‘……And further still beyond that the gannets wheeled and dived, fishing shallow they were scarcely airborne before plunging again into the shoal of bait. The sea and the tide and the sky and the light spoke to us of
what it meant to be in this place just at this time as fishermen. Like a dream in which you can’t speak I turned to try to communicate something about what I felt, the angler had already known this, and in a way I knew that words would never do it. He smiled, a wide knowing smile the first of the morning.
We were both alive in a place that was alive and it was telling us something that we both felt and recognised. We were connected perhaps in a way that we could never really describe or fully explain.’
Coming to Irish Angler this summer June July and August editions
The many things I think about when I know the fishing for bass is closed, probably too many! The bass guiding business and its operation is limited and I have always accepted those limits, plugged those constraints into the business model so to speak.
I fully realise its difficult times in Ireland at the moment and there’s a tendency to want to rush to improve the economics of the situation. So considering opening the current bass angling restriction on the basis of commercial interest alone is not, in my opinion a good idea.
T
his week I have had requests for 12 days of guided fishing from International visitors during May and early June. These people were not aware of the closed season and were of course interested in the reasons as to why Ireland had one? All of them considered a closed season during ‘optimal’ spawning time a good thing, we had lots of interesting discussions regarding timings, C+R, extended periods, angling impact.
The limits of the fishery allow it to be what it is. This is what you have to work with. The truth. After ten years of experiences under these challenges you grow to accept the patterns of nature, the highs and lows of the fishing, twiddling your bass thumbs during the closed period, the delight, the excitement, the anticipation, the tough drudgery, the evolving changes, the beginning and the end of the week, the season! A bass fishing guides life.
Courtesy of the artist and the Irish State Art Collection
Anne’s work will be on show this summer in Madrid, Warsaw, Rome and Dublin!
How’s that for posh?
Source: Sunday Independent May 12t
Modernisation and consolidation of the legislation governing the inland fisheries sector
DEPARTMENT OF COMMUNICATIONS, ENERGY AND NATURAL RESOURCES
The Minister of State at the Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources, Fergus O’Dowd, T.D. invites members of the public and interested parties to attend a public information meeting to canvass views on the major elements of new inland fisheries legislation, in advance of the statutory consultation period.
Details of venues, dates and times for the information meetings are as follows;
- Drogheda in the D Hotel on Monday 29th April 2013 at 6pm
- Tuam in the Ard Rí House Hotel on Tuesday 30th April 2013 at 6pm
- Carrick-on-Shannon in the Landmark Hotel on Wednesday 1st May at 6pm
- Clonmel in the Clonmel Park Hotel on Thursday 2nd May at 6pm
- Dublin in the Lucan SPA Hotel on Wednesday 8th May at 7pm
The Minister of State wishes to canvass a comprehensive range of views to inform the general thrust of the new legislation and the purpose of these meetings is to update interested parties on the process for submitting their views.
The statutory written consultation process will commence on Monday 13th May.
THIRTYARDS 
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