Water champion result
15/05/2007
Anglers from the North East landed prestigious prizes and trophies at a national fly fishing competition.
Northumbrian Water’s six-man team were placed second overall in the Water Industry Game Fishing Championships (WIGFiC) - hosted by Thames Water at Farmoor reservoir near Oxford and fished by 17 teams.
It was the team’s best-ever performance in the 28 years of the competition. In both 2005 and 2006 Northumbrian Water took third place in the competition sponsored by Saint-Gobain Pipelines and Hardy & Greys Ltd.
And it showed that, not only does Northumbrian Water run the biggest and most successful commercial trout fishing in Europe, it’s own anglers can also do the business as well.
More than 100 fly fishers from throughout England and Wales representing the big water and sewerage companies, the Environment Agency regions and head office and the Association of River Trusts took part.
Northumbrian Water’s Andrew Scott was second individual and a section winner, catching a limit bag of eight trout before the competition finished to add a time bonus to his score.
Peter Pattinson was fifth individual and a section winner. The other team members Alistair Baker, Brian Lillie, Alan Bolton and Phil Wagget added to the combined catch to land the top team spot.
Kevin Pick, fishing in the reserve competition for Northumbrian Water, came third in a difficult section which saw only five competitors catch a fish. Fishing overall was very hard with more than 50 anglers failing to catch any fish.
Team captain Alistair Baker, said: “This was a tremendous team effort for the third year running. We are very proud to have done so well against such strong competition which included many international and expert anglers.”
Picture Caption (back row, left to right) Phil Wagget, Alan Bolton, Peter Pattinson and Kevin Pick (front row, left to right) Brian Lillie, Alistair Baker and Andrew Scott.
Further information from Alistair Baker, Comnmunications and PR manager on 0191-301-6851 or mobile 07711-793493.