Written By: David Wood
On Date: 20/8/2004
Loughs Conn & Cullin
Vincent Roche reports that there were mixed reports from Loughs Conn and Cullin with some anglers taking good bags of fish while others had less success. Bright sunshine and slack winds made conditions very difficult at times but most anglers were encountering trout and many commented on the large numbers of small trout, which are evident in both lakes this year. In the week ending May 30, Walter and Susan Byrne had a great week of fishing on Conn and reported a total catch of 80 trout for the week of which most were returned alive. Larry Kelly and John Jack had 50 for the week. Michael Monaghan and John Griffin had 20 for a day of which 10 were of keepable size but 18 were returned alive. Gerry Hoey and Will Finn from Cork had 40 for the week. The Western and North Western Regional Fisheries had the first leg of their annual competition on Conn on Tuesday, May 25. Despite very difficult conditions, with bright sunshine all day and slack wind for much of the day, 40 anglers caught 17 trout weighing 21 lb. Approximately 400 trout were reported from Lough Conn for the week.
Fishing on Conn was again very mixed during the week ending June 6 with some anglers doing well but, overall, fishing did not appear to be as lively as in previous weeks. The Lough Conn and Cullin Angling Association had their annual competition over the Bank Holiday weekend. A total of 100 trout, weighing 120 lb were caught in 216 rod days. The competition was won by Noel Shields, Dublin, who had six trout over the two days, weighing 9.13 lb. Second was Ger Kenny, Ennis, with six trout weighing 7.25 lb while Cyril Murray, Galway, was third with five trout which weighed in at 6.5 lb. Meanwhile, Jim Flanagan, Bangor, Co. Down, had an excellent week in which he recorded 40 trout all of which were returned alive including a massive trout of 7.75 lb taken on a Royal Wulff and another fine trout which weighed 3.5 lb. B. McKee and Jack Mellet, fishing from Pontoon Bride Hotel, had four trout for a day weighing 4.25 lb. From the same venue, Andy and Ann Ferguson had five trout over two days; John Lyons had two for 4.25 lb and 14-year old Patrick McManus had his first trout ever, a fine fish weighing 2.5 lb. Fishing with Murphy Boat Hire, the Coosan Anglers, Athlone, recorded 17 trout for a day (best 2 lb) and also took six grilse on trout flies. Dave Passemore and three colleagues from the UK had nine trout over two days and returned a number of other fish while Dr. Tom Madden, Roscommon and UK, had four trout while dapping which is seldom practiced on Lough Conn. Mick Sweeney had two trout, each weighing 3 lb in Cornakillew. Anglers fishing with Kelly Boat Hire, Cloghans, recorded 70 trout for 14 anglers over the week with the bulk of the fish returned. Don Lear and partner, Lisduvogue House, had 32 trout for the week, weighing 40 lb with the best weighing 3.5 lb.
In the week ending June 13, unsuitable hot, calm weather conditions made lake angling difficult and an algal bloom also disrupted fishing. However, Healy’s Hotel reported 22 trout, weighing 33.5 lb for the week with the best weighing 4 lb 10 oz. Pontoon Bridge Hotel reported 24 trout for the week with fish taken on Spent Gnat, Royal Wulff, Green Peter, Green Olive and dapping which is only rarely practiced on Conn despite its popularity on other lakes.
Not many anglers fished the lake during the week ending June 20 but many of those who did venture out reported reasonable fishing. Murphy’s Boat Hire, Massbrook, reported 50 trout for the week with most in the 1.5 to 3 lb category. Sean Reddington, Cloghans, had a party of anglers out and they caught five trout averaging 1.5 lb including a fine trout of 6.25 lb. A German angler, fishing with Padraic Kelly, Cloghans, had a fine trout of 5.2 lb and three others averaging 1.25 lb. Seamus Kelly, Cloghans, had five trout for a day of which he retained just one weighing 2.5 lb. At Pontoon Bridge Hotel, Mr. Briscoe had four trout averaging 1 lb. The same angler had two grilse off the Moy. The best trout fishing appeared to be on Grey Murroughs though at least one trout took a Mayfly.
Approximately 100 trout were reported for the week ending June 27 from Conn. A group from Longford, fishing with Murphy Boat Hire, had ten trout averaging 1 to 1.25 lb. A guest of Pontoon Bridge Hotel, Mr. Nick Rejaert, Belgium, had three nice trout weighing 1.75, 3.5 and 4 lb of which two were taken on Mayfly and one on a dry Sedge. At Kelly’s Boat Hire, Dermot Dunne had four trout with the best weighing 3 lb. Paul Smith, London, had six trout for two days, up to 2 lb. Tom Murphy, Cork, had four trout weighing 6 lb. Seamus Kelly and Bill O’Connell had 30 trout for a week, most of which were returned. The best fish weighed 3.25 lb. Joe and Kay McBride, Dublin, had ten trout for two days averaging 1.25 lb. Several salmon were also caught on Conn during the week
There were not many trout anglers on Conn during the week ending July 4 but quite a few were out trolling for salmon and at least ten salmon were caught with five being reported by Murphy Boat Hire. However, anglers staying at Healy’s Hotel reported five trout for the week. At Pontoon Bridge Hotel, a Welsh party succeeded in landing both salmon and trout. At Kelly’s Boat Hire, Brendan Levins had three trout weighing 4.5 lb and Alistair McKay had two weighing 3.5 lb and 1.25 lb.
There was little fishing activity again on Lough Conn during the week ending July 11 due to northerly and changeable winds which make angling difficult. However, some trout were recorded by those who persevered. Graham Williams, Pontoon, had trout weighing about 1 lb each and Padraic Kelly, Cloghans, had three fine trout weighing 2.5 lb, 1.5 lb and 2.5 lb. Aidan Heffernan, Dublin, had two which weighed in at 1.5 lb each. A number of salmon were taken by anglers who were trolling.
As was the case in the previous week, there was very little fishing activity on the lake over the last week ending July 18. This coincides with the annual lull period on the lake when trout are feeding on perch fry and daphnia. However, some anglers were out on the lake and those who fished out of Cloghans had some success. Bernie Scott and Denis Michael had three trout for 4.5 lb and an angler from County Meath, Mr O’Brin also had three trout. Off Chain Island, Dublin angler, Joe McBride had four trout for 5.5 lb.
The week ending July 25 was again very quiet on the lake, as is the norm for July on Conn. While fishing conditions were not great, the anglers who did venture out enjoyed good sport on the eastern side of the lake from Cloghans down to Friarstown, with yellow stimulator patterns proving most effective. Notable catches included John Sherman who had six trout for 9 lb, the best of which weighed in at 3 lb. M. Sheridan had four trout for 8 lb and Aidan Heffernan, Dublin, also had four trout for 7 lb. In both cases, the best fish was 3 lb. M. Hull took a very nice 7.75 lb trout off Cloghans. Other anglers who reported fish included Seamus Kelly who had two for 4.5 lb and Stephen Browne who had four off Brackwansha for 6 lb. Joe Quinn, Ballina, reported rising 17 trout and took five for 8 lb.
P.O’R.
Lough Arrow
What has happened to this once great Mayfly lough. I remember well when you could not find a boat for hire at Mayfly time such was the demand.
In what should have been the peak of the Spent Gnat fishing – the week ending May 30, fishing was slow but anglers who persevered managed to catch trout. Local angler, David Gray, had six trout for the week with the best weighing 2.5 lb, while Noel Fairbanks also had a trout of 2.75 lb.
Lough Arrow started to provide some good trout in July to Murroughs in the late evening. David Gray had two trout weighing 3 lb and 4 lb and Josie Gray had a fine trout of 6 lb 1 oz – all on Murroughs. Noel Fairbanks had four for 15.5 lb and Paul Cullen had a fine trout of 4.5 lb. The best of the fishing was enjoyed during the evening Sedge hatch.
P.O’R.
Lough Doon:
Lough Doon, near Dromahair, Co. Leitrim, was the venue for a juvenile angling day sponsored by the North Western Regional Fisheries Board. 28 boys and girls, ranging from 7 to 15 years of age, participated in the event which was managed by the local Board staff and members of Dromahair Angling Club with good support from local businesses. All the youngsters got an opportunity to fish either from the shore or boat and a number of trout were caught. The best trout was caught by Sean Foley who won the Blue Devon Perpetual Cup. Second was Ann Marie Kelly and Dean McGoldrick was third.
P.O’R.
Ballisodare:
The salmon fishing progressively improved week by week in June.
The week ending June 6 saw 24 fish taken, best 10 lb by Anthony McCann.
A total of 107 salmon were taken for the week ending June 13 consisting mostly of grilse although one 10 lb salmon was taken. Most of the catch was taken below the falls at Ballisodare Village but a number were also caught upstream.
The third week of June produced 145 fish mainly grilse while 219 fish were caught for the week ending June 27. While the catch consisted mainly of grilse, Sean Maye had a fine salmon of 13 lb on the fly below the falls. The river also experienced a good run of fish through the fish counter that week as well.
P.O’R.
