Drennan Team England have been practising hard in Slovenia in readiness for the 62nd World Championship this weekend.
The hugely talented England squad consists of three former World Champions in the shape of Alan Scotthorne, Will Raison and Sean Ashby, plus former European Champion Steve Hemingray, the ever-consistent Des Shipp and rising international star Callum Dicks. Five of these anglers will be picked to fish Day One, with the two-day event decided on points. Both matches are four hours in duration and fished to international rules, which includes strict bait allowances and a 13m maximum pole limit.
There should be 35 nations competing on the banks of the impressive River Sava. This is Slovenia’s longest river and flows all the way from its source in the Julian Alps, through Croatia and then through Serbia during its 990km journey!
The match length is 80km from the capital Ljubljana and has already played host to many other international events. The actual competition length will be jointly held at the towns of Sevnica (sections A and B) and Radeče (sections C, D and E). These two towns are several kilometres apart, which could pose some difficulties when it comes to keeping everyone updated!
The river has depths from 2.5m to 8m with a steady flow controlled by two hydroelectric stations. The main species are vimba, nase, barbel and bleak but there are also carp, bream and roach amongst other species. We expect the pole to be the dominant tactic in this float-only event with round-bodied and lollipop-style flat floats required to deal with the flow. Feeding is typically done with an initial bombardment of groundbait with further top-ups of groundbait or sticky mag and gravel regularly cupped or thrown in.
It promises to be an excellent match with plenty of fish. Watch this space for further updates and good luck to all of the nations involved!