2008 World Fly Fishing Champs Media Releases

In recognition of his accomplishment, Jacob Bond, the 10-year old boy from Rotoma who won a special commendation at the NZ National Open Feather Merchants Fly Tying Championships on Sunday is being made a member of the Federation of Fly Fishers (FFF) and will receive the FFF magazine Flyfisher four times a year.

The Federation of Fly Fishers is a international non-profit organization dedicated to the betterment of the sport of fly fishing through conservation, restoration and education. It has affiliates in 13 countries worldwide. In the USA the FFF has the only program for teaching kids how to cast, to tie flies and how to appreciate aquatic ecosystems; and it is a leading organiser of shows and events featuring experts, demonstrations, fly tyers and workshops.

The youngest competitor won a special commendation for his remarkable fly-tying skills at the inaugural New Zealand National Open Feather Merchants Fly Tying Championship in Rotorua today.

Ten-year old Jacob Bond from Lake Rotoma, a passionate fly fisher, has been tying flies for just a year. “For a 10-year old boy to tie flies like this is phenomenal, I was hugely impressed because not only did the flies look good, they would certainly catch fish”, said Nate Jarvis, General Manager of Feather Merchants who provided the prizes. Jacob’s parents were also pleased with their bottle of Trout Valley wine, a merit award received by all entrants.

Though some New Zealanders travelled to Rotorua especially for the competition, the three main place-getters were all from the Finnish and Italian fly fishing teams who are currently in Rotorua for the World Fly Fishing Championships. Mr Jarvis commented that though the competitors were all tying the same standard patterns, every country had a slightly different take on them. Fishing writer Doug Stevens from nzfishing.com observed “I was struck by the quality and craftsmanship that people put into this aspect of the sport”

The overall winner was Jarkko Suominen of Finland, while his team mate Janne Pirkkalainen was third. The second place-getter, from Italy was Sandro Soldarinin.

The event which was open to the public, was so successful, it will now be run annually in conjunction with the New Zealand National Fly Fishing Champs.

Sport Fly Fishing NZ (Inc.) announces Genesis Energy to sponsor the lake sessions of the 28th FIPS-Mouche World Fly Fishing Championships.

Ms Jill Mandeno, President SFFNZ , said she was also delighted to announce that the lake competition sessions will be Genesis Energy Sector II, Lake Otamangakau and Genesis
Energy Sector III Lake Rotoaira.

Genesis Energy one of New Zealand's largest electricity generation, trading and retailing companies. The Tongariro Power Scheme consists of two hydro powered stations, Tokaanu and Rangipo underground station and sits on the fringes of the Tongariro National Park, an area that is classified on the World Heritage List for its ecological and cultural values.

Lakes Otamangakau and Rotoaira are both used to provide water to generate through the Tokaanu Power station and are well known for their capacity to provide good fishing.

Whilst operating these lakes, Genesis Energy acknowledges the special relationship that Maori have with their ancestral lands and waterways, and their role as kaitiaki (guardians) of many of the resources used or impacted by the operation of the power schemes.

Genesis Energy are proud to sponsor this event and welcomes all participants to the 2008 World Fly fishing Championships.

Members of the Bosnian Fly Fishing Team, who have been in New Zealand for 10 days practising for the world fly fishing champs next week, have learnt that may not after all be able to compete. The organisation running the championships, the SFFNZ (Sports Fly Fishing NZ) has just heard that the Bosnian fly fishing federation has refused to pay the team's entry fee to the competition.

The Bosnian anglers team are stunned at this unexpected news as they have laid out a small fortune getting to New Zealand, and cannot afford to front up with the $9750 entry fee. SFFNZ is working with the FIPS secretariat to see if they can resolve this matter before the check-in deadline which is Saturday 22nd March.

The FIPS-MOUCHE World Fly Fishing Championships are being held in the central North Island over Easter week with the opening on Easter Saturday. Nineteen fly fishing teams from around the world and four individual anglers representing a further four countries will gather in Rotorua to compete for team and individual championship titles.

Rotorua is at the heart of NZ's geothermal area and the region abounds in hot pools, wonderful geothermal scenic areas and many of New Zealand's well known fishing lakes and rivers.

Some teams return to New Zealand after having spent time in January when the competition waters were still open to them, becoming familiar with the venues. Others have arrived early to gain experience of New Zealand fy fishing on other waters in the area.

Following two practice days, there are three days of competition at five different lakes and rivers involving both bank and boat fishing. Results are posted at the end of each day's competition at competition headquarters and on the website www.nzfishing.com.

The New Zealand team, the Silver Flies consists of five members, the captain and a reserve. The captain, Paul Dewar, says it is a top quality team which he believes has a great chance of taking out the world title. New Zealand won the event when it was last hosted here in 1991, and won gold in the Oceania champs against Australia last year.

Timed to coincide with the world champs, the very first NZ National Open Fly Tying Competition, sponsored by Feather Merchants and Umqua, is being held at the Kingsgate Hotel in Rotorua on Sunday 23rd March. Viewing of the flies and the master fly tiers at work is from 3.00 to 4.30pm.