Kylemore:
Nigel Rush reports that July had been yet another mixed month with very little in the way of rain and the decent run of grilse that had been expected not materializing. Even the drift and draft nets experienced a decline in numbers. We may still get a further run in August providing the heavens open to allow the fish free passage. However, for a total of 55 rod days, anglers were rewarded with 31 salmon/grilse. Amongst many of the lucky and skillful anglers to connect and land fish were Mike Smith, Norfolk and John Armstrong, Suffolk with two a piece to 5 lb for their three days. Eleven year old Conor McCormick took his first grilse from the Middle River at 3 lb and Peter Franklin, Manchester, his first ever Irish grilse at 3 lb. Delphi angler, Gerard Shine took a grilse of 3 lb from the lower river; Basil Sheils, Oughterard, caught and returned the first grilse from our boats on the Top Lake at 2.75 lb. You would think that the size of the fish could not get much smaller... Barry Daniel wins the prize so far this year (two weeks salmon fishing in Alaska - all expenses paid) for the smallest grilse weighing in at 2 lb.! Sea- trout fishing this year has been exceptional. An estimated run of 10,000 fish has entered the system and many anglers who opted to fish for sea-trout were handsomely rewarded. No anglers have managed to have such a successful day as Peter Killaly and Ken Furey had at the end of June when they caught and returned 47 sea-trout to 1.75 lb in one day and Larry McAlinden with 17 sea-trout to 2 lb in half a day but most boats going out are catching about six fish per rod, per half day. Gary Kilroy along with his fourteen year old son, Paul Kilroy, were amongst many who for a half day on the Castle and Middle Lakes caught and returned 12 sea-trout to 1.5 lb, mainly on Paul's home tied flies. Our total sea- trout catch for the season so far is 427. The total for the entire season last year was 275. Had we more anglers specifically fishing for sea-trout, then we would have significantly higher numbers in our record books.
September should prove to be a very good month with regard to sea-trout fishing... we can only hope for better fishing conditions during this month than the conditions we had during September 2003.
Meanwhile, Janet McDonnell reports from the Upper Lake that there was a great show of sea-trout all through the month of July. A total of 175 sea-trout were recorded, their weights ranged from .5 lb to 2.5 lb. The number of salmon caught on the lake was 18 for the month. Bill Flynn of Dublin caught two on the fourth day. Mick Burt of Cong caught two salmon fishing from the shoreline including one of 5 lb and the largest salmon was 10 lb on July 21 to Michael Gallagher of Wicklow. Mr. Gallagher also caught a 3.5 lb fish on July 22. Kieran Simon Tarpey of Moycullen caught a 4 lb fish on July 24. Kieran Power, also of Moycullen, caught another 4 lb fish on the 29th. A lot of wind and rain experienced during the month, the conditions were not always favourable. Overall fishing was good on the lake for the month.
For further information on fishing and accommodation, contact Janet McDonnell, Kylemore House, Tel: 095 – 41143.
P.O’R.
Inagh:
Colin Folan reports that in early July low water levels was playing hell with the fishing. There were very few anglers out with no water in the beats, the only chance of action was on Lough Inagh.
On July 12, Coen Muller (Holland) had one fish of 5 lb on Lough Inagh, on a Daddy, his first salmon. On July 16, Tony Barrett had two fish on Inagh, 4 lb and 6 lb on shrimp fly. Sea-trout fishing has been very poor. Edward Murphy, Dublin, had three sea-trout and one brown trout on Greenpoint Beat on a Klinkhammer, best fish 1.5 lb. Brian Regan, Galway, had one sea-trout, three brown trout on Lough Inagh on Daddy. Mike Price, UK, had two sea-trout and one brown on a Bibio on the lake. Edward Perrse, UK, had one sea-trout, 3.5 lb on Glendallogh Butts, on shrimp fly.
On July 27, Colin says that “I’m glad to report that we seem to have a second grilse run. We had a reasonable run at the start of July, but here they come again!! I can honestly say that today I have seen plenty of fresh fish and big ones at that!! I wish I could say the same for the sea-trout, but as we are at the mercy of visually impaired fish farmers, whom, this year have neglected sustainable lice levels, laid out by the powers that be. The maximum level, agreed to be 0.5 ovigerous lice per fish is now 5 per fish. As journalists, who comment on the state of angling, it is your duty to inform the public on this sickening crime that cannot go on any longer. We all depend on angling tourism, and this year will prove that angling tourists are getting fed up with a government that governs on behalf of the fish farmers.
Here is the good news;
On July 22, Murt Folan (Galway) had one grilse of 5 lb on Lough Inagh on a Lady Cathriona fly. Also on July 22, Mrs. Beatrice Dardis (Kildare), had a salmon of 13 lb from the Derryclare Butts on a Cascade, size 12. On July 24, Jean-Claude Roullier (Switzerland - on honeymoon), had his first grilse - 7.5 lb on Derryclare Butts on a Silver Doctor. On July 24, Colin Folan (Inagh Lodge), had one grilse, 5.25 lb on Derryclare Butts on a Collie Dog. On July 25, Evin Power (Galway) had one grilse, 5.25 lb on Lough Inagh on a red Daddy. Also on July 25, John Casey (Galway), had one salmon of 15 lb+ released from Pine Island on a Collie Dog. On July 25, John Casey, had four grilse from Derryclare Butts on a Kylie Shrimp, 5, 6, 7.5 & 8 lb.
Total catch of sea-trout for week – one”
P.O’R.
Ballynahinch
Simon Ashe reports that favourable weather conditions meant that the grilse fishing for July at Ballynahinch has been very good. 28 fish were landed for the month until July 28. Beat 1 was the most successful beat, however good catches were taken from Beats 2 and 4/5. Many of the fish were taken by our regular anglers with Ulrich Treusch taking three grilse in two hours from Beat 1 on July 2. Kevin Keaney, a long time guide at Ballynahinch, took three fish on separate occasions during the month. John McNamara, a visiting angler had two very fruitful days on the river taking five grilse of which he sportingly returned three. Fly patterns working well for July were Silver Stoats and Silver Badgers. First salmon were recorded for fourteen year-old Oliver Hayes and also by Captain Brooks Hornaday, a professional trout angling guide from the US, who took a fresh 8 lb grilse from Beat 2 on a Claret Bumble, size 12. With the drift nets ending this week and late run of fresh grilse still arriving into the river, the early weeks of September are looking promising.
P.O’R.
Bandon
David Lamb reports for July that the river has remained extremely low. A small rise in the middle of the month resulted in some sport for those few anglers who ventured to the river. Visitors from Crew in the UK including Bill Cooper, Jimmy Stretch and Ron Ayer's party of four had 45 fish between them over two weeks ranging form small grilse up to a 16 lb salmon. Nearly all were taken on Flying C and shrimp with three to fly. 18 fish were tagged and 27 released.
The usual run of sea-trout to the lower reaches has as yet not materialized. However, Kilcoleman has reported seeing a number of fresh sea-trout on their waters suggesting that some may just have run through. There have been marvelous rises of trout at last light. However, they have proved very choosey and difficult to catch. Sedge seems to have been the most successful fly. Whereas the rest of Ireland seems to have received a fair share of rain, unfortunately the far south coast has not.
P.O’R.
Galway:
Kevin Crowley reports that the Galway Weir was still the place to be in the week ending July 4 with 85 fish caught for the week including 66 taken on the fly. Water levels were perfect for fly fishing and anglers were having fantastic sport with fresh-run grilse. The best day was Sunday July 4, with 16 fish taken, including two for Tommy McMenamin from Kildare of 8 lb and 6 lb and two for Steen Jenson, also Kildare, of 7 and 5 lb. There were 15 fish each day on the July 29 and 30, including three for Brian O' Rourke from Tuam, and two each for John Hetherington and Colm Adams from Dublin. Cyril Conlon also had a nice 7 lb fish and 14 year old Curreel O'Callaghan won't forget her first visit to the weir where she caught a lovely 5 lb grilse while fishing with her father Malachy. Among other anglers to get their first fish at the Weir were Dorrie Gibbons from Cong and Damien Lawless from Dublin, whose 5.5 lb fish was his first ever on the fly. French visitor, Mark de Veletian caught a fresh 6-pounder, Ian Geraghty from Athlone also had a 5 lb grilse and Michael Walsh from Waterford had a fish of 6 lb on his birthday. Happy Birthday, Michael! The grilse are still here in very good numbers and the fishing prospects for the week ahead are excellent. Anyone hoping to see salmon in their natural environment should look over the Salmon Weir Bridge at the Cathedral, where the numbers of salmon on view are drawing large numbers of tourists and onlookers.
The salmon fishing was good for the second week in July with 40 fish taken for the week, including 29 on the fly. The grilse run was slowing down a bit and a few larger salmon are starting to enter the river. International golfer Mark O'Meara was one of those to land a summer salmon, when he hooked and landed an 11 lb fish on July 5. Mark also had a 6 lb grilse, while his friends hooked and lost six fish, some close enough to the landing net fish, with everyone happy to have had a bit of sport. The best day was Sunday, when nine fish were caught, with Lorcan Buckley from Dublin the top rod with three grilse. Kevin Finnegan from Dundalk had two fish, as did Eoin Cosgrove from Tuam. Other anglers to get two fish were David Hoy from Northern Ireland on the July 5, Paul McNamee from Dublin had two on the 6th and Michael Brown had two fish on July 8, including a fine grilse of 7 lb. Paul Gallagher from Limerick had two grilse on the July 12 and Paul Weedle had a lovely 9 lb fish on the July 10. The high average size of the grilse has been a feature of the run this year with few fish under 5 lb weight and a lot of 7-pounders taken. The fishery is now operating full day sessions, from 9 am to 7 pm, and an evening fly-only session. With plenty of grilse in the river and summer salmon beginning to show up, anglers continue to have good sport in great water conditions
Although the grilse run had slowed down in the week ending July 17, there were still good numbers of fish in the river, with some larger ‘harvest’ fish coming in and providing some exciting sport. There were 37 fish caught for the week with 23 of those taken on the fly. There were seven fish taken on July 13, with two for Seán Oakes and two fine fish of 8 lb each for Gordon Sweetman from Monaghan on the fly. Michael Costello from Galway also had a fine 12.5 lb fish on fly. Eight salmon were landed on July 14 including two for Bert Lynch from Galway. Carla Fernandes from Portugal, who now lives in Galway, landed a nice 6 lb grilse and local angler, Seán O’Toole, had two grilse on the fly. Veteran angler, Ray McIntyre, had a nice 8 lb fish. Galway’s William Cullinane landed a nice grilse and then had the fight of a lifetime when he hooked a very large fish, estimated at over 20 lb weight. The fish put up a tremendous fight which lasted well into darkness and after a long struggle, came unhooked and regained its freedom. Hard luck William! William O’Connor from Limerick had a nice brace of fish on July 16, one of 9.5 lb and the other 4.5 lb. On July 18, Gerard Kelly had two nice grilse and Northern Ireland visitor, Patrick Ward had a fine summer salmon of 9 lb. Arthur Drugan from Kerry had a 7 lb fish on July 19 and David Hoey had an 8-pounder on fly the same day.
