Sunday 19^th September O’ Malley Cup Lough Ennell – Fly fishing trout. 11am-7pm.

Sunday 26^th September Christy Sleator Perpetual Cup Lough Ennell – Fly Fishing trout. 11am-7pm.

Sunday 26^th September Chairmans Pairs Competition Lough Lene – Fly fishing  trout.11am-6pm.

Inspector Paddy Greene from the Dundalk District of Inland Fisheries Ireland has retired having worked with the Fisheries Service for 40 years. A large crowd of colleagues, friends and stakeholders gathered to wish Paddy well on his retirement on Friday 27th August in Buswell’s Hotel in Dublin.

Paddy’s career began with the Salmon Research Agency, ESB and Department of Marine in 1970. He then moved into the role of Hatchery Manager in Virginia 1972 where he worked for a number of years. An opportunity to move as Assistant Inspector to the Dundalk District of the Eastern Regional Fisheries Board arose in 1987 and in 1993 he was promoted to Inspector of the District.

At the time poaching was rife with huge problems with illegal salmon fishing throughout the District. Paddy took a very strong stance on the poaching problem in Dundalk which resulted in many court cases and convictions secured. This has continued right up to the present day with the focus as much on coarse fish as salmon. In recent years many cases have been taken and won for illegal coarse fishing and some have resulted in jail sentences for the Monaghan area.

During the celtic tiger years, Paddy sourced funds from both national and EU sources and completed a number of projects which were a tremendous success. Some examples of these include the angling centre at Toberona, improvement of salmonid habitat on the River Fane, disabled angling access facilities in the Monaghan area, access to Monaghan fisheries, refurbishment of Creevy base and installation of a fish counter on the River Fane. These projects were a tremendous success thanks to his fantastic ability to lead and manage projects with tremendous skill. They involved a variety of stakeholders with whom he had built up great relationships during his time with the Fisheries Service such as Fisheries Conservancy Board in Northern Ireland, Loughs Agency, Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure in Northern Ireland, Waterways Ireland, Louth and Monaghan County Councils, Monaghan Tourism, OPW, Gardai, angling clubs and organisations to name but a few.

Speaking at his retirement, Mr. William Walsh, Director with the Eastern River Basin District of IFI stated ‘I would like to congratulate Paddy on his retirement and thank him for the great service he has given fisheries over the last 40 years. His commitment, enthusiasm and dedication with which he carried out his duties have been outstanding. I wish him and his wife Maura a happy and healthy retirement’.

Lough Ennell Perpetual Cup.

It was tough on Ennell last Sunday for the Lough Ennell Perpetual Cup. This fly-fishing competition was well supported but the Ennell trout never turned up on the day. It was certainly a tough day with squally winds and very bright conditions. Lough Owel Anglers will be in action next weekend as they fish their last club fly-fishing competition. On the day the Clonhugh Cup will be fished, and also up for grabs is the Tommy McCormack Cup for best club anglers over the 2010 competitions. Lene Anglers are also in action in September, and the Lake will close on September 30^th for trout fishing. Last week some nice rainbow trout were caught on the fly and trawl. September is a good month on the Lake so give it a Lash. Well-known Mullingar Publican Derek Nagle is moving shop and heading to Athlone. Derek was in the Porter House the past few years, and it was a popular spot with Anglers. As you can see we caught a few anglers chilling out with Derek last weekend.

HARD ON ENNELL. Last Sunday we fished the Lough Ennell Perpetual Cup in tough conditions. Very bright conditions and squally winds made it hard to entice the Ennell trout. Mind you I had my chances as on my first two drifts I rose three fish and failed to make contact. This was just before the sun burst through the clouds. The competition was well supported with anglers from all across Leinster competing. On the day just two anglers managed to land trout and Seamus Eighan was top rod, with John Grimes taking 2^nd spot. The presentation took place in Whitebridge Bay at 7pm, and Con Hope one of the great Ennell angling legends was on hand to present the Cup which he kindly sponsored some years back. Con was joined by his daugher Lorraine, and his Grand-daughter Eadaoin Quinn. John Tyrrell competition captain of L.E.T.P.A. thanked Con for his sponsorship, and also all the anglers who supported the competition on the day. It’s a busy month for the club and on September 19^th the O’Malley Cup will be fished, with the Christy Sleator Perpetual Cup on September 26^th. More on these trout competitions in the coming weeks.

