McCarron Cup 2024: stunning victory for Dermot Flynn

Perfect conditions: wind, cloud, temperature, sedge and olives hatching; the rain held off. 26 anglers returned 21 fish in this 2 fish limit competition to round off the DTAA season.

Some great fish weighed in including Dermot Flynn’s fish of 5.59lbs, which with his second fish, gave a bag of 8.16lbs well ahead of nearest rival Willie Scully with 2 fish for 5.7lbs. Donal Monahan was in 3rd place with 2 fish for 5.56lbs

Full results table is here:

Fish were caught all over the lake but Srudarra performed well with opportunities for dry flies later in the afternoon. Fish were caught too near the railway line past Jack’s shore and Dermot Flynn had excellent fish late enough in the day at Lady’s Island. As well as winning the McCarron Cup, Dermot had the heaviest fish on the day AND the year! His fish was almost a pound heavier than Jim Keeshan’s fish during then Ian Rowand Trophy on the same lake.

DTAA treasurer, Declan McKibben, had a great day’s fishing with Terry O’Keeffe. Declan’s strategy was to follow Tom Hipwell around the lake and to do what he did. This paid off and Declan bagged up before lunch. Declan switched to dries later in the afternoon, catching and releasing two further trout. Terry O’Keeffe had a great fish just before lunch. It was the second heaviest fish at 3.71lbs.

Despite the possibility of an upset to the overall DTAA Angler of the year leaderboard going into this final competition, Dave Canning was secure with Alan Doherty’s 2 points not being enough to bridge the gap that Dave earned throughout the season.

Here are a selection of pictures from the day, with DTAA President Fran Nugent at the prize giving.

John O’Neill, 5th Place
Terry O’Keeffe
Willie Scully, 2nd Place
Gary Coakley 4th Place
First Place Dermot Flynn
Pep talk done, the eager anglers are about to set out
It was like the wedding feast of Canaan!

Most of the anglers joined the end of season dinner in the Greville Arms, where the prize giving took place. Thanks to competition secretary Tom Hipwell, Declan McKibben and Gerry Heaslip for their support with the organisation and running of the competitions through out the season. For many of us it is the activity that we most look forward to. Trusting you all had another good season, and best wishes for the off season; a chance to sort of the gear, restock fly boxes and dream of the new season in March 2025.

McCarron Cup 2024 Preview

As far as we can tell conditions for this Saturday’s McCarron Cup will be good. A moderate westerly wind, cloud cover, low chance of rain but it will be chilly out there for those of us who have been benefiting from the warm weather earlier this month.

The leaderboard as it stands has Dave Canning with a strong lead of 7 points on nearest rival Alan Doherty.:

Dave has been doing great all season with a win in the Elvery and two 3rd place positions. Dave represented Ireland last year in the Internationals and is through to next year’s final having qualified earlier this month.

Dave Canning Capped for Ireland in 2023

SO the bookies’ favourite must be Canning to become the DTAA angler of the year for 2024 but let’s look at potential routes to the coveted title for those currently lagging in 2nd and 3rd positions. The rank outsider is Irish International and master-tiler Eoin Dunne currently on 22 points. If Dunne takes the top spot on Saturday and Canning is not in the top 10, then both anglers will tie on 32 points apiece. The adjudication panel will, in that situation, pore over the results for the previous 6 competitions to identify the relative catch performance of each angler in order to separate the two. The more likely challenge to Canning’s dominance, however, comes from DTAA Competition Secretary, Alan Doherty. Doherty lies 7 points behind Canning and so if he comes 3rd place or higher on Saturday and Canning blanks then the title goes to Doherty. Even if Canning gets into the top 10 picking up 1 or 2 points, then Doherty can still find a path to victory if he comes first on Saturday. In any of these scenarios the Angler of the Year title will go to an angler who has never previously held the title which is a sign to be sure that talent continues to be cultivated and to flourish among those DTAA members who take part in the competitions over the season.

We are looking forward to a good turnout this Saturday on Lough Owel. Always a highlight of the season, the day promises excellent fishing (Owel has fished well this year) and an opportunity to catch up with friends over a meal in the evening in the Greville Arms, for prize giving and to celebrate the end of another season.

Doherty Does it! Ryder Cup Champ

Very tough conditions at Bohernabreena last Saturday 7th September for the Ryder Cup. It was hard fishing but despite that 3 top rods had five fish between them. 15 anglers turned out for the day with most returning no fish.

Congratulations to Alan Doherty who won the day with 2 fish for 2.805 Lbs, followed Fran Nugent also with 2 fish (for 2.305) and in third was Dave Canning with one fish. This was Alan’s first DTAA competition win (he’s often placed well in previous competitions however so this comes as no surprise!).

The canny Dave Canning in 3rd place
Fran came 2nd
Alan in first place

With just one competition remaining this season Dave Canning has a very good lead on nearest rival Alan Doherty. There is a route to victory for Alan, and indeed for Eoin Dunne (to tie with Dave on 32 points) but Dave must be the bookies favourite! Current leaderboard is below. Next competition is the McCarron on Owel on Saturday 28th September.

