Two comps in two weeks

Two comps in two weeks

Tracy&James | Sunday, 9 April 2023

Tracy and I have attended two casting competitions in quick succession recently; the first BFCC event of the year, and the one most local to our home, and then the UK championships in Cumbria. I think it’s a fair assessment that I’m not personally casting particularly well at the moment, but having spent some time with Bart after the BFCC event I think I know where I need to improve. To find myself 10 or 15ft behind the leaders in the trout distance event is particularly disappointing, especially as I feel my carry practice is going well.

Bart’s six wins from the seven disciplines cast at the BFCC event has put him in a very strong position for the championship at the end of the year.  I’m hopeful that he won’t get things all his own way at the next scheduled meeting in Kent in May.  I’ll certainly be looking to get my delivery half way as good as his before we meet on the casting field again.

Blaine’s performance at last weekend’s UK championship was equally as dominant as Bart’s the week earlier.  In fact Blaine recorded the highest score in each of the 6 world championship events over the course of the weekend.  It was only down to the wind lottery that he didn’t win everything, as in the finals of the ST27 and Trout Distance he did not get any sort of help from the wind.  As such, my win in the ST27 and Nick’s in the Trout Distance were a bit lucky.  My overall result of 3rd was perhaps more pleasing, especially as I was so far behind after the first day’s Spey events.  Six minutes of competition casting perhaps isn’t the best way to learn Spey casting with a double hander, but at least I got a score on the board.  I strongly suspect the next time I try double handed Speys will be in the same competition in two years’ time, so perhaps by 2123 I’ll be reasonably competent.

Tracy is the same as me in that she doesn’t Spey cast with a double hander, as such, she was also trailing in the women’s competition after day 1.  However she managed to claw back this deficit in the salmon overhead (S55) and the 3 single handed events (ST27, trout distance and accuracy).  Thus, on the newly instigated percentages method of determining the overall winner, she came out on top.

We’re really hopeful about getting out on the river this week, today is very spring-like here in North Wales and we would have gone fishing today if it wasn’t for some work we are having done on our house.  I hope the weather is equally good where you are and you can get out to fish or cast during the week.

Cheers, James.

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