Anyone any idea how this works?
Am I right in saying anglers turned up at Garnffryd, no qualifiers involved, and those that finished top will represent Wales?

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Backup plan, Stevie ???

A Scotsman, living in England, fishing for Wales - just doesn't feel right, mate

See ya Saturday,

Charlie

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Sonik Sports Team Pitsford Pirates

Ha Ha, yeah right Charlie!

I'd need to be good at fishing first!


I'm just wondering, I hear that it's more or less the same for the rivers?
If I'm wrong, someone has been telling me porkies, but surely you don't just fish once, get in the top so and so and then you're in?

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The Garnffrwd heat was last weekend (19/20th March).

last year the team was selected from the highest placed anglers at the Welsh Bank open which was fished at Elan Valley. I think that this years Garnffrwd heat is an "extra" qualifier. I would assume that the team will be selected from the highest placed anglers over 2 heats. But don't quote me on this.

I fancied having a go last year but couldn't understand why you would have a qualifing heat on a wild brown water then fish the international on a pegged out stocked small water (it would certainly explain why the team finished 4th and a long way behind the winners). I'm assuming the Garnffrwd qualifier has been put into the calendar to account for this.

There isn't much info coming out of WSTAA about this but to be honest I haven't asked about it either.

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If a man speaks in the woods and no woman is there to hear him............is he still wrong????

I've always found this bizarre. You qualify on one type of water and then go and fish an international on something completely different and wonder why we do badly. It's the same on the Home Countries Internationals - you might qualify on Brenig or Llandegfedd catching stockie rainbows and then go and fish on a Scottish or Irish wild brown trout fishery. If the match is in England on a stocked water there's no issues but no logic to the others.

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“There is no more lovely country than Monmouthshire in early spring. Nowhere do the larks sing quite so passionately, as if somehow inspired by the Welsh themselves. There is a blackbird on every thorn and a cock chaffinch, a twink as they call him there, on every bush...... It moved me profoundly. I had been spared to see another spring, and I thank God for it.”

Oliver Kite
“A Spring Day on the Usk”
A Fisherman’s Diary

Sorry chaps but it's called Angling

If you qualify for a Bank Team then you should be expected to be able to fish for wild browns or stocked rainbows alike.............. same for the boats. River angler's qualify on Winter grayling then fish for browns in the International.....or both..... whichever species provides the numbers needed.Being able to swap tactics efficently should be high on an Internationals to do list.

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www.te-ff.org/
Trout Fisherman Magazine.
Hardy/Greys. Fulling Mill.

Fair points but is it really the best selection policy to select anglers who are expert in fishing a blob or roly poly style for an international on Lough Conn? I'd also accept that is makes similarly poor sense to select those that can fish effective Czech nymph for grayling on the Dee to fish for brown trout on a Pyrenean mountain stream.

They are clearly all good anglers and probably quite versatile but most will have particular expertise in one method or type of venue. The current World Champion was included as a reserve in the England World Championship team a few years ago just to fish the stillwater session (one of five) as that's where his particular greatest expertise lies. It paid off because he caught one of only three browns caught during the session with about a minute to go. (I lost one)

The river fisher's repertoire is possibly more broad based than some stillwater anglers as there will be many of those who almost never fish for wild brown trout.

If the selection criteria was just to choose good all round and versatile anglers irrespective of the venue or type of fish that will be targeted there actually isn't much point in holding trials as the good anglers are generally well known so why not just select them.

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“There is no more lovely country than Monmouthshire in early spring. Nowhere do the larks sing quite so passionately, as if somehow inspired by the Welsh themselves. There is a blackbird on every thorn and a cock chaffinch, a twink as they call him there, on every bush...... It moved me profoundly. I had been spared to see another spring, and I thank God for it.”

Oliver Kite
“A Spring Day on the Usk”
A Fisherman’s Diary

Hi SB,
I've highlighted replies above...... but to add to your last paragraph.

Wether it's International, Euopean or World level the angler's are still representing their country. At International level the angler will be fishing under one chosen umbrella. eg. Rivers Internationalist, he should then be expected to be able to fish at a specialist level covering all aspects of river fishing methods........ if he qualified fishing czech and comes un-stuck fishing dry fly for wild browns at the International..... then yes of course there's a floor in the qualifying process and IMHO he shouldn't be in the team fishing for his country...... he should be away skilling himself in all areas of rivers first.
The same principle applies to Lochstyle and Bank Internationalists........ if they cannot apply all methods 'better than good' for different species within that specialist field..... then they also shouldn't be fishing at International level IMHO. There's plenty of ' puller's ' who cannot nymph fish and visa versa. Obviously the Manager will try and maximise the teams strengths but this cannot always be managed as liked..... and sometimes anglers can get caught out adapting to fishing a method that's unfamiliar........ and at International level......... it's really to late as what's been mentioned earlier in this thread.
We carn't select anglers at International level but i believe we need to do more in the way of qualifying.

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www.te-ff.org/
Trout Fisherman Magazine.
Hardy/Greys. Fulling Mill.

steady fred... wales sent a very good team to innis good allround anglers at very short notice to get the bank championship up and running. The way i look at it is if your not in it dont snipe at it .things will change in the future and only for the better It.does not matter who cames last its the taking part that counts and i was part of that team

Sorry mate i just went off the above posts. And your right Innis was tough and things could have gone either way for all teams regardless....
My replies are really directed to the larger International picture in general...... Boats / Rivers and Bank Internationals were it's possible for some Internationalists to represent their country but are not practised in methods they could well need to call upon in their selected International. Here we have anglers who excell in pulling methods but struggle when nymphing....... my thoughts are that any anglers who are fishing Internationals { me included } should strengthen any weaknesses before hand.
ATB
Fred.

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www.te-ff.org/
Trout Fisherman Magazine.
Hardy/Greys. Fulling Mill.