Bombs away!
New rules at top event
ENGLAND feeder team boss Tom Pickering has slammed the decision to allow bombs to be used in future World Championships.
In one of several changes made by governing body FIPS ED, legering without using a feeder will now be permitted in the showpiece event.
“It’s a terrible decision,” said the man who has led Preston Innovations Team England to the gold medal twice. “I’m not happy with bombs being allowed. This is and always has been the Feeder Championships.”
“The skill lies in using the correct feeder and introducing the right amount of bait, not simply chucking a bomb out and waiting. I know why the change has happened – it’s because some countries have been asking for it for years. For the name to be changed to reflect this just adds an element of farce to things. But we can’t change things now and we’ll just have to get on with things in Italy this summer.”
In another rule change, there will now be no limit placed on the length of hooklink competitors can use.
And to reflect these changes, FIPS ED has changed the name of the event to the World Feeder and Leger Championships.
“The removal of limits on the hooklink is good news,” said Tommy. “So many times I’ve thought that with a shorter link we’d have caught more fish, but we were stuck with a 50cm limit.
“We can now use our judgment on the bank to make changes and catch more fish, which is what it’s all about.
“However, the hooklink must still hang below the feeder. For example, if you were to fish a 2ins link that when underwater sits next to the feeder, this is as good as fishing a Method feeder, which is not allowed.
“One concern is that there will be the temptation to tuck the hook into the feeder,” he added. “It will need policing, that’s for sure, but the change is a good one. It’s a pity I can’t say the same about using bombs.”
Disappointingly, the governing body made no changes to addressing the issue of fishing with empty feeders, as used by many teams last year in Portugal to catch bleak.
As far as Tommy is aware, anglers must still fill their feeders and he hopes there will be no repeat of 2017’s last-minute relaxation of the rules which caught many teams out.
Both changes will come into force for this July’s championships in Italy.