[bwlodge]

A Woman with a Mission!
Glenda Powell – Ireland’s World Champion Flycaster
(as featured in the Countryside Alliance Ireland Newsletter, December 2007)

“I inherited my uncle’s fishing rods when I was nine years old, and went through torture to teach myself how to fish.
I don’t want others to have to go through the same bad experience.”
Glenda has come a long way since then!
She first entered the tuition field in her teens at various still-water trout fisheries in Northern Ireland. In 1993, at the age of 18 she moved to Scotland for three years, where she qualified with SANA (Scottish Anglers National Ass.) as both Salmon & Trout instructor and fished in the Scottish Ladies International Fly-fishing Team.

Since 1997, she has been based at the Blackwater Lodge Salmon Fishery in Upper Ballyduff, County Waterford, Ireland where she instructs and guides on the Blackwater Lodge Fishery.
She is the only female to attain the APGAI-Ireland Salmon & Trout qualifications.
In September, 2006 she became the Emerald World Masters Ladies Salmon Distance Casting Champion.

Glenda has achieved an enviable reputation both for her tuition capabilities and casting skills. Her knowledge of the physics & mechanics of fly-casting embraces all of the latest technology, tackle & equipment. She is always on the lookout for new developments which will enable newcomers and more experienced fisherpersons (!) alike to both improve their skills and gain more enjoyment from their sport. She talks with ease & vast knowledge about the latest spey lines, rod development and casting techniques. She can teach all levels from complete beginner to the highest levels of advanced spey-casting including Snake roll, Snap T & C, Skagit with all other forms (roll, single & double spey) using either single- or double-handed rods.

She has a very gentle manner with her tuition, and has an uncanny ability to judge the needs of clients and tailor her approach to their lessons to ensure that they feel at ease and gain the maximum benefit. Clients are given clear & concise explanations of the way their rod & line works so that they better understand what they are trying to achieve with their casting and why. Such is her manner that many a fishing widow has been encouraged to take up the sport under her expert guidance.

She regularly demonstrates at angling fairs throughout Ireland, and was one of the star demonstrators at the Tweed Angling Fair held at Kelso, Scotland in May, 2007. It was there that she met the owners of Loop Tackle from Sweden who were so impressed that they immediately took her on as a member of their No. 1 Pro Team and are providing sponsorship to help Glenda with her projects. She has already been asked to re-appear at the Tweed Fair in May, 2008
“Women and children are the future of our sport”

Determined to give something back to the sport, Glenda has been very active in the 2007 season encouraging women and children into fly-fishing. Less and less youngsters are taking up the sport, which has to compete with computers and video games. Bringing women into the sport has the added benefit of promoting parental encouragement for their children.

Glenda ran free introduction courses for children in the summer in conjunction with three of the major trout clubs on the Blackwater to boost their juvenile membership. In her home village of Ballyduff - which has only 250 habitants – no less than 37 children enrolled in the course there.

Ladies Introduction Days have also been a great success and raised a great deal of money for the Action Breast Cancer charity. The first was held at Ballyduff, where about 20 women had a great day on June 9 with demos, casting clinic and fishing – not to mention a superb buffet lunch. This has been followed by a further three days at various trout fisheries in Wicklow in conjunction with the Eastern Region Fisheries Board and The Slaney River Trust. This attracted such interest that the second one was filmed and broadcast as a 10 minute feature on RTE’s Nationwide programme. Already for 2008, the Waterford Sports Partnership will be providing grant aid for another juvenile course on the Blackwater.

Glenda is planning to promote fly-fishing on a much broader basis to the younger generation with a programme based on the very successful Fishstart model developed in Scotland on the Tweed. This will be taken to schools and youth organisations. She has already developed and given the first performance of a drama aimed at primary level to familiarise infants with the life cycle of the salmon and the ecology of the river system. A trust will be set up to finance this project, and any companies or individuals who would like to sponsor this very worthwhile venture can contact Glenda directly.

Fact File
For information on salmon fishing and tuition on the Cork Blackwater contact Glenda:
Email: glenda@ireland-salmon-fishing.net
Web: Salmon Fishing on Ireland's Cork Blackwater