Casting took place in continuous steady rain and a moderate south west breeze and the results in feet and inches were:

#5F – James Evans 113.07, Mike Heritage 107.10, John Reynolds 104.00, Paul Brown 103.06, Mike Roden 103.03, Bob Carlson 93.00, Mike Helliwell 89.10, Alan Bath 87.03, Pat Stevens 85.03, Louis Noble 85.02, Bud Budryk 84.06, John Forbes 83.07, Stephen Lindley 79.07, Tracy Thomas 77.03, Vera Carlson 75.09, John Lomas 73.01, Alan Cain 72.02, Nigel Rogers 71.10.

#7F – Mike Heritage 127.02, John Reynolds 123.02, James Evans 114.00, Mike Roden 110.08, Mike Helliwell 106.06, Paul Brown 104.08, Pat Stevens 99.09, Bud Budryk 96.10, Louis Noble 94.00, Stephen Lindley 93.09, Alan Bath 93.03, John Forbes 89.02, Bob Carlson 87.04, Tracy Thomas 84.04, Vera Carlson 82.10, Nigel Rogers 82.04, Alan Cain 82.02 John Lomas75.04.

B100 (#5 + #7) – Mike Helliwell 196.04, Pat Sevens 185.00, Bud Budryk 181.00 Alan Bath 180.06, Bob Carlson 180.04, Louis Noble 179.02, Stephen Lindley 173.04, John Forbes 172.09, Tracy Thomas 161.07, Vera Carlson 158.07, Alan Cain 155.10, Nigel Rogers 154.02, John Lomas 148.00.

#9F – James Evans 140.03, Mike Heritage 134.01, John Reynolds 126.05, Paul Brown 122.04, Bud Budryk 119.00.

T38 – John Reynolds 178.00, Mike Heritage 156.06, Paul Brown 152.07, James Evans 152.03, Mike Roden 149.06.

T120 – James Evans 166.00, Bud Budryk, 162.08, Paul Brown 160.07, John Reynolds 160.03, Mike Roden 160.00.

Well, the BFCC has been fortunate with the weather – until last Sunday that is! We had steady rain throughout the whole day, but it did not seem to dampen anyone’s enthusiasm and there were lots of happy casters.

You may have heard that our ‘pop-up’ tent died in action at Newark, so our new ‘Events Shelter’ rather like a giant igloo, was put to the test. Thankfully it passed with flying colours and will be a future asset in similar conditions.

It was good to be able to welcome on board new members Mike Roden, Bernie and Phil Ratcliffe, and I sincerely hope they enjoy future Meetings as much.

We were extremely fortunate to have a lot of help from people performing new tasks which made things move along well and I feel the following deserve special mention: Wendy Bath – admin.; Tracy Thomas – admin. and safety; Alan Bath – judging; Roger Miles – coaching.

Turning to the competitions the B100 was very popular with many entrants and the results in were:

B100#5 – Bob Carlson 93′, Mike Helliwell 89′ 1″, Alan Bath 87′ 3″, Pat Stevens 85′ 3″, Lois Noble 85′ 2″, Bud Budryk 84′ 6″, John Forbes 83′ 7″,  Stephen Lindley 79′ 7″, Tracy Thomas 77′ 3″, Nigel Rogers 77′ 1″, Vera Carlson 75′ 9″, John Lomas 73′ 1″, Alan Cain 72′ 2″.

B100#7 – Mike Helliwell 106′ 6″, Pat Stevens 99′ 9″, Bud Budryk 96′ 10″, Louis Noble 94′, Stephen Lindley 93′ 9″, Alan Bath 93′ 3″, John Forbes 89′ 2″,Bob Carlson 87′ 4″, Tracy Thomas 84′ 4″, Nigel Rogers 82′ 4″, Alan Cain 82′ 2″, Vera Carlson 82′ 1″, John Lomas 75′ 4″. 

B100 trophy #5 plus #7 – Mike Helliwell 

#5F – James Evans 113′ 7″, Mike Heritage 107′ 1″, John Reynolds 104′, Paul Brown 103′ 6″, Mike Roden 103′ 3″.

#7F – Mike Heritage 127′ 2″, John Reynolds 123′ 2″, James Evans 114′ 8″, Mike Roden 110′ 8″, Paul Brown 104′ 8″.

#9F – James Evans 140′ 3″, Mike Heritage 134′ 1″, John Reynolds 126′ 5″, Paul Brown 122′ 4″, Bud Budryk 119′.

T38 – John Reynolds 178′, Mike Heritage 156′ 6″, Paul Brown 152′ 7″, James Evans 152′ 3″, Mike Roden 149′ 6″.

T120 – James Evans 166′, Bud Budryk 162′ 8″, Paul Brown 160′ 7″, John Reynolds 160′ 3″, Mike Roden 160′.

Congratulations are also due to the following Badge winners in less than ideal conditions: 30yds Stephen Lindley, Pat Stevens, Bud Budryk. 35yds Mike Helliwell. 50yds Paul Brown (T38).

