February 2013 was definitely a month of two halves in more ways than one. As you know we had about three months of constant rain (although some people will say it’s more like 12). This trend basically continued for the first half of February and then the rain stopped, and I mean stopped completely. For all the world it was like turning off a tap. It got cold and dry as a bone. In the last thirteen days of February we had 0 mms of rain. Up to the 15th we had 126.1mms or 4.96”.

Surprisingly the fishing got better when the rain stopped and the water temperature dropped substantially. The early part of the month we had some good water and what one would call good fishing conditions. While the fishing pressure wasn’t huge those that did venture out were experienced and good anglers ( at least that’s what they’d like to think!!)

Sheamus Heneghan did loose a fish on the first day and Enrico Fantasia on the 16th. Other than that there were only a couple seen.

My own theory on this is that in the early part of the year when there are fewer fish running and you get high water and fairly high water temperatures the fish will generally run straight through and are therefore much harder to pick up in the river. When the water gets lower and the temperatures drop it obviously slows the fish down, therefore taking longer to run the river and then one has a better chance of picking one up.

As was the case last year our low water specialists David Dunne and Alan Molloy, arrived when water was low and the temperatures were bitterly cold and the river had had a break of a day or two. The rest is history!! David duly landed the first of 10lbs from the Whin pool on the 22nd on a Willie Gunn. The Otter then had his and then Philip Clesham from Aashleigh landed one of 8lbs on the 24th, also in the Whin pool.

That brings our total for February to 2, which although is slightly below the 10 year average, is 200% up on last year.

As of this moment in time we are dry as a bone, but I know there are fish in the river and we are expecting some rain later in the week. Then we will of course be inundated with salmon.

Delphi Rock Pool
Delphi Rock Pool

Compliments of:

David McEvoy
Delphi Fishery
Delphi Lodge, Leenane, Co. Galway.
Tel: +353 (0)95-42222 Fax +353-95-42296
Web: www.delphi-salmon.com