THE eye-catching banner across the main street caught the moment: “Ballinrobe Welcomes Anglers to the 2011 World Cup Trout Fly Championships.”
All roads led to the town as 457 competitors converged on Cushlough Bay on the shores of Lough Mask to compete for the prestigious title of World Cup Champion.
Now in its 54th year, the five-day festival has withstood the test of time and is widely regarded as the premier competition in the northern hemisphere. This year, the lough again lived up to its reputation as one of the finest brown-trout fisheries in Europe.
Fishing conditions during the four qualifying days were good, with overcast skies and a steady wind. In fact, anglers opted to fish the deep on most days for the smaller but more plentiful trout feeding on daphnia.
Finals day was a different kettle of fish as mirror-calm water heralded a trout anglers’ nightmare. It took real skill and luck to raise a fish. It was a day for the shallows.
Having qualified on Friday with one fish, Aidan Hodgins, from Loughrea, stepped up to the mark to record two fish for 2.3kg (4.99lb) and comfortably win this year’s championship.
“We spotted a mayfly hatch close to the Rocky Shore and I put up a dry Sedge and green Mayfly. My two fish were boated within the hour,” he said. Aidan expressed a special thanks to Jackie Coyne of Hardy Grey’s Academy for his wonderful boating skills.
Your correspondent boated four fish on the Sunday but unfortunately only one exceeded the 13in size limit. The remainder were agonisingly short. Ah well, perhaps better luck next year! Six anglers caught five fish, bringing into play the rule whereby only four are allowed to be despatched. An estimate weight of the fifth was taken against the length and joined with the four weighed fish.
Tom Kitterick (98), from Castlebar, and now living in Ballina, has fished the competition intermittently since its inception in 1953. Having qualified for the final in 2009, this year, however, he failed to make the cut.
When asked what it was that gave him such good health, he replies: “I never drank or smoked and I play whist four times a week.” And he still drives a car around Ballina.
The winner was presented with a 19ft Angler’s Fancy boat sponsored by World Cup committee; a boat trailer; a 15hp Honda outboard engine from Duffy Sons of Headford; a Hardy Sintrix rod and a World Cup Gold Medal.
Congratulations to chairman Denis Kelleher and his committee who did a great job. Roll on next year. Results: 1, A Hodgins (Loughrea), 2 fish; 2, R Cusack (Ballinrobe), 2f; 3, F Steele (Down), 2f. Heaviest fish: A Heffernan (Dublin), 2.2kg (4.84lb). Best woman angler: Margaret Rooney.
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Mayfly is still emerging at times on Lough Corrib, with sedge hatches also going well, according to Kevin Crowley. In the Cornamona-Greenfields area, 15 anglers reported 27 trout in 18 rod days, mostly to wetfly, with mayfly patterns doing well and dapped crickets producing some fish.
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Large brown trout are starting to show on Lough Inagh. Anke Kondla, from Germany, had a whopper of 5kg (11lb), and Richard and Hugh Maguire, from Dublin, had two of 1.8kg (4lb) and 2.7kg (6lb). Catch totals for July were 28 salmon and 69 sea trout.
“We are in great need of rain to bring new fish in and I am hopeful this week will see a change in conditions,” Colin Folan said. See loughinaghlodgehotel.ie.
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Don’t miss the opportunity to fish one of Europe’s finest sea trout lakes. There is still time to enter the Lough Currane fly-fishing sea trout catch-and-release competition this Friday and Saturday.
A John Meagher’s Angler’s Fancy 19ft lake boat awaits the winner, and there are many more prizes. Entries to Neil O’Shea at secretary@loughcurrane.com or 087-9942792.
angling@irishtimes.com