A unique Irish saltwater event will take place in Cork harbour next week. Nine people from places as far away as the US, the UK and Denmark as well as a solid Irish representation will gather at the Bella Vista Hotel for three days.
The event is a series of workshops which can be used as either a primer or indeed an advanced lesson, depending on your requirements, in the three aspects of saltwater fly fishing in Ireland.
- · Fly fishing
- · Fly casting
- · Fly tying
The emphasis whilst not strictly placed on bass fishing is firmly based in the techniques used to catch them on the fly in Ireland. This of course also means if you wanted to catch stripers in the USA the workshops will transfer. They will also transfer between species like sea trout.
It was never going to be easy to gather a group of nine people together at once in the one place at the one time. And in order to achieve the workshops across all disciplines was a task so this is testament to the keen interest that people have in saltwater fly fishing for bass and other species, and I am really delighted it has happened.
All of this was pitched at a very accessible cost.
Glenda Powell – World champion fly caster and fishing guide will deliver workshops on fly casting over the three days.
Brian Healy who has worked with me over the past few years and has years of experience in salt and freshwater guiding/fishing/tying will facilitate the tying workshops and I, Jim Hendrick will look after the guiding for bass and possibly sea trout too along the Cork coast.
The three days will no doubt be an experience of sharing and learning many different experiences and aspects of saltwater fly fishing not only in Ireland but from other countries also. Alan is just back from Denmark, Paul fishes Montana, Johann fishes Denmark, and John fishes Florida backcountry…
Working across three small Irish fishing business’s plus Kevin Murphy’s Bella Vista Hotel which has been synonymous with bass fishing for a long while, it represents a pooling of considerable talent experience and skills that can be demonstrated as one resource and of course this can have a positive local economic impact too over the three days.
Once again it’s a small example and testament to the interest that exists in bass fishing in this country and all the positive aspects that are associated with it.
This aspect is often too easily overlooked forgotten or simply for reasons too many to mention, not promoted in any way whatsoever. This applies not only to this event but to the angling fraternity as a whole.
Who knows what may come out of this three days, maybe next year another three day event or an extended event incorporating lure fishing as well.
