The 2010 Event was fished on 23rd and 24th January on the Dee below Llangollen, which will be the venue for this years National Final to select the England Rivers Team.
The competition marked the inauguration of the Trevor Colclough Trophy, dedicated to an angler who represented England at all levels and won this Championship on three occasions.
Despite very high water levels the 22 anglers enjoyed superb fly fishing, catching and carefully returning 171 grayling over 20cm. The largest grayling was a fish of 45cm landed by Mike Mason of Albrighton. There were also some surprises, and Graham Kennerley of Lancaster was led a merry dance by a large out of season sea trout.
The four session format of the match placed a premium on catching consistently. Failing to catch in any session meant one’s chances of qualifying were seriously reduced.
The Champion was Terry Phillips of Burscough with 6 place points. Terry caught consistently in each session. In 2nd place for the 3rd time in the last 4 years was Martin Dixon of Crewe. In 3rd place was Stafford angler Andy Taylor. Both Martin and Andy had 7 place points but Martin had more fish points.
The top 12 placings were as follows:
- Terry Phillips
- Martin Dixon
- Andy Taylor
- Leon Smith
- John Emerson
- Phil Dixon
- Steve Cullen
- Bob Worts
- Jonathan Barnes
- Mike Mason
- Gary Hedges
- Mike Dixon
For any further details or to register for the 2011 event please contact: martin.dixon@hotmail.co.uk