CLONHUGH CUP. The Clonhugh Cup will be fished on Sunday next, September 5^th. This is the last club competition of 2010 and fishing is from 11am-7pm. The Lake will remain open till October 12^th for trout fishing, and on that day the Annual end of season competition will take place. All proceeds from this event goes towards the stocking program on Owel. Also on Sunday next the Tommy McCormack Cup will be presented. This prize is for the best gross weight of fish from the 2010 competitions, by a club member.

LENE PRODUCING . I fished Lough Lene last Saturday with my Uncle Pat Keenaghan and Marty Smith. Pat took a break from the Golf, and Marty dropped over, as it was a Bank Holiday weekend in England. We had a cracking days fly fishing landing 6 good rainbow trout and a few beautiful small brownies, which were returned. Soon we will be gearing up for the Annual Chairman’s competition, which is the last trout competition on Lene this season. The date is Sunday September 26^th and it’s a Pairs competition. I will be talking to club Chairman Tom Fagan in the coming weeks prior to this event and have more details. All proceeds from this competition will be donated to the Irish Wheelchair Association.

BREAM FROM GOWNA. Martin Quinn produced some fantastic bream on a recent trip to Lough Gowna. Martin is a regular on the competition scene with Mullingar Coarse Anglers, and is one of the Midlands top match anglers. Gowna is a Mecca for coarse anglers and in the coming weeks we will be back on the pike scene with North Longford Anglers.

SHANNON OAKS CLUB DEALS. Speaking of coarse angling I was chatting to Pat McGarvey sales and marketing manager with the Shannon Oaks Hotel in Portumna. At the moment some fantastic deals are available for anglers wishing to fish Lough Derg or the Shannon River near Portumna. They have two Bed suites that sleep up to 4 sharing or for larger groups Five Bed Lodges that will cater for 6-10. If you fancy checking this out give Pat a buzz on 090-9741777 or pmcgarvey@shannonoakes.ie  

DEREK DRIFTING TO ATHLONE. Last weekend I was Out & About in the Porter House. Over the last few years Derek Nagel has run this pub to the highest standards, and it was a regular watering hole for anglers. We wish Derek and his family all the best, and you can be sure we will drop down in the coming weeks. As you can see we managed to catch Derek on camera with some of our top angling personalities from Mullingar.

THATS IT. We are gone fishing for another few days. The competition scene in September is chocker blocked with trout events as the season closes in. Also early October Owel and Ennell Anglers will be in action as they fish end of season trout competition. Soon we will have dates for winter pike competitions.

Saturday 28th August 2010

10.00 hrs FISSTA Schools Competition Final
11.00 hrs Long netting Display by Steven Mc Gonigal
11.30 hrs The Horse Whisperer & Cochise Horses
12.00 hrs Pikes & Guns BOT/WOT
12.30 hrs Terrier and Lurcher Racing by the Mid Antrim Terrier and Lurcher Club
13.00 hrs Keith Mathews The Dog Whisperer
13.40 hrs Fly Casting Display by Glenda Powell
14.00 hrs Heavy Horse Forestry Display by the Trojan Horses and Paddy Murray
14.30 hrs Falconry Display by Prince Bishop Falconry
15.10 hrs Franklin Levinson Horse Whisperer & Cochise Horses
15.30 hrs Keith Mathews the Dog Whisperer
16.10 hrs Horse & Hound Display by the Ormond Foxhounds
16.40 hrs Terrier & Lurcher Display by the Mid Antrim Terrier and Lurcher Club
17.10 hrs Long Netting Display by Steven McGonigal

