Ronan Cusack reports that there was plenty of activity on Lough Mask over the weekend as the excitement builds for the upcoming World Cup, which starts tomorrow the 28th July.
Ballinrobe & District Anglers held their annual club competition on Sunday last which was supported by 46 anglers. Conditions on the day were excellent, with south westerly winds and plenty of cloud cover. As usual for this time of year, boats were dotted all across the middle as the black water produced most of the goods. This year’s winner was well-known angler Peter Byrne from Castlebar, with 4 trout for 4.714lbs. Second position went to Terry McGovern from Fermanagh, with 4 fish for 4.664lbs, and in third place was Michael Twohig from Kanturk, with 3 fish for 3.752lbs. Heaviest fish prize went to Kevin Egan from Ballinrobe, with a trout of 2.592lbs.
Anglers fishing on the lake have noticed and reported an increase in numbers of small fish across the deep at the moment and are concerned that these fish are handled in a proper manner and returned to the water safely. Inland Fisheries Ireland officers are very much aware of this and are out in force at the moment around the lake carrying out routine checks on both size and bag limits. Anglers are asked to respect the minimum statutory size and bag limits and return any undersize fish to the water as quickly and carefully as possible.
