The rain came, the rivers rose and the anglers are out. Records were broken this week with most places reporting a new lease of life with plenty of anglers out. By Sunday the Munster Blackwater had fined down to a grand level and the clarity was good. Anglers were in their element, with 20 salmon averaging 11lb in weight being caught. A good number of grilse and larger salmon were on the move in the River Suir too with some fine catches downstream below Clonmel and up as far as Ardfinnan. On Tuesday young Evan Browne from Waterford landed a very fresh sea liced trout on Roxborough while Tony O’Dwyer had a super 17lb salmon. A very successful week was had in Ballisodare too with 134 salmon caught, many taken on the fly with prawn accounting for the others.
But leave it to the River Moy… 1,000 fish caught! What a brilliant record, surely we’re the land of Saints, Scholars and fish ! Saintly enough to wait patiently during the heat wave, clever enough to plan our bank holiday when the weather broke and well……sure God provided the fish! With that in mind ‘Catch of the Week’ goes to the Moy, an anglers paradise.
Kylemore Abbey Fishery in Galway broke it’s record again with 37 fish landed to just 27 rod days. Heavy rain raised the rivers enough to allow more fish into the system. Out of the 37 fish, 25 were released, 12 killed (two of which were fin-clipped hatchery fish). Down at Lough Currane Ivor O’Connor surpassed himself with a cracking 6lb 10oz sea trout on the spin from the Commeragh River. Ghillie Michael O’Sullivan’s grand-daughter took on the seasoned anglers and proved herself an able bodied adversary with three sea trout ranging from juniors up to 3½lbs. Not bad for a ten and a half year old !!
Fishing on the Liffey is proving temperamental this week with reasonable hatches of Blue Winged Olives and a fall of Sherry Spinners in the late evenings but it is very localised. Rob Love tells us that the trout are rising well at Carton House on the Ryewater . Also enjoying an improvement after the rain is Lough O’Flynn in Roscommon and Lough Inichiquin in Clare, not too bright and plenty of fresh water about with the trout rising to the olive.
Templemore town lake continues to fish well. Chris Cummins broke his personal best record with over 50 tench and a cracking rudd. A few lads over from Blackpool enjoyed the delights of Melview Lodge with Kevin Lyons and had an excellent bag of Bream, Hybrids and Roach. When the fishing was done it was off to the races. As Kevin says Ireland has the full package to offer all anglers.
International angling week is running at Fanore/Lisdoonvarna. The festival will continue till August 10th. Les Rixon caught a massive 5.4kg Bullhuss from the shore at Ballyreen, near Blackhead, Co. Clare. With over 40 anglers a day and their families secretary James Linnane is right when he says anglers do their bit for the local economy.
Wicklow boat charters report that when targeting they can catch an average of 50+ hounds a day. Kit Dunne tells us that superb catches of Tope, Hounds, BullHuss and Homelyn are to be had. From Valentia island to Courtown and back up to Donegal this week has been busy.
Weather outlook…
Tomorrow Friday will be a drier and brighter day, with sunny spells and only occasional light showers. Highest temperatures will be between 17 and 20 degrees, in light to moderate westerly winds
Changeable overall with no sign of any warm settled period of fine weather. But rainfall should be below normal.
Mainly dry on Friday night with just the odd shower. Lowest temperatures 8 and 11 degrees. Some mist and fog patches may form in the light winds.
A dry, bright start to Saturday. However some showers will develop and a few will be heavy in the northwest and north. There is still a threat of a spell of heavy rain affecting southern coastal counties for a time, but that is still very much in the balance. A fresh day with top temperatures only reaching 16 to 19 degrees. Winds will be light and variable in direction. The night will be mainly dry but a few showers may affect Atlantic coastal strips. Lows of 10 to 12 degrees.
Sunday will be a fresh breezy day, with a mixture of bright or sunny spells and occasional passing showers. These showers mainly over Ulster and Connacht. Highs of just 15 to 18 degrees, so much fresher and cooler than of late.
It will be a similar day on Monday, showers in the west and north with very few elsewhere. Some bright or sunny spells, but some cloudy periods too. Winds fresh west to northwesterly. Highs on Monday in the mid to high teens.
