Dave Houghton reports that the Sheemore Angling Festival is an Irish angling festival that you are unlikely to have heard about – but that is about to change. Last week the local angling club staged the three-day event on the River Shannon at Carrick-on-Shannon and two lakes close to Keshcarrigan in County Leitrim.
The 2011 champion is 63 year old Robert Howgate, originally from York, but now living near Carrick-on-Shannon, weighed-in a three-day total catch of 51-2-0 that earned him €400 cash winnings and a €65 fishing reel.
“I’m absolutely delighted”, he said. “There were some very good anglers on the bank and despite strong winds there were plenty of small fish to be caught and the best method was a groundbait feeder.
“My first day (Monday) catch was 19lb of skimmer bream from the Pump-house stretch of Lough Scur, on Wednesday I had a mix of roach, skimmers and hybrids from the River Shannon at the Mud Flats for 9.5lb and on Friday it was Kiltybardan Lake where I had 22lb of skimmers, hybrids and roach”
The Sheemore Angling Festival is very traditional in style, fishing on Monday, Wednesday and Friday, while allowing overseas anglers the opportunity to explore other fisheries in the area on the rest days.
“We have the perfect set up”, explained club treasurer Dave Oddy. “The competition names after the local Sheemore pub, which is opened every morning with complimentary tea, coffee and biscuit, while we organise the daily draw. And on Friday evening the anglers return from their fishing to enjoy an early supper, again provided by the Sheemore Inn.
“Ideally about 45 match anglers would be perfect because that gives us 15 anglers each day on each sections and makes it very manageable”.
- Robert Howgate (Carrick-on-Shannon) 51-2-0
- Tony Kersley (Enniskillen) 49-4-0
- Nicky Harrison (Arvagh) 48-3-0;
- Dave Oddy (Sheemore AA) 47-13-0
- Paul Lee (Belturbet) 40-2-0.