Hoping for better weather, we can now look forward to Reading on Saturday 9 July.

The BFCC received a major boost last weekend when leading lights Mike Heritage and Roger Miles participated in The Federation of Fly Fishers meeting in Aberdeen, Scotland.

Following rigorous testing Mike was elevated from his earlier Certified Casting Instructor – CCI, to Masters CCI and Roger achieved his CCI to add to his recent GAIA success in Wales.

This goes to show just how far our BFCC Members are, literally and metaphorically, prepared to go to obtain recognition for their practical tuition skills and written theoretical knowledge, so many congratulations to both from myself and on behalf of all our supporters.

For the first time ever we were able to have two teams representing the BFCC which is a major step forwards. On Saturday Tracy, Wendy and Alan supported coaches Mark and Mike M, then on Sunday Tracy and David supported coaches Alex, Mike H and Mike M and this arrangement worked extremely well – thanks one and all.

The weekend was well attended and the coaches were kept busy throughout and it was good to see anglers returning for further help – a sure sign that we are doing something right! It was also a pleasure to see Wendy and Tracy in action selling books, they had lots of success.

It was good to welcome new members John Green and Tim Edwards at the Event and Kim Main by post. Welcome and let’s hope we will see you soon.

In spite of less then ideal conditions Distance Badges were achieved by: Jennie Thorn – 20yds and Paris Paraskeva – 30yds. Well done both!

We were very lucky with the weather, it rained early on both days then dried up. However, teaching on Sunday was very difficult due to the very strong westerly, when a flying tent (not ours) added an element of danger to our work, but it was eventually subdued. There’s never a dull moment for the BFCC.

Sunday afternoon finished on a high because Roger returned from Wales with the news that he had achieved his GAIA Instructors qualfication – great news and very well done.

Following the invite by the Fly Dressers Guild we were welcomed with mugs of tea and delicious bacon rolls – a very good start! We being Wendy and Alan Bath, new coach Steve Yeomans, Mark Surtees, and me.

It was a very pleasant day at Eyebrook with plenty of sunshine and a light, if changeable, breeze. There was a steady flow of anglers needing tuition, which kept us busy until the 4pm closing time, and there was plenty of complimentary feedback which is always rewarding.

The BFCC’s day was made more special by being able to welcome as new Members Alan Cain, Steve Yeomans and Paul Davis of The Guild, who all enjoyed their day. However, it just got better for Alan and Paul who achieved their 25 yard badges in less than ideal distance weather conditions. Many congratulations to them both.

Finally, Andy Miller of Eyebrook must be mentioned for being so helpful, which made getting started at a new venue for us, so much easier. Many thanks Andy!

The competition took place in less than ideal conditions, with a fluctuating north wind, overcast skies and showers. However, there were some sparkling casting performances to brighten the day, particularly by young Carl Malpas, Mike Heritage and Alan Bath. It was also very good to be able to welcome Roger Enger Lie from Norway.

The results were as follows:

#5 – Mike Heritage 125′ 8″, Carl Malpass 113′, James Evans 111′ 8″, Steve Kemp 105′ 9″, Andy Hutson 102′, Roger Enger Lie 99′ 5″, Ian Malpas 93′, Alan Bath 86′ 5″, Tracy Thomas 84′ 4″, David Fisher 82′ 10″, Stephen Lindley 81′ 8″, Richard Walker 76′ 11″, Chris Walker 74′ 9″.

#7 – Carl Malpas 131′ 3″, Mike Heritage 129’1″, James Evans 127′ 6″, Roger Enger Lie 115′, Andy Hutson 106′ 11″Steve Kemp 100′ 9″, Alan Bath 99′ 6″, Ian Malpass 92′ 4″, Stephen Lindley 88′ 10″, Chris Walker 87′ 5″, Tracy Thomas 87′ 1″, David Fisher 83′, Richard Walker 81′ 3″.

B100 (#5 + #7) – Alan Bath 185′ 11″, Ian Malpass 185′ 4″, Tracy Thomas 171′ 5″, Stephen Lindley 170′ 6″, David Fisher 165′ 10″, Chris Walker 162′ 2″, Richard Walker 158′ 2″.

Distance Badges were achieved as follows – 30yd Philip Pledger, Alan Bath, Mike Smith.  35yd Steven Petersen, Roger Enger Lie. Congratulations to you all!!

It is very good to be able to report that the BFCC is further expanding its areas of operation with a Meeting in Glasgow on Sunday 11 September 2011. However, we will not be doing it all on our own, since we have had help from several people, to which the Club’s gratitute must be expressed. However, special mention must be made of our friend, Alberto Laidlaw, who emailed to say “The Glasgow Casting Club is delighted to be working with The BFCC during their first trip north of the border. We have a committed group of guys who regularly meet to cast and who I know will benefit from the day with the BFCC, so a good turnout is anticipated”. 

