ANGLING NOTES:IT WAS standing-room only at the 54th Irish Specimen Fish Committee (ISFC) presentation last weekend as anglers converged on the Red Cow Morans Hotel to receive awards for outstanding fish caught in Ireland last year.
Chairman Trevor Champ said it was gratifying to report that angling continued to prosper in Ireland.
Red Bay in Northern Ireland continued to set the pace with regard to specimens. This is of immense importance from a tourism revenue perspective, he said.
While conservation remained a priority for the ISFC, the “body” of fish was still required in many cases. However, the committee was moving away from this situation with the introduction of DNA sampling.
“I also acknowledge the difficulty for boat skippers in weighing fish at sea,” the chairman said. On this front, he brought good news for tope anglers. For the 2011 season, the committee will introduce a new category for tope based on length.
Genetic analysis of shad, both alias and twaite, has revealed a new phenomenon. “We have discovered a cross-over between the two species resulting in shad hybridisation,” he said. Of the 63 specimens ratified in 2010, 37 per cent were hybrids and 39 per cent misidentified.
Guest speaker, the author, film-maker and angler Éamon de Buitléar, gave a riveting talk on wildlife conservation. “As probably the oldest person in the room today, I can remember my young days in Co Wicklow where I grew up beside the River Dargle,” he said.
“At that time, the river was full of small sea trout or white fish. We called them ‘clowns’ or ‘river maidens’ as it was their first time back in the river. I had an American friend who never fished the river ‘blind’. Instead, he always covered a rising fish. Locals thought he was mad putting fish back in those days.”
He reminded those present that it was the anglers who were guardians of our lakes and rivers.
Probably the highlight of the awards ceremony focused on the husband and wife team of Sue and Tony Tait from Aghada Sea Angling Club. Originally from York in the UK they moved to East Cork in 2004 and are now key players in this progressive Munster club.
In August of last year, Tony caught a red mullet of .72kg (1.59lb) at Kilmore Quay, Co Wexford that pipped the Irish record by just .1kg, set by Joe Cooney.
One month later, during the Small Boats Festival at the same venue, Sue boated a similar species of .82kg (1.81lb) to win back the record from her husband.
Sue is also the Irish record holder of the Bluemouth, with a fish of 1.32kg, that was caught at Caherciveen, Co Kerry in 2007.
Dr William Roche, ISFC secretary, said: “We were very happy to see so many young anglers picking up awards. We usually have a small number attending but this year we had eight under 14 years old collecting on the day.”
Salmon fishing onthe western rivers moved up a gear last week with the first weekly reports from Ballina and Western Districts of Inland Fisheries Ireland indicating moderate catches on the fly.
On Delphi, a party of German anglers enjoyed a memorable end to February. Two good salmon, one ranched and one wild of 4.3kg, were dwarfed with a magnificent ranched fish of 7.7kg (16lb 9oz), caught on a Collie Dog by Werner Zirngibl at the Rock Pool.
“This is the heaviest February fish and joint fourth heaviest in the last 26 years at Delphi,” according to fisheries manager David McEvoy.
The first salmon of the season within the Western River Basin District fell to Ian Wyse from Crossmolina, Co Mayo, last weekend.
Fishing the tidal section of the Owenduff River he landed a fresh sea-liced salmon of 4.3kg (9.5lb) on a two-inch Waddington.
angling@irishtimes.com