Congratulations to Tom Sweeney of Marcroom who recently won the Irish Trout Fly Fishing Associations National Angling Championship Cup. Tom went forward to compete in the National Angling Championship following his success in the Munster qualification league. Tom and 119 other anglers travelled from every province in Ireland to compete in this competition which was held at Lough Conn in County Mayo. Each angler was hoping to be one of the top ten rods who would don the green blazer and represent Ireland at the International Trout Fly Fishing Championships which will be held in 2013.
Angling conditions were extremely tough with strong easterly winds, extremely bright sunshine and temperatures in the high 20’s. Despite the angling conditions Lough Conn managed to live up to her reputation as a premier trout fishery and produced 56 brown trout in excess of the 13 inch limit, with many more undersized trout being returned to the water alive. Difficult angling conditions didn’t present too much of a problem for Tom Sweeney who managed to land three beautiful trout, securing 1st place and winning him the National Angling Championship Cup. Tom who is also a keen river angler wasn’t perpared to stop at this, he also went on to collect the Deacy Cup for the heaviest trout of the competition with a trout of 0.995kg. Other successful competitors who will represent Ireland in 2013 are John Dixon (Coleraine), John Deacy (Culfin), John Willis (Mallow), Gerry Heaslip (Dublin), Terry Walshe (Clane), Danny O’Keeffe (Wicklow), Con Malone (Macroom), Stevie Ellis (Bangor) and Kenneth O’Keeffe (Sheelin). We wish these anglers the very best of luck at the 2013 International Championships.
Lough Conn has an excellent reputation as a wild brown trout fishery and is well worth a visit. Anglers are currently recommending mayfly patterns fished wet and dry, along with dry daddies as being the most productive patterns.
Joseph Keena
Irish Trout Fly Fishing Association
