After 52 years of continuous coverage, today's Angling Notes is the final edition to appear in the newspaper due to pagination changes.
While there is sadness about this change, I am happy to say readers will not lose out because of the development and can continue to access my Angling Notes column online.
Starting from next Monday (February 15th), Angling Notes will be available via your mobile phone, desktop, laptop or tablet. To view, visit irishtimes.com and then go to breaking news and search for Angling Notes or Derek Evans.
On the Drowes, heavy rain and sleet over the week meant water levels rose and by Sunday, the river was, once again, running at a high level. The fishery was quiet overall and the miserable conditions did nothing to encourage anglers to fish.
Local angler Eoin McManus braved the elements and on Wednesday was rewarded with the second Drowes salmon of the season. The fish weighed 3.6kg (8lb) and fell to a Flying C lure from the Corner of the Blackwater. Eoin sportingly released the fish thereby earning himself a GoPro camera. Leinster produced a brilliant performance in the recent interprovincial shore championships with a win in all four categories. Held under the auspices of the Irish Federation of Sea Anglers, the two-day event took place on a selection of east-coast beaches.
The four categories comprised teams from under-16s, under-21s, senior women and senior men. From each of these groups, the top five anglers will go forward to represent Ireland in the home international championships in Norfolk in July.
Though the wind had swung around to the west and offshore, the water was still well-coloured from the preceding days’ storms and this boded well for decent catches.
Flounder were the mainstay of the daylight sessions, with a mixture of dab, whiting, small codling and rockling.
One surprise for the competitors was the reasonable numbers of sea scorpions that showed on the venues. Night time, as expected, produced more whiting and rockling with the north beach Wicklow providing some bumper bags of whiting.
At a recent sitting of Ballina District Court, Judge Conal Gibbons convicted a Ballina man of illegal fishing. The man was found guilty of possession of a net at Cloonslaun on the river Moy.
Judge Gibbons heard that two fisheries officers observed a person swimming in the water. When approached, the man escaped into a nearby field and was found hiding in a bush, wearing a wetsuit. A buoyancy aid was also found nearby.
The court heard that the man admitted to possession of the net in the river, which was retrieved, as well as a bag containing a second net on the bank. Outlining the importance of protecting fish stocks, the judge convicted the man of illegal possession of a net, fining him €1,000 with €500 costs.
Both nets were also ordered to be forfeited.
Commenting on the case, Dr John Conneely of Inland Fisheries Ireland said: “Maintaining an extremely valuable natural resource is vital for the benefit of local and tourist anglers. Recreational angling in Ireland is worth over €750 million to the economy and supports over 10,000 jobs.”
Rory’s Tackle Shop in Temple Bar is celebrating its 56th anniversary sale from Thursday, February 11th, to Sunday, February 21st. Huge reductions on all stocks including 50 per cent off many items. Open late Thursday until 7pm and Sunday 11am to 6pm. Telephone 01-677 2351.
Howth RNLI was unveiled last Tuesday as SuperValu Sutton’s Charity of the Year for 2016. A series of fundraising activities will take place in the shop throughout 2016 to support the work of the lifeboat station.
Funds raised will contribute to the training of crew members, provision of lifejackets and crew kit and maintenance of the two lifeboats. As the busiest coastal lifeboat station in Ireland in 2015, Howth RNLI had 60 launches and rescued 58 people.
angling@irishtimes.com
