Paddy Dunworth of Celtic Angling had Belgian tourists Frank, Joris, Nico and Chantal on the River Maigue as the stroved to rekindle a passion for angling…

First-time visitors to Ireland, Frank, Joris, Nico and Chantal wanted to see as much of our country as possible, and also wanted to try fly-fishing whilst here. Aged 40-50yrs they had all fished when younger and now wanted to reconnect. It surprised me to learn that Belgium has very little in the way of fishing.

Anglers
Frank, Joris, Nico and Chantal from Belgium

With the continuing drought it really is not ideal for introducing newcomers to the fly but we had to make the most of it.  Being realists they all accepted that our 4-hour session would be more about learning to cast than about catching trout. Pacey water is desirable for entry-level flyfishing down for down across with wetfly. This was in short supply at the user-friendly stretch below Adare bridge, however I got the 4 to swop stands now and again so they weren’t rooted to the same spot.

Frank managed one trout, not a bad result given the low water and bright sun
Frank managed one trout, not a bad result given the low water and bright sun

They were great company and most had takes, Anderlecht supporter Frank saved the day with a nice brownie in ‘injury time’, just minutes before we finished. I dropped them in the village of Adare, insisting they watch the Hurling final replay, none objected!

Paddy Dunworth
Celtic Angling

Go fishing…

Paddy Dunworth, a fishing guide based near Adare has been flyfishing for 40 years and guiding for 15. He has an intimate knowledge of the Fisheries and Antiquities of this beautiful region. An all-round angler and flytier, Paddy specialises in Trout, Sea-trout, Salmon and Sea-Bass, offers Fly-casting tuition for beginners and improvers, and also caters for Autumn /Winter Pike fishing and Salt-water fly fishing.
Web: www.celticangling.com