Paul McLoughlin reports on the Easter One Festival fished over 3 days at Lough Muckno last weekend…
No place like it for silver fish anglers, I just love it here
Steve Harwood
Steve along with almost all the other 32 fishing the 3 day Easter One Festival on Lough Muckno anglers had just under 100 fish on a normally slow first day, to acquit himself pretty well on 5kgs from a very difficult Black Island high number peg, alongside that tough character, Rory O’ Neill on 120 fish and just under 6kgs. Steve went on to say, that not since the Lough Muckno Autumn Festival last year, has he remotely enjoyed fishing so much, even with the whole Winter spent on commercials back home. Weather conditions on the Lough Muckno were cold squally and generally difficult but with the calibre of angler on the Festival the changes that converted to fish were made and the fish kept coming.
Top honours went to emerging star Piotr Horbinski, who had exactly 200 fish for 11.5kgs just holding off Ireland’s best, Cathal Hughes, on 10.5kgs and 20 less fish, just 3 pegs away also on Yellow Island.
Day 2
Today’s fishing was a little slower than day one but fish numbers were still high and nice average weights were achieved on all sections, which fished very evenly for those that negotiated some of the pitfalls, more successfully and astutely.
No doubt this venue requires a fairly high degree of competency and skill but the assembled field on this festival is well up to the job, with strong weights and big numbers being recorded throughout all of the sections today.
Cathal Hughes moved into an almost unassailable lead on Day Two of the Easter One Festival with his usual consistency and no little help from the draw bag.
Cathal drew the coveted peg 129 and his partner Philip J, drew nearly next best, 125.
Piotr Horbinski the overnight leader was hopeful of a his usual plum draw, but not despondent after a 115 peg draw, he headed off manfully to make the best of it. After a big catch of just under 11kgs against Piotr’s very credible 5.5kgs Cathal now assumes the leaders position. Piotr dropped into second, with the still dangerous Philip Jackson moved steadily into third spot, after a strong showing on 8.5kgs.
Day 3
Cathal’s almost unassailable lead proved its worth today as he fished side by side with his nemesis Piotr on notoriously tricky Black Island pegs 156 and 157. Piotr just shaded, amassing 5.875 kgs to Cathal’s 5.500 kgs. The starting gap however was too much to close on the final day and so Piotr had to be content this time with second place and a giant share of the €4700, that was on offer in prize fund, including pools and sponsorship.
This latest win makes a for a superb achievement of 3 back to back series of wins by Cathal Hughes, the 2015 and 2016 winner, who must surely be the top rated home based angler, still at this time, as he has been for a number of years.
Horbinski is without doubt the new sensation in Irish match angling and is leading the way in silvers fishing in all company at this point, to the consternation of many of the fancied and classy home based anglers.
An average daily weight of 9kgs for the winner of all small fish, puts this fine venue into perspective as a silver fish water, where skill, competency and sheer focus is the order of the day.
Competitor numbers were slightly up on 2016 and catch rate was on average 25% better year on year, which augers well for this much loved venue, respected all over, for the high degree of competency required to master it. The top 3 anglers all raised their catch weights by 20-40% to ensure podium finishes.
At this point it is well to note that a formidable entry of elite anglers from the UK are already lined up for our July and Autumn Festivals, when the highest level of competition we have seen to date, will be on show.
Can our podium winning group from today feature against this distinguished company on this ever improving and testing water ? We wait and see, with eager anticipation.
Report courtesy of https://www.facebook.com/Lough-Muckno-393107817429399/
