Bord Iascaigh Réigiúnach an Oirthir
Press Release, 23rd September 2009
For the second year running an Irish Boat has won the Rosslare Small Boats festival. In what was an extremely tight competition, ‘Screaming Reels’ from Rosie’s sea angling club in Cork won the competition again with 27 different species of fish, beating 44 other boats from Ireland and the UK.
The annual Rosslare Small Boats Festival, now in its 24th year, proved to be a resounding success this year. Sponsored by Failte Ireland, Navimo UK (Advan Sea), Daiwa Sports Ltd and Sea Angler magazine, the event attracted more than 120 anglers from the Isle of Wight, Southport, Liverpool, Scotland ,Wales and Ireland. With near perfect weather conditions for the week, anglers launched their boats from Kilmore Quay and fished all along the Wexford Coast. The fishing was excellent and over 4 days there was a total of 42 different species recorded!
The competition was exciting from start to finish due to the close results each day. The overall results demonstrated this with first place going to ‘Screaming Reels’ (Martyn Rayner, Seirt Shults, Neville Murphy, Rosie’s Sea Angling club in Cork) with 27 species for 21.20kilos. They were followed closely in second place by ‘Sonic Blue’ (Mike Hennessy, Paul Hopkins & Patrick Cunningham, Isle of Wight) with 27 species for 18.24 kilos. In third place was Shandy Bass (Andy Beresford and John Roberts, Southport) with 26 species for 22.12kilos.
As well as the usual cod, pollack, dogfish, bull huss etc, some unusual species for the area were recorded including turbot, red mullet, triggerfish and sea scorpion. There were two specimen ballan wrasse recorded (they have to be verified by the ISFC) one weighing 2.5 kilos, caught by Alistair Watt from the Isle of Wight and one weighing 2.3 kilos, caught by John Holmes from Blackpool. The heaviest round fish was a conger of 12.08 kilos caught by Phil Yin from the boat ‘Yinny B’ from Southport and the heaviest flat fish was a turbot of 0.62 kilos caught by Mike Thrussell from the boat ‘Sea Mistress’ from Wales. This year there was a winning junior with Jake Rogan aged 14 from the boat ‘Rogie’s Girl’ , who had 22 species for 14.44kilos. The best female angler was Sue Tait from the boat ‘Predator 2’, from Cork who had 16 species for 16.18kilos.
The prizegiving ceremony took place in the Crosby Cedar’s Hotel in Rosslare and prizes were awarded in a variety of categories including the best specimen, heaviest flat fish, heaviest round fish, winners from each day as well as the overall winners. The prizes were presented by Pat Doherty, Chief Executive Officer, Eastern Regional Fisheries Board and Orla Woods, Angling Product Manager, Failte Ireland.
The total prize fund is €17,000 for this competition and consists of a variety of prizes including fishing equipment products as well as substantial monetary prizes and engraved trophies. Sponsors for the competition in the UK included: Navimo UK (Advan Sea), Daiwa Sports Ltd, Sea Angler magazine, Stena Line, Inserve Marine Technical Services Ltd, Smartcom Software, Meano’s Joinery, and Johnsons Angling in Liverpool. In Ireland, local sponsors included Failte Ireland, The Eastern Regional Fisheries Board, Kilmore Quay Harbour office, Self Catering Ireland and Shamrock Tackle.
Pat Doherty, Chief Executive Officer, Eastern Regional Fisheries Board was delighted to attend this event. ‘I congratulate all competitors for their participation, especially the winners for the second time, Screaming Reels’. This competition has gone from strength to strength with 45 boats participating this year, and I particularly welcome the newcomers. This festival is very important not only to promote the great sea fishing we have on the East Coast, and the variety of species available but also the investment it brings to the local businesses in the area each year’.
Sea fishing off South east Wexford allows for an angler to catch a wide variety of species including; coalfish, cod, conger eel, dogfish, flounder, gurnards, ling, plaice, pollack, pouting, ray, smoothhound, tope, whiting and wrasse. For information on all the best fishing on Ireland’s East Coast, please visit the Eastern Regional Fisheries Board website: www.fishingireland.net.
Next year’s event will take place from the 18th – 25th September 2010. The Eastern Regional Fisheries Board would like to invite all small boat anglers to take part. Further information is available from Ms. Josie Mahon, Eastern Regional Fisheries Board, 01-2787022 or josie.mahon@erfb.ie.
……..Ends……
Josie Mahon,
Eastern Regional Fisheries Board,
15A Main Street, Blackrock,
Co. Dublin.
Tel: 01 278 7022 / 087 6538202
email: josie.mahon@erfb.ie
Website: www.fishingireland.net Email: info@erfb.ie
The Eastern Regional Fisheries Board is a statutory authority whose function is to conserve, develop, protect, manage and promote the inland fisheries and sea angling resources within its jurisdiction. The Region extends from the border in Northern Ireland to South of the Wexford coast and includes all catchments which enter the sea between these boundaries. For further information, please visit www.fishingireland.net