Fly-fishing's bright future was on show at the Junior and Youth Troutmasters Finals at Thrunton Long Crag in Northumberland
IT’S THE MORNING OF THE 2023 Troutmasters Junior and Youth final. There’s a sense of nervousness and anticipation in the air. The fishery car park is filling up and in Thrunton Long Crag’s large and comfortable fishing lodge there’s a throng of activity as bacon buttie and tea orders are taken for lunch and parents sneak flies into the palms of loved ones while whispering encouragement and tactics. Some faces appear excited, some a little anxious, but all the contestants are already winners having excelled at their respective Troutmasters fisheries. These 12 boys and girls, from as far afield as Dorset, Wales and Scotland as well as a local contingent, will soon battle it for the coveted trophies.
The briefing is interrupted by rain, but getting wet doesn’t matter to them. Enjoyment and good luck are prescribed as the stewards take their places and the youngsters march down to Coe Crag, the smallest of this fine fishery’s two lakes. It is spick and span, well rested and well stocked.
Before the kids know it, the starting whistle has blown. Parents with brollies jostle for the best view from the elevated terrace.
These are the rules: fish one peg for 40 minutes, then move clockwise by four pegs; repeat until lunchtime. Then the morning’s scores will be counted, and parents can offer more encouragement to the Ketchup-faced contestants. The afternoon will follow the same pattern, so that each youngster fishes a good spread of the lake. There’s no catch and kill. No Boobies. It’s barbless hooks only and absolutely no influence is allowed from the parents during fishing.
It wasn’t long before fish were hooked, lost and landed. Ewan Loturco (Youth) representing Bransford & Tyn-y-Graig Fisheries, was first off the mark, with Bigwell Trout Fishery’s Wilbur Leoviriyakit (Junior) netting soon after. The anglers stayed focused, chopping and changing tactics frequently. Many were excellent casters, covering the water better than most adults. More rainbows and the odd brownie were landed during the wet morning session, which saw good cloud cover, ideal conditions and a total of 31 fish registered alongside the exact time they were landed (in the event of a draw, these times would determine placings). At the halfway stage, local rod Zak Coates, representing Thrunton Long Crag, was leading the youth section with four fish, while juniors Lewis Jackson-Herdman (New Mills Trout Fishery) and Danny Johnston (Kinross Trout Fishery) had five each.
