18/03/2026
๐ฃ Rebel County SAC โ February Species Hunt
February didnโt exactly bring tropical conditions to Cork โ more of the same: cold hands, sideways rain, and the occasional choice of hobbie being questioned mid-cast.
But once again, the Rebel County crew soldiered on, because just like the The boy Olden says, "Rebels Dont Rust"..
The rods were out, the rigs were tangled, there was sand in our jocks, socks and knickers, and the fishโฆ well, they cooperated just enough to keep us all coming back for more.
Out of the group, 16 anglers stepped up and put fish on the board, with a total of 46 submissions for the month.
Not as hectic as January โ but still very respectable considering the conditions. Weโll take that all day long.
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๐ The Numbers
For the stat merchants
(you know who ye are)
46 fish landed this month
17 different species (yes, 17 ๐)
16 anglers registering fish on the board for Feb
Thatโs actually more species than January with fewer fish โ quality over quantity, Daycent๐.
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๐ Species Breakdown
A serious mixed bag this month, with a few curveballs thrown in for good measure:
Bass
Bull Huss
Coalfish
Cod
Conger
Dab
Dogfish
Flounder
Goby (Sand)
Pollack
Poor Cod
Pouting
Ray (Painted)
Rockling (Shore)
Rockling (5 Bearded)
Smelt (Sand)
Whiting
From a few tiny Gobies to proper Conger action, it had a bit of everything. February clearly didnโt get the memo that itโs supposed to be a โquietโ fishing month, but we won't complain
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๐ February Leaderboard
1st โ Gab Matejko | 11.7 pts | 7 species
2nd โ Danny OโShea | 8.7 pts | 7 species
3rd โ Shane Olden | 8.6 pts | 6 species
4th โ George OโHara | 4.9 pts | 3 species
5th โ John OโMahony | 4.6 pts | 3 species
A tight enough battle at the top, but Gab pulled away with a strong mix of species and a bit of record-breaking flair (more on that below).
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๐ Thornback Ray Challenge
No change at the top here โ Noah Tahran, the one and only Kebab is still holding firm with his 65cm Thornback Ray.
Once again, a few rays made appearancesโฆ and some of them again mysteriously avoided the measuring mat. Lads, itโs not a ghost story competition โ if itโs not measured, it didnโt happen ๐
The 65cm mark still stands. Plenty of time to knock him off itโฆ if someone remembers to bring a measure mat.
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โญ Angler of the Month
This one was never in doubt.
Februaryโs Angler of the Month goes to Gab Matejko, who didnโt just catch fish โ he went full steam ahead in February and landed three club records:
Dab โ 27cm
Goby (Sand) โ 4cm (yesโฆ FOUR ๐)
Pouting โ 18cm
It takes a special kind of angler to turn a 4cm Goby into club history โ and fair play, thatโs exactly what Gab did.
Proof once again: measure everythingโฆ even the ones youโd nearly flick back without looking.
Unreal going altogether, fair play tya Gab ๐
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๐
Top 10 Overall Leaderboard
The bigger picture is starting to take shape now:
1st โ Gab Matejko | 14 species | 23 pts
2nd โ George OโHara | 13 species | 21.8 pts
3rd โ Noah Tahran | 8 species | 14.1 pts
4th โ Shane Olden | 8 species | 11.6 pts
5th โ Leo Napier | 7 species | 11.1 pts
6th โ Callum Looney | 8 species | 10.9 pts
7th โ John OโMahony | 6 species | 9.8 pts
8th โ Edwina Galvin | 7 species | 9.5 pts
9th โ Ben Hammill | 6 species | 7.5 pts
10th โ Sean OโSullivan Ryan | 5 species | 7.4 pts
Still plenty of movement to come, but Gab has put down a serious marker early in the year.
All in all, February delivered โ more species, tight competition, and just enough madness to keep things interesting.
If this carries on, weโre in for some year altogether.
Tight lines lads โ and keep the heads up, springโs not far away now. We'll be fishing in the shorts and t shirts before we know it.๐๐ฃ
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๐ Thanks to Our Sponsors
A massive thanks as always to the sponsors keeping the wheels turning:
SAKUMA โ top quality tackle
Donnatellos Family Pizza
TW Murrays
The Fish Locker
The Tackle Shop
Dacent Print Design Co
The Angling Hub
Murphys Rock Bar
Support the businesses that support the club ๐
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Report by:
John OโMahony