The four day Clones Angling Festival festival concluded on Monday, August 7th, with John Potters the winner for the second consecutive year. John’s festival started with 30kg of tench from Inver Lake which led him all the way to finish first with 52.020kg. In second position was Niall McKitterick of Browning Fishing Ireland with 37.170kg and moving up from 7th position to 3rd on the final day was Tommy Dowd Browning Fishing Ireland with 32.125kg. Congratulations to the top three and all the framers throughout.
Conditions were probably the most difficult experienced in the 28yrs of the festival with high waters on the Dromore system making favoured sections Bream Rock and Bairds Shore inaccessible. Two sections on Mullinary and stand-in Inver Lake meant the festival could go ahead. Still we had to contend with Storm Antoni and rising water throughout with levels increasing up to 6 inches in one day.
Old favourite Annaghmekerrig proved its value once again with a first day show of bream concluding with nets of roach of a fine stamp and the top weights for Dave Walker 16,500kg and Tommy Marshall 15,800kg on the final day.
Clones Coarse Anglers, Jody Foy and Donal McGuirk would like to thank all those who took part and to Tommy Dowd and the scalesmen for their assistance.
The organisers would like to give a special thanks to:
- the local landowners,
- Irish Bait and Tackle Limited,
- The Tyrone Guthrie Centre Annaghmakerrig
- Clones/Ballybay Municipal Council
- Patrick and the staff at the Creighton Hotel Clones for their hospitality throughout
