Lanesboro man reels in the big prize
A Lanesboro man wowed the crowds at the recent European Cup Fly Fishing competition on Lough Mask in Mayo by reeling in a 10lbs 4oz trout.
Stephen Heraty won first place in the final hour of the exciting two-day competition with the well fed fish. The son of Marian and Paul Heraty from Lanesboro says he's been fly fishing all his life but this was only the second competition he's entered so he was amazed by the big catch.
Speaking to the Leader this week the south Longford man said: "I was very surprised to reel in such a big fish. There were local lads at the competition who have been fishing for 60 years and haven't caught a fish that big.
"Fish turn into predators after they reach a certain size and there's not enough of a meal for them in a fly so it was just pure luck to catch a trout that size. I must have just been in the right place at the right time."
Lough Mask is a large limestone lake of 22,000 acres. It has an excellent stock of wild brown trout averaging over 1lb, with many over 3lb.
A specimen such as the one Stephen caught is a rare sight for local fishermen and Stephen was delighted to win the prestigious accolade. It was even more exciting since 116 anglers from all over Europe took part in the weekend of angling and weather conditions were very changeable and blustery at times.
"Weather conditions weren't the best, the wind kept changing directions and the second day was quite tough at times," says Stephen.
It was well worth sticking it out though as Stephen won his first boat as part of his prize, which came equipped with a trailer.
One of the secrets to the Lanesboro man's success in the competition was that he designed his own bait. "I designed my own fly the night before – no-one has ever made this fly. I just thought what do the fish go for and obviously something worked," he says.
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Weather for Longford, Ireland
Tuesday 22 May 2012
Today
Cloudy
Temperature: 11 C to 19 C
Wind Speed: 12 mph
Wind direction: South
Tomorrow
Sunny spells
Temperature: 9 C to 19 C
Wind Speed: 12 mph
Wind direction: South