Sunday 29th August 2010

10.00 hrs Casting Display by Glenda Powell
11.00 hrs Franklin Levinson Horse Whisperer and Cochise Horses
11.30 hrs Free Flying Falconry Display by Prince Bishop Falconry
12.00 hrs Pikes & Guns from BOT/WOT
12.30 hrs Terrier and Lurcher Racing by the Mid Antrim Terrier and Lurcher Club
13.00 hrs Long Netting Display by Steven Mc Gonigal
13.30 hrs Casting Display by Glenda Powell
13.50 hrs Horse and Hound Display by the Grallagh Harriers
14.20 hrs Horse Whisperer – Cochise Horses
15.00 hrs Heavy Horse Forestry Display by the Trojan Horses and Paddy Murray
15.30 hrs Carriage Driving Display by the Birr Equestrian Centre
16.00 hrs Keith Mathews – the Dog Whisperer
16.40 hrs Final of the Redmills Five Nations working Terrier Championships
15.10 hrs Free Flying Falconry Display by Prince Bishop Falconry

Continuous Events:

Medieval & Living History Encampment & Village: This year’s fair will provide an exciting and interactive living history village featuring two periods in rural life i.e. the medieval period with knights in armour, an armoury, a cook site, fabric crafts, bone carving, armour making (chain mail), barber surgeon, leather worker and silver smith organised by the Fingal Living History Society while the English group the Best of Times, Worst of Times will put on a complete Elizabethan Household with crafts and household activities of that period plus a pike and musketry display in the main arena. For those who wish to try their hand at archery this is featured in the walled garden.

Country Sports: All the major country sports bodies including the NARGC and FISSTA will be there to give advice and information.

Gundog Competitions (Saturday): Massbrook Kennels International Spaniel

Test (Saturday) and Massbrook Pet Foods National Novice and Open Spaniel

Tests organized by the ESS Club of Ireland. Av Novice Retriever & Minor Breeds

Working Tests organized by the Irish Water Spaniel Club.

Gundog Competitions (Sunday): Massbrook Kennels International Retriever Test and Massbrook Kennels AV Retriever Open Test organized by the Broadmeadows Gundog Club. Also the All Ireland Game Fair Retriever Handling Championships.

Terriers & Lurchers – Irish Countrysports and Country Life/ Premier Event Catering ROI Terrier and Lurcher Championships (Sunday); Racing Saturday main arena displays both days. Also the New Redmilla /ICS&CL Five Nations International Working Terrier Championships qualifier and final on Sunday.

Ferret Display: display by Ireland’s “Mr Ferreter” Tony Carinduff.

Static & Free Flying Falconry Displays: by the Prince Bishop Medieval Falconry team and the Irish Hawking Club.

Clay Pigeon Shooting (sponsored by Ardee Sports and Tom Kirwan) and organized by Derrinsallow Shoot – ROI Game Fair Championships; Sporting Shooting both days plus IFA Countryside DTL Game Fair Championships. THREE Guns to be won including a Beretta DT10 in the All Ireland Game Fair Clay Shooting Final.

Heavy Horse Logging Display by Paddy Murray & the Trojan Horses.

All Ireland Stickmaking Championships organised by the Celtic Stickmakers Club.

Have a Go Archery & Air Rifle Shooting Both days.

Angling: Game Fair Casting Competitions organized by Glenda Powell & APGAI and sponsored by White O’ Morn Tackle.

Childrens Entertainment Area: Quads, Bouncey Castles, Climbing Walls etc

PLUS Birr Castle Gardens, Courtyard café and Science Museum are all open free of charge.

PLEASE NOTE THE CASTLE IS NOT OPEN TO THE PUBLIC

Click here for downloadable guide including  map of arena area and attractions, list of organisers and sponsors.

HOME FROM HOME AT THE HELM

Traveling across Ireland checking out Angling Centers, and angling destinations we always find a few great venues and meet some wonderful people. Recently I was back in one of my favourite parts of Ireland, Westport, Co. Mayo. It was a family trip and as many of you fellow anglers know we simply can’t resist checking out Angling shops, and the local pubs where local anglers meet after a hectic day on the sea, lakes or rivers. Sometimes the locals take some time to get chatting about their chosen sport, but if you ask about the fishy pics on the walls, the net just bursts open. O yep that was Johnny with a great pollack out from such a point, and that’s his cousin Jimmy with a huge tope. Then the mighty question, do you fish yourself. That’s it hooked line and sinker and by the end of the night you are part of the family and a fishing trip is planned so you can join the lads on the local wall of fame. Anyway back to Westport. My port of call was the Helm, which I have stayed before, and some years back we had a cracking weekend for my younger brother’s Stag party. We ventured out to Sea that weekend with Austin Gill on the famous White Seahorse Custom Built Angling Boat, which is owned by Vinny Keogh of the Helm. It’s one of Irelands prime sea angling areas and in recent times has being boosted with a fantastic Angling Centre, just casting distance from the Helm. Later in the year the Annual Helm Skate Festival will take place and this attracts anglers from all over Europe. We will have a feature on this well in advance, but if you are interested please contact Vinny straight away on details below this feature.

