26 hardy DTAA anglers turned out for the season opener on Owel last Saturday. Not a cloud in the sky and a stiff Easterly wind made the fishing uncomfortable for some, with the Western shore more challenging than the other side of the lake.
7 anglers returned fish with only 3 of those weighing in 2 fish. The best of the fishing was across in Brabazon’s but Matt Clarke managed to come across fish a little outside of Srudarra.
Legendary DTAA angler PJ O’Driscoll came in first place with 2 fish for 4.38 Lbs and his boat partner Chris Meadows also returning 2 fish for 3.5 Lbs and securing 3rd position. DTAA Competition Secretary, Tom “Stormy” Hipwell came in 2nd place with his 2 fish weighing 3.82 Lbs. Special weight went to the aforementioned Matt Clark who, despite the wind, managed to get his flies down deep enough to temp up the fish.
PJ on top spot
Tom takes second place
Chris in third
Matt secures the special weight prize.
Full results below.
Thanks to Tom for organising and to Declan, Alan, Cathal, Clive and all who helped on Saturday.
DTAA have 4 club boats available to our members, 3 boats on Lough Owel and 1 boat on Lough Lene. Check availability in the calendar below and contact the boat manager Jim Guiney or John O’Neill by phone or email to confirm your preferred location and date. For their contact details, please see your membership card. Please note that the booking will not be confirmed until the boat manager has confirmed
Life jackets must be worn at all times and please check the weather forecast before setting out.
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Boat Safety: Click here for useful information on boating safety
Please exercise care on the water. Life jackets must be worn at all times and please check the weather forecast before setting out.
Pulling up and locking the Boat after use:
Leave the boat clean and tidy and take all your litter home
Pull the boat well up on the shore
Ensure that there is a tyre under each side so that the boat is stable
Lock the oars with the chain and lock around the boat seat
Lock the ground chain at the bow (front of boat) to the designated DTAA concrete anchor point
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.
It was like the wedding feast of Canaan!Terry O’KeeffeFirst Place Dermot FlynnJohn O’Neill, 5th PlaceWillie Scully, 2nd PlaceGary Coakley 4th PlacePep talk done, the eager anglers are about to set out
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.
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.
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!).
Fran came 2ndThe canny Dave Canning in 3rd placeAlan 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.
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)
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 catchMyles demonstrating correct fish handlingHow to handle a fishFardeenRhys and RobynInnes and his proud dadLunchtimeLeah and CaraghCaragh and LeahDelightSafely returnedFabiana with her catchFardeen about to return his fishEvieThe 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.
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 CupSpecial Weight Prize!3rd Place Gary Coakley2nd Place Kevin Connolly1st: 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:
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 3rdJames in 2ndDeclan takes top spotWise men use suncreamWillie got the special weight
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.
