Billy Downes of the Laune Salmon and Trout Anglers Association sums up the angling season for 2013:

Laune Salmon and Trout Anglers’ Association waters and Beat 3.

The rains that we hoped for did not come on time to give a slightly better completion to the 2013 angling season.  And now this morning there is high coloured water which one would expect would enliven the resident fish and encourage some fish which we hope are waiting to run the river to come into play.

All we can hope for now as anglers is that lots of salmon run into the system and that they spawn peacefully in unpolluted head waters and in the main channel of the Laune.

Michel Bertrand finished his fishing holiday with a bang, well a beautiful 8.5 lb salmon from Johnston’s.  Tom Curtayne managed a salmon also in closing week, a sea liced fish of 6 lb.  Bernard Lyot finished his fishing holiday with a nice fish of 7 lbs. Heidi Wickum also managed a fish in the last week of her holiday, 8 lbs at Johnston’s.

While the vast majority of anglers were bemoaning the fact that while there were fish there it was extremely difficult to get one to take a fly, bait or worm.  On the other hand Danny Joy managed to meet and play six fish in the closing two days – Danny’s secret fish small flies with a single handed rod and add some local knowledge and you too could meet fish!!!

Permits for Laune Anglers during August and September will only cost €35 per day. 

Beat 3:

Beat 3 which thrives on high water especially during August and September never got going apart from a few fish in June/July and some very good trout fishing.

Prospects: Some anglers met some very good fish early in the year.  When we got water early August there was a week of good fishing but generally speaking Aug/Sept were classed by most anglers as poor or very poor on the Laune.  This was especially so if you had travelled from abroad to have a fishing holiday in Kerry with the hope of meeting or even catching a fish.  A lot of visiting anglers went away impressed by the river, the anglers they met, by the beautiful surroundings but with one vital ingredient missing – a fish to talk about.  The value of the tourist angler to Kerry is much undervalued and indeed he/she is being taken for granted.  They are keenly aware that legal and illegal nets are catching the loin’s share of the resource and they will not keep coming back to ‘not meet a fish’.

Billy Downes

Secretary     
Laune Salmon and Trout Anglers Association
Phone: +353 (0)66 712 3950
E-Mail: [email protected]
Web: Laune Salmon and Trout Anglers Association

For further up to date information look up:

www.launesalmonanglers.com ‘Water Level’

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