SPORT
A worm at one end……
And a fool at the other.
This famous saying about anglers and their sport that
non-converted folk agree with misses the fact that
angling is much more than dangling a worm in an
expanse of water trying to catch an elusive creature or
monster.
Angling in the Fire Service is a great example of how a
sport can bring together people from all over the UK in
events which over the years have become as much
social as competitive.
Fire Sport’s angling section achieves this through five
National competitions that have been running for
many years with friends from all over meeting up and
catching up over the period of that event. The skill
levels of the participants range from experienced,
sometimes internationals, to beginners and very
basic anglers, but all are invited and embraced at all
competitions. Let’s face it the Fire Service is a big family
that loves an event which puts the world to rights, and
with a humour that seems to run throughout.
The five National competitions run from late April
through to November, encompassing the main
sections of Angling.
40
April sees the Northern Ireland Coarse National. This is
one of the oldest Festivals to be held in Northern Ireland
with this being our 31st year. The festival is held in and
around the town of Enniskillen, Co. Fermanagh and
although the fish stocks have fallen over the past few
years it is still and eagerly waited for event. 2016 sees
the festival held from 23rd to 30th April.
May is the turn of the Fire Services Game Anglers. This
is a truly National competition with representatives
attending from Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland,
as well as Tyne & Wear, Lancashire, Devon and Dorset.
The competition has been held in Scotland, and the
North and South of England. We have been hosted
on some of the country’s best venues and been well
received on all. Most of our matches are from boats
although we have had some bank matches. This year’s
National will be at Grafham Water on 10th May.
The Coarse National is probably our largest event with
up to 150 competitors taking part. Again, Services
from all over the UK attend and we have been
accommodated on some of the country’s most
famous commercial fisheries. This year the National is to
be at Tunnelbarn Fishery on 20th July.