Peter Doherty of Clane Anglers had a fabulous win at the 2014 Irish Trout Fly Fishing Associations (ITFFA) National Rivers Championship when he accumulated four placings and 1,678 points. The 2014 match was held was at the River Liffey, near Newbridge, on 7th June, and was hosted by North Kildare Trout and Salmon Angling Association.
Five entrants from each province competed in this event from which the five anglers and one reserve were selected to represent Ireland at the 2015 International Match. I spent the day stewarding for veteran Cork angler, Patsy Cotter, who caught some lovely trout. Patsy spent sessions one and two on beat C2 and I had to admire Patsy’s stamina as he tried varying his angling technique having drawn a blank on his first session. Session two was to prove a little more productive with three trout but Patsy really could have done with those two good fish that threw the hook in session one. Dry and dropper appeared to be the order of the day for Patsy having found it difficult to crack these Liffey trout with the beads. Patsy spent the afternoon on beat E3, but his luck was all out as fish after fish came short and managed to quickly shake the hook. He did however manage to net one keeper in session three and two more in session four but it just wasn’t enough to secure him the coveted Irish green blazer. Well I have to commend Patsy who is a true sportsman having responded with “I had a great days fishing on a lovely river and I thoroughly enjoyed myself”. I look forward to seeing Patsy and the Munster boys in Killarney at the weekend and by the way Patsy, “don’t forget those flies”.
Peter will represent Ireland at the 2015 International Match which will also be held at the Liffey. Peter will be joined by Kevin Dunne (Lough Derravaragh), Arden Pollock (Agivey), Albert Mulhall (Ounavarragh) and Darius Simkus (Loughrea). Eugene Nolan, of Tuam Anglers, will be the reserve for the 2015 team having finished in 6th place with 9 placings.
Whilst recent floods made these Liffey trout extremely difficult to tempt to the fly, twenty competitors still managed to catch and release 187 measurable fish with many more undersized fish released also. The Liffey is an absolutely fabulous river which produces many specimen trout every season. With the olive fishing in full swing and the evening sedge fishing commencing, the Liffey is well worth a visit. Effective flies for the Liffey include the Grey Flag, Ginger Quill, Greenwells Glory and various spider and nymph patterns. Visiting anglers should consult with local angling clubs to ensure that they have the necessary permission to fish their water.
ITFFA would like to thank North Kildare Angling club for facilitating this competition and we wish the 2015 Irish team the very best of luck as they begin preparations for the International Match!
Irish Trout Fly Fishing Association
The primary aim of the Association is to organise and run Provincial competitions in order to select competitors for Interprovincial, National and International fly fishing competitions on both Loughs and Rivers.
http://itffa.webs.com/
