Tipperary angler wins All-Ireland Interprovincial River Fly Fishing title in Wicklow

Tipperary anglers were strongly represented on the Munster fly fishing team that won the team event at the All-Ireland Interprovincial River Fly Fishing Competition in Wicklow while a Kilsheelan club angler was the overall individual winner.

Dean Gates of Kilsheelan Anglers Club was crowned overall winner of the All-Ireland contest while Robert Hackett of Fethard & Killusty Angling Club was second and Sean Maher of Cashel Golden Tipperary Anglers Association was fifth.

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The Tipperary trio’s high placing in the top five earned the Munster team the team prize in the All-Ireland championship that took place on the River Avonmore in county Wicklow over the weekend of August 16 and 17.

Dean Gates, Robert Hackett and Sean Maher will now represent Ireland in various European and World Fly Fishing Championships over the next number of years.

First up is Bosnia in September 2026 where Dean will fish in the European Championships.

Robert Hackett of Fethard & Killusty Angling Club who achieved second place in the All-Ireland Interprovincial Fly Fishing Competition.

Fifty four anglers from the four provinces took part in the All-Ireland competition. The Munster team featured nine anglers from Tipperary. Along with Gates, Hackett and Maher, they included Lukasz Rhz, Robbie Meaghar, Kevin Lafford, Billy O’Reilly, Jack Maher, and John O’Brien.

All are members of angling clubs along the rivers Suir and Anner including Kilsheelan, Clonmel, Fethard/Killusty, Cashel/Golden and Cahir.

They qualified for the All-Ireland earlier in the summer at the Munster championships on the River Bridge in Rathcormac, county Cork.

The two-day All-Ireland competition had a new format this year. Anglers were drawn in pairs and assigned four beats to fish.

Each session was an hour and a half long. One angler fished the first session while the other angler stewarded. They then swapped over for session two and so on.

The rules were the international ‘Fipps Mouche’ catch and release regulations whereby barbless hooks are used and each trout is measured and returned safely to the river. Points are awarded for fish greater than 18cm and also for length.

The Avonmore is a beautiful river in the heart of the Wicklow mountains. It is tough to wade due to slippery rocks and an even tougher river to find the spooky fish.

The Tipperary anglers visited this fast flowing river regularly over the last few months and built up their knowledge of what flies and what fly fishing methods worked best there.

It is fantastic for trout fishing locally to have so much knowledge and experience being brought back into the clubs. The free exchange of information to your fellow angler is now a very important ethic within the angling community.

Ireland has been steadily improving internationally over the last number of years and it’s teamwork like this that will maintain this upward progress and lead to a big victory internationally before long.

Sean Maher of Cashel Golden Tipperary Angling Association (left) who finished in fifth place in the All-Ireland Interprovincial Fly Fishing Competition in Wicklow relaxing with his steward at the end of his beat

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