DETAILS of one of the top fishing events in the North West were announced today by the Mayor of Derry City and Strabane District Council, Alderman Hilary McClintock.
The Mayor was in Strabane to announce the dates for the North West Angling Fair that is set to make a welcome return on 08 and 09 April at the Melvin Sports Complex, in Strabane.
Following on from the success of last year, the North West Angling Fair is once again set to attract some of the UK and Ireland’s top fly-dressers, casters and anglers.
Operating from 10 am to 5pm each day, both inside the Melvin Sports Centre and along the banks of the River Mourne, the Fair promises to be another huge success and a great occasion for all the family to enjoy.
Welcoming the announcement, the Mayor Alderman Hilary McClintock said the event is an excellent way of promoting the river and fishing tourism in the Strabane area.
“Last year’s event was a huge success and we are delighted that it is happening again this year.
“The Council is very keen to support events that showcase our local area and promote sport and we believe this event has huge potential in terms of actively promoting the Strabane area for fishing tourism. The event is also a great way of getting people out and about and encouraging more people to enjoy fishing and the River Mourne,” she said.
A range of high calibre celebrity fishing experts will be making appearances at the event to share their expertise and offer advice.
They include well-known and much loved Scottish television actor Paul Young of Hooked on Scotland fame; fly dresser specialist, Peter O’Reilly, best known for his books Flies of Ireland and books on Irish rivers and lakes; Henrik Mortensen, who has worked professionally with fly tackle design and development for more than 27 years, and Belgium born specialist Yang Quintus.
There will be a series of outdoor casting demonstrations at the River Mourne under the Pedestrian Bridge and daily talks on a number of subjects including Trout in Strange Places and Salmon Fly Fishing throughout the Year by Dr Ken Whelan and Jason O’Riordan.
Ken Whelan runs his own fisheries consultancy, has written extensively on angling topics and has also produced, scripted and presented many films and videos on various aspects of Irish fisheries and angling and is a regular radio contributor to Mooney Goes Wild on RTE, while Jason O’Riordan gives talks on fishing techniques at the leading angling shows through Ireland and the UK and is an IFFF Qualified Fly Casting Instructor.
The event will also welcome a host of world class Fly Dressing on to the Fly Tying Row practicing their art, demonstrations and advise from a series of champion fly casters on the River Mourne, with talks from experts and cookery demonstrations.
Local angling clubs will also be taking part as well as youth angling competitions and activities to encourage a new generation of anglers into the sport.
Other experts in attendance will be three times World Speycasting champion Scot MacKenzie ; the head ghillie at Ness Castle Lodges, Robert Gillespie who is probably the finest casting instructor in Ireland and widely regarded as one of the best teachers of modern fly casting techniques.
Gordon Armstrong’s fly casting demonstration gained huge interest at last year fair. Gordon has fished all over the World and will be on hand to share his knowledge and experiences.
The Irish Ladies Flyfishing Association (ILFA) will also be there including locally based Ladies International Pauline McClenaghan to offer advice and guidance.
Festival and Events Co-ordinator with Derry City and Strabane District Council, Liz Cunningham says the event promises to be another great event following on from last year’s success.
She commented: “The North West Angling Fair was a fantastic event last year and we have really built on the positive feedback from those who took part to make it another great success and a real family occasion not just for fishing enthusiasts.
“In addition to having some of the top fishing experts in attendance we have lots of demonstrations and talks, and on top of all that – it is free!
“All we need are some big catches on the day!”
There will also be a wide range of Trade stands where fishing enthusiasts can purchase angling and fly dressing equipment supplies and trade stands will be provided by The Bridge Gun and Tackle, N&M Tackle, Cookshill Fly Tying, Salmologic, River Mourne Guns and Tackle, Rod and Line to name but a few.
For further information www.derrystrabane.com/anglingfair
Anyone looking for any further information is encouraged to contact
[email protected] at the Festival and Events team at Derry City and Strabane District Council 028 71 253253.