Several DTAA members through to the National Final

Last Saturday 31st August saw the Leinster Qualifiers taking place on Lough Leane. Conditions were very good with many anglers returning fish. This was a catch, release and record competition and the top anglers carded 5 fish. Half of the 12 DTAA members who entered were through. We will list only those who qualified here to avoid shaming the rest of us!

Fran Nugent (3rd), Gerry Heaslip, Brian Conway, Gary Coakley, Tom Hipwell, and Dave Canning all qualified. Well done folks. The final will be fished next year on Melvin.

Pictured here winner Darragh Duncan, Colin Cahill and Fran Nugent (picture credit to ITFFA FB Page)

DTAA Family Fun Day 2024

The weather was perfect, plenty of fish, boundless enthusiasm and joy ensured that the 15 children and young people (and their grown ups) had a great day out last Sunday. We gathered at the Laois Angling Centre at 11am, fished for a couple of hours, followed by lunch and, most importantly, the prize giving, wrapping up by 3pm.

The competitors ranged in age from twins Sam and Jack who are just 3 years old up to 17 years.

Barbless flies were the preferred method to hook a fish with many of our younger competitors using the bubble and fly with the others preferring a fly rod, and some catching fish this way for the first time!

The competitors were: Sam and Jack, Innes, sisters Caragh and Leah; Evie; siblings Fardeen, Fabiana and Farhad; sisters Kieva and Robyn and, finally, brothers Evan, Rhys, Ross and Caelan

Below is a sample of pictures from the day.

Fran, Nicola and the twins!
Jack and Sam examine the catch
Myles demonstrating correct fish handling
How to handle a fish
Fardeen
Rhys and Robyn
Innes and his proud dad
Lunchtime
Leah and Caragh
Caragh and Leah
Delight
Safely returned
Fabiana with her catch
Fardeen about to return his fish
Evie
The boys

IFI’s Myles Kelly was on hand to offer advice, coaching and support to all our anglers, demonstrating correct fish handling, catch and release, while minimising impact on the fish. We are grateful to Myles for being there and to IFI for providing snoods and line snips which went into the goodie bags for each competitor.

Thanks also is due to Dave McBride of Southside Angling who helped us with the prizes. And to Enda and John of Laois Angling Centre who were gracious hosts and have a great facility there in Co. Laois, well stocked and managed, and which helped ensure that everyone connected with fish on the day. Thanks also to Nessa and Evie who helped on the day and put the goody bags and lunches together for the event.

Elvery Cup goes to Dave Canning

Huge turnout for the annual Elvery Cup which was fished Saturday 27th on Lough Leane. A warm day, moderate wind and very little rain. The fish were not very plentiful with just 13 fish returned. Many fish were showing but were likely to have been feeding on snails below the surface with little or no fly life evident. The occasional Olive, a couple of Sedge, and even the Green Peter late in the day.

Dave Canning was in first place with a very nice fish of 3.19 lbs, taking him into the Angler of the Year top slot, 2 points ahead of Eoin Dunne). DTAA new member, Kevin Connolly was pipped into second place with his fish of 3.17 lbs (on his first outing!) and Gary Coakley in third (3.105 lbs). Special weight was shared jointly by Gerry Heaslip and Eoin Dunne.

The Elvery Cup
Special Weight Prize!
3rd Place Gary Coakley
2nd Place Kevin Connolly
1st: Dave Canning

Full results below:

The leaderboard for Angler of the Year:

Heaviest fish remains with Jim Keeshan from the Ian Rowand Trophy on Owel:

Ian Rowand Trophy report

On Saturday, 6th July 2024, 26 avid anglers gathered at Tullaghan’s Shore, Lough Owel, for a friendly fly fishing trout competition: The Ian Rowand Trophy. The day was marked by highly variable weather, truly a case of “four seasons in one day.” Anglers faced heavy, biting rain showers with gusty winds, which later transitioned to calm, balmy, and sunny conditions, adding an extra layer of challenge and excitement to the event.

The competition kicked off at 11:00 AM with a 2 fish bag limit and a minimum size of 14 inches. By 6:00 PM, participants were ready for the weigh-in at Tullaghan’s

Winners:

  • First Place: Declan McKibben, secured the top spot with two nice fish weighing a total of 6.025 lbs. Declan caught his fish after lunch on the Dolan’s side of Srudarra, and about an hour on the Lady’s side.
  • Second Place: James Doyle, with a great bag of two fine fish weighing 5.755 lbs.
  • Third Place: Dave Canning, who landed two fish weighing 5.590 lbs.

  • Special Weight Prize: Willie Scully (1.8 Lbs)
  • Heaviest Fish: Jim Keeshan, caught the heaviest fish of the day, weighing 4.685 lbs, caught very late in the day.

