#Angling - Four new records dominate the record fish list for 2014 which has just been published by the Irish Specimen Fish Committee (ISFC).

The most recent is a new record carp of 14.24kg caught by Aaron Cummins at Loughgall in Co Antrim on 26 October.

In August a new thin-lipped mullet record was set by Ian Mulligan, who reeled in a 2.86kg specimen at Clonakilty, Co Cork on the 23rd of the month.

Also in Cork, Stephen O'Neill set the new golden grey mullet record with his 1.2kg catch in Cork Harbour on 16 July.

And Tom Walsh is in the books for his 11.06kg spur dogfish landed at Red Bay, Co Antrim on 3 June. 

The ISFC says 2014 was a very good year for anglers, with large numbers of specimen-sized fish caught besides the four new records established.

High water temperatures during the summer meant very good news for many sea anglers, with some of Ireland’s more exotic species like thin lipped mullet, golden grey mullet and gilthead quite prominent in the overall specimen fish listings. Specimen painted ray and thick-lipped mullet were also plentiful.

A total of 526 specimens were ratified in 2014, and the ISFC expects anglers both at home and abroad will be reading the report carefully to plan their angling trips in 2015, with the new year seeing tope, spurdog, smooth-hound and blue shark allowable as length-based specimens.

In other specimen fish news, the ISFC Awards Day will be held on Saturday 21 February to coincide with the Irish Angling Show weekend.

Invitations will be issued to anglers from Ireland next week. If any angler plans to attend, contact [email protected] as soon as possible.

Overseas anglers are also very welcome to attend. Certificates, etc will be posted to anglers who cannot attend, and it is intended to present anglers in the Netherlands with their awards at the VISMA 2015 angling show in Rotterdam.

The 2014 Irish Specimen Fish report is available as a PDF to read or download HERE.

Hard copies of the report will be available free of charge from the Inland Fisheries Ireland offices in Citywest Business Campus, Dublin 24 in early January. For further information contact ISFC secretary William Roche at 01 884 2600.

#Angling - Inland Fisheries Ireland (IFI) has just published three research reports on pike in Irish waters.

The Diet of Pike in Irish Watercourses aims to elucidate the variation in the diet of Irish pike between river, lake and canal habitats, and to quantify niche size and dietary specialisation and attempt to identify the timing of the switch to a piscivorous diet.

Ecomorphology of Pike in Irish Freshwaters deals with the morphology and condition of pike in Ireland.

Genetic Structure of Pike and their History in Ireland (which is available to download from the IFI website HERE) investigates the genetic variation of Irish pike populations and their relationship with European groups, in an attempt to identify where they came from, as it is largely assumed to have been introduced by humans over the past few hundred years.

The research was carried out as part of a wider PhD research project conceived by IFI and University College Dublin, with the overall aim of updating and informing managers as to the biology and ecology of pike (Esox lucius L.) in Ireland, a historically understudied species in the Irish context.

The field work and sampling for this project was carried out opportunistically in collaboration with IFI, and through attendance at many pike angling competitions.

The authors of these papers also thank the many pike anglers that contributed to the study and allowed D Pedreschi to sample their catch.

This study has been generously funded by IFI with contributions from the Irish Federation of Pike Angling Clubs.

#angling – Minister of State, Joe McHugh TD, visited the River Lackagh, Co Donegal, on Monday 20th October to view at first hand major angling development works currently underway to enhance this highly scenic salmon and sea trout fishery.

As part of an overall joint management plan for the development of the fishery, the Creeslough Angling Club, in conjunction with Inland Fisheries Ireland (IFI), have completed a major upgrade and expansion of angler access and car parking facilities along the lower reaches of the river near Creeslough village. The majority of the work was carried out by Tús community work placement workers, with materials and additional labour supplied by IFI.

Commenting on the visit, Minister McHugh said: "I had a very positive visit to the River Lackagh where I had an opportunity to see for myself the very encouraging development carried out on the upgrading and expansion of facilities at the fishery and the great work being carried out by all groups, including the Creeslough Angling Club, the IFI and on a broader level, the Donegal Angling Tourism Alliance.