The world champs organisers, Sports Fly Fishing New Zealand (SSFNZ), have also arranged a conservation symposium on the Rotorua Lakes Ecology and Restoration Programme to follow the competition days. This event is free and open to the public. It takes place on Saturday 29th from 10am-12.30pm also at the Kingsgate Hotel.

The five North Island rivers and lakes where the competition will take place are the Whanganui and Waihou Rivers, the Waimakariri Stream , Lake Rotoaira and Lake Otamangakau.

All anglers have a chance to fish each of the five venues. SSFNZ has had the job of selecting the fishing beats so all competitors have equal fishing opportunities and no-one is disadvantaged by the quality of the beat.

During the three-days of competition (26th-28th March) each individual angler fishes for five sessions of three hours Their catches are scored and the 25 individual session scores are collated for each team. Sector judges conduct and supervise the competition, while volunteer controllers measure the fish and ensure the rules are adhered to.

The use of felt soled (footed) boots or waders has been prohibited during the world championships due to the threat posed by the invading water algae, didymo. Though present in some South Island rivers, didymo has so far not been detected in any North Island waters. Inspections of fishing gear are likely to be carried out as competition team members and guests enter New Zealand.

The 2009 World Fly Fishing Championships are being held in Scotland.

Contestants at the 28th FIPs-Mouche World Fly Fishing Championships, based in Rotorua, 22-30 March 2008, will fish from identical Stabi-Craft 389 Frontier aluminium pontoon boats.
The 2008 event will be the first time the World Fly Fishing Championships is held in New Zealand since 1990, when the New Zealand team won.

More than 100 of the world's best fly fishers from 20 countries will compete in teams of five on central North Island lakes and rivers over eight days of competition.

The two lake-fishing segments, held on Lakes Otamangakau and Rotoaira, will be fished from 20 Stabi-Craft 389 Frontier boats powered by 25hp Yamaha outboards. Supplied on standard Stabi-Craft trailers, the boats will also be used at the 2008 Commonwealth Fly Fishing Championships in Hawkes Bay the following week.

Stabi-Craft Marine is an Invercargill-based company manufacturing and marketing high technology, high-quality rigid-hull pontoon boats. Stabi-Craft pioneered rigid-hull pontoon design, beginning in 1986, and is now one of New Zealand's most successful production boat-builders, exporting to Europe, USA, Asia, Australia and the Pacific.

During the World Fly Fishing Championships, boats must accommodate three people in comfort and safety: two contestants and a controller, who measures and notes their catches and ensure all contestants adhere to strict competition rules. Anglers fish from a drifting boat, but the boats must be capable of getting to any part of the lake within the 10 minutes pre-competition motoring time allowed. The Stabi-Craft 389 is the smallest boat in Stabi-Craft's range, but easily exceeds these requirements.

Organisers, Sport Fly Fishing New Zealand, are delighted with Stabi-Craft Marine's decision to sponsor the event. "We're thrilled to have such a uniquely New Zealand boat, highly regarded here and overseas for its safety, stability and seaworthiness, representing New Zealand as we host such a large international event, the pinnacle of fly fishing achievement for the anglers concerned," said Jill Mandeno, International organiser for the WFFC and Chairman of Commonwealth Fly fishers.

Stabi-Craft Marine's Managing Director, Paul Adams is delighted to be associated with the championships. "We see the World Fly Fishing Championships as an opportunity to showcase our boats to some of the best fly fishers in New Zealand and the world. It's an important, large scale, international event here in New Zealand and as a New Zealand company we're very pleased to be involved," he said.

The boats will be equipped with Yamaha 25hp engines, some two-stroke, some four-stroke, and all the ancillary safety equipment. Sponsorship of individual boats is available – interested parties should contact Boating Committee Co-ordinator John Murphy, details below.
After the events, the boats will be offered to competitors and other interested parties at special prices and to the general public via Stab-Craft's extensive dealer network.

More information on the 28th FIPS-Mouche World Fly Fishing Championships, Stabi-Craft boats, Yamaha motors and Stabi-Craft trailers is available from SFFNZ Press Officer Daniel Regan, , mob 027 4777482, email danjeep@gmail.com, SFFNZ Boating Committee Chairman John Murphy, , email murfish@xtra.co.nz or Stabi-Craft Boats, ph (03) 211 1828, web www.stabicraft.com

Sport Fly Fishing NZ (Inc.) announces the first New Zealand National Open Fly Tying Championships will be held on Sunday, March 23rd, 2008 in conjunction with the 28th FIPS-Mouche World Fly Fishing Championships.

Ms Jill Mandeno, President SFFNZ , said she was also delighted to be able to announce that the competition would be sponsored by Feather Merchants and Umpqua and known as the NZ National Feather Merchants Open Fly Tying Championships. The competition will be open to all NZ fly tiers and also also all the competitors who have registered for the WFFC. Mr Nate Jarvis, General Manager of Feather Merchants said he was enthusiastic about sponsoring this inaugural event which will attract entries from some of the world's leading fly fishermen. He expressed the hope that it would become an annual event to be held in conjunction with the NZ National Fly Fishing Championships in future years.

