Richard Dodd reports on Borough SAC’s first competition of 2026, fished on Killiney Beach…
Killiney Beach – Saturday 31 January, 4pm–8pm
January 2026 will go down as the month the weather tried to wash Ireland into the Atlantic. Three winter storms barrelled in one after another, each one wetter, louder, and more dramatic than the last. Rain hammered the East coast so relentlessly that even the ducks were complaining, and the wind blew so hard from the South‑east that seagulls were seen walking instead of flying.
At one point, I even spotted a neighbour building a boat in his garden. The worrying part wasn’t the boat—it was the animals lining up two by two. That’s when you knew: this was going to be an interesting month for fishing.
Despite the chaos, Borough SAC prepared to launch the 2026 season. With the storms still swirling and the ground squelching underfoot, our secretary Tom Butler took it upon himself to rally the troops. Phone in hand, he rang members one by one, offering encouragement, motivation, and possibly mild emotional blackmail. Whatever he said worked—ten brave anglers committed to facing whatever Killiney Beach threw at them.
Bait, however, was another story. The tackle shops looked like they’d been looted by a hungry otter. Worms were nowhere to be found, so most anglers turned up armed with fish baits and hope.
Pegging the beach fell to myself, and arriving early proved essential. Blackrock SAC were also fishing from 4pm to 9pm, and several pleasure anglers were already set up. Space was at a premium, but the beach was marked out in time. The beach itself looked like it had survived a Viking raid—weed piled high on the tide line, and the general look of a place that had been slapped around by three storms in a row. Still the weather gods must have felt guilty. The rain stopped. The wind eased. The sea calmed. And suddenly, against all odds, it looked like a perfect night for fishing.
As the first casts hit the water, every angler had the same thought: “Please don’t let the weed ruin this.” At 4pm sharp, the competition began. Concerns about weed vanished almost immediately—conditions were excellent, and the sea fished beautifully throughout the session. Joe Caffrey opened the scoring with the first fish of the night,a lively whiting,and from there the action never slowed.
Peg |
Angler |
Fish Caught |
Notes |
1 |
Tom Butler |
12 |
Still had time to ring people mid‑session (probably). |
2 |
Richard Dodd |
29 |
Included a 34 cm coalie and 22 cm dab. |
3 |
Seb Dungan |
11 |
Quiet but steady. |
4 |
Donald Mullen |
13 |
Included a 23 cm rockling. |
5 |
Jim McDonald |
17 |
Strong performance. |
6 |
Joe Caffrey |
9 |
Started the night with the first fish. |
7 |
Martin Corr |
16 |
Consistent as always. |
8 |
Willie Roche |
12 |
Solid session. |
9 |
Stan Ryan |
16 |
Matching Martin fish for fish. |
10 |
Mick Murray |
9 |
Rounded out the field. |
Total Fish Caught: 144, all whiting expect for 2 dabs, a coalie and shore rockling, thank god for whiting. Every single one returned safely to swim another day.
A Brilliant Start to 2026 Against all expectations—and after a month of storms, floods, and questionable ark‑building. Great turnout. Great conditions. Great craic. If the rest of the year follows this trend, 2026 is shaping up to be one of our best seasons yet. And if the weather tries to wash us away again well, at least we know Tom will ring everyone until they show up anyway.
Join the club…
The Borough Sea Angling Club is made up of a group of active anglers. Usually we hire 2 or more charter boats for our 8 boat competitions. The 10 shore competitions have a hardcore group that fish mainly on the east coast. Usually there are 2 competitions around the Ardmore / Youghal area. Some members are also involved in pike, coarse and trout fishing. Usually there is at least one tour abroad each year to various destinations.