"I would like to thank those present for giving clear and concise briefings on how developments are underway and outlining where they believe the future of angling for the River Lackagh and the surrounding lakes is heading. There are many opportunities here which are being pursued by local and national groups and I commend them on their hard work to date and look forward to working closer and supporting where I can, as Minister and within the Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources."

Previous developments on the fishery, funded mainly under the Salmon Conservation Fund administered by IFI, have seen a series of fishery and habitat enhancement measures completed including introduction of spawning gravels, fish passage improvement, selective bank clearance and erection of livestock fencing along key river bank sections. Salmon numbers have improved steadily on the fishery in recent years with the fishery re-opened on a 'catch and release' basis for the past two seasons.

Milton Matthews, Director, Inland Fisheries Ireland, briefed Minister McHugh on progress towards securing a major capital project for the fishery next year which would see a crump weir and fish counter facilities installed on the river. If successful, this proposal would represent the first such counter along the north Donegal coast.

Niall Gallagher, Paddy Boyle, chairman and secretary of the Creeslough AC, and consultant Kevin O'Connor, presented a copy of the 'Future Development plan for angling tourism and conservation of the Creeslough Fisheries to the Minister. The plan details future angling development proposals for the River Lackagh system and surrounding lakes including creation of additional angling spaces on the Owencarrow River, as well as provision of improved access, parking and mooring facilities at Glen Lough, Natooey and Roosky lakes.

The plan represents one of a number of similar projects developed by the Donegal Angling Tourism Alliance (DATA), a group formed in 2012 to promote game and sea angling in Donegal in partnership with Inland Fisheries Ireland.

Dr. Ciarán Byrne, CEO of Inland Fisheries Ireland, expressed his delight with achievements to date in Donegal, highlighting what can be achieved jointly by local angling clubs and interest groups working closely in partnership with IFI to secure development and long term sustainable management of fisheries. He commented: "Inland Fisheries Ireland is delighted to lend its support to the Donegal Angling Holidays initiative for the promotion of game and sea angling in the region."

#Angling - Billy Wallace reeled in a record-smashing catch recently in the form of a 225lb common skate - but sadly won't see his name in the record books, as the Angling Times reports.

The sea angler was fishing in Donegal Bay off Sligo on Declan Kilgannon's Kiwi Girl when he landed the whopper, estimated to be 4lb heavier than the Irish record set more than 100 years ago.

However, because he released the fish back into the sea immediately after, Wallace's catch cannot be made official.

But at least he has a photo to show for it, meaning his story is anything but fishy!

#Angling - Minister for Natural Resources Alex White has given statutory notice of his proposal to revise the Wild Salmon and Sea Trout Tagging Scheme Regulations to apply from 1 January 2015.

The minister proposes to revoke the existing tagging scheme regulations and to make revised regulations to provide for commercial and angling total allowable catches on an individual river basis.

The draft regulations are available for public inspection HERE.

Any person may submit objections to the draft regulations at any time during the period of 30 days that commenced on Tuesday 11 November 2014 addressed to Inland Fisheries Division, Department of Communications Energy and Natural Resources, Elm House, Earlsvale Road, Cavan or by e-mail to [email protected].

#AsianClam - The Minister for Natural Resources has commented on plans for dredging at Lough Ree to deal with the recent invasion of Asian clam at Lanesborough.

As reported earlier this week on Afloat.ie, the 'hot water' stretch downstream of the ESB plant near the Co Longford town has reopened to angling under strict bio-security conditions, with disinfection for anglers' gear mandatory.

In his written response to Dáil questions on the matter from Longford-Westmeath TD James Bannon and Roscommon-South Leitrim deputy Denis Naughten, Minister Joe McHugh said on 4 November that despite the "early action" taken by Inland Fisheries Ireland (IFI) to close the fishery, "it is important that all understand that Asian Clam, like many other aquatic invasive species, is extremely pervasive in the environment, and once in a water body it is likely that operations will be focused on managing the infestation rather than eradication."

He added that "responding to this infestation will require co-ordinated action from a number of State agencies and IFI has been facilitating and chairing meetings of relevant agencies since 19 September."

According to the minister, IFI co-ordinated the latest of these meeting on 29 October involving Waterways Ireland, the ESB, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Bord Na Mona and Longford and Roscommon County Councils.

"A method statement for removal works was submitted by Waterways Ireland," he said. "This statement is being considered by the relevant agencies, including Statutory regulatory bodies.

"In the first instance it is anticipated that a trail dredge will take place in advance of a full scale dredging operation. In advance of this an EPA licence will be required for disposal of the dredged material and the classification of the materials will have a bearing on the method and cost of disposal.

"At this point I understand that the overall cost of a full scale dredging operation has yet to be established. However, this will become clear once the material classification is available and it will be possible to accurately estimate the cost."

#Angling - Do you have an opinion on how angling should be developed on and around Lough Derg? 

If so, Tipperary County Council, in association with the Lough Derg Anglers Association, invites you to attend a workshop at the Abbey Court Hotel in Nenagh on 26 November at 8pm.

The workshop will address integrated development and, as part of the Lough Derg Roadmap, examine how to enhance angling tourism and Lough Derg as a key destination for angling.

It's hoped the workshop will provide an important opportunity for information gathering, exchange of views and development of proposals for the future. The key focus will be on stakeholder engagement with the integrated management of angling tourism and the environment.

Places are limited so get involved now to avoid disappointment – details are available to read or download HERE.

#Angling - Sea anglers in the UK fear being restricted to catching just one sea bass a day under Brussels-led measures to combat decline of the species.

According to the UK's Independent, the European Commission says evidence compiled by scientists recommends and 80% reduction in sea bass fishing across Europe.

The drastic cut proposed for 2015 comes after a sharp but unsustainable rise in the species' popularity among both recreational anglers and restaurateurs.

But the plans have been described as "grossly disproportionate" by the UK's Angling Trust, which also disputes claims from Brussels that anglers account for a third of the total sea bass catch.

The Independent has much more on the story HERE.

#Angling - Mark 15 & 16 November in your calendar as the dates for the fifth annual Irish Fly Fair, once again hosted at the Galway Bay Hotel in Salthill and featuring some of the best international fly casters and fly dressers in action.

Returning celebrity anglers Hywel Morgan, Glenda Powell, Peter O'Reilly and angling guru Charles Jardine will be on hand among the many experts impairing their invaluable knowledge to help fly fishermen and women of all levels of experience get the most of their gear and river spots.

Tickets are priced at €10 for each day (or €17 for a weekend ticket) and are available from the Irish Fly Fair website HERE.

#Angling - Fifth and sixth class pupils from St John’s National School in Longford have been named national winners of the Inland Fisheries Ireland’s (IFI) Something Fishy competition for 2014 for their class project ‘Angling at One’.

At a prize giving ceremony held yesterday (17 October) in Carrick on Shannon Education Centre, the Longford primary pupils were awarded for their self-made interpretation of RTÉ’s Live at One, featuring quiz shows, music, dance, arts and cooking, all related to angling, rod and line fishing, as well as the role of IFI.

Joanne Bowers, Principal, St John’s NS principal Joanne Bowers was presented with the perpetual trophy by Marian Harkin MEP. “I am delighted to accept this award on behalf of the students of St John’s National School in Longford, who have demonstrated an extraordinary degree of creativity, organisation and technical know-how, in their creation of their winning project," she said.

“I would like to thank the staff of Inland Fisheries Ireland, who supported the delivery of the Something Fishy educational programme at St John’s, including highly engaging presentations and field trips which really made the subject of angling and conservation of rivers and lakes come to life for the students.”

The competition has been running since 2005 nationwide and this year over 130 schools took part, reaching almost 4000 individual students.

Something Fishy is an educational resource originally designed and promoted by the Central and Regional Fisheries Boards, now Inland Fisheries Ireland, in conjunction with Blackrock Educational Centre.

Speaking at yesterday's event, IFI chief executive Dr Ciaran Byrne said: “Something Fishy is something that IFI is extremely proud to be a part of. In a typical year, we bring the programme to around 100 schools across the country. And every year our staff are amazed by the willingness of the children to learn, and their passion for our inland fisheries resource.”

Those addressing the attendees at yesterday's event included Anna Feely, chair of Carrick on Shannon Education Centre; Catherine Martin, director of Carrick on Shannon Education Centre; and Pat Seaver Director of Blackrock Education Centre – all educationalists who applauded the high production standards of St John’s NS’s winning project.