The weather has been much cooler and changeable, with rain and some frosts, having a huge impact on angling in the past week.  The cooler weather has not diminished the amount of angling activity on inland waters or at sea where there was a great increase in catches all round.

The upper Shannon area produced some phenomenal coarse angling catches ranging from tench, bream, roach, hybrids and perch and rudd.  At the famous Lanesborough hot water stretch there were some excellent catches including a fine specimen tench of 7 lb. 1 oz for regular English angler, Paul Waghorn of the Lanesborough angling website.  On the nearby River Inny many of the big roach caught were full of spawn so everything is very early this year after the very warm spring.  Up in Carrickmacross, there were reports of some good carp fishing in the Brothers Lake near the town.

There was less pike angling activity reported in the past week but some nice fish were reported with two French visitors taking two great fish of over a metre (over 20 lb. or 9 kg).  One pike was taken by a twelve year old French visitor fishing with angling guide Kenny Sloan on a lough near Foxford.  The other fish was caught on an east Clare lough.   There are great hopes of some big pike showing at the International pike competition in the coming week on Lough Ree.

The rainfall in the past week certainly livened up salmon fishing everywhere.  At the Ballisodare fishery, over 30 fish were reported and at Carrowmore Lough in west Mayo the good fishing continued.  There was an improvement on the River Moy and down in Delphi sport improved with the higher water levels.  In Donegal, fishing was difficult on the River Drowes and on Lough Melvin a fine 16 lb. fish was recorded.  Better salmon fishing was reported on both the Fort William fishery and at Blackwater Lodge where the first grilse was taken on the Munster Blackwater. Over on Lough Currane, there was a great improvement in salmon fishing and there was a nice sea trout taken by a French visitor.

Specimen Mullet at 2.58kg
This specimen mullet caught at Cobh weighed 2.58kg and wins Catch of the Week

It was another busy week for sea angling and there was some excellent bass fishing reported from the Wexford area and in the Waterville area along with good pollack fishing.  In Waterford there was some nice gurnard and pollack fishing reported by anglers fishing out off Kayaks.  There was plenty of species recorded by anglers deep sea fishing with skipper Donal Kennedy at Killalla and at Courtmacsherry there was some fine ling and some wonderful big pollack fishing including a near specimen for Patricia Gannon.  Some nice cod were boated by anglers deep sea fishing off the Antrim coast.  The Catch of the Week is a fantastic 2.58 kg thick lipped mullet which fell to float fished bread near Cobh in Co. Cork by our own webmaster, Myles Kelly.

 

Trout fishing also improved this week and many small trout were reported at Lough Conn to the fly.  There was good buzzer fishing reported from Lough Mask.  Dryflies proved the best method for big trout from Lough Sheelin where the early season fishing is very good.  The trout river fishing is also producing good fishing especially on the Rivers Lagan and Bann in the north.

The changeable cooler weather along with some April showers have improved fishing certainly on rivers where salmon anglers are doing better and prospects look excellent for all anglers enjoying the best of Irish fishing.

Tight lines especially in Ireland

Paul Bourke

Angling Information Officer.
Catch, Photo, Release

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