Members of the Quoile Angling Club held their final league match of the winter at Ballydugan Lake near Downpatrick fishing for pike.
The club is in its fourth year and the die-hard pikers in the club gather to see who would hook the bragging rights. And at the end of the day it was Daniel Carling who pulled the most points and was the outright winner on the last day.
The Ballyguggan Lake fishing rights are owned by the Belfast Angers and you can get a day ticket at the Lakeside Inn or from the St Patrick Centre for £15 but you will need to have a licence, even a short-term one to fish along with your day permit.
You can get a DAERA 3-day angling licence(game or course) at a lower rate of you don’t plan to have a lot of fishing days through the year. For children under 12 you do not need a permit or licence.
The final competition ran from 8.30am to 5.30pm on Saturday 1st March, and the weather was good with no rain, or wind.
The annual general meeting will take place in Denvir’s Hotel in Downpatrick on Thursday 20th March at 8pm and all anglers are welcome.
Club Chairman Eamonn McGrath said: “Once again it is time to refresh the committee and look forward to a new angling season. And this year we will be pushing out encouraging junior members to join.
“We have a child protection officer designated and also we have a considerable amount of angling equipment that we can lend the youngsters on their training sessions at the River Quoile.
“We have 25 rods for fishing to get the young members uop and running with the associated gear so we are all set to run a few training sessions. Water safety will of course be fundamental too as the youngsters progress through their training.
“Initially they will be learning the ropes, how to set up, how to cast, how to look after the fish and unhook them, and they will pick up some of the finer arts of angling as they improve.
“The fish they will be angling for are mainly rudd, roach, hybrids, perch, eels, and there is a head of trout in the Quoile fishery so they just might hook one of these and have a fight on their hands! The trout fishing has been quite good over the past year or so.
“And interestingly, the ell fishing too is coming back.
“I grew up on the River Bann close by to where I lived and spent my younger days fishing there. It was straight home from school and away with the fishing road! “
Club Secretary Stephen O’Hare said: “It all takes time to get the club settled down. Over the past few years we have made a start and we’ll continue to make progress. It’s good that the members are inviting juniors into the club this year.
“We’ll run a few events for the juniors over the summer holidays giving them something different to do. It’ll get them away from their iPads and smart phones for a while.
“If any juniors are interested in joining, you can attend the agm but a parent oir guardian needs to be with them. We will be fully insured and ticking all the boxes to ensure the juniors are safe and enjoying their time angling.”