THE HELM. The Helm is home from home for us family type, and with a crew of five including the Queen it’s a might place for family deals. The Holiday apartments have it all, you might as well be at home. They also have a fantastic B&B rate and in the Olde World Bar and Restaurant you can sit back and dine and wine on the best. Vinny and son Shane run a splendid ship and have a fantastic staff who are very helpful and really know how to make you feel at home. Also you can take advantage of the adjacent Leisure Centre, which is a great spot for the kids. Hill walking packages are also quite popular but, sadly I did not make it up Croagh Patrick, I settled for taking a photo of this famous Pilgrims Path.

THE WHITE SEAHORSE. This is one of the top charter boats out from The Quay at Westport and is owned by the Helm. It caters for 10 anglers so it is ideal for Angling Clubs who fancy a few days at Sea. Austin Gill is one of the top Charter Skippers in the area, and I met Austin down on the Quay last week. He was preparing the White Seahorse for a trip the following day. Also very popular in the evening for sight seeing trip, and all safety equipment is on board.

A SHORE THING. In recent times a fantastic Angling centre has opening just casting distance from the Helm. Here Top Shore Sea Angler Doug Priddy will sort out all your problems on the Sea front. Doug has a splendid shop and it’s packed with Sea, Game, and Coarse Angling gear. Doug is very helpful and will certainly put you where the fish are. Check it out www.ashorething.ie

HELM CONTACTS. Vinny or Shane can be contacted on 098-26398, e- mail thehelm@eircom.net, and if you fancy checking out their site www.thehelm.ie. Don’t forget the Helm Skate Festival, contact Vinny now and don’t miss the boat.

Its full steam ahead as we set our sights on September, yes it’s only a few days as we drift into the last month of the trout fishing on some of our local lakes. Anglers on Lene and Ennell produced some fine trout and on the coarse angling scene Deckie Byrne was on song last Sunday during a match competition. I met a few lads from up North on Lene and they were having a ball of a time on this cracking fishery. Unfortunately its one of our first lakes to close and trout fishing will finish on September 30^th. Hard to believe we are thinking of end of season competitions. This week we will also take a look back at the recent Flextec Team Championships fished on lene on Saturday August 14^th. The Rathmolyon Pike and Sea Angling club members are heading out to sea this weekend, and Ennell anglers will fish the Lough Ennell Perpetual Cup on Sunday next August 29^th. It’s certainly all happening in the Angling World.

ENNELL PERPETUAL CUP. On Sunday next L.E.T.P.A. will host the Lough Ennell Perpetual Cup trout fly fishing competition. This is one of the clubs top trout competitions, and long time Ennell Angler Con Hope presented the Cup to L.E.T.P.A. Over the years some super trout were produced during this event and hopefully next Sunday it will take a cracker to win. A lot depends on the weather conditions and if fish are on the move. In recent weeks some good trout have being caught late into the evening on the fly, and daytime anglers are picking up some trout on the trawl. Local angler Tosh Grimes of Ginnell Terrace is having a fantastic season on Ennell, and produced 5 good fish last Sunday on the trawl. Earlier in the week Tony English and John Dooner boated 4 fish on the fly on an evening session. The competition will start and finish at Whitebridge Bay. It’s an 11am start and new members are welcome to join L.E.T.P.A. on the morning of the competition. Check out our photo of fly life on Ennell last Sunday night.

