#ANGLING - The Corkman has paid tribute to the late Jack O'Sullivan, one of the best known Irishmen in the coarse angling fraternity.

"He is a man who worked hard to put the town of Fermoy, and the stretches of the River Blackwater that enhance it, to the forefront of tourism," the paper writes.

"For 25 years he led from the front, not just by putting Fermoy on the map as a coarse angling destination but also his country, when he brought the likes of the World Coarse Angling Championships to Fermoy in 1968, and many other prestigious events down through the years."

A founder member of the National Coarse Fishing Federation of Ireland (NCFFI), in 2007 O'Sullivan received a gold medal from the organisation for his services to the Fermoy Coarse Angling Association, and angling tourism both local and national.

The Corkman has more on the story HERE.

#ANGLING - Strongs winds and heavy seas weren't enough to dampen the spirits of the anglers taking part in the Courtown Sea Anglers RNLI fundraising event last Sunday, the Gorey Guardian reports.

Top winner on the day in the shore angling competition at Kilgorman beach was James Ryan from New Ross, who hooked an impressive 24 fish - all of which went back in the water under catch-and-release rules.

Anglers from Galway, Belfast, Clare, Wicklow, Dublin, Waterford and across Wexford took part. It is hoped that more than €4,200 was raised to support the Courtown lifeboat.

#ANGLING - The Third International Pike Competition and Pike World Cup Boat Angling Tournament is set to take place on Lough Ree in Co Westmeath from 18-20 April 2012.

While the first event in 2010 attracted 55 anglers, that number more than doubled to 120 in 2012, and many more are expected to take part this year to boost the prize fund to €21,000.

As The Irish Times reports, top prize of €3,000 is guaranteed to the angler with the biggest pike.

This year's entry fee will also be reduced to €100 per angler for all three days or €40 per day. Fees will be returned in prize money with daily and overall prizes.

“We have made changes, especially when it comes to handling and photographing fish,” said organiser Dave Haughton.

For more details about the event and how to take part, contact [email protected].

#ANGLING - Northern Ireland's Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure (DCAL) has called on anglers to help protect the North's wild salmon, following new research that shows a significant drop in their numbers.

Fisheries Minister Carál Ní Chuilín told BBC News: "The continued commercial exploitation of wild Atlantic salmon and killing of salmon caught by rod and line in the DCAL jurisdiction is currently untenable."

Annual monitoring of Northern Ireland's salmon rivers has shown a failure to reach targets most years since 2002. The survival rate of salmon in the marine phases has in some cases dropped to as little as 5%.

DCAL has now urged offshore salmon anglers and fishermen to forego applying for 2012 licences, to give time to consider options for the future of salmon fishing.

BBC News has more on the story HERE.

#ANGLING - The Atlantic Salmon Trust's 2012 Fishing Country Sports Auction went live this week, with some 300 lots offered - including three prime Irish fishing spots on the Blackwater, Mourne and Drowes.

“The annual auction remains our single most significant fundraising event and its success is essential to helping us continue our work,” said AST chief executive Tony Andrews in The Irish Times.

Aside from top fishing opportunities in England, Scotland and Wales, spots in Russia are also featured, as well as deer stalking excursions and shooting days.

For art lovers, sporting prints and watercolours are included in the lots, as is a limited edition of the acclaimed Atlantic Salmon Magic, and Salmon Rivers, one of the best recent publications on the Atlantic salmon. They could be the perfect gift for someone's Valentine's Day.

Bids will close on 14 February for the online auction at www.atlanticsalmontrust.org/auction/.

#ANGLING - The beaches of east Wexford will again play host to the 24th Winter Shore Angling Festival from 26-28 January.

The cream of sea match angling talent from the United Kingdom and Ireland will be taking advantage of the "exceptional" catches of codling and coalfish in the area as of late, as previously reported on Afloat.ie.

First prize for individuals in 2012 will be €500, apart from two- and four-man competitions and optional pools.

Headquarters for the three-day event will be Seán Óg’s Complex in Kilmuckridge, where accommodation can be reserved through the competition organisers with a special rate of €110 for four nights (breakfast included).

