World Championships

This is one for the match experts.

I'm probably not fully up to date with the World Championships over the last few years. Has there been a rule change regarding presentation of baits?

I was sure that you couldn't present baits 'laid-on' (or at least only minimally)during these matches.

I've been reading some articles this weekend on some of the tactics used during the recent finals in Hungary. Quite heavy, bodied wagglers seemed the order of the day, which wasn't a surprise, but the fact that they were laying-on between 8" and 10" did surprise me as I thought this was illegal.

Have I missed an episode or two or have I mis-interpreted this law?

The rules regarding laying on are complex in the World champs.

In a nutshell you cannot put more than 10% of the shot load of the float on the deck so fishing over depth has aways been permitted (1974 champs was won in this way). Sometimes this has caused controvery as in the brilliant England win on the seine in Paris when the French tried to get one or two English anglers disqualified for putting some weight ( 2 or 3 AAA) on the deck but the massive size of the floats being used (40 grams from memory meant that the English could put 2 or 3 grams on the bottom and be within the rules, and so it proved. The English had checked very carefully the shot load of the droppers beforehand.

So in Hungary a no. 8 or two would be well within the rules especially with heavy sliders.

Thanks for explaining thatMark.

No surprise that it was my interpretation of the law!!

I remember the 1974 furore - I seem to remember another year, although not the details, where the stewards were constantly checking the configuration of the England team's set-up due to allegations of something similar.

In the previous Hungary world champs a strong wind and pole length restrictions led some anglers to breach the rules but basically fishing the pole float at half cock because the olivette was on the bottom; they got away with it. Due to the position of the shelf the anglers were trying to gain that extra yard or two.

At one time I had the AT results for the World champs for close on a 30 year run; probably still got most of them! I lost the very early ones from the late 60s, and the latest ones were in ATA not AT though I have got them. Always been fascinated by this contest - watched the last two held in England.

I'm sure one of the worst events for the stewards was the Paris event where the French stewards were helpless to prevent a brilliant English win, and a fantastic revenge for the 1981 debacle!