06 June: Andy Burnett From West Yorkshire is the Lough Ree Lanesborough Coarse Fishing Festival champion 2016. Andy had 33kg of fish after 3 days in Lanesborough and Clonahee which won him not just the honours but also a cheque for €1000 and a beautiful bog oak piece, the perpetual cup and all the plaudits from Lough Ree Angling festival director Philip Gordon, Gerald Farrell, vice chair of the hub and Paul Riordan of Bord na Mona – the main sponsor.
Andy’s Day 1 catch of 23kg on the Hotwater stretch proved to be the perfect start and was enough to keep him at the top of the leader board for the duration of the Festival. Conditions were not easy as the sun shone remorselessly on the Shannon and the anglers. But the quality of the fishing shone also and some very good bags were managed despite the conditions, putting Lanesborough very firmly back on the map as a festival venue. This event is already confirmed for the June bank holiday weekend again in 2017 with another 3k in sponsorship.
The new Minister for Inland Fisheries Denis Naughten was on hand to open the event with 3000 Euro in prize money at the hot water stretch in Lanesborough where he paid tribute to the work done by Inland Fisheries Ireland and the Lough Ree Angling Hub.
The event featured fishing at three venues – including Lanesborough and Clonahee Lake in Strokestown and was sponsored by Bord na Mona.
Minister Naughten said he was looking forward to attending the World Predator Boat championships in Ballyleague, Lanesborough next October.
For more information email:[email protected] or phone Hugh Keane at 087 1010032
