 Current England ladies international and 6 times captain Emma Davies will be reporting direct from the championships in Italy for your on line totalseaangler magazine.
The Italians are hosting the first World Angling Games including sea angling, coarse angling, fly fishing and tournament casting, the venues are spread out around the Italian coast, each discipline at a separate venue, with all the teams being together at the opening and closing ceremonies only. The England shore angling teams will be leaving on the Euro Tunnel on Monday the 28th august by mini buses for their grueling schedule including a 24hr drive to Italy. They will have 3 days practice before the opening ceremony on Saturday 2nd September. Then an official practice match precedes a series of 4 matches to sort out the world championship for both teams and individuals. The organizers supply bait and part of the skill required is being able to calculate the amount of bait required for the match. If they run out of bait that's it, they get no more. The matches finish at about 1am each morning so there will be little time to do anything but sleep, eat and fish.
Fishing in Italy as in Portugal last year could be unlike anything in England. The target fish being mini species in most cases has forced the England teams to radically adjust their tactics and tackle. Light line, small hooks and quiver tip sea rods now becoming standard equipment along with plenty of elastoplasts to cover the sore fingers caused by the bait juices, wet hands and constant rubbing of the course sands.
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