LENE ANGLERS. Lough Lene Anglers are having some fantastic sport catching rainbow trout in recent days. The lake will close for trout fishing come September 30^th, so get down and give it a last before its over. I fished the lake on Saturday along with Mick McCormack and we boated quite a few trout on the fly. Also out that day were some anglers from Up North and they were really enjoying their fishing in the Midlands. Quite a few boats will be out in the coming weeks as the season comes to a close. The last competition is the Chairman’s Pairs event, and it will be fished on Sunday September 26^th. Naturally we will keep you posted on this.

FLEXTEC COMPETITION. On Saturday August 14^th anglers from all over Ireland descended on Lene and competed in the 4-person team competition. On the day local club Brosna Anglers won with 2,975 points, 2^nd Galway/Corrib team A 2,350 points, and 3^rd Mallow Game Anglers team with 2,100 points. Top individual was Brosna Angler Denis Goulding with 2,300 points, and longest fish was caught by Peter Roche of Conn/Cullin anglers and it measured 56cms. All fish were measured and released and a points system was in place.

MULLINGAR COARSE ANGLERS. On Sunday last August 22^nd Mullingar Coarse Anglers hosted a match competition. Mullingar angler Deckie Byrne won the match with some nice fish including this cracking photo of a roach. Ned O’ Reilly finished 2^nd with John Keegan from Killucan finishing 3^rd. Our thanks to Ned for the photo of Deckie and one of his prize winning fish.

RATHMOLYON PIKE AND SEA ANGLING CLUB. These merry bunch of anglers are really hooked on angling, and next weekend head for Westport. The club members are fishing the two-day sea fishing, Ned and Jim McManus Annual Memorial competition. Once again based at the splendid Helm Hotel in Westport. The Helm is the centre of Sea angling in Westport and the White Seahorse custom built boat is the business out on the high sea. Just down from the Helm you will find the A Shore Thing Angling Centre where Doug Priddy will give you top tips on catching your chosen species. Some of our top sea anglers from Mullingar will be heading down, and we wish them and the Rathmolyon Anglers all the best for the weekend. More pics and contacts for Whitesea Horse on special feature page.

COSTA BLANCA ANGLER. Yes we certinally meet all sorts in the Angling World and on Monday of this week I met Steve Bates who for the past 10 years has being living in Costa Blanca in Spain. Steve is a friend of my shooting pal Seamus Hennessey and is over for a few weeks with his good lady on holidays. Originally from Cambridge in England he has not fished for freshwater fish for some time, that we sorted out last Monday. We dropped into Collinstown Village and picked up a day ticket for Steve which is mighty value at €15. The lake is club controlled and is teeming with top quality trout, perch, and some cracking pike. On the day we trawled in very blustery conditions and the heavy showers that crossed Lene were unbelievable. In the distance we could see the rain building up and from time to time I said to Steve Hood up, it will only last a few minutes. It was incredible. After the down pours, the sun would burst through and we would be baked in the wet suits. On the day we boated six trout, 3 pike and one perch, plus we hooked and lost quite a few more fish. Steve is not returning to Costa Blanca till September 1^st, so hopefully we will have another day quite soon on one of our Midland top waterways. I might have a go at getting him a good double figure pike next week. Watch this space.

This weeks special feature is on the Patti Doolin Memorial Shield. The late Patti was well known in the Angling World here in the Midlands and Jack and Michael Doolin still have a fantastic boat hire service on Owel, where the competition was fished. It was a very tough day for fly-fishing with brilliant sunshine and flat calm conditions. Anglers from all across Leinster dropped down to compete on the day. One of the main sponsors Marty Smith also was in town, but unfortunally his angling pal joint sponsor David Hinkles could not make the trip. Marty is from Macklesfield near Manchester, and really loves the Midland lakes. The competition was fished from 11am-7pm with presentation and weigh-in at Mullallys.

