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Monday, July 21, 2008 Drift-net ban bearing fruit Derek Evans

AFTER MY RECENT visit to the west - to primarily assess the effectsof the commercial drift-netting ban on salmon stocks - I can reportthat there has been a significant improvement in the quality andquantity of salmon returning to their rivers.

We are now almost two years into the ban and already fisheriesmanagers are experiencing greater runs, an absence of net marks anda typically more plump, rounded salmon.

Also of interest are the very large salmon arriving in our riversthis year. Earlier this month, a salmon of 11kg was caught on LoughMelvin, and two weeks ago the River Bandon in Cork produced a fishof 12.5kg, the biggest salmon caught in Ireland since 1991.Anglers, too, are beginning to regain confidence, returning totheir favourite rivers with reasonable expectations of catching afish. Some hoteliers and guesthouses report an upsurge in bookingsthis season - a welcomed rejuvenation after the ominous predictionsof two years ago.

Of course, it will take perhaps another two years before we cansafely say our rivers are back to sustainable levels and thatsalmon angling has returned to pre-driftnetting days. However, ourhosts, Fáilte Ireland, can confidently begin to redevelop thedomestic and overseas market in salmon angling with the assurancethat a remarkable revival is indeed under way.

My first port of call was the Galway Weir. Fisheries manager SeamusHartigan was in jubilant mood, as the Weir is enjoying one of itsbest run of salmon for years. Last week alone, 143 fish werelanded, mostly grilse up to 3kg. Fly accounted for 82. "We arefully booked up to end of August," he said.

The magnificent new Fisheries Board offices overlooking the weirare due to open next month. The underwater camera on display showsthe salmon prior to ascending the fish pass. This spectacular featof technology is available live on the internet atwww.wrfb.ie/fishcam.php. The advice is not to stay all daywatching, as there is a bandwidth limit of 10 simultaneous users.PS: It is my intention over the next two weeks to profile thefishing houses and salmon fisheries I visited on my tour of thewest.

? It is World Cup time again as anglers gear up for thebiggest event of the year. Ballinrobe, in Co Mayo, will come aliveas the town welcomes hundreds of anglers from around the world, alleager to lift the coveted title of World Cup Trout Fly-fishingChampion.

Cushlough Bay, on the shores of Lough Mask, will take centre-stageas anglers take to the waters of this great lake in an attempt toentice the wild brown trout to the fly. Now in its 51st year, thefive-day festival continues to grow in stature with its glitteringarray of prizes including an Anglers' Fancy lake boat presented byBurke Boats.

Last year, Brendan Moran from Kells, Co Meath, became the thirdangler to lift the title for the second time - the other two beinglocal man Robbie O'Grady and Derry Ryan from Carlow. The first heatgets under way on July 31st, with the final on August 4th.

Competitors should note that a limit on the numbers participatingwill apply this year and prizegiving will take place at Cushloughimmediately after weigh-in on Monday evening, thus enablingprizewinners to depart earlier than heretofore. The Railway InnCarvery in Ballinrobe will take care of catering throughout thefestival.

The committee wishes the World Cup Patron, Msgr T Shannon, PPBallinrobe, a long and happy life in his forthcoming retirement.The Monsignor has welcomed thousands of anglers to Lough Mask inhis opening addresses of the competition.

? Castlebar Anglers Association is holding a Millennium CupCompetition on Lough Mask on July 27th. Registration will be atHarringtons, Partry, from 9.30am, in time for fishing at 11am.Fly-fishing only is permitted and anglers are required to maketheir own boating arrangements. Entry fee is €20.

? The winner of The Irish Times /Jimmy Tyrrell's Flycraft lough and river flies is Tim Sheridan,Hermitage, Crossdoney, Co Cavan, who cited haddock as the odd oneout.

? 2008 The Irish Times

This article appears in the print edition of the Irish Times