Yorkshire sculptor carves out his second sea-trout victory on Lough Currane

COCK Robin and Claret Bumble Variant proved the key to success for Ventry angler John Holstead to win last weekend's sea-trout catch-and-release competition on Lough Currane in Waterville, Co Kerry.

Measuring 52cm and 45cm with an estimated weight of 5lb and 3.5lb respectively, his two fine sea trout were sufficient to claim the Ernest Appleby Perpetual Cup and a €1,000 voucher for Emerger Tackle, sponsored by John Buckley.

Originally from Yorkshire, John is a sculptor based on the Dingle Peninsula and second-time winner of this prestigious competition. Back in 2008, he won the inaugural event with five sea trout.

Currane is a magnificent lake, just four miles long by two miles with spectacular scenery and world class sea trout and salmon fishing on its day. “The lake is stuffed with fish, but with the water temperature presently at 17.5 degrees, they are difficult to bring up to the fly,” top boatman Neil O’Shea said.

I enjoyed my day with Vincent Appleby fishing the popular lies including Morgan’s Rock and Church Island with reasonable success. Apart from his boating skills, Vincent took many photographs over the two days and played them back on screen in the Waterville Inn that evening over dinner.

The salmon hatchery on the Cummeragh river, under supervision of Tom O’Shea, continues to flourish and again, this year, a further 50,000 fin-clipped fingerlings will be released in October. The project is working as fully- grown hatchery salmon have been caught in the system.

Results: 1, J Holstead, 162pts; 2, P Lawton, 148pts; 3, J Curnow, 117pts; 4, J Meagher, 116pts; 5, T O’Shea, 54pts.

Also in Kerry, Fáilte Ireland hosts the Adventure Travel World Summit in Killarney this year. Fishing is a great adventure, it says, and allows visitors see Ireland's great landscapes. See discoverireland.ie

Some enchanted evening

Jim Wilson, estate manager at Mount Falcon said two of their more senior guests have shown how it’s done when it comes to salmon fishing. Martin Ó Conghaile (72) went fishing for the first time last week and succeed in catching a 4lb grilse.

The next evening he followed this up with a beautiful 7lb fish from the Wall Pool. John Maloney (84) and father of Alan Maloney (owner at Mount Falcon) went out the next day and caught a 7.5lb fish, also from the Wall Pool.

Atlantic stocks

The Minister of State for Natural Resources, Joe McHugh, has announced €230,000 in funding for the rehabilitation of wild Atlantic salmon and sea trout stocks under the Salmon Conservation Fund, managed by

Inland Fisheries Ireland

.

The main beneficiaries of the 24 projects approved are the Castletown, Fane, Dee, Boyne, Vartry, Nore, Suir, Cork Blackwater, Lower Shannon, Newport, Glen and Crana rivers.

The fund was open to contributors with works involving fish passage improvement; spawning enhancement; in-stream structures, river bank protection; fencing; tree pruning and control of invasive species.

“I would encourage those interested in the promotion of our wild Atlantic salmon and sea trout fisheries to consider projects for 2015 and beyond,” the minister said.

Further details available at: fisheriesireland.ie/Salmon- Management/salmon-conservation-fund.html.

Moy River Fest

Foxford in Co Mayo will host the inaugural “River Fest” on the banks of the River Moy starting this Friday until Sunday. The festival is a celebration of all aspects of the river including angling, nature and its cultural importance to the locality.

Events will include fly tying lessons, open spey casting and a fishing village. A walk along the river bank with storyteller and poet Seamus Nally is among the highlights of a the weekend.

Sunday on Sheelin

The Lough Sheelin Trout Protection Association held its McDonnell Cup catch-and-release competition last Sunday on Sheelin. Despite deluges of some lovely fish were recorded. Some 25 anglers took part and the winners were: 1, T Lynch (Cavan); 2, P McAvinney (Clones); 3 (tie), N McLoughlin (Kells) and P Boyle (Monaghan).

angling@irishtimes.com