2008 Spey Omega International Open Speycasting Championship
20/11/2008
The second Spey Omega open Speycasting championship was held on the River Shannon at Catleconnell in Ireland. Pat Nolan of Premier Angling Supplies once again sponsored this event which was a 15 foot contest wading waist deep in the river. The weather was blustery during the qualifiers making it difficult to keep your line within the markers, this all added to the excitement. A healthy number of entrants took part from the UK Ireland and Norway giving the competition an International flavor. The qualifying rounds took place on the Saturday and Sunday morning with the final in the afternoon.
There was some terrific casting on display with some very large casts from the Scandinavians and Gerard Downey of Ireland who were using their trusty Carron Jetstream 11/12 95 foot heads.
Gerard Downey gets a big one away
Top 6 Qualifyers
1st Knut Syrstad
2nd Gerard Downey
3rd James Chalmers
4th Andrew Toft
5th Mathias Lillieheim
6th Ruairi Costello
The rain was coming down hard during the finals with occasional gusts making it very tricky conditions.
The Carron boys wet but in good spirits
The final was a very close thing with Knut Syrstad and Gerard Downey both hitting big casts, only the judges tape could separate them as they both thought the other had won it, this all added to the suspense as they never told us until the prize awards. When they announced that the longest cast was made by Knut Syrstad a loud cheer went up and he was congratulated.
Final Scores
| 1st | Knut Syrstad | 161 feet 7 inches |
| 2nd | Gerard Downey | 160 feet 5 inches |
| 3rd | Mathias Lillieheim | 143 feet 10 inches |
| 4th | Ruairi Costello | 141 feet 3 inches |
| 5th | Andrew Toft | 140 feet 6 inches |
| 6th | James Chalmers | 137 feet 10 inches |
A nice selection of prizes on display
Knut Syrstad sharing a special moment with the other 5 finalists
All 6 finalists used the Carron Jetstream 95 foot 11/12 line.
A big thank you Pat Nolan of Premier Angling Supplies and the organizers for making it a wonderful weekend, looking forward to returning in 2010.