After the longest night, tomorrow we sing up the dawn. There is a rejoicing that, even in the darkest time, the sun is not vanquished. As of tomorrow, the days begin to get longer as the light of day grows. While the gentle winter sun slowly opens its eyes, let us all bring more light and compassion into the world. ”
― Dacha Avelin

Winter solstice, the shortest day of the year was yesterday. Here in Ireland, the clouds prevailed, leaving the sunrise event at Newgrange missing it’s star performer, literally. But with every day now bringing more daylight, we look ahead to sunny days, long evenings and good times with friends.

Santa Claus Is Coming To Town…

In the meantime, we have Christmas to look forward to this weekend. We hope everyone has been good boys and girls this year, and Santa Claus pays a visit on Christmas Eve night. If you’ve been really good, there might be a new fishing rod or reel under the tree. Fingers crossed!

Santa likes a bit of fishing too apparently!

Sponsorship Programme

With it being Christmas week, there is little angling to report. We do have some news to share, however. Inland Fisheries Ireland has opened its 2022 Sponsorship Programme.

Youth Angling Event
Youth Angling Event

Angling clubs, groups and associations all over Ireland are being invited to apply for sponsorship funding before the January 21st deadline and in 2022, the €30,000 fund will have a particular focus on initiatives aimed at beginners and young anglers, as well as events that promote sustainable angling tourism. Check it out here.

A genuine hero

We shared a story earlier this year about a brave young man,  11 year old Callum Clarke from Roscommon. Callum saved the life of his grandfather, Sean after a freak gust of wind capsized their boat while out fishing. Callum kept his head and managed to rescue Sean and bring him to shore safely.

Our colleagues here in Inland Fisheries Ireland heard that Callum lost some of his fishing gear during the accident, so gifted some new equipment to Callum on his 12th birthday last week.
As Callum is a keen pike angler, Andrew Burnett is pictured here presenting him with a new pike rod, a reel and terminal tackle plus a goody bag.
Callum accepting his new fishing gear from Andy

Salmon Licences

Salmon and Sea Trout Licences for the 2022 season are now on sale through the Inland Fisheries Ireland online shop and through distributors that have an online facility. Hard copy licences will be available from distributors in the coming weeks. Get all details, including prices and FAQs here.

National Bass Programme Update

Hot off the the press is the National Bas Programme Update for Anglers 2018-2022. Over the 3 year period covered by the report 47 bass anglers around Ireland submitted the scales and details of 1,304 bass. Almost 80% of the bass were caught between May and September and and an impressive 90% of the fish were returned alive – #CPRSavesFish!

The report goes into great detail, analysing growth rates, year classes, tagging and recaptures and is well worth a read.

IFI National Bass Programme Angler Data Report 2018-2020

report
Click to download!

Looking Back

With the end of the year fast approaching, we took a look back at some of the photos sent in for the Irish Angling Update this year. Check out our little festive video below showcasing some of the fantastic photos from the Irish angling community in 2021.
From all of us here, a huge thank you to everyone who took the time to send in reports, photos, videos, and who read and shared our angling reports and updates. The update would not be half as comprehensive without your input, and we hope you will continue to support us in 2022.

Míle buíochas daoibh go léir

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Stay Safe

We’re all aware of the ongoing threat from Covid-19 and the Omicron variant. We’re not going to rehash public health advice here, but we hope you all stay safe and well this Christmas, and wish you all a happy and healthy New Year. If you get out fishing over the holidays, why not take a photo and drop us a line at [email protected] .

 

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year