Whether you live beside the sea, a river, lake or canal the Dublin Angling Initiative can teach you how to take up fishing or improve your existing skills. Children can learn how to set up a fishing rod, tie a fishing knot, put bait on a hook. Many of Ireland’s most experienced and well known anglers will be present on the day and will be giving freely of their time, knowledge and expertise. We can teach you how to catch your first fish! 

Following the success of last year’s event where hundreds of children and families visited the stand, this year there will be a touch pool provided by the Sealife Centre in Bray. Youngsters will be able to identify and handle marine fish species, which is expected to be great fun and a real learning experience. There will also be freshwater fish from Inland Fisheries Ireland.

A rod clinic will be available where youngsters can try casting and learn about the equipment needed to go fishing,  i.e., rods and reels. A sea angling guide will be launched for the east coast and a free copy will be available. Youngsters will be invited to take part in a free quiz and there will be prizes all weekend long.  Children who visit the stand can have a free fly casting lesson along with their parents from a professional fly casting instructor.

Fishing is a wonderful hobby and can be a great way for families to spend time together and learn about the environment. Children and parents with no previous experience of fishing can participate and learn everything there is to know about fishing from the experts.  The Dublin Angling Initiative crew are looking forward to meeting you at the stand on Saturday 11^th and Sunday 12^th February in the National show centre, Swords, Co. Dublin. Times: 10-6 (Sat) and 10-5 (Sun).

For further information contact:  www.irelandanglingexpo.ie

DAY 1. On day one Marty and I decided to spend a few hours relaxing and just troll. We had 3 days under our belt fishing in strong winds, and had only pike of 7-8lbs to show for our hard fishing. Still it was very enjoyable and we had some fun with jacks on light tackle. Marty had the best fish on a small Storm perch. On Monday it was big lures and just sit back and hold on. The Morning session, I boated 2 nice pike, the best pushing 12lbs, and Marty had one hit and lost the fish. As darkness fell we did manage another nice pike, but it was tough going.

DAY 2. On day 2 it was a different Kettle of Fish, and I was with top pike competition angler Barry Darby. We ventured out in ideal conditions, overcast, and a light breeze. It certainly felt fishy as we geared up for the day, and we had decided to troll lures. The Morning started off very slow, and we could not get hit even though we were trolling over huge shoals of fish. The day was drifting by very fast, and at around 3pm we got our first fish, a beautiful double which took a shine to a savage lure which Barry was trolling high up in 12-14ft of water. All hell broke loose after this fish was photographed and released and we had 4 more pike with-in 10 minutes, and then it all stopped. I had a belter on a Bass Harasser, and Barry boated a small pike on a Storm Lure. This fish had a fresh wound near it’s Tail, and it could have being another pike, but looked more like a Cormorant had a hold of it. As darkness fell the rain arrived, and I got a bonus pike on the way home on a small Red and White Bulldog.

GUIDING SERVICE. I provide a Guiding service across the Midlands, and will be Out & About in the coming week after pike & perch. Also on the 1^st of March our Trout season kicks in, and I will have some special Fish Flash reports from the opening few days. I can be contacted on 087-2797270, or just flick through www.midlandangling.com 

CATCH OF THE MONTH. It’s all go in 2012, and we also have a Catch of the Month prize, which is sponsored by Paul O’Callaghan of Anglers World in Navan. It’s simple to enter, simply send in a quality photo of your most recent prized catch. Plus a few details, and contact number. All entries are put in the keep net, and Paul picks a winner each month. The prize is a €75 Tackle voucher for Anglers World. Check out Catch of the Month on site, and sign up for our monthly newsletter.

ANGLERS CAUGHT ON CAMERA. Last Friday I was fishing a small local lake with angling pal Marty Smith from England. On the day we boated some nice pike, the best up on 7lbs which lashed at a small Storm Perch lure that Marty was fishing. Eventually the hunger got the better of us and we ventured into an Island for lunch. Here I met Alex Nickelson originally from Scotland, and his angling pal Ger who is originally a Dub. The lads now live in Rochfortbridge, and we have featured them in our Angling reports over the years. They were static dead baiting, and had a few runs, but the fish dropped the baits, before they could hook-up. Having had a good chat over lunch, I just could not resist taking a photo of the Irish man, English man, and Scots man. Priceless photo and I will print a few copies for the lads. Alex and Ger are planning a few pike days in February and March, and hopefully we will have a photo of the lads with some cracking doubles.

LENE A.G.M. Lough Lene Anglers hosted their Annual General Meeting last Friday night January 20^th. The venue was Collinstown Hall and we are told a good turn out of club members attended this years A.G.M. Unfortunately I missed the meeting due to work commitments. All membership must be in by March 17^th, with Adult €60, O.A.P. €40, and Juvenile anglers are €15. Membership is full at present, and there is a waiting list for new members. More information please check www.loughleneanglingassociation.com .

The Lake will reopen for Trout fishing on March 1^st, and day tickets can be purchased at Daybreak, and Costcutter shops in Collinstown. Day tickets are €15 per angler. There is excellent access for boats at the Cut.

DERRAVARAGH SOCIAL & DINNER NIGHT. This coming Friday night January 27th Derravaragh Anglers will hold their Social night in Weirs restaurant Multyfarnham. A large turn out of members are expected on the night, which starts at 7-30pm. Tickets are €30 per person, and payable on the night. More info on the Derravaragh night or membership for the 2012 season please contact Club Secretary Joe Keena on 087-1608138.

IRELAND ANGLING 2012. Yes the days are numbered, and soon many Midland Anglers will be heading for the National Show Centre, Swords Co Dublin. Here the Ireland Angling 2012 Exhibition will take place on Saturday and Sunday February 11^th and 12^th. I,ts a terrific weekend for Anglers and their families. It’s expected that the Fly Tyers Row will be packed with trout anglers gearing up for the start of the season, which will start on the Western lakes on February 15^th, and here in the Midlands on March 1^st. It’s a very family friendly weekend, and is a great opportunity to get the young anglers on board. There will be casting demonstrations, Lure demo Tank, and a huge range of Tackle and Trade Stands. Admission is €10 for adults, 16 +, family 2 Adults & 2 Children €25, Child, and O.A.P. €5, and under 5 is Free. More info on Ireland Angling 2012 in the coming weeks.

FROG LURES. Soon the Frogs will be on the move, and starting to get ready for spawning. Also the pike will be getting itchy and also feeding up prior to spawning. Last week I fished a few frog lure imitations, and they are the business for the coming weeks. They worked well in shallow water, and also drifting down the Inny to Lough Iron. In the coming weeks we will publish some photos of pike caught on these colourful lures.

THAT’S IT. Lets hope the wind settles for the coming week, and we have more comfort fishing on our bigger Lakes. I have great respect for the water, and if in doubt don’t go out, is my Motto. We have a huge number of small Lakes, and excellent Rivers, where you can fish in blustery conditions. Just remember to always wear your Lifejacket. Tight Lines till next week.

CONTACT. Mick 087-2797270, e- mail mick@midlandangling.com.

STOKES CRACKER. Another angler making waves in the pike Angling World is Paddy Stokes from Drimnagh, Co Dublin. Paddy produced a beautiful pike of 18lbs from Lough Ramour recently. The fish fell to popped roach dead bait, and as you can see from the photo, was in mint condition. It’s a while since I ventured out on Ramour, but a trip is on line quite soon.

CATCH OF THE MONTH. Every month we lash out a €75 Tackle Voucher for Anglers World, kindly sponsored by Paul O’Callaghan. It’s quite simple to enter, and all you have to do is sent in a quality photo of your prized and some details from your most recent angling adventure. Plus contact details, mobile number etc. Each month all the fishy picks that appear on Midland Angling go into the keep net and Paul picks a winner. 

MIDLAND MONSTER. Last weekend members of Mountjoy Pike Anglers were fishing some of our Midland lakes, and they produced some huge pike. It’s hard to believe it’s six year ago since we featured Liam O’Connell who was then age 9. That feature, Liam was photographed with a pike of 19lbs, while this time he has broken his personal best. The day of the Mountjoy Pike Anglers competition, Liam latched onto a beauty weighing 22lbs 12oz. Great pike Liam, and a super photo.

JACKS ON LINE. We had a couple of lovely days last week, all be it cold on the Lakes. I ventured out with younger brother J.J. and we boated eight pike all on Lures. Plus we lost as many; they were coming short and just snapping at the lures. The best pike was just about 8lbs, but they gave us some sport on the jerk bait rods. J.J. had a few Slomo Concept suspender lures, and they really took a shine to these colourful baits. Still our best fish fell to a Mini Bulldog, fished in 10-12 ft of water.

