Rob Love reports from Carton House…
Like the Sheet of Water, the Rye Lake has seen little angling activity over the last couple of weeks. However having tied up a couple of pike flies on Tuesday evening I couldn’t help testing them out the following morning. For one who has become accustomed to the cracking weather over the last few months weather conditions were truly awful with a strong wind and cold showers leading to a brief debate as to whether I should be a big Jessie and turn back.
Not wanting to sound as if I am giving myself a big pat on the back but I was delighted that I stuck with it as it was one of the most enjoyable mornings fishing I have had in quite some time
A particularly feisty pike caught on the fly by yours truly on Wednesday morning.
Happily my perch imitation fished on an intermediate line found almost immediate favour and I managed 3 fish in the boat with 2 lost. The two ‘Jacks’ caught fought well but were nothing compared to my last fish which took off like a freight train and gave me the delightful but slightly alarming rush of being brought down to the backing of my 7wt line.
I didn’t try out my roach lookalike but reckon that anyone considering fly fishing for pike on the Rye Lake over the next week or so will be served well by a perch imitation fished near the margins. Please make sure that flies are on single barbless hooks or hooks with barb’s firmly squashed down.
A ‘Jack’ pike with a fondness for perch
A day permit is €50 and a 3 hour permit €35. Anglers should note that this means they can fish for pike on the Rye Lake and rainbow trout on the Sheet of Water (all fly only) in this timeframe – so if one is not working the other might.
Rob Love
Carton House Fishery
If you have any queries about fishing at Carton House please contact Guest Relations on (01) 5052000 or me on 087
1947811. You can also see the other activities on offer at Carton House by checking the Carton House website www.cartonhouse.com
Guidelines for handling pike
Download: Pike Handling and Conservation [.pdf 850 KB]
When landed, the fish should be laid flat preferably on a protective mat and the hooks removed with a suitable tool such as long handled artery forceps or a long nosed pliers. Anglers may find it useful to wear protective gloves. Sometimes it can be easier to release the hooks by working very carefully through the gill covers.
The use of pike sacks can be used for the short time retention of fish enabling them to recover prior to weighing or photography. When weighing and photographing fish, the pike should be cradled and supported properly to avoid injuring the fish. A pike sized weigh sling should always be used if the fish is be weighed.
When being released, the pike should be held carefully in the water to promote recovery until it is ready to swim away. At all times, the pike should be returned to the water in the shortest possible time.