He was also instrumental in directing us to Pollok Park, which is a very pleasant country environment within the City, with the Police Club and rugby pitches being good for casting. Importantly though, for any of you who may be concerned, they have promised to let us go when we finish!!!

The proceedings for the day will be like the very successful model established in Wrexham in 2010, and directions/other details are given in the CALENDAR.

I am sure all the Club Members will join with me in welcoming new friends to our Glasgow Meeting, which is an area steeped in fly fishing tradition.

Please email your interest to: mikemarshallbfcc@hotmail.com

For very sound business reasons the Fly Show has been merged with the Shooting Show at Newark on the 26th and 27th February. Unfortunately, this large event  submerges our usual casting area under tents, so the organisers are trying find us another suitable area. As the plans become clearer I will ‘keep you posted’. In the meantime we will need to have a flexible view of the situation, which is a sign of the the times in which we live.

Following the recent Brentwood Meeting, David Fisher made the point that for casters just starting competition casting, there was no realistic chance of winning anything, and he was right! Yes, tuition and The Badge scheme were helpful, but something more to keep up casting morale and enthusiasm was needed.

Following some discussion at BFCC Committee level and with David, the B100 casting competition was devised and will be introduced at Newark in 2011, with the specific objective of encouraging casters up the competition ladder. This will be open to casters who have not cast 100ft or more in any BFCC #5F or #7F event. Competitors in this category will enter the #5F and #7F events in the usual way and their longest cast in each will be added together. The winner’s trophy will be presented to the caster with the highest combined total.

It is hoped that the idea of casting in both competitions will provide the opportunity to recover, should one result be a disappointment and, also, reflect a river or stillwater fishing background of those concerned.

If eligible, please have a try – it will be fun and add to your casting experience. It certainly helped me when I started and cast with the greats of the day, as a British Casting Association ‘C’ class caster, in 1966.

Weather conditions were bright sun and a gusty east wind throughout, making casting challenging – particularly the backcast.

The results were:

Accuracy – John Reynolds 12 points,  Jonathan Tomlinson 10,  Mike Heritage 10,  Andy Miller 8,  Lisa Isles 7,  Trevor Bourne 6,  Lee Martell 4,  James Evans 3,  David Fisher 0.

#5F – Jonathan Tomlinson 129′ 7″,  James Evans 121′ 2″,  Alex Titov 120′ 9″,  Mike Heritage 120′,  John Reynolds 114′ 2″,  Dean Bass 108′ 7″, Lee martell 107′ 10″, Trevor Bourne 106′,  Andy Miller 103′, Lisa Isles 87′ 7″,  David Fisher 87′ 2″.

#7F – Jonathan Tomlinson 136′ 11″,  Mike Heritage 128′ 1″, James Evans 127′ 4″, Dean Bass 126′ 1″,  Alex Titov 125′ 5″,  John Reynolds 115′ 6″,  Lee Martell 108′ 2″, Trevor Bourne 107′ 3″, Andy Miller 100′, Lisa Isles 97′ 2″, David Fisher 77′ 7″.

#9F – Jonathan Tomlinson 148′ 3″,  John Reynolds 143′,  James Evans 141′ 1″, Alex Titov 137′ 10″,  Mike Heritage 135′ 5″,   Trevor Bourne 132′ 5″,  Lee Martell 125′ 11″, Andy Miller 122′ 3″, Lisa Isles 103′ 9″,  David Fisher 94′ 7″.

T38 – James Evans 187′ 4″,  Jonathan Tomlinson 182′ 2″,  Dean Bass 176′,  Mike Heritage 173′ 7″, Andy Miller 172′ 9″, John Reynolds 172′ 8″,  Lisa Isles 165′ 1″, Lee Martell 163′,  Trevor Bourne 161′ 9″,   Terry Jenner 155′ 8″,  David Fisher 114′ 6″.

T120 – Trevor Bourne 225′,  Andy Miller 221′ 7″,  Jonathan Tomlinson 209′ 2″,  John Reynolds 204′,  Terry Jenner 198′ 1″,  Mike Heritage 189′ 7″,  Lee Martell 171′ 1″,  David Fisher 129′ 2″

Victor Ludorum (All Round) – Jonathan Tomlinson 10 points,  Mike Heritage 23, John Reynolds 24,  James Evans 29,  Andy Miller 37,  Trevor Bourne 38,  Lee Martell 42,  Dean Bass 46,  Alex Titov 47,  Lisa Isles 55,  David Fisher 62,  Terry Jenner 63.

Badges: Lisa Isles 30yd,  Terry Jenner 50yd.

Congratulations on new BFCC Records: Lisa Isles #9F OR & SNR 103′ 5″ & T38  OR & SNR 165′ 1″, Jonathan Tomlinson #9F OR & SNR 148′ 3″, John Reynolds #9F S50 143′, Mike Heritage T38 S60 173′ 7″.