Tough day on water at Lough Lene fly fishing competition
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Colin Cahill from Killucan, Stephan Browne from Ballina, Patrick Ward from Multyfarnham, Basil Shields from Oulart, Wexford.Image 2 of 7
Stevie Ellis from Bangor, County Down and John O’Connell from Mallow, County Cork.Image 3 of 7
John Baker from Navan and Stephen Turnbull from Moira, County Down.Image 4 of 7
Robbie Pitman and Eamonn Keaney, both from Galway.Image 5 of 7
Patrick Ward from Multyfarnham, Ciaran Newman from Mullingar, Jimmy Cahill from Mullingar, Colin Cahill from Killucan, and Dermot Leonard from Meath.Image 6 of 7
Gareth Jones from Airflo and Tom Fagan, one of the organisers of the Lough Lene trout fly fishing competition.Image 7 of 7
Gareth Jones, Larry McCarthy, Sean Dempsey, Carl Owens, Seamus O’Loughlin, Seamus Kelly and Tom Fagan.Teams from across Ireland battled it out as Lough Lene played host to the 2025 Airflo trout fly fishing competition on Sunday June 22.
Around 60 anglers from all over the country had high expectations but they faced a challenging day on the water, with conditions making the fish hard to catch: “It’s been a hard day,” said Gareth Jones, director at Airflo and co-organiser of the event with chairperson Tom Fagan. “I thought the conditions today would help, but the fish just didn’t come out.”
The competition ran from 10am to 6pm, and while the overall catch numbers were lower than usual, some teams rose to the occasion. The Misfits took first place with seven fish weighing in at 10.144kg.
Close behind were the Corrib Hoppers, landing six fish for a total of 8.248kg. Munster Mavericks secured third place with five fish weighing 6.404kg, followed by the Emerald Islanders with four fish at 5.624kg, and The Breac Pack in fifth with two fish totalling 3.584kg.
Other teams included the Blue Peters (3.260kg), Lein Lads (2.420kg), Grasshoppers (2.300kg), and Gorgeous Georges (2.220kg).
In total, 54 anglers caught 34 fish, giving the day a low rod average of just 0.63, a reflection of the tough fishing conditions. Individual honours went to Mark Cleland of the Emerald Islanders for Best Fish, while Rob Crichton of the Munster Mavericks took home Best Bag with an impressive 5.244kg.
The top teams are now moving on to an international final in England this October, where they will compete against teams from Scotland, Wales, and England.
The fourth and fifth-place teams, Emerald Islanders and The Breac Pack, qualify for the Shield match, a one-day final held in Bristol.
As Mr Jones noted, anglers from different teams share boats during the competition, creating a self-policing system that promotes fairness. Despite the tough conditions, the event was marked by strong sportsmanship and the shared joy of being out on the water.