There is plenty to report in this week’s angling update. With loads of news from coarse, pike, salmon, trout and sea anglers there is surely something for everyone in the audience. There was a small improvement in weather conditions which in turn improved the fortunes of many fishermen, but nonetheless most are still hoping for temperatures to increase so angling can really get going. But the big news in this week’s Irish Angling Update is Fisheries Awareness Week.
Fisheries Awareness Week kicks off on Saturday 12th of May with 12 events covering all aspects of angling – coarse, pike, sea, salmon and trout taking place in Meath, Cork, Monaghan, Donegal, Tipperary, Mayo, Galway, Offaly and Westmeath. In addition to the angling events there are 2 Balsam Bashes taking place in Dublin and Carlow. You can find the details of all these events here: www.faw.ie/category/12-may/
There are 16 events focussing on sea angling with some of the highlights including charter boat fishing from Donegal, Wicklow, Galway and Cork, bass fishing from the shore with Jim Hendrick in Wexford and by boat with Bella Vista in Cobh, shore fishing in Galway, Sligo, Donegal. These events will suit beginners and more experienced anglers alike but booking would be wise as places will be limited on the boats in particular. See www.faw.ie/category/sea-fishing/ for more information.
Salmon anglers will find events where they can improve their casting and budding anglers are particularly well catered for at the Juvenile Angling Day on the Moy. This event is hosted on the world famous Cathedral Beat of the Moy Fishery. It aims to introduce youths to game fishing, and allow them the chance to fish for wild Atlantic salmon, to learn about the ecology of the salmon and to learn more about the methods used when salmon angling. Young anglers will be able to fish with fly, bait or spinner, with rods and equipment available for the day from IFI. To find out more about all those events catering for salmon anglers see www.faw.ie/category/salmon-fishing/. Trout anglers have even more choice with river fishing, rainbow trout fisheries, bring a friend fishing days, angling club open days and ladies days all scheduled to take place over the 8 days of Fisheries Awareness Week. Find details of all these events here www.faw.ie/category/trout-fishing/.
Over a dozen coarse and pike angling events have been organised by clubs, association and IFI at venues from Cork to Cavan and Carlow to Carrickmacross. Once again budding anglers and junior have lots of events to chose from but more experienced anglers are also welcome to attend and pick the minds of the experts on hand. If you are interested in attending any of the coarse or pike angling events you can find out more here www.faw.ie/category/coarse-fishing/ and here www.faw.ie/category/pike-fishing/.
If you can’t make it to the planned events Inland Fisheries Ireland has done even more to encourage you to go fishing next week. During Fisheries Awareness Week anglers can fish for free at selected IFI fisheries. These fisheries include many of its stocked lakes and all the venues in the Midland Fisheries Group. You can get your free permit online here and now. Please note that boats may be required to fish some fisheries and these need to be arranged in advance.
With so many free events and IFI making permits available for free at many of its fisheries you’ve never had a better reason to go fishing. So bring a friend, your kids or partner out for an unforgettable day at Fisheries Awareness Week.
As usual all the headlines from last week’s angling reports are below.
Tight lines to all,
Paul Bourke
Angling Information Officer.
Catch, Photo, Release
Headlines
Coarse angling reports
- NCFFI Senior Canals Championship held in unseasonably cold weather
- Lisnaskea Water Festival 9th and 10th June 2012
- Bream and tench to 6lb and bags of over a ton reported from Arvagh, Gowna, Inishmuch
- Good coarse fishing reported from Co. Leitrim.
- Big specimen bream reported in big catches recorded in the Upper Shannon area.
- Super coarse fishing catches at two recent small festivals on Inniscarra Lake in Co. Cork.
- Good bream and tench fishing for english visitors at Melview Lodge.
- Information Days Promote Fisheries Awareness Event in Carrickmacross
- Cold affecting fishing on Inny, but big shoals of roach in the river
- Fishing for shad by the light of the silver moon in St Mullins, Carlow
Pike fishing reports
- 118 pike for Belgium anglers at Trinity Island, Cavan
- French anglers enjoy good pike fishing on Lough Corrib
- Pike up to 21 lb. for a Belgium party at Melview Lodge
- Kenny Sloan reports on success for Scottish anglers in the Foxford area
- Festival of Fires, pike spinners and small perch
Salmon fishing reports
- Salmon and sea trout report from Lough Currane.
- Salmon Continue to win Battles on the Boyne
- Spring salmon fishing continuing at Galway Fishery
- High water and big tides with fish up to 19lbs reported on the Slaney
- 8lb 15oz fish was a prayer answered for Gode at Delphi
- 14.2lb salmon for Tim Harty on the Blackwater
- Some salmon reported between floods on the Munster Blackwater
Sea angling reports
- Killala Bay update
- Good deep sea fishing reported at Courtmacsherry.
- Tope on a kayak – the freedom and excitement of kayak fishing
- Sunshine and a ‘secret’ location led Kevin to his first Bass in forty years
- Good shore fishing reported from the Beara Peninsula
- Sunny Saturday in Galway Bay and fish all around
Trout fishing reports
- Emy Lake Continues to Fish Well
- North Tipperary Angling Centre rainbows fighting fit
- Derg trout on Gnats but not many spent on the lake
- Good rainbow trout fishing at the Cashel Fishery.
- Mayfly Hatch Greatly Anticipated on the Boyne
- May fly hatching in numbers on Lough Arrow
- Ballin Lough
- Sheelin trout to 7lb on buzzer, mayfly warming up
- John Mulvaney wins on Derravaragh, but trout tough to tempt
- Big brown trout at Lough Inagh
- Lough Mask Continues to Produce Excellent Sport
- Good mayfly fishing on Lough Corrib
- The Lagan continues to boil with plenty of fish recorded
- Mayfly on Derg – greenfly, gnats take trout to 6lb, memories of the dapp
- Great hatches of Iron Blue Duns on the Suir but North east winds making casting difficult
- Sunday Morning Success for Noel King
- Excellent Brown Trout Fishing on the Boyne at Navan
- The Bann is back in the black with the gnat teasing the trout
News clippings
- Funding boost may rid city of ‘eyesore’ bridge – Galway City Tribune
- Filming on the fly – The Irish Times
- Slater third as anglers bid for Ireland team- The Impartial Reporter
- Mayo Lakes and Rivers Provide for an Angling Bonanza – Afloat Magazine
- Electric row boils over – Donegal Now
- Nabbed with bag of salmon and illegal net – Argus News
- Lough Derg anglers urged to profile catches – The Clare Champion
- Man Talk – The Irish Independent
Other news
- Celtic Sea Trout Project: Anglers in Ireland claim top prizes
- Dublin City Council and Inland Fisheries Ireland unite for Bushy ‘Balsam Bash’
- Gone Fishing – for free
- Ballybay Angling Association’s Spring Clean Up
- Information Days Promote Fisheries Awareness Event in Carrickmacross
