The PROCAST Boat & Shore Competitions

[kieran]

Hi

Conor Hamilton from http://www.procast-angling.com has generously donated a selection of soft bodied lures and leadheads for our competitions. Having got the kit in front of me, I can tell you it is excellent quality and a worthy addition to the kit box. It was nicely and very safely packaged too.

Peter Noone from http://www.euro-tackle.com has also come aboard as a sponsor for another competition, details of which will be released shortly.

Now you have lots of chances to win...

We want PICTURES of a SHORE caught FISH, and we will select winners every month until Conor tells me to stop! All you have to do is email in your picture explaining when, where and how you caught the fish. All entries will be displayed on the gallery with the winners clearly identified.

This will be run on an honour basis so play fair... no pictures from six years ago of that prize wrasse you landed

The prizes are really excellent,, and our thanks to the sponsors for their conntinued support. In the interent of conservation and supporting the sport, an emphasis will be placed on fish returned alive over those taken, which is not to say that if you keep it for the pot you will not win.

Tight lines...

[kieran]

Competition runs and runs... until Conor tells me otherwise!!!

[Conor H]

Aye, we'll keep it going and see how it progresses. Hopefully it'll pick up with skippers putting boats back on the water soon and more favourable weather.
Well done Lee Rock by the way !! (and JIM !!)

[mick]

the little fella just got his prize from procast. nice piece of kit - lads get your pics in - if a winter flounder can win....

[kieran]

Sean Clohessy won the March Boat Competition with a 20 lb coalfish off a wreck using one of his brothers Procast shads from his January win! With the improving weather I think we will finally get some new competitors

We have given the March Shore Competition prize to Neil Moroney, as much for the shiny suit as the Conger Eel! He was up against a pin whiting (submitted for the sympathy vote) but the suit won it easily

Both fish and winners are pictured in the Gallery, pages 3 and 4.

[kieran]

Hi

Just thought you might be interested in what real fish look like!!!

http://www.daba.eclipse.co.uk/davis_turbot.htm

Now those are what we call flatfish!

[kieran]

Congraulations to Steve and Conor for winning the May Shore and Boat Procast Competitions, check gallery 4 for details.

[kieran]

Congratulations to Peter Duffy for winning the Shore prize for June with a fine 4 lb wrasse from Valentia Island. See gallery page 5.

Congratulations to Ronald Surgenor, whose 6 lb pollack on 5 lb braid was judged the best achievement from a boat in June. See gallery page 4.

[kieran]

Congratulations to Luke Scully and Colin Brett for winning the July Competitions from Boat and Shore.

Honourable mentions have to go to Brian Smith for landing a 175 lb skate from Clew Bay and Terry Jackson for a 196 lb skate off Antirm, however Brian said he did not want the prize and Terry's fish was entered too late, so Luke Scully won with the most infamous Tope of 2004!

In the interests of transparency, in regard to the Procast competitions, we will adjudge the best fish per month on the basis of the tackle used, and its weight relative to either the current ISFC record or specimen weight, with allowances made for whether the fish was landed from a boat or the shore. More information on baits, rigs and kit will help.

In the interests of conservation and promoting sea angling as a sport, we will give preference to fish caught, photographed and released. This is not to say that fish taken for the pot will not win, just that if you release it back, it improves your chances...

[kieran]

Crikey but it was tough this month!

What was the boat competition like this month! We had Darragh Hughes, a junior with a 15 lb Blonde Ray off Bray, two 20 lb Thornbacks from the Durty Fecker and a few Tope to boot, a rare Cuckoo Ray from Donegal, a near 200 lb Common Skate from Antrim, an Anglerfish, a fine 9 lb Painted Ray taken by John Hughes off Wexford... in the end, there can be only one winner and it had to go to James Guerin with his specimen 24 lb Coalfish hoisted up from the depth off a Cork wreck. Well done James.

Neil Moroney's excellent (shore specimen) Spotted Ray was a desperately close second and Ronald Surgenor's Pollack and M.B3's Bull Wall Bass were tempting options. I think it was the well known fighting qualities of this fish that did it... just. Given Neil has won already this year, in missing the specimen mark by just a few ounces, we finally decided to give the August Shore Competition prize to Brian Cooke for his Smoothhound off a Wicklow beach at night.

Well done everyone and good luck for September - the best month...

[kieran]

Hi

We're a bit late in congratulating these people - my fault - so here goes: -

August: MB3 from the forum with his lovely Bass from Dollymount, returned.

September: Eoin Beatty for his excellent 30 lb Conger Eel

October: Shaun Fleming from Portstewart SAC for his brace of flounder, the better fish topping 2.5 lbs

We've tried to get in contact with all of you, however some of the photos were submitted by friends rather than by the anglers directly, so if you have not heard from us, drop me a line directly using a pm or email. Thanks

[kieran]

What with all that has been going on, we've forgotten about some excellent fishing and some competition winners...

November: In most circumstances we would have given the boat prize for the 62 lb conger but James Guerin is a previous winner and so in keeping with our aim of spreading Procast's largesse around, Uel Moore can consider his 29 lb Blonde Ray (page 16) a very lucky fish indeed.

From the shore we had Ronald firing all sort of weird and wonderful wee species at us, however Peter McGroary (who subsequently broke his leg!) took a cuckoo ray from the shore in Donegal and we felt that was a rare capture and worthy of the shore prize.

December: there was very little to choose between the superb 200 lb skate landed by seperately by Sam Oliver and Gavin McCormick. Maybe they could be called a dead heat, what do you think Conor?

December: From the shore Donagh Molloy took a nice Thornback from the SAI "meet" at Carrigaholt, and we've felt that any ray in December is good work and even better than one in November!

Can the winners or the boat's skippers please contact Conor Hamilton at Procast directly in case I do not have contact details?[/u]

[Conor H]

Hi Kieran,
That'll do well. Both lads in the dead heat can have a prize so all named anglers on your post will be getting something.
Sean McKay from Ballycastle has been in touch , so any anglers who caught prize winning fish with Sean, your prize will be with him in the next day or two and Sean says he'll get them to you.
Well done all !

Cheers,