Bord Iascaigh Réigiúnach an Oirthir
Press Release 13th August 2007
Slaney River Trust in conjunction with the Eastern Regional Fisheries Board and Central Fisheries Board with funding provided by the INTERREG IIIA programme hosted a second Ladies fly-casting and fly-fishing course on the 12th August at Rathcon Fishery, Grangecon, Co Wicklow.
Above: Pictured at the Slaney River Trust Ladies Fly-Fishing Course in Rathcon Fishery, Grangecon, Co Wicklow are:
Picture of the group on the casting field in Rathcon Fishery.
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Carmel Benson, Roundwood, Co Wicklow, pictured with the 1st rainbow trout caught.
The second course was fully booked in advance and participants travelled from Dublin, Wicklow, Wexford and Tipperary. The course offered participants the chance to learn from one of the best instructors in Ireland, Glenda Powell assisted by Mark Corps, Angling Advisor for the Central Fisheries Board, Betty Hayes, Eastern Regional Fisheries Board member and representative for Slaney River Foundation and Glenda’s husband, Ian Powell. The day started at 10.00am with a detailed briefing from Glenda on the basics of fly-fishing including an introduction on Safety & Clothing; The Equipment; Entomology and Fly-Casting Principles. Loop kindly provided top of the range fishing rods, reels and hats for use by the participants on the day.
Before the group got to cast on the lake itself, the basic steps were taught on a nearby field allowing Glenda and the other instructors to identify and correct any mistakes at an early stage. Following a delicious lunch organized by the Fishery, it was time to put all the casting practice to the test in an effort to catch one of the big Rathcon rainbows!
We didn’t have to wait long; the first fish was caught by Carmel Benson from Roundwood, Co Wicklow. This spurred on the rest of the group and the second fish was caught shortly after by Anne Maloney of Sandycove, Co Dublin. The third fish was signaled by a series of screams and cries of delight as Marie Doyle from nearby Baltinglass, Co Wicklow landed a fine rainbow with assistance from Glenda. It was one of the instructor’s turns next and Mark showed the group how it’s done by catching and landing a huge rainbow of approximately 8lbs. The last fish of the day was caught by a delighted Teresa Doyle from Citywest, Dublin.
The group reluctantly handed back their rods at 4.00pm. They all thoroughly enjoyed the day and promised to continue practicing. Each participant took home a detailed pack on flyfishing from Glenda, brochures on fishing in the East from the Eastern Regional Fisheries Board and catch and release videos from the Slaney River Trust. Many thanks to Dermot Paige and his family at Rathcon Fishery for looking after everyone so well. If you haven’t tried fishing at Rathcon yet, it is well worth a visit.
There was no fee for tuition on the day, instead participants were invited to make a donation to Action Breast Cancer. Many thanks to all participants for their generous donations. The total amount raised for Action Breast Cancer was €1,440.
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For more information on fishing in the Eastern Region, please contact Marketing Angling Co-ordinator, Eastern Regional Fisheries Board, 01-2787022 or visit www.fishingireland.net
Slaney River Trust represents clubs, fishery owners, anglers and naturalists on the River Slaney. We are committed to working in partnership with communities in the Slaney Valley, with Government at national and local level, as well as others who have an interest in improving the ecology, fisheries and wildlife of the river.
The Eastern Regional Fisheries Board is a statutory authority whose function is to conserve, develop, protect, manage and promote the inland fisheries and sea angling resources within its jurisdiction. The Region extends from the border in Northern Ireland to South of the Wexford coast and includes all catchments which enter the sea between these boundaries. For further information, please visit www.fishingireland.net
The principal functions of the Central Fisheries Board are to advise the Minister for Communications, the Marine and Natural Resources on policy relating to the conservation, protection, management, development and improvement of inland fisheries and sea angling, to support, coordinate and provide specialist support services to the Regional Fisheries Boards and to advise the Minister on the performance by the Regional Fisheries Boards of their functions.
Action Breast Cancer is a national programme established by the Irish Cancer Society to provide breast cancer information and support and to fund breast cancer research. Services are free, confidential and accessible and include: