ABOUT US

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HISTORY OF THE LOWER BANN COARSE ANGLING ASSOCIATION

The Lower Bann Coarse Angling Association, was formed in 1974 by a group of sea fishermen in Kate's Bar Coleraine. The club was formed by these wonderful Worm Drowners and Lead Slingers because they had an alternative motive.

The group wanted specimen fish credit (badges) and on the Northern Irish north coast around 1974 there were only 8 type of fish which grew to specimen size and the group wanting to be able to get more badges, apparently 10 Specimen badges was the aim; therefore, they decided to form a coarse angling club so that other specimens could be added i.e. Pike - Perch and Bream.

To achieve this they'd have to be affiliated as Coarse Anglers.

Off they went - using their existing tackle 15lb line and size 1 hooks. They soon found out that the coarse fish did not take too kindly to being caught with rope and gaffs. From Ballymoney and Coleraine there were 5 anglers who being game anglers were used to using finer 3 or 4lb. BS and smaller hooks size 14 and 16s; needless to say they won most of the competitions, the rest none.

The following year 1975 most of the sea fishermen gave up. When the club was formed a Coleraine man Colin Strange took over the Secretary Post and our Davy Smyth the Treasury Seat around 1975. After a while he was Chairman – Secretary – Treasurer, Match Organiser and Coarse Angler.

Tutor to generations of anglers, a task he relinquished around 2005/6 (30 years) to Hugh and Colin Elder. In those early days Davy had to start his own shop to get ground bait and hooks etc. He rang England and asked Shakespeare, Diawa and Marlborough for gear and bait. They were not interested in supplying small customers in those days, directing him to a distributor in Omagh, this was the only place where coarse anglers could get any gear in Northern Ireland.

Originally the summer competitions were held on the river Bann and Movanagher Canal. Winter matches on Movanagher and Portna canals.

Initially they did not draw pegs, you fished where you liked, only we soon found out that if a particular peg was fishing well everybody ended up on it, one peg 10 floats!!!?. At that time there were no roach only bream, perch and eels. The first roach caught were in 1976 in the Movanagher Canal, the following season around a dozen. The year after a dozen per angler and the following year it took thirty pounds to win a competition.

Originally Coarse angling permits were bought from Mr Noble at the Cutts, who rented the fishing from The Honourable Irish Society, they owned the water rights for waterways all over Ireland.

In those days coarse anglers were able to fish the whole Bann for £1 then the Fisheries Conservancy board designated coarse angling areas. We were then given the stretch from the Agivey Bridge down to the Black Bann Bridge; later we got other parts like PG1 etc.

Then Bann Systems took over and charged us initially £10-00. The rest you know?

In those days the LBCAA had a junior league - Young Colin Elder started with the club in the then Junior league which he won it 95-96. Hugh Elder his father joined the club at a later date.

Jimmy Speers was 2nd in the winter league 92-93, which was won by Pete Dunn. Jimmy then went on to win the Summer League that year.

93/94 Raymond Atkinson won the Summer League. In 2005 Davy went on holiday, Hugh and Colin ran the club in his place - the rest is history.

Mark Strahan started to assist with the draws. Then Mark took over as Match Secretary; Sometimes assisted by Raymond Atkinson, organising venues etc. 

Our Current Secretary is the Hon. James Speers.