With plenty of fish in the river, and some big summer salmon coming in daily, the river continues to fish well and prospects are good for the coming week.
The fishing had really slowed down in the week ending July 25 with the grilse run coming to an end and many fish moving upstream to Lough Corrib. There were 22 fish taken for the week with 18 of those caught on the fly. Arthur Drugan was top rod on July 19 with two grilse of 5 lb each. Danish visitor Per Balle also had a grilse, this time from the New Beat below the bridge. 14 year old Joseph O’Toole, grandson of local expert, Seán O’Toole, had his first ever salmon on July 20, a lovely grilse of 5 lb. There were a good few fish taken on July 22, including a fish each for visitors Derek Vance from Northern Ireland and Michael Orr from the UK. Tim Keoghan from Westmeath also had a nice grilse. Dermot Quinlan had the best fish of the week, a 7-pounder on the July 23 and Michael Barry from Galway had a 6.5 lb fish. Declan O’Reilly from Dublin had a nice fish on July 26. While the fishing has slowed down, there are still a lot of fish to be seen in the river from the bridge, and anglers were hooking and losing a good few more.
P.O’R.
Lough Corrib:
In the week ending July 4, trout fishing was very quiet on the lough all week with few anglers really fishing for the species. However, most of the anglers on the lough were trolling for salmon but they are not having a lot of success, even though grilse could be seen pitching all over their favourite resting areas and drifts.
Weather conditions were not ideal in the week ending July 11 with humid, thundery conditions for much of the time. Angling pressure was very light, and very few reports came in from around the lake. July is traditionally a quiet time on Corrib when many anglers take a break and wait for August and the Daddy Long Legs to bring the fish on again! There were lots of grilse seen showing in the lake but few caught by anglers. Perhaps they could learn from 12 year old Luke O'Connell from Ballysodare, who has had several salmon on the fly already this season, including one fish of 14 lb. Luke also had a nice trout of 1.5 lb on Sunday, July 10, fishing with Enda McLoughlin, who had two for 3.5 lb. All fish were taken on wet-fly. With so many salmon showing in the lake, it is surprising that more anglers are not out after them and increased effort might result in more reports of fish in the next couple of weeks.
Although fishing conditions improved in the week ending July 18, there were few anglers out on the lake. A trolling competition was held on Sunday, July 18 for the Leckavra Cup, presented by the Barrett family. First place went to Gerry Molloy and Martin Butler, with a specimen trout of 12 lb. Second place went to Frank and John Butler with two trout for 11 lb.
In the Oughterard area, some good trout have been taken on the dap, with nine fish reported for 16.5 lb. Maurice O’Connell had two trout for 4 lb on the dap. Fishing was improving with dapping being a successful method.
Corrib was again lightly fished over the week ending July 25, although conditions were favourable for fishing. Dapping the cricket was successful for quite a few anglers, and wet-fly also accounted for a good few fish. In the Cornamona-Greenfields area, 17 rods fished over the weekend and caught 20 fish in 27 rod days for a total weight of 34.5 lb. The best fish reported was 5.25 lb. Wet-fly and dapping accounted for most of the fish. 14-year-old Lonan O’Farrell, fishing out of Camillaun Lodge, had two nice trout of 2 lb each, one on a dapped Grasshopper and one on a Stimulator.
P.O’R.
Lough Mask:
The showery, fresh weather has been kind to wet-fly anglers on the lough over the week ending July 4. While trout fishing hasn't been great, weather conditions were most encouraging and some nice trout were caught. 21 anglers landed 26 trout for 32 lb in 38 angling days. It is expected that some improvement in returns will come about in the week ahead, July often being a good month on the lough for quality trout fishing.
There were only a few anglers out on Mask in the week ending July 11 with the humid, thundery conditions perhaps putting some people off. There were fair hatches of Sedge and Mayfly. 27 rods caught 34 fish for 53 rod days weighing 46 lb. The best fish caught was 2.5 lb. Wet-fly and dry-fly both accounted for fish with Sedge and Olive patterns predominating. The light winds and calm water conditions made fishing difficult at times, but large numbers of fish were seen moving.
There were good Sedge hatches on the lake in the week ending July 18 with some Mayfly seen too and the fishing had picked up again. 23 anglers caught 64 trout in 68 rod days with the best fish recorded at 2.75 lb. Wet and dry-fly accounted for most fish with Sedge patterns most popular. A lot of trout were met by anglers especially in deeper water and the lake is starting to fish well again after a lull. Prospects for the coming weeks are good, as the numbers of fish showing increase and anglers return to the lake.
While many anglers have been out on reconnaissance missions over the last week ending July 25, reports are few, as information is jealously guarded in the run up to the big World Cup event next weekend. Conditions have been fairly good with overcast breezy weather and fish being seen in good numbers.
Castlebar Angling Club held a competition over the weekend and had some good fishing with 55 trout being caught by 42 anglers. The top three rods all caught five fish each with first prize going to Patsy Treacy from Fermanagh. In second place was Seán Maloney from Ballinrobe and third was Mick Dunne of Tourmakeady and Mullingar. The heaviest fish weighed in was 2.75 lb. Northern anglers, David Hartnett, fishing out of Sheridan’s in Cushlough reported two nice trout for 3.5 lb and Ronan Cusack had a trout of 2.5 lb. With so many anglers out this weekend, the report next week should be much more comprehensive.
P.O’R.
Lough Carra:
Kevin Crowley reports that things are looking good for this lake at the moment where there are quite a lot of trout moving to the surface in evening time, mainly to hatching Sedge. Of course the showery, broken weather conditions suited the fishing over the week ending July 4, 64 anglers having 89 trout in 78 angling days for a weight of 108 lb. Both wet and dry-fly were effective. Ronan Cusack from Cushlough, Ballinrobe, took two Belgian anglers on to the lake for two days and they had nine trout for around 12 lb to both wet and dry-fly. Word from Billy Murphy, the local WRFB Officer, was that prospects for the coming week looked very promising, especially if the weather continued broken. The Carra Anglers' Wet Fly competition was held on Sunday evening between 6 and 10-pm, 34 anglers taking part and recording 24 trout, all over 14-inches, the limit adopted for the day. Damian Walshe from Castlebar was the winner with four
trout for 5.96 lb. Joe Gannon, also Castlebar, was second with three for 5.3 lb
and Matt Higgins, Castlebar, was third with three for 4.9 lb.
In the week ending July 11, Carra was fishing well, as it often does in July, although very few anglers were out to reap the benefits. There were good hatches of Sedge observed at times, and plenty of trout moving when conditions were suitable, with some quite large fish seen among them. 14 rods had 15 fish in 18 rod days for 26 lb, including a great fish of 7 lb taken by David Conroy from Ballyglass, dapping a Grasshopper. Wet and dry-fly and dapping all accounted for fish with Sedge and nymph patterns taking most fish. Roy Pearse and five anglers took five trout for 8 lb in 1.5 days fishing wet and dry-fly. Prospects looked very good with fish moving in numbers.
There were some good hatches of Sedges during the week ending July 18 and the fishing was fairly good. There were few anglers out and many who did go out tried dapping with good success. 16 rods reported 26 fish for 36 lb in 31 rod days with the best fish weighing 2.5 lb. Wet and dry-fly and dapping accounted for all of the fish. Sedge patterns were popular and dapping the Grasshopper was a successful method. Most anglers were going out in the evening when there was a very good show of fish and anglers rose good numbers of trout. This lake is really starting to fish well again and prospects are very good for the next few weeks.
P.O.R.
Bunowen & Carrowniskey:
There was some nice water in the week ending July 4 on the Bunowen River. A small run of grilse was seen coming up on the flood, and five salmon were reported for the week, most about 3-4 lb but a couple of larger fish too.
There was also lovely water in the Carrowniskey River, although few anglers were out during the week. No salmon were reported from the river, but like the Bunowen, fish should be running here too and if more anglers were out, we should see some fish landed.
Frequent heavy showers during the week ending July 11 kept the Bunowen in good condition for fishing and good numbers of salmon and trout were seen running the river. A good few anglers were out during the week and although plenty of fish were seen and risen, only three grilse were reported taken. Two grilse were taken in Durkan's Pool by an angler who also lost another fish and reported rising several more. The third fish was taken in Carr's Pool beside the Fishery Office. Anglers were also getting a good few sea-trout, particularly in the lower pools.