Winning Fly!
The winning fly was a silver daddy, one of John O’Neill’s unique creations, which proved to be highly effective during the competition.

Overall not a bad fishing day:
Out of the 26 anglers, 15 successfully caught fish, which was considered a good result for the day, reflecting the excellent conditions and skill level of the participants.

Gary Coakley officiated with the prize giving.

Dave in 3rd
James in 2nd
Willie got the special weight
Wise men use suncream
Declan takes top spot

Full results below:

Eoin Dunne’s 2 fish and 4 points now takes him into first place on the overall Angler of the Year leaderboard with 22 points. With just 3 competitions remaining this season, it’s still all to play for with Cathal on 19 and Gerry on 18 points:

Thanks as usual to Gerry Heaslip for arranging the boats and to Declan and Tom for organising. Tom was not able to join us for this competition but we look forward to seeing him at the next one on 27th July.

LM Byrne Cup Results

It was chilly enough for June and while the rain held off, there was little or no wind for the first few hours of the LM Byrne Cup on Lough Lene last Saturday. 33 DTAA members set out at 11am with 12 weighing in fish. As usual it was a heaviest fish competition and of the many who blanked, a good number never even had a chance. Dries were most successful with Wulffs, dabblers, sedges and daddies mentioned by several of the anglers who met fish.

Jonathan O’Keefe took home the gold with a nice fish of 3.7 lbs with Gerry Heaslip nipping at his heels weighing in his fish at 3.59 lbs. 3rd place went to Jonathan’s boat partner and Irish International, Eoin Dunne with a fish of 3.37 lbs. Paul Dunne took home the special weight prize. Rudolph Britz had several fish to a black and yellow Wulff, (possibly a MAYFLY CORRIB WULFF… hopefully Rudolph can confirm). Mark McAllister got a rise to a dry chocolate drop and a hook up to a size 14 Klinkhammer. His boat partner got 2 hook ups to a dry Olive/Mayfly and a small Royal Wulff.

Jonathan O’Keefe, 1st place, receiving his trophy from DTAA President Fran Nugent
Gerry Heaslip, 2nd place
Eoin Dunne, 3rd place
Paul Dunne, Special weight prize
The chat and the craic beforehand
Gilsenan’s produced fish early on

Results table below:

The leaderboard for the season to date makes for interesting reading! Three are tied in top position with 18 points each after three competitions: (Gerry, Eoin and Cathal… with Hubert just behind with 15 points!)

Crossmolina Whit Weekend 2024

I was fortunate to have been able to take part in the annual Whit Weekender on Lough Conn this June bank holiday.

Of the 80+ anglers and boatmen taking part, DTAA was very well represented by myself (Declan), Gerry Heaslip, Willie Scully, Donal Rafferty, Chris Meadows, Cathal McDonnell, Terry O’Keeffe, Anthony Mc Grattan and Hubert Smith.

Conditions were good in terms of wind if a little too much sun on the Saturday. Sunday had much better cloud cover but the fish were hard got.

I fished with Conn & Cullin angler and Irish international Joe Ferguson on day 1 and had a nice keeper in the middle of Mayo. There were fish on both sides but I had my keeper on the Gallagher’s Bay side to a dry claret hopper on a size 12 hook. We also met fish earlier in the day at Rinmore, and fished later in Castlehill Bay and Woodford where I rose a nice fish in the last half hour. I finished in 3 place with my one fish (the second heaviest!). The heat was won by Denis Goulding with two fish and Stephen Brown with one coming in second position.

On Sunday I was out with local angler Brian Gallagher (we know Brian and Joe of course from the annual Crossmolina weekend). Starting off at Woodford (in a gentle south easterly breeze) we saw a nice hatch of may flies and some small fish moving to them but not a lot of action besides a couple of follows. We then headed over towards Castlehill Bay. There were about 6 boats in there. Even though it’s getting late for that Bay, there are still good fish in it and always a chance of a keeper and getting into the prizes. I rose a fish and caught a perch, and much weed before we headed across to the middle of Mayo. With the wind coming from the West, we drifted perpendicular to the Western side, and went up and down a few times, meeting fish to both wets and dries, but nothing stuck.

We left there at around 4.30 and headed across to Tolan’s where, it turned out, a lot of the other competitors were set up. We saw free rising fish but did not manage to get any fish in the boat. I’d say that half the boats were in Tolan’s, lined up to drift across it from the West.

13 fish measured on Saturday with the better conditions of Sunday returning 16 fish over 13″. Stephen Brown came first place and took home a lovely Sheelin boat, Peter Roche was 2nd, Denis Goulding in 3rd and Colm McAndrew in 4th and heaviest fish went to Ian Wise. I finished up in 8th place with my fish from the day before, haunted by the thought that the fish I lost in Gallagher’s could have made all the difference; such is fishing. We’ll be back again next year. Thanks to Orla and Padraig and all the organisers for an excellent and fun weekend of fishing.

Declan McKibben, Treasurer