The Commonwealth Fly Fishing Championship is a competitive fly fishing event that brings together teams from different Commonwealth nations competing against each other in a friendly atmosphere. The event is held every two years with this years competition taking place at Rutland water, Grafham Water and Elinor Trout Fishery. The event emphasizes both the sporting aspects of fly fishing and the spirit of comraderies among the participating nations. The next event is scheduled to take place in Australia in 2027.
Group photo of competitors at opening ceremony- Orton Hall
Congratulations go to Martha Leeming from Canada who won the women casting section of the event.
Women casting champion. Martha Leeming (Canada) being presented with Cortland Hover line prize by Iain Earle (Commonwealth Fly Fishers Association Chairman)
How it works:
Each fishing team for each country has 5 fishing competitors (the full team also has a captain, reserve and manager- some roles duplicate). There are also 5 venues to be fished by each competitor.
There is a draw at the first captains meeting- the day before the fishing starts. It's done using ping pong balls with numbers written on. Very 'old school' I know but also very visible to all and seen to be fair.
The draw puts each competitor in each team into 5 groups A to E. This means one member of each team in each group. The competitors compete against the members of their group to win 'place points' The whole competition is catch and release, with fish measured. Fish points are awarded for each fish caught plus an additional point per centimetre length.
After each session, the competitors of each group are ranked according to their 'fish points' The winner gets 1 place point, down to 10 place points for final place. If more than one 'blanks' in each group, they all get 10 points. Place points are added up, and the team with the least WINS
Turrall Fly Tying:
Turrall & Co Ltd supplied a number prizes and goodie bags for the event. Cortland Fly lines, PEAK vices, Mets Cock Capes, Hemingway dubbings were all provided to competitors in the event.
The tying competition of the event saw a number of anglers from the teams compete in a fly tying demo. The participants were asked to make a suspender minkie and a fly of their choice. Turrall Provided the prizes for this.
Fly Tying competition 3rd place. Simon Robinson (England) being presented with Turrall bamboo fly box prize by Iain Earle (Commonwealth Fly Fishers Association Chairman)
Fly Tying competition 2nd place. Peter Thurnall (Wales) being presented with Metz grade 1 cape prize by Iain Earle (Commonwealth Fly Fishers Association Chairman)
Fly Tying competition winner. Matt Rich (South Africa) being presented with Peak Rotary vice prize by Iain Earle (Commonwealth Fly Fishers Association Chairman)
Set fly- suspender minkie. All competitors asked to make the set fly from materials supplied, and another of their own choice.
Well done to all those involved in the event. A great success enjoyed by all.
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