EFSA Irish Winter Shore Angling Festival 2010

The 22nd EFSA Irish Winter Shore Angling Festival was held on the east facing beaches of County Wexford from Thursday 28th to Saturday 30th January 2010. An annual event based at Sean Og’s Hotel, Bar, and Holiday Home Complex, Kilmuckridge, Co. Wexford, the competition attracts many of the top Irish and UK match anglers due to the quality of fishing, prize money on offer, and the chance to catch up with distant friends. With €500.00 earmarked for first place overall, plus crystal, zone prizes, two and four man team prizes, optional pools, and longest round and flat fish, there was plenty on offer to keep the competitors interest up over the three scheduled match days.

After the gales and driving rain that hampered the 2009 event, this years weather was positively balmy with high pressure generating frosty conditions, and light westerly winds creating a ground swell which coloured the sea, enticing fish to venture onto the shallow beaches to feed during daylight. Three hook flappers, slider rigs, lugworm, wraps, maddies, and snake whites were all used to great effect over the three days, with competitors needing to log 25+ fish to be anywhere in the shake up.

Match day one saw the participants head for Morriscastle Strand, fishing 12 noon to five PM. Ireland dominated the proceedings laying down a marker by winning all three zones. Penn Sea League champion Dave Roe, South Dublin stalwart Ian Knight, and Waterford’s own J.P.Molloy setting the early pace. With Clones/Kilgorman Strand penned in for match day two the UK contingent had some catching up to do. A light westerly breeze and low cloud created ideal conditions that the top rods revelled in. Maddies and lug wraps were combined to great effect with UK match men Chris Clarke and Alan Yates winning two of the three zones, Clarke logging 45 fish in the process.

Courtown Strand North was the venue for match day three and the weather Gods wove their magic. A coloured flat calm sea combined with a frosty windless morning and blue skies created ideal conditions for sea match angling. The venue produced steadily with again lug wraps and maddies the key bait. A highlight of the day was Courtown Sea Angling Centre’s Joe Byrne pipping Alan Yates on the last cast to win his zone with 29 fish. On the overall standings Alan’s second placing ensured first place in the competition, with Chris Clarke coming second, and Waterford’s J.P. Molloy a creditable third.

George McCullough, Mick Quinn, and Warren Doyle have to be congratulated for a well organised event. Sean OG’s Hotel, Kilmuckridge, Co. Wexford, http://www.seanogs.ie, is an ideal base central to all the beaches and to the ferry terminals at Rosslare and Dunlaoghaire. The fishing was good, the weather behaved, and all those that took part were adamant that they would return in 2011 along with one or two friends. This long running festival is set to grow.

Contact: EFSA Ireland secretary, Warren Doyle. 98 Seacrest, Bray, Co. Wicklow. Tel: 00353 (0)86 8069961. Email: warrendoyle@iol.ie.

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thanks ashley good report well done to everyone

Well done to everyone involved esp Jp !

Great report ashely,good to talk on the beach on Saturday, i'm sure you seen some sights walking up and down.

sounds like the fishing and weather gods listened to the prayers for once great report and good to see people travelling from over the pail to fish in our comps at least we still have something to interest travelling anglers nice going jp not bad for an ould lad