There were few anglers out on the Carrowniskey River and no salmon were reported from the river, but like the Bunowen, fish should be running here too and if more anglers were out, we could see some fish landed.
Water levels on the Bunowen were up and down over the week ending July 18, but the sultry, thundery conditions perhaps put the fish down a bit. Good numbers of salmon were seen running the river and anglers rose quite a few fish over the week. Three salmon were reported caught and staff feel that more fish were probably caught and not yet reported. The fishing has picked up a bit and at least anglers are seeing more fish now.
The Carrowniskey River had nice water at times, and one salmon was reported caught there on Monday, with several more fish hooked and lost. This beautiful little spate river is very lightly fished and could be well worth trying for a salmon.
Again during the week ending July 25, the Bunowen has seen more fish running the river and plenty being risen, but not too many being landed. There were a few days when water levels were good for fishing with misty showers bringing nice water. The weather, being humid and thundery, was not ideal for salmon angling but several anglers hooked and lost fish. Thursday was the best day for fishing and there were several fish taken along the river, mostly on fly. There were also a lot of fish risen that day, particularly in Carr’s Pool beside the fishery office.
The Carrowniskey River also had good water at times and fishery staff report a good few fish being seen in the river, although none were reported caught. This beautiful little spate river is very lightly fished, and could be well worth trying for a salmon. For permits to fish these two lovely spate rivers, please contact the Board’s office at Ballyhip, Louisburgh, Co. Mayo, telephone: 098 66404.
P.O’R.
Moher:
This lake fished really well during July. Surprisingly few anglers have fished Moher this year and with the stocked and native fish providing great sport, it would be well worth a try. The fish are rising very freely and anglers are having great sport particularly in the evenings. Tom Bourke and Patrick Moran from Westport had 15 trout between them on Monday, evening, July 12 for only an hour’s fishing, keeping five nice fish. Peter McKeever from Ardee had five very good stocked fish and some more wild brown trout and Joe Cinnamon from Lurgan fished two evenings and caught his bag limit both times. Toby Gibbons from Westport had a good catch on one evening as had Adrian Noon, also from Westport.
Boat hire and permits to fish this lake are available from McDonnell’s, Liscarney, Westport, telephone: 098 21638.
P.O’R.
Bunowen & Carrowniskey:
There was some nice water in the week ending July 4 on the Bunowen River. A small run of grilse was seen coming up on the flood, and five salmon were reported for the week, most about 3-4 lb but a couple of larger fish too.
There was also lovely water in the Carrowniskey River, although few anglers were out during the week. No salmon were reported from the river, but like the Bunowen, fish should be running here too and if more anglers were out, we should see some fish landed.
Frequent heavy showers during the week ending July 11 kept the Bunowen in good condition for fishing and good numbers of salmon and trout were seen running the river. A good few anglers were out during the week and although plenty of fish were seen and risen, only three grilse were reported taken. Two grilse were taken in Durkan's Pool by an angler who also lost another fish and reported rising several more. The third fish was taken in Carr's Pool beside the Fishery Office. Anglers were also getting a good few sea-trout, particularly in the lower pools.
There were few anglers out on the Carrowniskey River and no salmon were reported from the river, but like the Bunowen, fish should be running here too and if more anglers were out, we could see some fish landed.
Water levels on the Bunowen were up and down over the week ending July 18, but the sultry, thundery conditions perhaps put the fish down a bit. Good numbers of salmon were seen running the river and anglers rose quite a few fish over the week. Three salmon were reported caught and staff feel that more fish were probably caught and not yet reported. The fishing has picked up a bit and at least anglers are seeing more fish now.
The Carrowniskey River had nice water at times, and one salmon was reported caught there on Monday, with several more fish hooked and lost. This beautiful little spate river is very lightly fished and could be well worth trying for a salmon.
Again during the week ending July 25, the Bunowen has seen more fish running the river and plenty being risen, but not too many being landed. There were a few days when water levels were good for fishing with misty showers bringing nice water. The weather, being humid and thundery, was not ideal for salmon angling but several anglers hooked and lost fish. Thursday was the best day for fishing and there were several fish taken along the river, mostly on fly. There were also a lot of fish risen that day, particularly in Carr’s Pool beside the fishery office.
The Carrowniskey River also had good water at times and fishery staff report a good few fish being seen in the river, although none were reported caught. This beautiful little spate river is very lightly fished, and could be well worth trying for a salmon. For permits to fish these two lovely spate rivers, please contact the Board’s office at Ballyhip, Louisburgh, Co. Mayo, telephone: 098 66404.
P.O’R.
Moher:
This lake fished really well during July. Surprisingly few anglers have fished Moher this year and with the stocked and native fish providing great sport, it would be well worth a try. The fish are rising very freely and anglers are having great sport particularly in the evenings. Tom Bourke and Patrick Moran from Westport had 15 trout between them on Monday, evening, July 12 for only an hour’s fishing, keeping five nice fish. Peter McKeever from Ardee had five very good stocked fish and some more wild brown trout and Joe Cinnamon from Lurgan fished two evenings and caught his bag limit both times. Toby Gibbons from Westport had a good catch on one evening as had Adrian Noon, also from Westport.
Boat hire and permits to fish this lake are available from McDonnell’s, Liscarney, Westport, telephone: 098 21638.
P.O’R.
River Moy:
Vincent Roche reports that anglers enjoyed another great week of fishing on the Moy with a total catch of 1,122 salmon reported for the week ending July 4. Once again, fish were caught right throughout the system from Ballina up to the East Mayo Anglers Association water and also, in Lough Conn and the River Deel. Water levels fluctuated continuously on the Moy Fishery during the week making angling conditions difficult and unsuitable for the fly much of the time. Nonetheless, the fishery accounted for 91 salmon for the week with the bulk of these again caught on the Ridge Pool on fly, worm and spinner. Gary Perks, England, had five salmon on fly of which two were released. Stuart Price, England, had three on the worm, all in the 3-4 lb bracket. Paddy Marren had two salmon at 3.92 lb and 4.41 lb while spinning and Margaret Downes had one of 4.57 lb, also spinning. Jim Goodwin, England had three salmon from 2.5 lb to 4.49 lb while spinning.
On Mount Falcon Fishery, the Holbrook party from England (four adults and a 12-year old who caught his first two salmon) had 14 salmon over just two days with the best weighing 13.5 lb. The McGrath party (three anglers) had nine salmon with the best weighing 6 lb and the Casey party (four anglers) had 22 salmon for the week of which ten were released. On Gannon’s water, Marcel Struder, Switzerland and Jean Pierre Morel, France, each had a 4 lb salmon on worm. On the Foxford Fishery, Howard Bayless, Wales, had five salmon for his week while Gordon Brown, England, had three for the week. Colin O’ Neill, N. Ireland, had his first ever salmon during the week. On Rinnanney, M. Hughes, England, had six salmon for the week including a fine fish of 13.5 lb. On the East Mayo Anglers water, Tom Kavanagh had a 20 lb salmon on worm, a German visitor had one of 12 lb on fly and Bert McGovern, Kiltimagh, also had a fine salmon of 12.25 lb on the fly.
The good fishing continued on the Moy the following week with all fisheries producing salmon and a total of 791 were recorded for the week ending July 11. The Moy has already passed the 5,000 mark for the season to date. The Moy Fishery, at Ballina, again produced the biggest haul with 120 salmon for the week. On the Ridge Pool, Virginia Webb, England, had a fine salmon of 12.59 lb on a spinner. Ian Adamson, England had two salmon on the Ridge and another on the Cathedral Beat, all on fly. John Elfed Jones, Wales, had three on the Ridge Pool, all on fly. Sean Murphy, Kildare, also had three on the fly. Gerry Quinn, Newry, had a salmon on a spinner and his 11 year old son, Conor, had his first salmon, a nice fish of 6.29 lb, also on a spinner. On the Ballina Salmon Anglers’ water, a juvenile angling competition, held in conjunction with Ballina Street Festival, was won by Niall O’Boyle who had a 3 lb salmon. Second was Chris Cunningham with a 1.25 lb trout. Owen O’Boyle was 3rd with a trout of 1 lb and Gareth Conlon was 4th with a trout of .75 lb.
On Knockmore Club Water, Eddie Thomas, England, had two salmon on worm and Martin O’Hare, England, had three on worm. On Coolcronan, Albert Whitnal, Wales, had 13 salmon for his week. On Byrne’s Fishery, G. McKay had two salmon at 5 lb and 6 lb on prawn. On the Foxford Fishery, Peter Deegan, Wicklow, had a nice 8 lb fish on worm and the Fred Morris party of five anglers had an excellent return of 45 salmon for the week. On Rinnaney, J. Fontaine, France, had two salmon of 7 lb and 6 lb. On Cloongee, Thiery Colm, France, had three salmon on spinner. On East Mayo Anglers Water, J. Hegarty had three salmon on spinner and J. McHugh had two weighing 11 lb on fly with a German visitor also having two for 11 lb on fly.
Sea-trout fishing on the Moy Estuary was good. Ballina’s most famous adopted son, Jack Charlton and friend, Ray Bailey, had nine trout of which five were released. Robert Page and son had 12 trout of which eight were released. James Little, Scotland, had 24 trout of which 20 were released and Duncan Livingstone, Scotland, had 11 of which ten were released. The best trout reported for the week was 3.5 lb.
