Category: Angling
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PAINTED RAY | Winter Fishing with Irish Angling Adventures
In this video, I go fishing with two hard-core shore anglers, James and Ian, from Irish Angling Adventures. We had a good winter fishing session that resulted in a few painted rays and a flatfish.
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Episode 55: Tick Talk Ireland with Mary Ferry Smyth
Listeners to this podcast, outdoors people, are a high-risk group when it comes to Lyme disease, a serious bacterial infection that gets passed to humans through tick bites. Spending long hours in the wild, often off the beaten track, exposes us to insect bites more than regular folks. But Lyme disease is not only a threat to bushwhacking deerstalkers. Even children on the playground are at risk. The consequences of untreated Lyme disease can be devastating and nothing short of…
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Episode 54: The National Biodiversity Data Centre with Dave Wall
Many of us outdoors people like to keep records of the animal and fish species we have encountered, caught or seen during our time in the outdoors. To keep those records we use spreadsheets, databases, dedicated apps and, perhaps, a pen and paper if you’re a little old-timey chap. As it turns out, there is a website that can not only help you record and explore your sightings but also include your data in the national dataset that is used…
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Is Angling a Blood Sport?
Just the other day, my buddy and I were unpacking our gear and were about to take a walk to our fishing mark. A passing family with two small kids waved at us and wished us good luck. This was not an uncommon occurrence. Many times, over the years, I have been greeted by, and even gotten into friendly chats with, non-angling passersby. On that day, while walking to our destination, we began to talk about how nonparticipants accept angling…
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Episode 52: Angling Trust with David Mitchell
We have spoken many times about the need for advocacy for hunters and anglers, strong organizations that would represent sportsmen’s interests. Angling Trust is one such organization. Its aim is to represent anglers from England and Wales. Our guest is Dave Mitchell who is Angling Trust’s Head of Marine. He is also a board member of the European Anglers Alliance. In the podcast, I talk with Dave about angling advocacy, the state of the marine environment and the challenges faced…
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Episode 51: Fighting Illegal Salmon Netting with Bertie Brosnan
In this episode you will hear a fascinating account about one man who has spent most of his life fighting illegal salmon netting in the rivers and estuaries of the Irish South West. His name is Bertie Brosnan and he has joined me with his son Dan to tell his fascinating story. But be warned, it is not for the fainthearted. You will hear about personal sacrifice, threats, damaged property, court sentences and shots fired. There is a lot more…
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Episode 48: Green Party with Pippa Hackett
This is another episode of the podcast where I talk with the representative of a political party. The goal is, as always, to dig a little deeper into some of the issues affecting the outdoors lifestyle. This time our guest is Pippa Hackett who is a Green Party Councillor and a spokesperson on Agriculture, Food, Forestry, Heritage & Animal Welfare. Once again I want to include the disclaimer that it is not my intention to promote any political party. Instead,…
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Episode 46: Shark Trust with Ali Hood
You have probably heard a dozen times that I am a semi-retired, obsessive, shark angler. So, ever since I started the podcast I wanted, one day, to have an episode with someone from the Shark Trust. Well, that day is today. Our guest is Ali Hood the Director of Conservation in Shark Trust and we spent over an hour talking sharks! It was especially important for me to talk with Ali about the role of anglers in shark conservation. We…
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Episode 42: Irish Angling Adventures with James Raymond
This is another episode of the podcast dedicated to sea angling. Our guest is James Raymond, the man behind the website Irish Angling Adventures. I had a great time talking with James about all things sea angling. As a seasoned angler myself, I could quickly tell that James is a hardcore sea angler like many of my friends. Yes, he is one of those folks who spend silly amounts of time on the shore chasing fish with a rod and…
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Charter Boat Sea Angling
I was sitting at my desk working when my phone rang. It was a text message from my friend and charter boat skipper Luke, who was our guest on episode 41. He had some spaces free on an upcoming fishing trip and was checking if anyone was fancy to go. Regular listeners of the podcast already know that for more than five years I went crazy for sea angling. It would be hard to recall all the trips I took…