weren’t. England didn’t get the best draw and despite battling away, they slipped down to eighth spot.
Even so, a medal was still a possibility going into the final day and a much better performance saw the team climb the table once again. Sadly, it wasn’t enough to get in the medals. Individually, England’s best performer was skipper Howard with 11th spot on 47 placing points, Frenchman Pierre Kuntz ensuring a win double for France with the gold medal.
“The team was capable of winning a medal as our practice and techniques proved, but in the end, we were within touching distance but not close enough,” reflected Manager Mark. “Thanks go to our sponsors Fly Fish North, Unique Flies, Smart designs SD and Hardy Fly Fishing and also our guides Vojtech Ungr and Katka Svagrova. Here’s to the next World Championships in the USA in 2026!”