Friday was the final day of the 2019 Fermanagh Classic Fishing Festival, organised and funded by Fermanagh and Omagh District Council, assisted by Inland Fisheries (Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs) and sponsored by Waterways Ireland.

James O'Doherty, Enniskillen
James O’Doherty, Enniskillen – overall winner takes home over £5,000

After a week of sunshine, the clouds gathered and the two hundred and five anglers lining the banks of the Erne considered changing from tee-shirts to waterproofs. Young James O’Doherty from Enniskillen emerged victorious, his 13kg 200gms catch from the Boa Island section bringing his total for the week to an impressive 71kg.870gms, winning him the coveted crystal chalice and the top prize of £5,000. In second place overall, collecting £2,000 and a Belleek Pottery trophy, was Brian Nesbitt from East Sussex, with 43kg 860gms, followed in third place by another English angler, Ian Benton, with 36kg 710gms, who won £1,500 and a trophy for his week’s efforts. Fourth was Classic regular Pete Bagshaw with 36kg 050gms and fifth was Manchester angler Michael Smith, who has been travelling to Fermanagh with his father and two brothers since he was a junior angler. Rounding off the top six overall was another Classic regular, Paul Boothby from Penkridge in Staffordshire.

Final results

Classic Fishing Festival 2019 Champion James O'Doherty, Pictured centre, with John Boyle Waterways Ireland - Director of Business Development ((left) and Fermanagh and Omagh District Council Chairman, Howard Thornton (right)
Classic Fishing Festival 2019 Champion James O’Doherty, Pictured centre, with John Boyle Waterways Ireland – Director of Business Development ((left) and Fermanagh and Omagh District Council Chairman, Howard Thornton (right)
  • 1st James O’Doherty – Enniskillen, 71.870kg £5,000
  • 2nd Brian Nesbitt – East Sussex, 43.860kg £2,000
  • 3rd Ian Benton – Spalding, 36.710kg £1,500
  • 4th Pete Bagshaw – Inkersall, 36.050kg £1,000
  • 5th Michael Smith – Manchester, 34.650kg £500
  • 6th Paul Boothby – Penkridge, Staffordshire, 33.840kg  £350
Results in detail
team winners
The winning team – The Four Fatties

Day 3 results

The Friday daily winner was Paul Clarke from Birkenshaw, whose 28kg 900gms from the anglers’ favourite section, Ely Lodge, netted him £500. In second place was Ray Thompson from Manchester, third was previous Classic winner Malcom Brown from Coventry and fourth was Mark Silman from Doncaster.

The Sponsors

The Fermanagh Classic Fishing Festival is sponsored for the 16th year by Waterways Ireland and is organised and funded by Fermanagh and Omagh District Council, in conjunction with the Inland Fisheries Division of the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs.