Press release        23/12/2011     

(Also See attached PDF Reports)

ISFC_Cover_2011_TF.pdf

Irish_Specimen_Fish_2011_TF.pdf

• Massive mullet dominates the record fish news
• Fish Records tumble in 2011

Irish Specimen Fish Committee report 2011 issued today

A huge thin-lipped mullet caught in Cork is the centrepiece of the ISFC report issued today. This giant was over double the size of the largest thin-lipped mullet ever taken in Ireland. Coming in at 6lbs 4ozs for Corkman Noel Lane it is a fish of a lifetime.

Despite the economic downturn anglers had a great year in 2011 catching large numbers of big specimen fish and setting four New Irish Records, according to the Irish Specimen Fish Committee report released today.

The four new Records are -

NEW RECORD THIN-LIPPED MULLET

2.83 kg, Cork Harbour, Co. Cork, 14th September 2011 – Noel Lane

NEW RECORD ROACH/RUDD HYBRID

2.1 kg, River Lagan, Co. Antrim, 5th May 2009 – Terry Jackson

NEW RECORD BLACKMOUTHED DOGFISH

1.33 kg, Red Bay, Co. Antrim, 10th August 2011 – Jan Vrieswijk (NL)

NEW RECORD SPUR DOGFISH

10.6 kg, Red Bay, Co. Antrim, 25th July 2011 – Albert Koawenhourn (NL)

A total of 587 specimens were ratified in 2011. The Lee Reservoirs in Cork feature heavily in the freshwater fish listings with bream, rudd and various hybrids taken there over the year. Species such as Thick-Lipped Mullet and Cuckoo Wrasse, from many different parts of the country, dominated catches of sea fish. Anglers both at home and abroad will be reading the report carefully to plan their angling trips to catch the big fish in Ireland in 2012.

Other important developments on the specimen fish front:

• The specimen weight for twaite shad has been increased.
• New arrangements to have anglers weighing scales certified are being put in place. Further details on the ISFC website.
• Record fish must be photographed on a length measurement board from 2012 onwards.

The report will be available on the ISFC website shortly www.irish-trophy-fish.com

Hard copies will be available free of charge from Inland Fisheries Ireland offices in Swords, Dublin in early 2012. For further information contact Dr. William Roche, ISFC Sec 01-8842617.