April 8th : There are spring tides at the moment, spring tides occur all through the year and have nothing to do with the season Spring. It’s thought spring tide gets it’s name from the German Sprungen which means leap or jump and these high tides occur when the Moon and Sun are in line and thus together exerting a much greater gravitational pull. Tom Long is a fishing buddy who featured in these reports before and with whom I hope to spend a day or two with on Caragh Lake or Lough Currane later in the season. He made his seasonal debut on Caragh Lake yesterday and true to his word sent me an Iphone email of a boated spring salmon of 8lbs, and lost a 3lb sea-trout at the net. Trolling is very much the order on Caragh Lake, especially this early in the season, it’s a free lake and set in wonderful scenery beneath the MagillicuddyReeks, hidden away, one of Ireland’s best-kept secrets. Like Lough Currane it’s close neighbour, the salmon and sea-trout have but a short river to negotiate until they are in the relative safety of the Lake, the upper river is controlled by Glencar House Hotel. It’s not flyfished much for salmon, and is not as renowned as Currane for it’s sea-trout, perhaps if it was fished as much it would gain a reputation…..shhhh, whisht will u !
April 11th : Persistent rain on Monday and some on Tuesday has freshened the rivers following a dry spell. April showers means it can be like summer one minute and winter the next. I was guiding Guy Voglino from New Jersey on a half-day outing today. Guy was new to flyfishing but got a handle on it pretty fast, the conditions got the better of us though I did get a half-pound trout myself when I fished the last 30mins or so with Guy. The water was coloured and high and no trout were feeding on the surface, the day got gustier as the afternoon approached. Guy and his wife Anne-Marie are here with their 3 daughters, all first-time visitors. I hope they enjoyed their trip and that Guy continues to flyfish. Pics below Postscript-Piscator Non Solum Piscatur. (“It is not all of fishing to fish”). This is the motto of the Flyfisher’s Club founded in London in 1884 and how true it is. In the 4 or 5 hours we spent outdoors today both Guy and I saw in this order, Red Squirrel, Cock Pheasant, Hare, Heron, Kestrel, pair of Mallard as well as a multitude of more common species.
Paddy Dunworth
Celtic Angling
Tel 069/68202 087/6525687
http://www.celticangling.com/fishing-updates.html