LENE A.G.M. I spent a day on Lene last week, but could not interest the Lene pike. Eventually I dropped out into deep water and started Perch fishing. The Perch were on for having a go, and I boated 5 nice colourful characters. It may be not every anglers Cup of Tea, but jigging for perch is great fun, and it’s very seldom you draw a blank. Lough Lene Angling Association have a busy season coming on line in 2012, and on Friday January 20^th they hold their Annual General Meeting. It’s an 8-30 start and Collinstown Hall is the venue. The Lake produced some super brown and rainbow trout last season, and in 2011 up on 1,500 2 year plus triploid rainbows were stocked into Lene. It will certainly be interesting to see how these fish over winter. The lake will not open for Trout fishing till March 1^st.

LENE MINNOW. News in from George Kelly of Milbro Sport, the original Lene Minnow is making a come back in time for the coming Trout season. These little gems caught many fish, and imitates a small fry. They come in various colours and sizes, and I hope to have a few in my Tackle Box for the start of the trout season. One of the most popular colours on the Midland Lakes was the Grey Lene Minnow, I also like the look of the Red Minnow. Watch out for these Minnows in your local Tackle Shop.

CATCH OF THE MONTH. Once again our Catch Of the Month is up and running for the coming season, and each month Paul O’Callaghan of Anglers World in Navan sponsors a €75 Tackle Voucher. It’s very simple to enter, and it’s not the biggest fish, or the greatest number of fish. All you have to do is send us in a quality photo of your most recent prized catch, and a few details and contact number. Your catch will be featured in my angling reports, and on Midland Angling web site. Each Month Paul picks a winner from our selection of fishy photos. I dropped into Anglers World last week, and it’s a reel anglers Aladdin’s Cave. Their are some fantastic January offers on line, and it’s worth checking.

THAT’S IT. Well that’s it for another week in the Angling World. The shooting season will close on January 31^st, so it will be hell for leather on the Angling scene. Looking at the forecast for the next few days, it’s going to be hard going trying to catch a few fish. Still we will push out the boat and see what happens. Tight Lines till next week.

CONTACT. Mick 087-2797270. E-mail mick@midlandangling.com

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This year (2011) the ISFC ratified almost 600 claims and four new Irish records were created. These figures compare favourably with
data for previous years.

In 2011 the ISFC received 674 claims; 587 were ratified, including four new records.
A total of 15 were rejected for non-compliance with the rules and a further 72 will be
queried further.

NEW RECORDs

• ROACH/RUDD HYBRID
  2.1 kg, River Lagan, Co. Antrim, 5th May 2009 – Terry Jackson
• BLACKMOUTHED DOGFISH
  1.33 kg, Red Bay, Co. Antrim, 10th August 2011 – Jan Vrieswijk (NL)
• SPUR DOGFISH
  10.6 kg, Red Bay, Co. Antrim, 25th July 2011 – Albert Koawenhourn (NL)
• THIN-LIPPED MULLET
  2.83 kg, Cork Harbour, Co. Cork, 14th September 2011 – Noel Lane

Following the great success of the inaugural World Catfish Classic I am delighted to be able to update you on the details of the 2012 World Catfish Classic.

The event will take place on 23rd -25th May on the River Ebro Spain and will see even greater numbers of the top catfish anglers from around the world assemble to battle it out for the Title of World Catfish Classic Champions 2012.

The river lived up to its reputation in the first event with a huge 203 lbs Catfish being caught by the French team and what a great fish it was. The event itself could not have been closer with the Dutch pair of Arnout Terlouw and Ron Beugelink just pipping the American Phil King and Tim Haynie by 600 gr in the last hour of the event to create a nail biting climax. The entire event had a tremendous atmosphere that was enjoyed by all and everybody who participated is looking forward to the forthcoming event.

There are going to be a few very slight changes for the next event and these are:

• The draw at the opening ceremony will decide the competitors peg for the first day and the zone order for the event. There will be a draw on each night for the two following nights to see what the peg numbers competitors will fish the following day. The zones will be decided on the first draw and follow on from that so for example if peg B5 was draw at the opening ceremony then on day 2 the competitors would fish in zone C and day 3 zone A.
• Change in possible angling combination: Pair (2 anglers) or Trio (3 anglers) but only 4 rods can be used.
• A clearly identified Team Runner will also be allowed in Pair’s combination.
• 50 kg of bait can be used per day and this can be either squid, halibut pellets or boilies.
• If a fish is snagged competitors can call the marshal and it may then be allowed for one of the anglers to go out in a boat to free the fish from the snag. The rod must stay on the bank at all times.

The freed fish will count in the event.

The rest of the rules remains the same.

I am pleased to confirm that Berkley are the event title sponsor for the second year and would like to welcome new sponsors Black Cat, Rod-Box and Carplove who will join PVTV as Zone Sponsors, Reuben Heaton as the official scales sponsor and a large selection of support sponsors.

