The 40-year-old angler did not make the traditional 8.30 am start time for the new salmon fishing season on New Year's Day in Kinlough but joined around 65 other anglers at 11 am.

But that didn't prove to be any bar to success as, less than three hours later, Brian had the honour of bagging the first salmon of 2010 ahead of 60 rivals with a flying C bait in an area of the river near Kinlough known as the Two Islands pool.

It was the second time Brian had landed the big one, having achieved the feat in 1999 and he repeated the feat last Friday with another ten pound fish as anglers travelled from all over the country and even as far as Germany and France to be on the shore of the Drowes.

Speaking after his catch, Brian revealed that the secret of his success, walking along the bank and covering as much water as possible before he got lucky - "I was over the moon, I was shaken."

The Enniskillen man, a lecturer at the Fermanagh Skills Centre, tucked into a meal of grilled salmon with his wife Tracy and their three children, Oliver (6), Laura (5) and Amy (3) at home after his feat.

Having caught the first salmon of the year on two occasions, Brian hopes now to match the record of local man John Fahy, who has been the first to catch the elusive fish of knowledge on three separate occasions.

Shane Gallagher of the Drowes Salmon Fishery in Kinlough revealed that the anglers had braved the elements in the hunt for the first salmon - "There was a smaller crowd that usual because of the road conditions and the temperature here on New Year's morning was minus eight, so it was hardy enough.

"It is good to keep the record going of producing the first salmon most years and we hope to keep it going into the future," said Shane.