While the very high catches of the past number of weeks were not achieved, the Moy again produced good fishing with a total of 550 salmon recorded for the week ending July 18. The total rod catch for the Moy has now surpassed 5,800 salmon. Due to the relatively low water, the Moy Fishery at Ballina again produced the biggest catch with 129 salmon for the week. On the Ridge Pool, Jason Lewis and Adam Akhurst from England had two salmon each. Peter Hannon and Shirley Russell from Northern Ireland both achieved the bag limit of three salmon each. Andrew Wilson and Peter Wilson from Dublin had two salmon each. Pat Cleare also Dublin had his bag limit of three salmon. All were caught on the fly. On the Cathedral Beat, Raymond Stewart N.I. had a 4 lb fish to the fly. Peter Taylor, England, had two nice fish also on the fly for a total 10.75 lb. On the Spring Wells, George Dawson N.I. had three salmon and Keith Hudson, England also took a 4.5 lb fish all taken on the fly. On the Ash Tree Pool, David Wills and Andrew Shaw England had a fish each.
On Armstrongs Fishery, Gilles Boudier, France had a 6 lb salmon on the prawn. On the Foxford Fishery, Alan White from Devon had nine salmon to the fly for four days, his best fish weighing in at 5 lb. R. Banks from London had four salmon for two days, the best of which weighed 5 lb, again caught on the fly. Ronnie McMorris N.I. had an excellent 15 lb salmon to the prawn. On Rinanney, A. Grey N. Ireland, had two salmon of 6 & 8 lb. P. Morgan and C. Wilson had one salmon each which weighed in at 7 lb and 9 lb respectively. On Cloongee, David Black N.I. had a fine fish of 12 lb on a spinner. On East Mayo Waters, J. Little N.I. had two salmon on the fly and M. Warren had three salmon on the worm.
On the Moy Estuary, an estimated 200 sea-trout were caught over the week and well over 50% of these were returned alive. Peter Hannon, Shirley Russell, Sean McManamon and Sean O’Toole had 33 trout for their day of which 13 were released. Best fish was 3 lb plus and was landed by Shirley Russell. Judd Ruane, Duncan McKinsey and friend had 61 trout for two days of which 31 were released with the best fish weighing in at 3 lb. Vincent Roche and family had 19 trout for their day, releasing 12.
Water levels continued to stay relatively low during the week ending July 25 with 459 salmon reported caught. The Moy Fishery at Ballina, again reported the highest catch with 161 salmon for the week. The total reported angler catch for the Moy to-date has now reached 6276 salmon of which 974 fish were taken on Moy Fishery beats.
The Ridge Pool returned 87 salmon for the week. Peter Taylor, England and David Dumican, Northern Ireland each had their bag limit of three fish to the fly. P Taylor returned one of his three. James Clerkin, Cavan, had his first salmon on a fly and Peter and Ann Anker, England had two salmon each on the worm. On the Cathedral Beat, David Dumican had a second successful days fishing with two salmon, one for 5 lb to the fly and the other for 4 lb on a spinner. On the Spring Wells, Jerome Kiernan had a salmon of 5 lb and Paddy McDonnell had two salmon, all fish were taken on the fly. On the Ash Tree Pool, Tom Waldron had two salmon and a sea-trout of 3 lb all to the fly. George Featherstone, England, had a fine salmon of 8 lb on fly. On Mount Falcon, 75 fish were reported for the week with Alan Sullivan and party of five anglers reporting 15 salmon for two days. Peter Moore and Mick Cassan had ten salmon, six of which were released. On Coolcronan, 11 year old Emily Monk from England had two salmon, one of 4 lb and a fine fish of 10 lb to the prawn. On the Foxford Fishery, J. Pierre and party of five anglers from France had 13 salmon for the week, six of which they released. On Clongee, Christian Tankle from Germany had two salmon on spinner, best fish 8.5 lb. On East Mayo, W. McAndrew had two fish of 5 lb and a fine 10.5 lb fish, both to the fly.
On the Moy Estuary, Judd Ruane reported 93 sea-trout for the week, 62 of which were released. Steve Hazeldine from England and Judd had 53 trout on fly for two days, 37 of which were released.
Young Anglers enjoy another great day’s salmon fishing on the Moy.
The North Western Regional Fisheries Board hosted their second annual Juvenile anglers day on the Moy Fishery’s Cathedral Beat on Monday, July 19. This special event is one of several held throughout the region as part of the Board’s policy to promote angling amongst young people as set out in its 5 year Development Plan.
The day proved to be another huge success with 58 youngsters from 6 to 16 years of age attending to fish. The Board’s staff provided coaching, advice and some fishing tackle for the aspiring anglers. Extra instruction and support was provided by Recreational Angling Ireland who also promoted the event at national level. Gary Piggott, Ridge Pool Tackle Shop and Michael Swartz, Ballina Angling Centre, were both extremely generous in sponsoring an array of quality fishing gear. Each of the 58 boys and girls who attended the Juvenile Angling day went home with a substantial prize.
The competition was won by Owen O’Boyle (age 13) with two salmon, including a nice fresh salmon of 5.31 lb. David McLoughlin (age 14) came second with a fine fresh salmon of 6.46 lb which was also the best fish of day. Third place went to Joseph McAllister from Manchester who took one salmon for 3.45 lb. In fourth place was Edward Thornton (age 12) who took his first salmon which weighed in at 2.93 lb. 5th Mark O’Malley (age 16) took fifth place with another small fish.
P.O’R.
Newport River/Lough Beltra:
Early in July, six salmon were reported from the Newport River including a fine fish of 14.5 lb caught and returned to the water by Kieran Thompson, Jnr. Mr. Tim Ferguson had a grilse of 4.5 lb on June 1 and another of 5.25 lb the following day. On Lough Beltra, the Glenisland side of the lake fished best with two spring salmon and three grilse reported. Mervin Conway had a salmon of 10.5 lb and Rory Murray had another of 10 lb which he returned to the lake. Bernard Koolhaas had two fish weighing 4 lb and 3.5 lb and David Howley had one which weighed in at 5 lb. There appears to be a reasonable stock of fish in Lough Beltra at present and, with some fresh grilse running, prospects for the coming weeks look quite good. All sea-trout caught must be released and both Lough Beltra and the Newport River are “fly only” fisheries.
In the week ending July 11, four salmon were reported from the lake and a number of sea-trout were caught and returned in accordance with the law in that area. Jackie Deffely had a grilse of 4.5 lb, Declan Dooley had one weighing 5 lb, Rory Murray had one of 3 lb and Eamonn Kennedy had one of 5.5 lb. Meanwhile, Dave Tucker had a small grilse on the out-flowing Newport River.
Water levels were very low at the end of July. Sean Downes had a grilse of 4 lb on the Newport River and 14 sea-trout were reported from Lough Beltra ranging in weight from 1 to 1.5 lb, all of which were returned.
P.O’R.
Owenmore:
In the first week of July, the Owenmore enjoyed its best fishing of the season so far with 17 salmon and grilse reported from the Bangor Angling club water. With peat harvesting having ceased in the catchment, there was a noticeable improvement in water clarity in the Owenmore during the recent floods compared with previous years.
The water level was good again in the week ending July 11 and the Bangor club water reported 11 salmon/grilse for the week with a good number of small sea-trout also being caught and released. The best fish was a 9.5 lb salmon and grilse were generally in the 3-4 lb bracket.
P.O’R.
Owenea:
After a five week drought, Lindsey Clarke writes on June 20. “The long dry spell continues! The river remained low all week although there was a slight rise in water levels towards the end of the week with the gauge reaching 0.2m on Friday and Sunday. The gauge average for the week read a low 0.15m (low but slightly higher than previous weeks). There are fresh salmon in the river as Brian Smith testifies although fishing is hard. He caught a sea liced 7 lb salmon on Monday from Billy’s Pool on Beat 8. The fish took a Stoat’s Tail fly. He also rose another and reported seeing a couple more fresh fish showing. I feel a few salmon would be taken if we had a number of anglers fishing. As it was, only three other anglers fished for the week. We need a flood to stir the anglers as well as the salmon!”
Well, he got his wish on June 22 – at least half of it in the form of a big flood, but strangely, grilse were scarce as has been the experience of several other rivers this season.
In fact on Wednesday and Thursday, the river was too high to fish at times! The gauge average for the week read a very healthy 0.39 m and the river was running nice and clear again. There was little angling during the first part of the week with only three anglers fishing up to Wednesday. 31 anglers fished in total for the week. Despite the good water levels, there has been a low catch return to-date. There does not seem to be a big run of grilse yet. Michael McCrory caught a 3.5 lb salmon from Beat 8 on the fly on Friday. Strangely, there were only three salmon caught on Sunday.
Lindsey reports that the river really picked up in the first week of July and had some good water levels, good angling attendance and a good number of salmon recorded.
For Monday & Tuesday the water level was fair. On Wednesday, there was a huge flood (1.0m on the gauge) and the river was virtually unfishable. Thursday gave lovely water with Friday to Sunday being very high and mainly suitable for spinning only. The gauge average indicates that the week was a wet one reading a very high 0.47m! We had a fair number of anglers this week, which may have been larger if the river had not been to high during a greater part of the week. However, after the six-week long dry spell, it was heartening to be complaining of too much water instead of no water.
