Nelms comes out tops with13 fish

WATERVILLE Sea Angling Club members faced some harsh elements in their club winter series of shore angling competitions.

On their most recent December competition, club anglers fished Ballinskelligs Beach from 2-6.30pm. The competitors shared a 48-fish catch on a 3.5m tide where anglers caught seven flounders, 27 lesser spotted dogfish, one coalfish, 12 whiting and one bass.

Chris Nelms won the day with 13 fish that gave him 360 points. Second was Aidan O’Halloran, 8 fish — 215 points. 3rd Pat Egan, 5 fish — 175 points. 4th John Osborne, 4 fish — 140 points. 5th Joe Murphy, 4 fish — 85 points. 6th Josh Corbett, 2 fish- 83 points. 7th Vincent Tierney, 2 fish — 68 points. 8th Eugene Farrelly, 2 fish — 40 points.

Elsewhere the Leinster Provincial Council Shore Committee held an open competition and awards night in Courtown. Fifty six anglers turned out for what was a terrific event. An estimated 800 mainly small fish were taken during the event. The main species hooked were whiting, dab and flounder, but small numbers of other species such as codling, coalfish and rockling were also recorded.

The overall winner of the event was Alan Mulcahy with 46 fish and the winner of the ladies section was Paula Dunphy with 23 fish. Junior section winner was Roy Daniels with 20 fish. Frank Lawlor won the sniors section.

Not to be left out, up in Red Bay, Co. Antrim, anglers fishing with charter skipper Hamish Currie had good sport for spurdogs and some juvenile skate, while confined to the shallower waters, due to rough seas.

On the River Barrow, Carlow Coarse Angling Club Junior member Lewis Parr from Graiguecullen netted a huge surprise whilst fishing for a pike close to Carlow Town. Fishing a small roach he landed a very big brown trout which was photographed quickly and returned to the river as the trout season is closed.

Neither storms, nor snow, nor ice could spoil the excellent rainbow trout fishing at the Curragh Springs Fishery, where anglers recorded some fine big fish. There was a group of Carlow club anglers fishing the new South County rainbow fishery at a competition recently.

Several anglers in the fly fishing only competition netted rainbow trout that were over two foot long, thus keeping judges Gerry McStraw and Leon Deere from Graiguecullen busy for the day measuring and documenting each angler’s catch.

Anglers turned up from Shileliagh and as far afield as Sallins and Dublin for the competitions and were not disappointed at the size of fish being caught, most of which were in the 4 to 5 lbs. bracket.

Up in Derry the bitter weather did not stop the rainbows from biting at the Cashel Fishery, where anglers also enjoyed good fishing. A group of anglers from a new online fishing tackle company fished with many of their new lures to capture some lovely pike on several lakes in the Roscommon area. There was many fish into double figures recorded on swimbait lures. Anthony Greene landed a lovely fish over 20 lb.

Many rivers and lakes are flooded at present and anglers who may venture out to wet a line over the holiday break are reminded to be careful, if the icy conditions return to our roads.

Sea anglers also should not forget that 65 foot wave recorded off the Sligo Coast recently, if they are fishing on exposed rocky promontories.

Wishing all angling readers a Happy Christmas and tight lines in the New Year.