The Daiwa Pairs, one of the top annual sea match angling festivals for UK anglers, is based on the Dingle peninsula Co. Kerry. This is prize rich event with £11,500 of tackle prizes and over £10,000 in cash prizes. The festival returned to Kerry after a 2 year break. Organiser Nick Haward reports…
After a two-year pandemic break 44 pairs from all over the UK and Ireland headed to the Dingle peninsula, Co. Kerry, to compete in the Daiwa Irish Pairs, which concluded on Friday 23rd. September.
We had a very settled week on the weather front and despite the small tides, anglers enjoyed some decent fishing, both on the match days and during the specimen hunt [which runs all week].
In the end it was Ian Hewitt and Jim Gross who won the 2022 Pairs. For full listings please see the Daiwa Pairs Facebook page.
Ventry showed us some of the best fishing we have had there in years. Reflecting on why it did is probably two-fold: 1. We fished the venue over the top of the tide and 2. The pre-match fishing ban.
The move to 2-hooks took a lot of bait pressure off the anglers and resources and we will retain this format for 2023.
Again, looking forward to 2023, we are planning to retain the Saturday to Friday format, which we reverted to for this year to assist anglers with annual leave allocations and will continue to encourage and develop Ladies and Juniors participation.
A successful angling week is a result of intensive planning and solid sponsorship and in this latter respect we are most grateful to Daiwa Sports and BassBoots for the fantastic assistance and support they give us.
We had over £11, 500 of tackle prizes and over £10, 000 in cash prizes to give away on Presentation Night.
SAMF once again stepped-in this year to cover the event insurance. SAMF has also sponsored a new shield for this inaugural SAMF Team v Irish Challenge match.
It goes without saying that without all this collective sponsorship and assistance we would not be able to offer such a great prize table and such a successful event. A huge thanks to our sponsors
On a personal note, I would like to thank Jim, Ian and Darren, who as a supporting committee give up a lot of their time before and during the week – a ‘first-class’ and Stirling performance
Fish the Daiwa Pairs in 2023…
Dates for next year:
Registration Saturday 16th. September
Presentation Friday 22nd. September
Any interested anglers who would like a 2023 info pack, when it is available, can email Nick Haward [email protected]
Keep an eye on the Daiwa Pairs Facebook page for updates.