71 visiting anglers were in attendance for the week with 32 of these fishing at the weekend. Around 40 salmon were caught for the week. A sample of catches are given. Fritz Rosenwald and Ray Robinson caught salmon of 12½ and 10 lb respectively on the fly on Monday from beat 7. Fritz also recorded a fish of 9½ lb the following day from the same beat on the fly. Michael McCrory did well to catch two salmon during the big flood on Wednesday on the fly. The best weighed 8¼ lb, both fish coming from beat 5. He also caught a small grilse on Thursday on the fly from beat 5 once again. Joe Hall’s party of English anglers recorded three nice salmon of 8, 8 & 9 lb on Friday on the spinner from beats 6 & 7. On Saturday, Frank Kennedy caught three salmon from 5 to 7½ lb from beat 7 on the spinner in high water. Billy Blair recorded three salmon to 6 lb with friend Davy Arbuckle recording salmon of 5½ & 6½ lb from beat 8 to the fly and spinner. Local angler Gordon Young’s young nephew caught a nice salmon of 11½ lb after a bit of an epic battle. Gordon responded to a ‘shout from downstream’ to assist and had to cut the line and re knot the same twice after the fish had run around an obstruction!
Lindsey also had confirmation of a good number of extra salmon for the previous week especially from the Sunday. The best of these were a 12 lb salmon for T. Watson on the spinner from beat 8. Peter Graham also recorded a 12 lb salmon from beat 8 on a Claret Shrimp fly. Frank Walker recorded salmon of 8 and 11 lb from beat 7. Salmon sizes were good for the week up to June 27 with the average reading 8½ lb.
During the week ending July 11, the river had good water levels on Monday after the big floods at the weekend. The river then dropped to low levels for the rest of the week. The gauge average for the week read 0.18m. Despite the low levels for the greater part of the week, 35 visiting anglers fished for the week.
Any salmon recorded were caught on the Monday or Tuesday when levels were more favourable. Mr L. Wilson caught three salmon over the two days, a 3½ lb grilse from beat 5 on the spinner on Monday and a 4 & 5 lb grilse on Tuesday from beat 8 on the fly.
Water levels were fairly low for the week ending July 18 with only a slight rise on Wednesday and Sunday. The gauge average for the week read a low 0.17m. Despite the low water levels, 56 visiting anglers attended the fishery for the week. Salmon catches are lower than we would expect at this stage of the season with only a few salmon recorded for the week. B. Sullivan had a good day on Sunday catching five grilse to 6¼ lb from beat 8 on a Stoat’s Tail fly returning two fish.
P.O’R.
Castlebar Lakes:
Vincent Roche reports that Bilberry/Lannagh Angling Club hosted their annual McConville Cup Competition which was fished on Bilberry Lake over Friday to Sunday, July 18. A total of 187 trout were caught over the three competition days. In the Friday heat, 64 anglers took 100 trout with first place going to B. McDonnell, Castlebar, who had five fish for 5.52 lb. Second place went to M. Higgins, Castlebar, who had six fish for 5.35 lb and in third place was R. Burns, Castlerea, with five fish for 4.81 lb. 39 trout were caught during the Saturday heat which was won by James McGuire, Sligo, with three fish for 3.26 lb. Second place went to Hugh McArdle, Athenry, who had three fish for 2.93 lb and third place went to David Dinsmore, Laherdaun, with two fish for 2.67 lb. 74 anglers qualified for Sunday’s final and 48 trout were caught. The overall winner of the McConville Cup, which was presented by Mrs. McConville, was Philip Creshan, Castlebar with four fish for 3.54 lb. Second place went to David Dinsmore with three for 3.47 lb and P Traynor, Crossmolina, took third place overall with four trout for 3.13 lb. C. Doherty, Bilberry/Lannagh Club took the prize for best junior angler and best club member went to Matt Higgins, Castlebar who had seven fish for 6.35 lb. Best Northern angler was Tim Crotters who had five trout for 5.96 lb.
The Bilberry/Lannagh Angling Club held a very successful youth event on Bilberry Lough on Sunday, July 25. Despite very poor weather, 30 juvenile anglers participated. In the under-10 category, first place went to Aaron Jennings with a winning weight of 2.05 lb, second place was taken by Kevin Joyce with a catch weighing in at 0.99 lb and third went to a young lady, Yvonne O’Brien, who landed 0.92 lb. In the over-10 category, the competition was won by David Joyce with a catch of 5.23 lb, second was taken with 4.11 lb and, as in the under 10’s, third place was taken by the girls when Jacinta Walsh landed a catch of 2.11 lb. The prize for the heaviest fish went to Kevin Stewart with a trout of 1.05 lb. The fly casting section was won by Joseph O’Neill with 1.24 lb and in second place was Danny Jennings with 1.03 lb.
P.O’R.
Eany:
Lindsey Clarke reports that the Eany suffered the same drought as every other west coast river. However, the Eany is a late river and we would only expect the run of grilse to be starting now. This seems to be the case with the first of the grilse caught in the last week of June along with a few better salmon. Wednesday, June 23 was the best day which was the first good flood for a number of weeks. Six salmon were taken at Bonnyglen Falls and a sea-trout of 3 lb. The best was D. Kandiotos’s 9 lb salmon taken on the worm. He was also broken by a much larger fish! The other salmon weighed in at 4 lb, 4 lb, 5 lb, 7 lb and 7 lb. A number of fish were also hooked and lost.
Two nice salmon were taken on Thursday. Michael Stinson caught a 12 lb fish and it was pleasing to see Conor Ganley catch his first ever salmon, a fish of 10 lb caught on worm at “the Falls”. He will always remember this day!
Lindsey reports that there was good water on the Eany Fishery in the week ending July 4 with big floods on Wednesday, Friday and Saturday. The gauge average for the week read a good 0.62m.
The fishery was fairly quiet given the time of year and water levels with only 46 visitors for the week. This could be explained by a lack of catches. Salmon are not plentiful in the river at present and the number of recorded fish for the week was very low. Disappointing given that the weekend had good spring tides.
Dietrich Bonhurst had a couple of good outings on the river, however. Dietrich and friend, Ray Robinson, caught nine nice sea- trout on Monday from the Eanybeg on the fly. The best was 3 lb with all the other trout weighing from 1 and 2 lb. All were returned to the river. He also caught a salmon of 10 lb from the Devlin Pool on Thursday on the fly.
The river returned to low levels the following week. Monday gave the best water with the gauge reading 0.39 with the river fining down after the big floods of the previous weekend. Thereafter, the river ran low for the week as the low weekly gauge average of 0.17m indicated. There was a very low angling attendance this week with only five anglers fishing for the week. Disappointing, given that this weekend is normally the busiest of the season. This is no doubt due to the combination of low water and a distinct lack of salmon being caught at present. We have no reported catch for the week nor indeed for the rest of the month. This is another river experiencing a severe shortage of grilse.
P.O’R.
Erne Estuary:
The estuary in Ballyshannon has fished well this season for sea- trout with good numbers being caught by anglers using flies and spinners. It is pleasing to see the average size of trout being caught around the 1 lb mark with good numbers of fish in the 2 lb bracket. As is often the case, the ‘Gadget’ seems to be accounting for most of the fly caught trout and the ‘Krill’ for most of the trout caught on the spinner. Local angler Michael Patton caught 21 trout for a week’s fishing around the ‘Randy’ area of the estuary with the best fish weighing in at 2 lb. All fish took the gadget or silver krill. His best evening session produced eight trout.
P.O’R.
Ballin Lough:
This rainbow trout fishery, near Westport has continued to fish well and is highly popular with local and visiting anglers. Over the week ending May 30 when conditions were poor for much of the time, 30 rod days produced 117 fish, mostly ranging from 1 lb to 2 lb with 66 of these released. The Board sponsored a ladies day on the lough when some members of the Irish Ladies Trout Fly Fishing Team practiced their skills in advance of their forthcoming international on Lake Montieth in Scotland. The ladies had a very enjoyable day with approximately 20 trout and the majority of these were returned to the water. On another day, Michael Quinn and his partner caught 20 trout of which they released 12, while John and David Quinn had eight trout for a day of which seven were released.
In the week ending June 20 the fishery reported 54 trout for 34 rods of which 16 fish were returned to the water. Mr. B. Amber and partner had eight trout of which five were released and Joe Gibbons had seven trout of which four were released. The Kate McLaren and Daddy appeared to work well. During the previous week, 43 rods had 64 trout of which 20 were released. Brian Hope and partner had ten fish while Jim Flanagan and partner had eight fish averaging 1.5 lb.
Just nine trout were reported the following week by 9 rods. The best, weighing 3.5 lb was taken by Dutch angler, J. Piekoar.
Pat Hughes reports that northerly and changeable winds made angling conditions somewhat difficult but 19 rods reported 18 trout for the week ending July 11. Joe Gibbons and Seamus O’ Malley had three fish with the best at 3.5 lb. Pat and Denis Murphy had two with the best weighing 2.5 lb. With milder conditions on the way, fishing should improve as the lake was restocked in recent weeks.
A total of 40 rainbows were recorded for the week ending July 18, of which 20 were released. Frank Cunningham and partner had 14 trout, the best of which was 2.25 lb and six were released. Ed Moore and partner had four trout, best 2 lb, all released. J. Price had four trout, best 2 lb, with three released. Successful flies included Bumbles and Peters.
A small number of rods were fished on the lake over the week ending July 25 and six rainbows were taken. Mr. Saunders, Foxford, had three fish with an average weight of 2.5 lb.
