Programme to Encourage Women to Become Successful and Independent Flyfishers
For information about this event and other beginners days please email the PRO Maddy Kelly [email protected].
Exciting opportunities for women interested in learning about flyfishing, will be happening over the summer. The first is at the Southern County Fishing Resort near Garryhill on Saturday 13th June 2026.
This event begins at 11am and will include a short indoor session followed by 4 hours of casting instruction and practice outside.
The course is aimed at beginners or novice anglers aged over 18 and all equipment will be provided.
No experience is necessary but booking is essential. For information about this event and other beginners days please email the PRO Maddy Kelly [email protected].
Women will be travelling from all over Ireland to take part and full joining instructions will be sent to those who book.
Dan O’Neill from Killkenny who is an APGAI Qualified Fly-Casting Instructor will be the lead instructor. He will be assisted by Maddy Kelly from Co Down.
Maddy Kelly who has 25 Caps for the Irish Ladies FlyfishingTeam and has been Team Captain on 3 occasions said,
‘This is an amazing opportunity for women to learn about flyfishing and getting started can be an enjoyable, relaxing, and rewarding experience. There are very few women in Ireland who fish but attending a beginner’s day for women lets you meet like-minded women.
The benefits of angling have been known for a long time but it’s been a well-kept secret. To be outdoors with nature surrounding you, in beautiful places, really gives a boost to your health and well-being. So even if you don’t catch any fish, the physical exertion from your fishing adventure will leave you feeling rejuvenated. Walking to your fishing spot, carrying your gear, scrambling 5 miles up along a river bank and wading really works your inner core. Fishing also requires concentration, patience, and attention to the surroundings, which are all components of mindfulness, helping to improve focus and distract from worries.
If you catch fish that are suitable for consumption you have an excellent source of lean protein, as fish contains essential nutrients such as omega-3 fatty acids and vitamins. Catching your fish is also an excellent way to help to reduce your carbon footprint since it minimizes the distance that your food has to travel before it arrives on your plate.
I hope that this encourages women to think about trying out flyfishing. All equipment will be provided and participants just need to wear warm clothes and to bring waterproofs.’
For more information about womens flyfishing in Ireland or to take part in this event please email Maddy Kelly PRO at [email protected]
There are a range of events throughout Ireland for women who wish to learn to flyfish or to take part in other angling disciplines including a number at Straid Fishery in Co Antrim being organized by ‘Reel Women’, courses organized by the Ulster Angling Federation throughout NI, beginners days being run by the Irish Ladies Flyfishing Association and events run by the Irish Ladies Shore Anglers.
Information on all events is available from Maddy Kelly at [email protected]
