Richie Ryan reports from a great family outing in Cork Harbour…
I really love it when I can treat family to a saltwater fly fishing experience. And so it was when Swedish relations recently arrived in Cobh for a holiday. My niece, Emelie, her husband James, and their two children, Albert and Ezra, arrived in Ireland after a long absence. In addition, my sister-in-law, Britta Werkmaster Ryan, who I hadn’t seen for years, appeared as the icing on the cake.
Britta’s husband, my brother Brian (RIP), was probably the best angler I’ve ever seen in my life. In addition, he had one of the worst angling infections I have ever come across. To say he was obsessed is a serious understatement. He was particularly fixated on fly fishing. One of my greatest regrets is that he never lived to see the saltwater fly fishing business I set up in Cobh. He would have been thrilled.
Weather predictions were not great for the visitors, but on the last day of the holiday we made a dash to my favourite angling marks. The two sons of an avid angler had never caught a fish before, so no pressure, Richie! As often happens, the demonstration cast produced a pollock on the fly. Things couldn’t have worked out better. My brother Brian must have been smiling down on us.
To my sheer delight, both Albert and Ezra caught and released many fish that morning, all on the fly. Even their father James, who hooked and lost something massive, caught his first fish ever that morning.
Next up for a family outing was my son, Cian Ryan. Another avid angler in his teens and early twenties, he used to enter competitions in Cork Harbour, winning many trophies. In fact, I was told by many anglers in the know that he would surely have made the Irish sea angling team if he had persisted. Now he just doesn’t have the time, but he still has the ability and skill, as can be seen from the photo below. He was supposed to come out on a quick run a few days later. I went on my own and landed a fine, chunky 5 lb bass on a Clouser fly. Family fishing forays will continue, we hope.
Go fishing…