P.O’R
Costello & Fermoyle:
Terry Gallagher reports that this fishery was starting to produce a good few fish, with quite a few grilse and good numbers of trout being caught. The river beats were quite productive, while anglers out on the lakes also had great sport. Stephane Abinet and Geoffrey Fitzjohn fished River Beat 2 and were rewarded with a 7 lb salmon, three sea-trout and a 4 lb grilse and two sea-trout respectively. Bruno Machado was delighted when he landed his first salmon on River Beat 1, a fish of 7 lb. Mike MacDonagh fished Fermoyle Lough and caught a 4 lb grilse. Eddie Blanch fished Glenicmurrin Lough and landed six sea-trout. Philip Clesham took a 5 lb grilse on River Beat 1. Geoffrey Fitzjohn returned to River Beat 2 where he caught an 8 lb salmon. Jean-Pierre Maire also landed an 8 lb fish this time on Fermoyle Lough. Colm Brennan fished Rusheen Lough and caught a 5 lb grilse. Greg Perry caught his 5 lb grilse on Fermoyle Lough and Terry Gallagher landed a 6 lb grilse at the sea pools on River Beat 1. Colm Brennan caught another salmon (8 lb) on River Beat 2. Sean Costello fished Fermoyle Lough and was rewarded with a 9 lb salmon. Noel Conlon caught seven sea-trout and a 7 lb salmon on River Beat 1
Tom Gallagher, Tom Mullarkey and Fr. Colm Morris landed seven sea-trout on Fermoyle Lough, 12 sea-trout on Glenicmurrin Lough (including a fish just over 3 lb). They returned to Glenicmurrin the next day and caught a further 13 sea-trout. Eamonn Connolly and Myles Costello also fished Glenicmurrin where they had eight sea-trout. Pat Farrelly landed a 5 lb grilse on River Beat 1. Edward and James Persse fished for a few days and caught six sea-trout on Fermoyle, 14 sea-trout on Glenicmurrin and a further five sea-trout on Fermoyle. Eamonn Connolly landed six sea-trout on Glenicmurrin and Chris and Donna Warne caught nine sea-trout also taken on Glenicmurrin Lough.
P.O’R.
Kerry Blackwater:
James Pembroke reports that 12 salmon/grilse were landed in the first week of July and one the following week.
A good flood on Tuesday, July 20 brought up a lot of fish. Teddy O’ Neill, Tralee, had one salmon of 4 lb. Niall Browne, Farranfore, had his first salmon ever and his brother Derry had his first salmon also, quickly followed by a second fish. A local angler also took another two salmon, all on Tuesday with the best fish weighing 5.5 lb. On Wednesday, July 21, two salmon were landed by local angler - best being 6.5 lb. On Thursday, July, 22, one grilse, 3.5 lb was landed by Peter McCanny, Belfast. Lots of fish in the river but no anglers.
The following week saw just one fish landed in the low water. There were lots of grilse in the estuary waiting for the next flood.
P.O’R.
Sheelin:
Sean Gurhy, Assistant Fisheries Inspector, Lough Sheelin Office reports there were good hatches of Green Peter, Murrough and Buzzer in the Goreport area of the lake. Over 150 trout were recorded averaging 1.5 lb to the week ending July 11, most fish were released in the interest of conservation. The best fish of the week at 8 lb was landed by junior angler, K. Gleeson from Dublin. A number of good fish were caught on Peter. Mr Tormey from Kells had a fish of 4.5 lb. Eamon Connors, Co Louth, had a 4-pounder. Another young angler, G. Brady, LSTPA, had a fish 4.5 lb. Mr. Patsy Smith, LSTPA, had a fish of 3 lb and released three others averaging 2 lb
In excess of 200 trout were reported caught (most released) for the week ending July 25 on Sheelin. Pat Tormey, Kells, had the best fish of the week at 8 lb 1oz and totalled three fish for 14 lb, all on Green Peter at Goreport Bay. Pat Smith, Trim, Co. Meath, caught and released most of his catch of six fish weighing from 3 lb up to 4 lbs at the Finea end of the lake. Owen McFaddin, Kells, had a nice fish of 3 lb 3 oz, all fish caught on Green Peter. Sedge fishing is good and anglers are encouraged to fish the lake in the evenings - you just might get that fish of a lifetime which we know Sheelin can produce.
A Youth Fly-Fishing Competition hosted by the Shannon RFB and the L.S.T.P.A. was held on the lake on Saturday, July 23 at Kilnahard. There was plenty of angling training provided, including casting skills etc. Later 30 young anglers took part in a competition and it was nice to see three girls take up the sport. Brendan Flynn, Cootehill, won the event with two fish for over 3 lb, best 2 lb 1 oz on a Sedge. Second place went to Kielan O'Reilly, Crover House Hotel, with a trout of 1.5 lb also caught on a Sedge. Third place went to Paul Rush from Co. Armagh with a fish of 1 lb 3 oz. There were several fish hooked and lost over the day.
Some anglers are claiming that the lake is fishing as good as ever it has in the last 25 years.
Further local info, contact Mr Sean Gurhy, Assistant Fisheries Inspector, Lough Sheelin, Tel: 049 4336144.
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Lough O’Flynn:
John Ryan, Assistant Fisheries Inspector, Ballinlough Office reports all anglers are reporting Lough O'Flynn to be alive with fish. Best reports received were from Sean Murphy and Sean McGrath, known in the angling world as the two Seans from Strokestown. These pensioner gentlemen landed 18 trout to wet-flies in two mid-day sessions.
The local angling club held a competition on the lake on Sunday, July 25. 26 anglers took part and 70 fish were caught. Fishing generally has been good with large hatches of Sedge and Olives. One huge hatch of Mayfly was observed one day last week which brought on a very good rise of fish. Fish returned were of exceptional quality. D McKenna from Louth had his bag limit of six fish on Saturday, July 24. He expressed delight with his catch. Joe Flynn from Oran, Co Roscommon and Michael Maurice from Castlerea had 19 fish over 2½ days fishing. The best fish of the week was caught by Bernard Mannion, Castlerea at 3 lb on a Sedge. The outlook is very promising for the coming week as temperatures recover.
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Lough Owel:
Pat McDonnell, Fishery Officer, Shannon Regional Fisheries Board, Mullingar Office, reports that the Green Peter season has commenced on Owel with good rises of fish reported most evenings in the week ending July 25. Over 100 trout were officially returned, being only a sample of overall catch. Virtually all fish were caught on Peters and some smaller Sedges. Ollie Maledy, Mullingar, had four fish for 6 lb on Monday, July 19. Ollie fished with Tommy Cope on Saturday and had seven fish between them, best fish 2.5 lb. Brendan Murray, Mullingar had 11 fish (returned seven). Dave Murray, Mullingar, had three fish for 4.5 lb. Gerry Healip, Dublin, had seven fish on Wednesday, keeping only two fish for 7 lb. On Saturday, he added to his tally with six further fish (returning four) best 3 lb. Mick Savage had three fish over two sessions on July 19 and 21. J. Plunkett & B. Darby, Mullingar, had seven fish between them on Wednesday, July 21. Kenny brothers, Colm Quinn, Bobby Cording, Andy Young, Shane Cullen, Michael Sullivan & Martin Kearney, all Dublin anglers, had fish. Prospects look good again for next week as the Peter season is expected to start peaking. Tight Lines!
Lough Owel is getting seriously low at the moment and it seems the lake is dropping on a weekly basis. Local anglers reckon it's going to take some time for the lake to come back to some sort of acceptable level.
For further info, contact Pat McDonnell, Fishery Officer, Mullingar Tel: 044 48769.
Mick Flanagan, Angling Correspondent for the Westmeath Topic and Sunday World Newspaper Tel: 087 2797270: mick@midlandangling.com reports on Midland Lakes and Rivers.
Ennell:
Pat McDonnell, Fishery Officer, Shannon Regional Fisheries Board, Mullingar Office, reports on the week ending July 25 that the Green Peter season has commenced but fishing is not as good as was expected and except for one or two evenings, the Peter hatches have been somewhat sporadic compared to other years. On the evenings when the hatch was substantial, there was no great movement of fish with anglers having to work at the task. There were 19 fish officially reported, virtually all fish were caught on Sedges, mainly the Peter. When Ennell produces trout they are generally fine quality wild fish. Mick Devaney, Mullingar, had four fish for 15 lb, best 5.2 lb over five evenings which proved the best fish of the week. Paul McCormack, Killbeggan, was a close contender with a five-pounder and a four-pounder. Martin McGorian & Dave McBride, Dublin, had four good fish over two days weighing 3 lb, 3.10 lb, 3.12 lb and 4.5 lb. Conor Lynch, Clara & John O’ Donoghue, Kildare, fishing together had three fish of 4 lb, 3 lb and 2.5 lb. Martin & Colm Hope, Mullingar, had two fish of 3 lb and 3.5 lb. John McEvoy, Portarlington, Aidan Creedan, Enfield and T. Sheehan from Edenderry all returned fish over the week. Best locations were the southern end of the lake from Malachy's Island to Car Island. Prospects look good for the coming week with weather conditions now favourable. Hopefully the fish will oblige.
For further info contact Pat McDonnell, Fishery Officer, Mullingar, Tel: 044 48769
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Upper Caragh:
Mike O’Shea reports that the start of July saw the Upper Caragh in perfect condition, with rain every couple of days for a week. The fresh water brought a new lease of life to the river. Girlse and salmon could be seen running hard through the pools, even though late, they were a welcome sight indeed.
