Ireland

#1

It is easy to confuse the many matches on the loughs and River Erne at Enniskillen.

During May alone there is the Fermanagh Classic, Mahon's, Mahon's Veterans, Gold Cup, Boz's 40, Mal Scott Memorial. The last two may be one of the same though, - not sure. There is also the National Fire Service match which has been fished there for many years. There are also odd other matches King of the Erne and some matches also incorporate team events too.

Just got back, fishing was not good, weather was cold but having fished there the very same month for nearly 40 years now I have always said you have good years, mediocre years and poor years, you have that choice, hack it or not!!..

The fishing has changed over the years, the zebra mussels have more to account for than most realise, that applies to both coarse and trout fishing.
The ecology has changed, there are more hybrids than before although they are smaller, the roach are also less but miles bigger. Bream are still there but I think there are also less amounts for a multitude of reasons.

In my early days you could walk down QE Road and hear the roach in the rushes on the far bank, they took up to three weeks to pass through the system. The Ballycassidy, Ballinamallard. Kesh, Arney and Sillees river were heaving with roach then, not just the Erne system.

Going back even longer the fishing signs depicted rudd in many of Enniskillen's waters, these were proved to be roach, - they have been in Ireland much longer than most think.