Prior to the competition I had trawled the lake for a day with Marty and seen quite a few trout pitching, and also feeding hard on very small stickleback minnow (See Pic). The trout were having a ball trashing these small minnow, and if you covered a feeding fish you had a good chance of hooking up with it. As the boats drifted out Sunday Morning anglers were busy rubbing sun block in and covering the old bald spots on the head. Many boats started fishing out from Portloman, with more heading to Brabsons Point, and also quite a few belted down to the Rookery. It was here Lough Owel Chairman Brendan Murray and Andy Boyle landed 6 trout, and also releases quite a few more. As the day progressed we had some cloud cover from time to time, not a lot but when it came a slight breeze made the fishing a bit easier. I did manage a small fish and actually featured in the prizes. The trout latched onto a Claret Dabbler on the point. Marty also had a few chances on Dry Peters, but unfortunally did not land a fish. As we dined at Portlomas news of a good fish landed by Dublin angler Martin McGorian reached us. Also Local angler Barry Lennihan and Gerry Cleary had fish in the morning session, as did Carol O’ Toole of Southside Angling Centre in Dublin. The fry up on Portloman Shore was priceless, and I took quite a few photos of Diners tucking into some cracking steak.

Soon we were back out on the water, and it got no easier as we tried our best to fish in calm conditions. We packed in just before 7pm and headed for Mullallys Shore for the weigh-in. Many anglers had already stopped fishing, and we had a good gallery of anglers waiting for the fish to be weighed. Sure enough a nice few fish were presented and a total of 9 prizes were up for grabs. Martin McGorian topped the day with a fine trout of 1.32kg, 2^nd Barry Lennihan .965kg, 3^rd Carol O’ Toole .840kg, 4th Brendan Murray .625kg, 5th Larry O’ Sullivan .585, 6thAndy Boyle .565

Yes we were cooking on Owel last weekend in brilliant sunshine. Not the best for fly fishing, still some nice fish were caught as we competed in the popular Patti Doolin Memorial Shield. It was a savage hot day on the lake, and I was joined by good pal Marty Smith for this competition. It was that warm we had to drop down to Wallace’s in Mount Street that evening and get some refreshments, as we were actually dehydrated. Earlier in the week we spent a few days on Lene and boated some fine trout and perch, mind you it was my younger brother J.J. who really done the business on the Perch front. J.J. fishing with Paul Moran on Owel landed a perch of 2lbs, yes we have the photo. Also this week a cracking photo of Kenny Kiernan, from Greenpark Meadows with a super trout from Owel on the Peters. The fish was up on 5lbs. Speaking of photos Hells Kitchen is not a patch on our local chefs from the Angling World. We will try our best to include a few pics of local anglers cooking on the wild side. On the pike scene Brendan Murray produced a huge double to win the recent family day on Ennell. The club will have some trout action at the end of August.

RAINBOW DELIGHTS FROM LENE. We trashed a few flies out on Lene last week with some success. The bigger rainbows are proving hard to catch on the fly, but plenty of brown trout are keeping anglers interested. Last week I spent two days on Lene with Marty Smith and we boated a few lovely fish. As we fished over the shallows at Winters Point Marty latched onto a cracking rainbow well over 2lbs. The fish was in mint condition, and really gave Marty a bit of sport on the fly. Just as we drifted onto the Point I pushed the boat in on the reeds and a good Perch took on the surface. Not the norm for daytime fishing, still you never know in the Angling World.

THAT’S A PERCH. Speaking of perch last Saturday my younger brother J.J. boated a real beauty from Owel. Fishing with pal Paul Moran J.J. took into a Perch all of 2lbs. This is a super perch and its well worth a trip on Owel if you fancy a bit of perch fishing. The lads were trawling with small lures for trout when the colourful character took the bait.

KENNY CRACKS OWEL. Staying on Owel, Mullingar angler Kenny Kiernan of Greenpark Meadows produced the trout of the season last week while Peter fishing on Owel. Late into the night Kenny hooked up with a super brown trout on the 5lbs mark. Kenny is planning a few more nights on the lake and all going well will latch onto a few more Owel beauties.

PATTI DOOLIN MEMORIAL SHIELD. What a day, brilliant sunshine and flat calm conditions. Yes on Sunday last it was tough on Owel for the Patti Doolin Memorial Shield. This is one of the most popular L.O.T.P.A. fly-fishing competitions and main sponsor Marty Smith was over from England. Unfortunally his angling pal and joint sponsor David Hinkles could not make the trip this year. It was a long day with fishing from 11am-7pm, and right from the start the sun block came out. The heat on the lake was unbelievable, and we had no shelter as we lashed flies out in calm conditions. From time to time a slight breeze crossed the lake and during this some nice fish took the fly. Early in the morning Martin McGorian from Dublin latched onto a fish of 1.32kg and this was good enough to take top rod. I managed one small trout and actually featured in the prizes. The highlight of the day was the cooking, as we dined at Portloman. Anglers put on a display of cooking right out of Hells Kitchen. Greaf stuff, your wives and partners would be proud of you. Yep we are going to publish a few of these pics. Full results and photos from the Patti Doolin Memorial Shield in our special feature.

