The 2008 Waterways Ireland Classic Fishing Festival finished with a real cliff-hanger on Friday when English-born Irvinestown resident Gus Greaves scooped the top prize of £5,000 and a Crystal Chalice with a winning overall catch of 72kgs 470gms, a mere 50gms ahead of multiple World Champion Bob Nudd.
Going into the final day Wayne Truman from Nottingham held the overall lead, closely followed by Bob Nudd, but Gus' 33kgs 400gms from the improving Rossahilly section catapulted him into top place.
Wayne Truman finished third overall with 71kgs 910gms followed by Lee Harries from Oxley with 57kgs 620gms, Neil Mazurek from Cootehill was fifth with a total of 51kgs 700gms and young Newent angler Philip Bendall completed the top six with 46kgs 30gms.
Changing weather conditions throughout the week added to the unpredictability of the Classic with different sections performing better on different days.
The decision to hold the event earlier in the year appears to have paid off, and the average catch per angler has improved on 2007.
The second day of the 2008 Waterways Ireland Classic Fishing Festival proved one of the best for many years, with excellent catches recorded on some of the better known coarse fishing sections on Lough Erne.
With weather conditions ranging from bright sunshine to heavy showers, and gusty winds on the more exposed stretches of shoreline, the 257 anglers experienced the 'Fermanagh climate' of four seasons in one day.
The top weight on Tuesday was a spectacular 51kgs 200gms landed on a windy Trory section by English visitor Lee Harries, who netted £500 for his efforts.
Second overall was possibly the world's best known angler, Bob Nudd, who used his vast experience to extract 38kgs 640gms also from the Trory section. Neil Mazurek from Cootehill finished third overall with 33kgs 900gms from the popular Ely Lodge section.
Wayne Truman from Nottingham completed the top four with 31kgs 260gms, also at Trory, a catch which elevated him to the overall lead in the competition. Snapping at his heels however is Bob Nudd, a mere 20gms in arrears.
The Classic is sponsored for the sixth year by Waterways Ireland and is organised by Fermanagh District Council in conjunction with the Inland Fisheries Division of the Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure.