Competitors will be required to submit three flies for judging in Round 1 by Saturday, March 22nd at 17.00 hours at the WFFC registration desk at the Kingsgate Hotel, Fenton St, Rotorua. A panel of judges will select the 10 - 12 finalists to compete in Round 2 to be held in the Redwood Room of the Kingsgate Hotel, Rotorua on Sunday March 23rd at 15.00. Competitors will have 60 minutes to tie 3 flies. Two have been selected by the sponsor and the judging panel as internationally known flies. The third fly should be of the fly tyer's own design and showcase their skill in designing and tying an eye catching and creative fly.

Each of a competitor's flies will be awarded points out of 30 with the final ten points awarded according to the votes of the spectators. Full details of the rules can be found on the web site: www.2008worldflyfishing champs.com

28th World Fly Fishing Championship and Conservation Symposium

In March 2008 New Zealand will host the world's premier fly-fishing event, the 28th FIPS-Mouche World Fly Fishing Championship and Conservation Symposium. It's the 28th such event since its inception in 1980 and only the second time New Zealand has played host.

Based in Rotorua, with fishing spread between lakes and rivers in the Rotorua District and beyond, the championship runs over eight days from March 22 to March 29. Twenty eight-person teams of will compete, each representing a different country.

The level of participation – 20 teams from 29 eligible countries – reflects New Zealand's reputation for good numbers of large, wild trout. In local competitions rainbow and brown trout up to 65cm are caught regularly, and New Zealand is universally recognised as having some of the best fly-fishing in the world. Many contestants will stay on after the championships to further explore New Zealand's superb fishing.

Twenty teams participated in New Zealand in 1991 – an event acknowledged at the time as one of the best to date and still remembered fondly by the international fly-fishing fraternity.
The organisers are determined this year's World Championship in New Zealand will be a similar success, particularly since it may be 15-20 years before New Zealand is eligible to host this event again, thanks to the growing popularity of the event.

The 28th World Champs will be conducted according to strict international rules set down by competition angling's parent body: FIPS-Mouche (Federation Internationale de la Peche Sportive - Fly Fishing).

FIPS is controlled by CIPS (Confederation Internationale de la Peche Sportive), representing all sportfishers, itself a subsidiary of GAISF (General Association of International Sports Federations), recognised by the United Nations as representing players in all sports.
Sport Fly Fishing New Zealand Inc. (SFFNZ) represents competition fly-fishing in New Zealand. Affiliated to FIPS-Mouche, this non-profit corporation is host and organiser of this year's world championship. The board and the organising committee provide their services free of charge.
International competition rules, which also apply to practice sessions, are designed to promote sustainable fishing. All fish caught and measured must be released unharmed into the water from which they came and all fishing must use barbless hooks and soft, unknotted landing nets.
In line with previous events, the championship will be held on five different fishing venues. This structure provides each angler with five different types of fishing and five scoring opportunities, while challenging his/her skill under different conditions.

Venues may include rivers or lakes. In 2008 lake fishing will be conducted from identical New Zealand-built StabiCraft 389 Frontier boats. This year the venues are the Waihou , Waimakariri and Upper Whanganui Rivers, along with Lakes Otamangakau and Rotoaira.

The competition will be held over three consecutive days with two fishing sessions of three hours each per day – one in the morning and one in the afternoon. One of the half-days will be used to rest the venue, so making five sessions on each venue.

The smooth running of this huge event relies on contributions of hundreds of New Zealand fly fishers, their friends and families. They are involved in a myriad of organisational tasks, including logistics and transport. Many will work as 'controllers', observing and recording the catches of contestants throughout the championship.

As usual, interest in the event from international media is high. ESPN have covered the last seven tournaments and is expected to cover the New Zealand event as well, along with media representatives from several other nations.

A well-known New Zealand production company specialising in fishing/outdoor productions has also expressed interest in filming the event on behalf of SFFNZ.

The New Zealand mainstream media is also expected to take an interest in such and major international sporting event.

The 2008 Commonwealth Fly Fishing Championships, another international event for 10-12 teams, will be held in Hawkes Bay immediately after the World Championships, attracting many of the same anglers. The Commonwealth championships are generally held every second year in the nearest Commonwealth country to the world championships.

The Conservation Symposium is a required part of each world championship. Held concurrently with the World Championships, it highlights particular aspects of conservation work in relation to river ecology and trout in the catchment area.

SFFNZ promise an interesting range of topics relevant to the region and its particular challenges.

WHAT: 28th FIPS-Mouche World Fly Fishing Championship and Conservation Symposium.

WHERE: Rotorua, New Zealand, with fishing venues throughout the Central North Island.

WHEN: March 22 to March 29, 2008.

For more detailed information on the 28th FIPS-Mouche World Fly Fishing Championship and Conservation Symposium, please contact Daniel Regan 0274777482 or danjeep@gmail.com (PR and Press Releases) or see www.2008worldflyfishing champs.com