Angling Reports and News
- Coarse fishing
- Trout fishing
- Sea fishing [01/02/10]
- Pike fishing [09/02/10]
Coarse Angling
Sea Angling
[01/02/10]
EFSA Irish Winter Shore Angling Festival
28th, 29th, 30th January 2010
Photo: EFSA Winter Festival, Match Day 2, Clones Strand, Co. Wexford
The 22nd EFSA Irish Winter Shore Angling Festival was held on the east facing beaches of County Wexford from Thursday 28th to Saturday 30th January 2010. An annual event based at Sean Og’s Hotel, Bar, and Holiday Home Complex, Kilmuckridge, Co. Wexford, the competition attracts many of the top Irish and UK match anglers due to the quality of fishing, prize money on offer, and the chance to catch up with distant friends. With €500.00 earmarked for first place overall, plus crystal, zone prizes, two and four man team prizes, optional pools, and longest round and flat fish, there was plenty on offer to keep the competitors interest up over the three scheduled match days.
Photo: Saturday zone winner Joe Byrne, fishing Courtown North Beach during the EFSA Festival
After the gales and driving rain that hampered the 2009 event, this years weather was positively balmy with high pressure generating frosty conditions, and light westerly winds creating a ground swell which coloured the sea, enticing fish to venture onto the shallow beaches to feed during daylight. Three hook flappers, slider rigs, lugworm, wraps, maddies, and snake whites were all used to great effect over the three days, with competitors needing to log 25+ fish to be anywhere in the shake up.
Photo: Dublin match angler Shay O’Neill with a brace of Clones Strand Flounder
Match day one saw the participants head for Morriscastle Strand, fishing 12 noon to five PM. Ireland dominated the proceedings laying down a marker by winning all three zones. Penn Sea League champion Dave Roe, South Dublin stalwart Ian Knight, and Waterford’s own J.P.Molloy setting the early pace. With Clones/Kilgorman Strand penned in for match day two the UK contingent had some catching up to do. A light westerly breeze and low cloud created ideal conditions that the top rods revelled in. Maddies and lug wraps were combined to great effect with UK match men Chris Clarke and Alan Yates winning two of the three zones, Clarke logging 45 fish in the process.
Photo: Top Irish match angler Dave Roe with a quality Clones Strand Flounder
Courtown Strand North was the venue for match day three and the weather Gods wove their magic. A coloured flat calm sea combined with a frosty windless morning and blue skies created ideal conditions for sea match angling. The venue produced steadily with again lug wraps and maddies the key bait. A highlight of the day was Courtown Sea Angling Centre’s Joe Byrne pipping Alan Yates on the last cast to win his zone. On the overall standings Alan’s second placing ensured first place in the competition, with Chris Clarke coming second, and Waterford’s J.P. Molloy a creditable third.
Photo: Regular visitor Dave Lovelock, Wiltshire UK, on Courtown North Beach
George McCullough, Mick Quinn, and Warren Doyle have to be congratulated for a well organised event. Sean OG’s Hotel, Kilmuckridge, Co. Wexford, www.seanogs.ie, is an ideal base central to all the beaches and to the ferry terminals at Rosslare and Dunlaoghaire. The fishing was good, the weather behaved, and all those that took part were adamant that they would return in 2011 along with one or two friends. This long running festival is set to grow.
Contact: EFSA Ireland secretary, Warren Doyle. 98 Seacrest, Bray, Co. Wicklow. Tel: 00353 (0)86 8069961. Email: warrendoyle@iol.ie.
Trout Angling
[Last trout angling report 23/11/09]
Pike Angling
[09/02/10]
Late Flurry Saves the Day in Cavan/Monaghan
Photo: Scott Ring with a late in the day 11.lb Cavan Pike
February and March are months when Pike angling steps up a gear. The big females are moving into the shallows prior to spawning, and anglers are out in force hoping to connect with that elusive specimen. A trip to Cavan/Monaghan planned by Scott Ring and Gary Robinson for last Sunday 07/02/2010 was full of promise. Lakes in the Carrickmacross/Castleblaney area had been fishing well, a venue was chosen, an early start, and 07.30am saw the first baits cast in earnest.
Photo: Bite indicators at the ready
However the best laid plans do not always deliver the goods. By 12.30pm with no runs occurring the doubts set in and the conditions were questioned. Too cold, too dull, the cold easterly wind, the drop in barometric pressure. Finally a conversation with a local angler settled the issue. “There will be no fish landed here today. If I were you I would drive to “X” lake, it’s fishing well to a moving bait presented late in the day”.
Photo: An 7.lb jack for Wicklow angler Scott Ring
The advice was heeded and a change in venue did result in better fortune. Static baits were cast out, and second rods were utilised to fish Storm Roach jerk baits and fresh Rainbow trout sink and draw style. Local angler Pat Clarke’s advice was bang on as late in the day two Pike weighing seven and eleven pounds respectively did take the jerk bait and the fresh Rainbow trout fished sink and draw. Not linkers but beautifully conditioned fish and well worth the journey.