It is with a large degree of sadness that I have reached a decision to close the guiding services section of my business for 2014. This decision was based entirely on a deteriorating population of fish. Without this part of the service I am not prepared to accept people in – I can market all I like, but not without the general population of fish.
I have a last remaining group of people from France to guide in September, and unless things improve dramatically this wont be done on the Wexford coast.
I’m lucky in that my customers have over the years through the guiding service developed a large degree of flexibility in terms of their allocation of time and, we have, based on experiences always managed ‘minimum impact’ plans. These plans have always been based around the opportunities to fish or not as the case may be.
I could guide customers to ‘hotspots’ to maintain momentum but would rather close than put the fish at those locations at further risk of exploitation. These may be the very population we need to hang onto. I could guide people to other parts of Ireland but this breaks the ‘business model’ and the experience is not valid unless its pre-planned.
I have a high degree of concern for the population of bass that did exist along the Wexford coast and is now no longer present. This concern has been expressed to the Irish Bass Policy group, The IFI, and the MI on Sunday the 20th of August via mail.
I have no concrete evidence as to where or why the fish have gone, be it behavioural, environmental or something more sinister, I do not wish to speculate at this time.
All other services remain available on request for Saltwater fly fishing workshops, Lure fishing workshops and three day destination projects.
All existing parts of the service remain in place, the gear, the unique flies, the knowledge, the house, the experiences – I need the fish back, we need the fish back!
