TWO men have been convicted of being in possession of eight illegally caught salmon on the River Fergus in Ennis, Co Clare and ordered to pay fines following prosecutions taken by Inland Fisheries Ireland (IFI).
Cousins Gerard and Niall Considine, of Clarecastle, Co. Clare, each received fines of €200 and costs of €471 following conviction at Ennis District Court on Friday, 22nd April from Judge Bernadette Owens.
Officers gave evidence of the offence which occurred on the 1st July, 2021. They outlined how the two men were apprehended following a night-time surveillance operation after suspicious activity had been detected.
IFI’s David McInerney, said: “The River Fergus and the entire river Shannon catchment is closed for the harvesting of salmon due to the poor level of salmon stocks. We appeal to the public to report suspected instances to IFI’s confidential 24/7 hotline on 0818 34 74 24.”
Irish Game Fair & Fine Food Festival
After two years’ postponement due to Covid, the Irish Game Fair & Fine Food Festival returns to Shanes Castle, Antrim on the 25-26th June, 2022.
At a press briefing, game fair director, Albert Titterington announced that several new attractions are lined up this year including an international fly fishing section expected to be a major highlight for keen anglers.
Angling director, Stevie Munn has an unmatched10-year record of organising fly fairs in Ireland, attracting top international companies, fly dressers and anglers.
“I am determined this fly fair will add much in terms of fly tying, equipment and advice for angling enthusiasts,” he said.
Admission is £10 for adults; £5 children (6-16) and £25 families (2 adults and up to 4 children). Parking and programme are free. Tickets can be purchased via Eventbrite or paid for at the gate. Full details at www.irishgamefair.com.
The fair is supported by TourismNI and Antrim & Newtownabbey Council.
Harte claims the honours at Lough Conn
My fishing friend, Peter Crilly, sent me an account of his participation in the Irish Trout Fly Fishing Association (Itffa) National Competition on Lough Conn last Saturday.
“The day started bright and sunny with a north east wind. Our boatman was Joe Caden and angling partner Kenny Balfour from Enniskillen. Not an easy day, too many anglers at the Woodford Shallows, so we fished Castle and Roe Islands to no avail.
“At lunchtime, we pulled in to Gallagher’s shore and exchanged a few stories of past fishing adventures. Boatman Joe was confident the afternoon would be better. How right he was.
“Along the Abbey shore we both had fish, however, the longest at 12.5in was just shy of the limit. Approaching 5 o’clock, we headed back towards Gortmore. As usual, I had a tangle and while sorting it out, my partner got a good take at 5.15pm on an Octopus and landed a nice fish of 2.25lb, to achieve second place and heaviest fish.
“I missed out by a ‘boat length’, but was happy with my two undersized fish I had boasted. A great weekend and fabulous result for my humble angling partner.”
Edward (Eddie) Harte won the competition with two fish.
Boatmen required for Interpros at Lough Sheelin
Lough Sheelin will host the intro-provincial competition on September 3rd, 2022 and is seeking the service of 38 boatmen for the day. Boatmen will be paid €120 and those interested are asked to contact Eamonn Ross 086-661 9834 or Michael Callaghan 086-884 5750.
Salmon aplenty on Lough Currane
“Salmon fishing on Lough Currane in Waterville is easily the best I can remember for the past eight to 10 years”, according to top gillie, Neil O’Shea. Last Tuesday, with just two boats out on the lake, each had two salmon, one of which was a whopping fish of 17.5lb for an American guest, he said.
Sharp Hook Fishing Club
Entrants exceeded expectations at the first lure competition of the year for the Dungannon-based Sharp Hook Fishing Club, with 34 boats taking to the water to compete in the Sukre Pike Hunt on Lough Ree.
It was strictly a catch-photo-release competition with lures to record the longest accumulative weight. Only pike over 60cm counted but on a bright sunny day with little wind anglers took to the challenge moving around the mighty Ree for the six-hour competition.
It was close at the finish with top honours going to Laimonas Stoskas and Nerijus Jankunas with five fish for 479cm, just 1cm ahead of Jacek Gorny and Waldemar Baran. Prizes were presented to the top 10 teams.
Fermoy team claim Munster Teams of Four League
The final round of the Munster Teams of Four match was held on East Clare lakes at Clondorny and Kilgory last Sunday. The top 5kg weights for Kevin Keahy and Ray Linton at Clondorny secured a match win but it wasn’t sufficient to catch Fermoy members T. Lawton, T. Platt, P. Barry and D. Holmes already leading the field and second on the day to win the league with 42 points.
The six-match league which also featured Inniscarra and Oaklands lakes, was attended by six teams: New Ross A, 51pts; South Munster (Polish), 48pts; Munster, 47pts; Oaklands B, 61pts and Fermoy, 42pts who will now represent Munster at the Inter-Provincial Championships in September.
South Munster’s Pawel Swistun ranked the best individual with a perfect 5 points.
CM Lakelands and Lurgan qualify for FIPsed World Feeder Championships
CM Lakelands Feeder and Lurgan AC qualified on Lough Muckno last weekend to take part in the FIPsed World Feeder Fishing Championships for Clubs to be held in Ireland in 2022.
The CMLakelands Blue team of M. Buchwalder, J. O’Doherty, D. Fairhurst, R Kondrackas and R. Zilaitis finished day one with an 8-point lead. The Lurgan Blue team closed the gap on day two to finish in second place.
If you have an angling story to share, please send to me at angling@irishtimes.com.
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