spring 2016 - SANACC

The IFFA Home Countries Spring International was fished at Lough Lein, Ireland on Friday 27th May with England coming out on top with 18 trout.  The week started off with a good breeze but as the practice days headed towards match day it gradually became brighter and the wind dropped away day by day.  On match day competitors were chasing the ripple in a mixture of sun and cloud.  Towards the end of match day the breeze and catch rates picked up.  The match was fished to a four fish kill and would have been followed by catch and release had any competitor been able to catch more than four trout.  The minimum size of takeable trout was set at 10 inches measured to the fork of the tail. 

Ireland were next to the scales and recorded 8 trout for 1.780kg which put them in fourth place.  Scotland followed and their 13 trout 2.788kg was just edged out of the second spot by Wales who also had 13 trout but with a heavier weight of 3.302kg.

I was drawn with Joe Gilroy of Ireland and lost the toss but as he hadn't been able to practice that week he gave the boat to me.  Initially we went to Gaureen Bay where I set up with a four fly cast of a connemara black, clan chief muddler and two snatchers on a cortland blue.  We started off in a light ripple and bright sky but after 20 minutes we had a flat calm.  I had one small fish there that didn't measure and we moved down to Victoria Bay where I had been getting keepers out in the middle during the practice days.  I changed my set up to diawl bachs and a leven spider and around 11am I took my first keeper.  I had plenty of offers there, most of which were from perch, and caught 6 trout which were just short of the mark.

I was drawn with Marco Orsi of Wales and won the toss.  We went to Victoria Bay and I set up with four diawl bachs on a cortland blue.  In the first hour I picked up 2 that were just short of the mark and when control of the boat changed about noon we initially stayed where we were. Around 1pm we bounced around the islands and then we headed for the Hen and Chicken area but on route we met up with Ally Middlemass who told us that area wasn't fishing.

We headed back to the Victoria Bay/Mahony's area and I picked up 2 small fish in the first 10 minutes there.  About 5pm Marco picked up a good fish that turned out to be the heaviest fish of the day and I got a keeper as well.  Shortly after that the wind picked up and I changed to a fast glass and got my second keeper on the leven spider.  I had one more small fish and that was the end of my day. 

I was drawn with Ian Donaldson of England who won the toss.  He took me to he burn mouth at Elephant Rock but we didn't do anything there and moved over to the hotel area.  I had one that didn't measure on diawl bachs fished on a cortland blue and we moved from there to Prism Rock.  I had 3 small trout there before moving to Victoria Bay.  

I picked up 2 keepers at Victoria Bay and Ian picked up a nice trout on a buzzer under a dry.  We had more small fish and perch but nothing else that would measure.