#Angling - The Irish Specimen Fish Committee's (ISFC) report on 2013's notable angling catches, which was published on Friday 31 January, includes two new records.
The report reveals that it was a very good year for anglers, with large numbers of specimen-sized fish caught.
High water temperatures during the summer were very good news for many sea anglers, with some of Ireland's more exotic species like gilthead bream and golden grey mullet prominent in the overall specimen fish listings. Specimen smooth-hound and spurdog were also plentiful.
The two new records are for a 3.376kg roach/bream hybrid, which as caught in Monalty Lake in Co Monaghan by Jason Dingle on 3 May, and a 3.505kg gilthead bream, which was caught by Jeremy Coleman on 17 August.
A total of 595 specimens were ratified in 2013. The Lee Reservoirs in Cork feature heavily in the freshwater fish listings with bream, rudd and various hybrids taken there over the year.
Species such as thick-lipped mullet and flounder from many different parts of the country were prominent in catches of specimen sea fish.
The report is available online as a PDF to read and download HERE, but hard copies will also be available free of charge from Inland Fisheries Ireland offices in Swords from next week.
Anglers both at home and abroad will surely be reading it carefully to plan their angling trips to catch the big fish in Ireland in 2014.
In other important developments on the specimen fish front, tope, spurdog and smooth-hound can be claimed as length-based specimens from 2014 onwards. And Dutch anglers continue to dominate the specimen fish listings for overseas anglers.
In addition, the ISFC Awards Day will be held in Dublin on 15 February. Invitations will be issued to anglers from Ireland next week. If any angler plans to attend please email [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 hoped to present anglers in the Netherlands with their awards at the VISMA 2014 angling show in Rotterdam.
