NCFFI JUNIOR ALL IRELAND CLUB CHAMPIONSHIPS 2015

The first ever Junior All Ireland Angling club championships were held today on the O Rourke’s bank of the Newry Canal by kind permission of Newry, Mourne and Down District Council.

The highly successful event was fished by six club teams from as far away as Co Wexford in excellent weather conditions with good catches all along the canal.

The individual best weight was 5.340Kgs caught by Oaklands AC member Thomas Quinlan, who caught 10 Skimmer Bream and other small fish on the pole at 11.5m.

Runner up was James O Dohert (Erne Anglers AC), 4.940Kgs his pole caught 50 fish also included 6 small bream.

In third place was Ciaran Haughian (Lurgan AC), 4.040Kgs mainly small fish with a couple of good hybrids, again on the pole.

Lurgan AC won the team event with a total of 9 points, one point ahead of the Erne Anglers A Team on 10, Oaklands AC from Co Wexford finished third on 14 points.

The canal fished very well with an average weight of over 2Kg per angler.

Newry, Mourne and Down District Council Chairperson, Cllr Naomi Bailie said, “I would like to congratulate all the winners for their excellent catches! The Newry Canal is a great location for fishing and the Council will work closely with the NCFFI to attract further events to the district. I hope our visitors enjoyed their stay in Newry, Mourne and Down District and finally, I would like to thank those who have worked hard to make the day a success.”

The President of the NCFFI, Oliver McGauley from the local Newry Club presented the prizes which were sponsored by the fishery managers, the Loughs Agency and Tubertini UK.

A BBQ sponsored by the famous O Doherty’s Butchers in Enniskillen, was enjoyed by the over 60 Anglers and supporters that attended the event.

The NCFFI are already looking forward to next year’s event and hoping to increase participation.