Bass lure anglers fished hard for three days at various venues along the south coast last weekend when competing in the Irish Bass Festival 2013 organised by Absolute Fishing, bass angling tackle specialists, based at Tramore. The overall winner in this catch-and-release competition was Jamie O’Rourke. An employee of Inland Fisheries Ireland, Jamie, a dedicated sea angler for many years, won the Irish Bass Festival trophy for the longest bass (71 cm). Over 120 anglers fished hard, day and night, in this unique roaming event in which anglers fished their favourite bass angling marks between Wexford and Kerry, including many local marks. Anglers enjoyed Mediterranean weather conditions, with clear blue skies and high temperatures, which demanded alternative strategies to catch some quality bass. Daybreak proved successful for some while fishing in darkness provided some good fish for others.
The action kicked off at 5 am on Friday morning when anglers checked in at Tramore and continued non-stop until 2 pm on Sunday afternoon when anglers had to return to the competition base to log their catches. On Friday fish were taken during the early morning and throughout the day with some anglers having impressive numbers of fish on surface lures. Estuary marks were producing fish in the daylight hours and rock marks were productive in low light conditions. Saturday saw a small change in the weather with a slight SW picking up, with fish being caught throughout the day. Anglers were required to photograph their fish on a measuring board with the unique competition ID card and return the fish alive. Despite the keen competition many anglers took the time out to collect scales from bass for further research for Inland Fisheries Ireland’s National Bass Conservation Programme.
Copious amounts of coffee and biscuits were consumed as anglers gathered at the shop to discuss the weekend’s fishing which seemed to be mainly concentrated along the Copper Coast, the sweltering conditions and what might have been. Lure anglers travelled from the UK and many parts of Ireland to fish in this novel event which combines angling for a highly valued sports angling species with a certain amount of endurance.
The prize for the longest bass taken by a visiting angler went to Timothy Pound (67 cm) while the best combined length (best 3 fish combined) went to Eric Upton (193 cm). The juvenile angler (longest fish) prize went to Mark Kett (63 cm). Valuable prizes which included bass angling kit and a holiday in Ireland, from sponsors including Topwater lures, Costa del Mar, Fiiish, UK Bass and Active Angling Ireland, were presented to the winners at a get-together in the Grand Hotel Tramore where competitors took some time out to catch up with friends and to take a well-earned rest after three tough days.