It will be changeable well into next week. Some rain or showers at times, but dry sunny interludes too, but with temperatures back to normal or slightly above.
Tight lines,
Nancy Hearne
Catch, Photo, Release
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Headlines
Salmon fishing reports
- An excellent week on the River Moy with over 1000 salmon recorded
- Yet another successful week at Ballisodare, where 134 salmon were recorded
- Fresh salmon continue to run into the Burrishoole Fishery
- Owenmore fished well following flood with Carrowmore producing good numbers of sea trout
- Spate draws fresh fish into the Glenamoy
- Little Emily carries on the tradition like her Grandad Michael in Currane
- Galway Fishery still producing fish
- Rain lifts spirits, and salmon, at Ballynahinch
- Excellent runs of salmon in the Owenwee River, Westport
- More records broken at Kylemore
- Rain produces good salmon fishing at Erriff
- Numbers of sea trout up at Owenea Fishery
- Sonaghan trout on wet flies on Lough Melvin but in general a quiet week
- Anglers wait for more desirable water levels on the Drowes
- River Suir has fined down nicely and is in great condition for the fly
- Inniscarra Dam fishery provides some fine fish after the heavy downpours
- More records broken at the Kylemore Abbey Fishery
- 20 salmon caught at Blackwater Lodge beats on Sunday
- A good weekend for salmon anglers on the Bandon
- Spinning best on Munster Blackwater as fly anglers wait for visibility to improve
- Normal service resumed at Delphi Fishery
- Excellent salmon fishing on the Laune over the long weekend
- Water rising and fish running in good numbers on the Munster Blackwater
- More water for the Laune, anglers expect good fishing this weekend
Trout fishing reports
- Visitors enjoy success on Lough Conn
- Some good sea trout caught on the Moy Estuary
- Lough Lene Anglers host the Mick Healy cup on Friday August 9th
- Eugene wins the big one – the World Cup on Mask!
- Trout driving anglers to despair as they feed on the Lough Sheelin’s perch fly
- Enjoyable angling awaits at Knockerra Lake as it is restocked
- Kilkee reservoir is restocked and providing good fishing
- Trout rising to the olive on Lough Inchiquin
- Good conditions make Lough O’Flynn a pleasure to fish
- Big Trout in an exciting competition on Lough Ree
- Eamonn Gets Back to the Fane After the WYFFC
- Not many sedges hatching on the Liffey but reasonable numbers of Olives
- Water level up on the Rywater and trout rising well
- Change in weather improves the fishing at Carton House
Coarse angling reports
- Melview offers the lads from Blackpool the full package, craic, fish and a night at the races
- Baz wins the Belturbet Angling Festival
- 2.38lb Perch for young top class angler
- Few rods but excellent fishing to be had at Killeshandra
- Good show of rudd at Lanesborough gathering
- Carrickmacross Coarse Angling and Junior Development Club Members and Coaches Reeling with Success at All Ireland Coarse Championships
- Lough Muckno Autumn Festival Sept 30th to Oct 5th 2013
Pike fishing reports
Sea angling reports
- Latest Fishing Report from Courtown
- Sharks aplenty out of Cleggan
- West coast of Clare enjoy top class tope, whiting and haddock
- Fantastic Fanore/Lisdoonvarna attract the crowds and the fish !
- 50+ Hounds a day for Kit and the crew in Wicklow !
- Surface lure fishing for Niall in Wexford
- 19 species wins Martin O’Brien Memorial Festival in Cork Harbour
- An impromptu species hunt results in a variety of fish for Dave Fitzpatrick
- Fishing is up and down at Downings
- Inexpensive but yet effective flounder fishing in Wexford
- Good charter fishing for German anglers out of Valentia
- Superb cod, pollack and 184lb skate for Donegal anglers
News clippings
- John Shelly contemplates the pros and cons of using the many wasp grubs in a nest in his attic as trout bait – Mayo News
- Sea-lice contamination three times higher, NGO claims, FIS
- China Deal Spells Disaster for Wild Salmon, TheFishSite.com
- Irish battle over plans for Aran giant salmon farm, BBC News
- Ireland fish for silver in ‘Worlds’, Dundalk Democrat
- Angling Notes: EU ready to act over Faroe Islands’ and Iceland’s mackerel catch, Irish Times