Richard and Tessa Affleck from The Boot Inn, Stockbridge, continued their fishing holiday from June into July with great success. From the first of July to the sixth, they caught exactly 13 salmon from the Upper Caragh. These fish were taken by shrimps, worms, spinning, fly and trolling. This is the Affleck’s fifth year visiting the river and their best season yet.
Other successful anglers the first week of July were; Luke Strutt caught a nice grilse from pool 9 on the worm, his first salmon ever at 6.5 lb. Noel Hickey was back again taking fish from pools 9 and 7 on the shrimp with Pat Mostyn scoring on pool 2 also with the shrimp. On the same day, Richard Sheehan took a fresh fish from pool 3 on the worm.
A special mention for Timo Sullivan and Moss O’Connor who are both disabled anglers. On July 7, Moss took a nice fish from pool 6 on the worm, while his buddy on wheels Timo, caught two fresh fish from Cloon Lake. Congratulations to them both.
On the July 9, visiting angler Paul Twambley took a good fish of 13 lb trolling on Caragh Lake. With the water levels dropping, the lake again came into favour and on July 13, Charles Luthi from Switzerland caught a small grilse of 3 lb, the smallest of the season.
This was ironic as Richard Affleck on the same day landed the biggest fish for over twenty years on the Caragh. Richard returned to fish for a couple of days on July 12 after only leaving Glencar the previous weekend. Having enjoyed tremendous sport at the beginning of July, he was back for more. While trolling he landed a 19.5 lb cock salmon, a massive fish for Caragh, especially at grilse time. The fish took a green and gold Toby. Well done Richard! The following day he scored again with a fresh grilse of 4.5 lb on the troll.
Local man, Tommy O’Connor took two great fish on July 20, fish of 8 lb and 12 lb, again on the troll. The morning of July 28 saw a slight increase in water, but with very few people around, the river wasn’t fished hard.
Noel Hickey, however, did take a fish from pool 2 which he released. The following day, Niall Mulvihill from Dublin landed a cracking fish of 16.5 lb, again on the troll, minutes later he landed a good grilse of 4lb.
Despite a total of 32 fish for July, the overall total for the Upper Caragh is only 142 salmon to-date. This is the second year running that has been relentlessly dry. The river average is 300 salmon yearly but with dry conditions, this is hard to accomplish. With fish able to run into Caragh Lake while the river is low, a good head of fish can congregate and if rain arrives in September, the Upper River can enjoy marvelous sport.
In the meantime Caragh, Accoose and Cloon are all producing good bags of trout to the wet-fly. Trout run two or three to the pound and are good sport on light tackle.
For fishing on the Upper Caragh River or boat hire on the lakes, contact Fishery Manger: Michael O’Shea: Mobile 087-2213835
Email: uppercaraghmanager@msn.com
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Delphi Fishery:
Peter Mantle reports that there was a very poor grilse run into most west of Ireland rivers and Delphi was no exception. The July catch of 92 fish was well below the 10-year average. This was especially disappointing because weather conditions were often favourable for angling and the run actually peaked in mid-July, instead of late June, which is more normal.
The run was made up of small numbers of mostly net-marked fish in the two to four pound range. Although the netsmen are also said to have had a bad year, they clearly still managed to intercept the entire run, with only the small fish wriggling through.
Quite why the run was so poor remains a mystery. The usual large batch of Delphi hatchery smolts had been released in what looked like superb migration conditions during April, 2003. So something dramatic must have gone wrong at sea. The optimists believe a switchback towards spring runs is taking place. The pessimists believe the Russian mackerel trawlers are to blame. Who knows?
Whatever the reason, the season catch total at Delphi now stands at 296 salmon, redeemed by the record catch of spring fish.
The best of the July fish were in fact less-than-fresh springers. Andy Smith from Edinburgh bagged a 13-pounder from Finlough and Sandy Walker, with help from Graham Feilden, caught an 11-pounder from the same lake. Urs Leibundgut from Switzerland had 12 fish in a fortnight and John Mills had nine fish in various visits to Delphi in the month. Many anglers, however, failed to catch anything at all.
Edward Conroy, Jane Beattie, Jasper Mathews, Guy Wilkinson, Alice Blower, Cliff Veltom and Edel Decies all caught their first ever salmon.
Sea-trout fishing was almost non-existent, though Brian Davy had a 3.5 lb brown trout on Doolough and George Westropp had one of similar size on Finlough. These are almost certainly ex-sea-trout that have reverted to freshwater life.
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Erriff
Jim Stafford reports on the Erriff Fishery for the month of July that water levels were recorded at 1.2 metres on the Aasleagh Guage on July 1. Rain brought about a spate of 1.7 metres on the 3rd which brought a run of fresh fish into the river. Water levels fell slowly to 0.7 metres by the 7th. Fergus Crawford Party, Dublin, three rods had six fish in four days, best fish 6.5 lb taken in the Cattle Pass, Beat 1 and a 6-pounder from the Horse Shoe Pool at the top of Beat 3. Graham Pratchett, U.K. took a fresh run grilse from the Gauage Pool on Beat 9 on a shrimp fly. U. Korolkoff and R. Vening, France, had two fish from Beat 3 and Beat 8. Tony O’Regan, Dublin, had three for the week, best 8.75 lb on a shrimp fly from the Quarry Pool on Beat 2. Ronnie Butler, U.K. had four fish, best a 9 lb hen fish taken on a Black Pennell from the S Bend upstream of Beat 1 which he returned to the water. Bill Palmer, London, fishing the Holly Pool on Beat 8 on July 5 observed fish rising and covered them with conventional wet salmon flies but got no offers. Bill then covered the fish with a dry Grey Wolff and hooked three fish, landed one and lost two others. E.O’Connell, U.K., F. Hompesch, Germany and J. Missegue, France, also took a fish each on shrimp patterns and the Erriff Hot Spot. Mrs. M. Simms, U.K took a nice 6 lb fish from the Willow Pool, Beat 6 on a Claret Shrimp. Tony Harrison, U.K. took a fish on a Black Pennell from the Coronation Pool on Beat 8. Mr. Garrett and William Beattie N.Ireland, had three fish for the week from Glenanane Stones, Broken Bridge and Deadmans Pool.
The following week July 10, there was a small spate of 1.05 metres followed by another of 1.3 metres on the 14th. Terence Wilcock, U.K. had five fish for the week, best 6 lb from the Garden Pool on Beat 9. Robert Rusby and Richard Yardley, U.K., had three fish in four days. Trevor Stafford, Ireland, took a fresh run grilse from the Falls Fool on a Golden Demon. J. Mills and D. Dumican, N. Ireland, took one each from the Falls Pool and the Holly Pool. G. Ford, U.K, had one from the Garden Pool, W. Hollinger, N. Ireland, took one from the Glenanane Stones on Beat 7.
Heavy rains on the night of July 19 resulted in a spate of 1.8 metres on the Aasleagh Gauge the following morning and the river remained in very good condition for the remainder of the week. Dr. M. Downes, Dublin, had four for the week, best fish 10.75 lb from the Black Banks on Beat 6. Dr. P. Masterson, Dublin, took a fish of 7.5 lb from the Sally Pool on Beat 7 and lost another fresh run fish from the Holly Pool. Mrs. N. Tallon, Dublin, took a sea liced fish of almost 5 lb from the Falls Pool on Beat 9. Richard Daly, Dublin, took three fish on Beat 5 and another of 6.5 lb from the Glenanane Stones. K. Glynn, Dublin, also had four fish, best 8.5 lb from the Boat Pool on Beat 5. Helmut Hack, Germany, had one from Glenanane Stones on Beat 7 and E. Murphy, Dublin, took one from the Falls Pool. Niall Richmond’s Party from the Isle of Man had six for the week - best 7.25 lb taken by Ken Huggert from the Black Banks. B. Cotton, J. Steele and Lady Clarke, all from N. Ireland, had a fish each from the Coronation Pool on Beat 8. Jeremy Makinson and Brian Holloway, both from the U. K., had three and one respectively. D. Felton, Ireland, took one each from Jenkins Pool and School House on a shrimp pattern. Peter Joyce, who resides near Tawnyard Lake, won the local District Angling Competition with a fish from the Black Banks on Beat 6.
Water levels were recorded at 0.8 metres for the week beginning July 24 and rains increased water levels to 1.5 meters on the 29th. L. Maloney, Ireland, had a fish of 4.25 lb on a Stoat’s Tail from Humps & Hollows on Beat 6. R. Ibbitson, U.K. also had a fish from the same place on a Remus Special. M. Odin’s Party, France took ten salmon, best 11.25 lb to Alain Clergue from the Sally Pool on Beat 7; H. Rodrigue took three fish, all on shrimp fly from Beat 7 on the same day Derek Harrison, U.K. had six for the week with his son, Simon, taking his first ever salmon on fly in Poleen on Beat 4. Shaun Orpen, U.K. took two, best 6 lb from Poleen on a shrimp fly and Paul Henry, U.K. took his first ever salmon (sea liced) on fly from the Falls Pool on Beat 9. M. Thomas’s Party U.K., had five fish for the week with Mr. Thomas taking one each from the Garden Pool and Doyle’s Pool on Beat 6, with one each for M. Lloyd, Colin Fletcher and Jim McRedmond. At the time of writing, August 4, there has been a thunderstorm accompanied by heavy rains and high tides. The commercial draft and drift fishing at sea has finished at the end of July which should allow fresh fish to run into the river.
Total catch for the month - 106 salmon and 37 sea-trout.
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Central Fisheries Board of Ireland reports