The entry fee of €150 includes a special presentation dinner where trophies will be presented for first, second and third place overall.

For entry details contact Warren Doyle, 98 Seacrest, Bray, Co Wicklow at 086 8069961 (evenings only) or [email protected].

#ANGLING - The first wild Atlantic spring salmon of 2012 was caught Sunday on the River Liffey in exceptional circumstances, The Irish Times reports.

Though the river is closed for salmon fishing as stocks are currently below sustainable levels, Inland Fisheries Ireland sanctioned a special catch-and-release club event for survey reasons at Islandbridge in the capital.

Declan Briggs – a 47-year veteran of the Dublin and District Salmon Anglers' Association - landed the 8.5lb beauty using a wooden Devon lure at 9.50am.

“This is my first time to catch the first fish. I’m absolutely delighted," he said.

Elsewhere in Ireland, Briggs' catch was mirrored by Tyrone man Ian Martin, who caught the northern region's first salmon on the year on the River Drownes near Bundoran.

The Irish Times has more on the story HERE.

#ANGLING - The winter shore angling season on Wexford's coast has been "exeptional" so far, writes Ashley Hayden in the Enniscorthy Guardian.

With cod shoals moving north into the Irish Sea, some impressive catches of codling have been reported at Tinnebearna and Courtown.

"The cod stock off Ireland's south coast, judging by the fish which I have encountered over the last three years, are now of egg-laying size," writes Hayden.

"Managed properly over the near future, Ireland may just have a working resource again, of benefit to both commercial and recreational interests."

Coalfish are also becoming more prevalent, and are providing great sport to Wexford's shore anglers.

Hayden writes: "Coalies are smash and grab raiders, darting in to grab your bait, hitting it hard before subsequently swimming away and re-grouping, only to have another go."

The Enniscorthy Guardian has more on the story HERE.

#ANGLING - Inland Fisheries Ireland's Salmon Conservation Scheme has been extended into 2012, with funding increased to a total of €200,000.

The pilot scheme will facilitate the rehabilitation of salmon stocks, giving priority to rivers below their conservation limit which have the greatest prospect of recovery.

Applications are now being invited for salmon conservation projects, to a maximum value of €10,000 per project. Applicants must outline the benefits of the project, the ability to plan and complete the project, and value for money. Any statutory approvals necessary, such as planning permission, must be in place.

Examples of schemes that can be funded include: fish passage improvement; spawning enhancement, instream structures such as weirs and deflectors; river bank protection; tree pruning and planting; and removal of invasive species.

Minister for Communiations, Energy and Natural Resources, Pat Rabbitte, commented: "This scheme has been proven to enhance habitat, knowledge and ultimately the wonderful angling and commercial fisheries we enjoy in Ireland adding benefit to local economies."

Application forms are available from the Inland Fisheries Ireland website HERE.

The closing date for applications is 31 March 2012.

#ANGLING - Minister of State Fergus O'Dowd was on hand at the opening of the White River enhancement project in Dunleer, Co Louth earlier this month.

The €32,000 project was funded by the Louth Leader Partnership, with works were carried out by the Dee and Glyde Fishing Development Association and the Dundalk district staff of Inland Fisheries Ireland.

The White River, a tributary of the River Dee, is considered hugely important as a spawning and nursery area, and it has already seen significant improvements in the levels of juvenile salmon and trout.

Instream enhancement works began in 2006, supervised by Inland Fisheries Ireland, and included the introduction of new gravel, weirs, deflectors and spawning beds which have helped the White River to achieve its potential in terms of fish numbers.

Speaking at the launch, Inland Fisheries Ireland CEO Dr Ciaran Byrne said: "The work that I have seen on the river is fantastic and a credit to all involved."

IFI assistant inspector in Dundalk, Ronan O’Brien, said project was based on restoring the natural features of the river.

He added that the programme was a great recognition of the work carried out by the Dee and Glyde Fishing Association, and that it had strengthened links with local business and development groups and could be used as a template for other projects in the area.