John Devaney reports that a couple of Belgian anglers, staying in Athlone with Mark Egan, for the upcoming Lough Ree International Pike Festival caught some good fish while practising at the weekend.
Guy Brockmans and Roger Wellens were thrilled with this trout over 13lb. caught in Lower L. Ree and they also had a pike of 103cm in the same area.
The Festival gets underway today, and a huge number of anglers and boats took to the lake to compete for the change of winning €1000. First prize is a guaranteed €1000 and is sponsored by Westmeath County Council and will be awarded to the angler with the longest fish caught over the three days. There is also the chance of winning the World Cup prize of €1000. This goes to the boat with the longest overall length of pike by measuring the single longest fish caught each day.
