FISHING COMPETITION:Ballinrobe this week was swamped by anglers competing for the trout fly-fishing world title, writes Derek Evans
SÉAMUS KELLY of Cloghans, Ballina, Co Mayo, became the new World Cup Trout Fly champion yesterday. His victory marked the end of five days of competitive angling in the 51st championship at Lough Mask, Ballinrobe, Co Mayo. "I caught my two fish close to the Inishowen Rocks on a Green Deer Sedge," he said.
Inclement weather over the past five days did little to distract the 674 competitors in the fly-fishing competition.
The banner across the main street in Ballinrobe welcomed anglers to what is thought to be the world's largest wild brown trout competition. Latecomers found it difficult to secure accommodation, as every bed in the town was booked up weeks in advance.
The competition took place on Cushlough Bay on the shores of Lough Mask. This beautiful 20,000-acre lake is one of the finest brown trout fisheries in the world. The bay has developed into a first-class access point mainly due to development work carried out by Ballinrobe & District Anglers' Association and now has an anglers' shelter, car park, toilets and slipway for up to 100 boats.
Tom Ketterick from Ballina, aged 95, has participated almost every year since the competition began in 1953 and this year took part in Thursday's qualifying heat.
Phil Brooks from Luton has competed since 1978 and 12 years ago bought a cottage in Ballinrobe. "I come to Ireland at least seven times a year and always take in the world cup. In 1994, the year president Mary Robinson opened the championships, I was boatman for the winner, Derry Ryan," he says.
Retired civil servant Jim Buchanan from Ayrshire in Scotland was competing for his 10th year. He has qualified for the finals on five occasions. Along with wife Mary and two friends, Joe and Jean, the group stay in the town for a week. He said: "By coincidence my boatman today was John Nestor, the same boatman I had 10 years ago."
Two-time champions Robbie O'Grady (Ballinrobe) and Brendan Moran (Kells) both qualified for the finals again this year, and the two were drawn together in the same boat. "We never saw the colour of a fish all day," O'Grady says.
Kevin Rowe from Cahir, Co Tipperary, earned himself an Anglers' Fancy boat from Burke Boats for the heaviest trout of the competition, a magnificent 4.68lb fish.
The World Cup Trout Fly Angling Competition on Lough Mask in Co Mayo started in 1953 under the auspices of Castlebar & District Trout Anglers' Association. The idea arose following the establishment by the government of the Inland Fisheries Trust in 1952 towards development of brown trout angling in Ireland. The first competition attracted 80 anglers and included representation from abroad.
The competition has progressed from a two-day event to five days, and moved from Easter to the August bank holiday weekend, considered a more productive fishing period.
In 2004, Julie Gerry from Kildare became the first woman to lift the title with three good fish against a field of 500 anglers.
Last year's championship represented 50 years of the event. The cup was suspended during the "rod war" and foot-and-mouth disease periods. In the jubilee year, the attendance jumped to 804 and included 50 overseas anglers and 14 juniors.
The competition has four qualifying days and the top 25 per cent of anglers from each day go into the finals. Fishing is confined to fly fishing and competitors may use no fewer than two flies and no more than four at any time.
A suite of new by-laws signed into force last Monday included a catch limit of four fish per day per angler. "The new laws did not cause a problem as no angler actually reached the bag limit," competition secretary Esther Sweeney said.