There will be a tremendous £50,000 prize table for competitors to compete for and we are very grateful to our sponsors for their support in making this possible.

As part of our ongoing commitment to the environment, Friends of the Ebro will continue to campaign for clean riverbanks on the Ebro. I look forward to reporting on the situation following last year’s massive clear up. Big thanks again to all those who helped last year. That was the start….. There is still plenty more to do so let’s continue what has been started and make a difference responsibly.

10 places for Hungary and 10 places for Romania have already been snapped up highlighting the interest that there is in the 2012 event. If you would like to secure your place in the event register now by clicking here or going to the on line registration at www.worldcatfishclassic.com.

Its going to be a brilliant event don’t miss it

Best wishes

Ross Honey

I.A.D.A. The Irish Angling Development Alliance hosted their 2^nd A.G.M. last Saturday January 7^th in the splendid Mullingar Park Hotel. Delegates from many of there clubs attended, and it was certainly a very interesting meeting. IADA are only in existence a few years but are rattling many nets and really providing serious back up for clubs and individual anglers. The Irish Angling Development Alliance provides cover for all anglers, and angling relative bodies.

They had massive support in 2011 explained Chairman Richard Caplice, and are geared up for 2012 pushing out the boat once again at Ireland Angling Show in February of this year. Their stand was visited by many club members last year, and they expect to Reel in more clubs at this years show. Membership & Public relations Officer Enda Hickey addressed the meeting, and stated that they are steadily growing and I.A.D.A have over 30 clubs affiliated at present but expects to rise and maybe double this coming season. On going development work is taking place on their website, www.irishangling.ie and in 2011 they went live on Face Book, and is clearly working with up on 17,000 hits per month.

Their Fishery Protection and Biosecurity section was well covered at the A.G.M., as was the Junior Development section. Plus their club members will be very busy on the competition scene & fundraising events in 2012. Dr Joe Caffrey attended the meeting, and he is a great supporter of the work being carried out by the Irish Angling Development Alliance.

The Irish Angling Development Alliance is back in Mullingar on March 24^th once again in the Mullingar Park Hotel. And on the day they will hold a conference for delegates from affiliated clubs. Here motions for discussion will be put forward to the Officers I.A.D.A. If you are interested in finding out more on I.A.D.A check their web site www.irishangling.ie, or visit their stand at this years Ireland Angling Exhibition that will take place on Saturday and Sunday February 11^th&12^th.

DERRAVARAGH ANGLERS TO CHILL OUT. Yes as we drift into a new angling season Derravaragh Anglers are going to hold their Annual Dinner and Social Night. The venue is award winning restaurant Weirs of Multyfarnham, and it will be a cracking night. Tickets are available at €30 per person, and if you are interested contact Joe Keena at 086-8722449.

In the coming weeks we will have a date for the Derravaragh Anglers A.G.M. and we will keep you posted on this. New members are always more than welcome, and the club host quite a few Trout and Pike competitions, plus the popular Family day out.

PIKE COMPETITION. Fancy a day out at the pike, well here is your chance. Our neighbouring anglers North Longford Anglers are holding an open boat pike competition on Sunday January 15^th. The venue is Annagh Lake, and entry fee is €20 per boat. Michael Whitney is the Competition Officer for North Longford Anglers and please contact him for more information. If the weather were very unsettled prior to the date I would advise Anglers to also check, as some competitions will be cancelled due to bad weather.

COARSE FISH ON THE BEER. Well I have seen a lot of stuff drifting along the Royal Canal and its Supply, and last weekend the fish were in high spirits. I photographed a Keg of Beer, which cleary had being tampered with and the contents drifting along the Supply. If any of our readers ever capture some strange item flowing in our waterways please send it in to me.

THAT’S IT. Soon we will be thinking of heading West for the opening of the Trout season on February 15^th. This is a great day out weather permitting, and a chance to wet a line before our own Trout season starts on March 1^st. Last year on opening day I ventured to Lough Conn and fished with pals John Geary and Kieran Connolly, John caught a beauty in very cold conditions on the fly. Hugh O’Donnell of Clonbur House has sent me some details of special offers for Midland Anglers in his self catering apartments just minutes from Mask and Corrib. I stayed their last year and they are top class, more on this next week. Tight Lines.

CONTACTS. Mick 087-2797270 e-mail mick@midlandangling.com

Martin caught the fish from the Middle Blackwater on a green & black cone head fly. This was not however the first salmon caught in the country since a 9lb salmon was caught and released on the River Liffey the same morning around 9am.