ENNELL FAMILY DAY. I was down West last week and missed the Lough Ennell Anglers family day out. Mullingar angler Brendan Murray rattled the scales on the day with a pike of 20lbs to take top rod. Retired Postman Mickie Tyrrell finished 2^nd in the senior section. Keeping it in the family young Niall Tyrrell topped the junior section with a fine pike of 11lbs, and J. Mahedy won the prize for the best perch on the day.

MULLINGAR COARSE ANGLERS. Dessie Gorman and son Evan teamed up with one of Mullingars top coarse anglers Ned O’ Reilly. The deadly trio landed some fine tench from the Royal Canal, plus some nice roach. Young Evan certainly has the “fishing bug” and landed a beautiful tench weighing 3lbs. The Mullingar Coarse Angling Club are hosting a match competition on Lough Sheever this coming weekend, and a good turn out of anglers are expected on the day. Last weekend Declan Byrne topped the match competition, with Steve Cotter taking 2^nd place and Lukas Goraus 3^rd.

CREDIT FOR PARKING. Top marks to the angler who parked his car last Sunday morning at Tullaghan on Owel. Yes no less than 5 parking spaces were taken up with his car and boat trailer. Top marks for this one.

It has being another eventful week here in the Angling World. The Peter competition earlier in the week produced some good trout, even if the weather was not the best. The Dan Mullally Trophy on Owel, went to Balbriggan, and the Michael Healy Cup is gone to Navan. Also this week news from the Whitelake Anglers, plus results from World Cup Championships on Mask. Celebrity Chef Neven Maguire was in town, and was cooking Pike out in Multyfarnham. Next Sunday Trout anglers are gearing up for the Patti Doolin Shield on Owel. This is one of the biggest club competitions on Owel, and a large turn out is expected on the day. Mullingar Coarse Anglers may like to know about some NCFFI qualifiers coming on line, and we list one event. It’s very hard to fit all the up to date news in our Column, and a week drifts past very fast. This is the main reason we started our Web site, and its updated on a daily basis when possible. We start this week with our local Peter competitions on Owel and Lene, so lets cast off.

OWEL. On Wednesday night August 4^th anglers from all across Leinster descended on Owel for the Lough Owel Trout Preservation Association Dan Mullally Trophy. This evening competition fished from 7pm-11pm and proved very successful with some fine fish coming on line. Conditions could have being a lot better, as the night was cold and very breezy. Some anglers got it right on the night, and it was really a case of being in the right part of the lake at the right time. I fished out from Murray’s Point and had just one small keeper, still better than a blank. Unfortunately very little fly life appeared up this end of the lake, so there was no chance on covering fish on the move.

Many boats drifted into the Portloman side of the lake, and out from Joe Dolan’s some good fish were boated. Just as darkness fell we got a drizzle of rain, and it was at this time of the night Stuart Marry of Balbriggan landed his winning catch. It was a cracking Owel trout of 1.595kg, and we got a beautiful photo of Stuart and his winning trout. Shay Cash of Newbridge Kildare finished 2^nd with 1.050kg, and Seamus Egan of Tyrrellpass kept the Westmeath Flag fling finishing 3^rd on the night with another good trout of 0.790kg.

Competition Stewarts Brendan Murray, Stan McKeown and Ross McKeown done a fine job on the night. L.O.T.P.A. chairman Brendan Murray thanked all who fished and competition captain Ross McKeown presented the prizes. Brendan mentioned the ongoing problem of boats being damaged on Owel and asked anglers to watch out for any unusual activities on the lake. Especially near Tullaghan and Mullallys shore line, where many oars have being broken.

