A huge turnout of 104 adult and 20 junior anglers headed to Co. Wicklow for last Sunday’s open competition hosted by Newbridge & District Pike Anglers. The venue was Poulaphouca Lake (aka Blessington), a fishery that can be hard work but is capable of throwing up a good stamp of fish from time to time.

After check-in, anglers dispersed around the lake, ready for the ‘rods in’ at 9am, and the early reports were of fish being caught steadily. Midday saw a slump in takes, before the last couple of hours saw the fish come on the feed again.

At the 4pm cut-off, a total of 24 fish had been registered, not too bad for what can be a slow enough venue. The fish of the day went to Keiron Cummins with a good double of 17.08.

The competitors headed to a local pub, where the prizegiving took place, including plenty of prizes for the junior anglers. So, all in all it was a great achievement to get so many anglers out fishing at this time of year so credit to the organisers, sponsors and of course competitors who made the day a great success.

Results are below, and for a full report, see Newbridge & District Pike Anglers Facebook Page.