Chris O’Sullivan reports on the latest Munster Shore League match…
Between other fixtures, changing weather, marathon road closures and a stiff south-easterly gale, it was a wonder this competition went ahead at all – but it did!
Despite the setbacks, an excellent turnout of 43 anglers hit the beach. Road closures meant a 10am start instead of 11, but the earlier tide proved better for the dogs. The first two hours saw the bulk of the action, with dogs showing all along the stretch. Jim O’Brien and Richie Gormley both managed treble shots to get off to a flyer, while Mochara Fraher in Zone A steadily picked away at them too.
As the weather worsened and weed became a problem in Zone A, anglers in Zones B and C fished the edges and found smaller fish – flounder, school bass, and even a cracking double shot of golden grey mullet for Steven Watkins (Cork). On her debut, Sophie McGowan targeted flounder from the start, lifting the flatfish pool with a fine 37cm flounder and also winning the Ladies section, with Rosaleene Murphy 2nd and Fiona Ryan 3rd.
In Zone C, Barry Murphy made the most of the end peg, recording a superb 10-fish mixed bag to take the zone and overall win, ahead of Alan Mulcahy 2nd and Troy Francis 3rd. Alex Murphy finished 3rd in the Juniors with 3 flounder – good practice ahead of the World Championships in a few weeks – while Philip Kennedy Ryan was 2nd, enjoying a mini species hunt alongside his dad (who once again came out second best ).
Zone B went to Willie Kett with 4 dogs and a huss – some say it was pure talent, others point to the irresistible smell of sausages from his camper! David Keating was 2nd and Ricky Duffin 3rd.
Zone A belonged to Jim O’Brien who thrived in the stormy conditions, shrugging off flying tents, buckets and rod stands to land 10 dogs for the win. Richie Gormley, fresh from his All-Ireland success, was 2nd with 9 fish, including the pool-winning 86cm bull huss, while Chris O’Sullivan had to settle for 3rd after losing fish in the reef, despite two huss on his card. Junior angler Mochara Fraher also shone here, topping the Junior section, beating several seniors, and adding yet another title to his growing CV before heading to Spain.
Well done to all the winners! Not everyone could take home a prize, but everyone left with a little souvenir sand from West Kerry.
A big thanks to Troy Francis for pegging out 2km of beach, to Stephen O’Donovan for all the organisation alongside the Tralee Bay SAC committee, to Daniel Reynolds for compiling the scores, and to Chris O’Sullivan for the excellent report.
Go fishing…
South West Sea Angling – Dingle Peninsula (Derrymore Point – Castlemaine)