LENE. Lene Anglers were also in action last week and on Friday 6^th August we fished the Michael Healy Memorial Cup for senior anglers, and the Ulster Bank Cup for junior anglers. Once again the night was really not suited for Peter fishing and a strong wind greeted anglers as they gathered on Fagan’s Point. The experts tell me you need a nice calm warm night for Peter and Murrough fishing and they are few and far between this weather. Still there was a huge entry, and some fine rainbows were produced at the 11pm finish. As with the Dan Mullally on Owel I managed one keeper, and actually boated 4 more trout, but all were under the 13inch limit. Still a bit of action no less.

On the night Navan photographer James Carney was in the frame with a fine rainbow of 1.16kg, and took Top Rod. Lough Bane club officer John Cooke finished 2^nd with 1.08kg, and Noel King was 3^rd in the senior section with 1.06kg. The junior anglers were out in force and Claren Keogh from Multyfarnham topped the night with 0.88kg, Luke Walpole 2^nd with 0.80kg, and 3^rd Dillon Olin with 0.78kg. Lough Lene Anglers Association Chairman thanked all who supported the competitions and members of the late Michael Healy’s family presented the Cup to James Carney.

COOK YOUR CATCH. Neven Maguire was in Mullingar recently and done a bit of Pike fly fishing with Multyfarnham angler Pat Weir on Derravaragh. The lads had a fantastic day on the lake and caught a few fish. One fish under the 50cm size limit was kept for the pot, and Neven cooked his catch back in the grounds of Pats award winning restaurant in Multyfarnham. Prior to the cooking Neven spent a few hours with a film crew filming here in Mullingar. We hooked up with Neven in O’Malley’s Tackle Shop, and also dropped out to Multyfarnham to sample his brilliant cooking. The program will run later on Setanta TV we believe. Check our special feature on Neven Maguire’s visit plus pics from the cooking.

COARSE ANGLERS. We have received qualifier competition dates from the National Coarse Fishing Federation of Ireland. The first qualifier is on September 12^th River Shannon, Salmon Run & Shebeen, Portumna, Co Galway. Check to see the National Qualifiers 2010.

GONE FISHING. That’s it for another week. Once again I more that likely forgot something but don’t forget the Patti Doolin Shields this Sunday August 15^th on Owel. Members only, and you are more that welcome to join on the morning. Finally best of luck to Mullingar Angler Noel McIntyre on his new business adventure. Noel of Westmeath Motors Group will open his new Superstore Buy Lo on August 12^th.

Neven Maguire in Mullingar

TV CHEF & RESTAURANTEUR NEVEN MAGUIRE IN MULLINGAR

Yes one of Irelands top award winning chefs Neven Maguire was in Mullingar recently, working on a program to be aired later in 2010 on Setanta T.V.

During his visit he fished on Lough Derravaragh with Pat Weir of Multyfarnham who himself has an award winning restaurant in Multyfarnham Village. Pat who is a keen pike fly angler taught Neven the wonderful art of fly fishing for pike, and Neven actually hooked up with one. The lads kept one small fish under the legal size limit of 50cm and it was decided that they would cook their catch in the wonderful surroundings of Pat and Una Weirs establishment, which includes a super restaurant, bar and lounge. As the weather was quite suitable Neven cooked outdoors much to the delight of many up and coming cooks who ventured out to see the master in action.

IN MULLINGAR. Prior to heading to Multyfarnham to cook, Neven spent some time with a film crew wandering around the Streets of Mullingar, and was welcomed with open arms. His personality spoke for itself as he made his way through the busy streets with people stopping him and asking about his many cooking programs and also his brilliant books on cooking. Which includes his latest Home Chef, which is full of mouth watering dishes.

While in Mullingar he visited the local fishmongers, and then dropped into David O’ Malley’s Tackle Shop. Here Neven was told a few fisherman’s tales, and shown a few very large pike lures and flies.

BACK ON THE HOT PLATE. Having visited Mullingar Neven was back out in Pat Weirs and the cooking started. It was mind-blowing stuff as we witnessed Neven preparing his fish, and putting the superb dish together. Unfortunately for the life of me I cant remember all the ingredients, so you will have to tune into the program later in the year.

Hopefully we get plenty of notice and we will update you on when it will run. I leave you with a selection of photos I took of Neven in action, and those who enjoyed his cooking.