The End of an Irish Salmon Fishing Era

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ian Powell writes:

Little did I realise when I closed the doors of the Lodge on October 1st. this year that it would be for the very last time as at that stage I was already making plans for the 2016 season.

Only recently did I discover that the melanoma I have been living with since late 2004 has once again appeared as two small tumours. Fortunately, my genetic make-up means that this may well be successfully treated with a new immunotherapy drug called Yervoy. I will be starting this treatment just before Christmas but may also require surgery at some stage next year.

In recent years, running the Lodge has required a very much ‘hands-on’ approach to steer it through difficult times for the salmon angling tourism business.  With the impending treatment regime I cannot commit to continuing in this way, so I have decided that it is time to close the Lodge and concentrate on fighting for good health (and a lot more fishing!) in the years to come.

Blackwater Lodge Guesthouse, self-catering bungalows and the freehold fishing rights will be put on the market for sale as a whole or in lots. Please contact me for details if you are interested at: info@ireland-salmon-fishing.net or by phone on: +353 58 60235 or +353 87 2352120 (mobile).

I would like to think that I have been a good ambassador for the Cork Blackwater during the 30 years which I have run the Lodge. But as one era draws to a close, so a new one begins.

My estranged wife Glenda is starting a new fishing and guiding business (Blackwater Salmon Fishing) and will take over the best beats that the Lodge has controlled over the last 30 years. Whilst she will not run accommodation herself, she will offer a network of accommodation providers in the area to include hotels, guesthouses, B&Bs and self-catering cottages.

She has my wholehearted support in this new venture, and has a wealth of experience based on seventeen years at the Lodge. I am sure she will have a long continuing involvement with salmon angling tourism in the Blackwater Valley as she is the same age as I was when I bought the Lodge back in 1986. She may be contacted at: glenda@ireland-salmon-fishing.net or by telephone on: +353 58 53 929 or +353 87 235 12 60 (mobile).

 

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