THE MINISTER OF STATE at the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, John Browne, last Wednesday announced the allocation of more than €3 million for important coastal protection works around the country in 2008.
"Ireland must continue to protect its coastline, sections of which are constantly under threat from erosion. The coastal protection programme aims to construct works that slow or even halt erosion in places where the coastline is at its most vulnerable," Browne said.
There are 21 projects set to receive funding. Inch Beach in Co Kerry tops the list with an allocation of €900,000 for emergency protection works. Ross, Co Clare, is to receive €180,000 for rock armour and gambions, while nine projects between Wicklow and Waterford will receive €504,735.
The first salmon of the season at Kylemore Abbey Fishery was captured last week by fisheries manager Nigel Rush. "I took the fish at Tullywee Bridge Pool on the Upper River of the Dawros," said Rush. "Fresh-run and liced, it weighed 4.5kg and fell to our famous Kylemore Killer Waddington, in unbelievably low water. How the fish swam up the river beguiles me! I do not like killing a fish of this size but I feel it may not have survived the ordeal in any case." To book the fishery, e-mail nigelrush@eircom.net
• Another very good week at the Galway Weir saw 21 salmon landed and plenty more hooked and lost. Kildare man Sean McMenamin had a 5.4kg fish on spinner and the following day landed the first grilse of 1.8kg. Meanwhile, on the High Bank fishery downstream, local angler Willie Browne landed the fish of a lifetime, a specimen salmon of 9.1kg. The fish was a beautiful bar of silver, fresh in from the sea and carrying a few sea lice.
• Darren Maguire was not so lucky, losing a huge salmon, estimated in excess of 11.3kg, while trolling on Lough Melvin. After playing the fish for an hour and realising it would not fit into the landing net, Maguire decided to head for shore and beach the fish. Before this could be achieved the fish came loose and was gone! As a consolation, he later managed to land a 4.7kg salmon.
• The Moy system had a reported catch of 48 salmon last week, bringing the total for the season so far to 156. On Armstrong's, Jilles Bodinier from France landed a cracking 6.4kg fish on spinner while, on the Foxford Fishery, Brian Fitzgerald took a fish of 3.8kg and Donald McCorten had one at 4.5kg. Anglers are reminded that free fishing continues on the Ridge Pool until the first salmon is caught there.
• On Lough Conn, cool and gusty north-east winds impacted on the National Championships, hosted by Lough Conn Cullin Anglers, with just 49 trout caught by 130 anglers. First place went to Andy Duncan, Mullingar, with four fish.
• Large olive hatches appeared on Mask last weekend, although with so many fly about the trout were surprisingly quiet, preferring instead to feed on nymphs below the surface. Wet flies and nymphs were the order of the day, with Sooty Olive working best.
• Meanwhile, on Corrib, the mayfly is starting to appear in some areas with decent hatches in the Cornamona area. Cornamona District Anglers held a competition last Sunday to mark their 50th anniversary at which 72 competitors landed 78 trout. The winning team of Kevin Molloy and Mike Faherty from Oughterard managed four trout, including one of 1.6kg. All proceeds from the competition go to Galway Hospice Foundation.
• At Annamoe Trout Fisheries, Co Wicklow, milder weather has improved sport as trout begin to feed more aggressively. Grey Duster and Klinkhammer patterns are to the fore and average catch is three over a four-hour period. To book the fishery, tel: 0404-45470.