On Friday, 14th July, The North Western Regional Fisheries Board and the Ballisodare Angling Club joined forces to hold the third annual juvenile fishing competition at the "Butt" on the Ballisodare River.

The event was fished in three, 4-hour shifts starting at 8.00 a.m. and a total 63 enthusiastic young anglers participated. Twelve of the youngsters caught fourteen salmon while many others lost fish and a number were also released.

The winners of the different categories were as follows. Leonie Conlon had the heaviest fish, weighing 4.2 lbs., and she also qualified for a prize as top lady angler. Mark Kelly was next with a fish of 4.1 lbs. Luke O Connell won first prize in the fly-fishing section with a 1.8 lb fish. Jake Nealis had the best salmon on the worm while Cormack McCafferty won the shrimp fishing section with two salmon. Sean Gallagher won first prize in the club members section, also with two salmon, weighing 4lbs while Nigel Hannon won first prize in the visiting angler section with a 2.2 lb salmon. Barry White had the dubious honour of taking the prize in the smallest fish section. All winners were presented with trophies and fishing rods while there were also prizes for second and third places. Over thirty spot prizes were given to those that were unlucky enough not to catch anything on the day.

The Board wishes to thank Ballisodare Club for reserving a day on their busy fishery to accommodate the young anglers and giving them a chance to fish one of the best salmon rivers in the country. Thanks also to the numerous sponsors who donated a wide range of prizes and refreshments for the event. Great credit is also due to the staff and members of Ballisodare Fishing club and the staff of The North Western Regional Fisheries Board for supervising the event.