Lough Sheelin Angling Report By Brenda Montgomery, IFI June 24th – June 30th
“Fishing is not an escape from life, but often a deeper immersion into it…..” Harry Middleton
Shore fishing at Sheelin – June 2013
The numbers of anglers gradually dwindled on the lake as the week progressed and trout were proving difficult to catch. It is a stark contrast from two weeks ago when the lake was dotted with anglers and the fish were nearly getting into the boats for them.
At the moment Sheelin is split between the spent and the sedge and as result neither are really taking off although the sedge fishing has the edge with rapidly decreasing spent numbers as the mayfly tampers off and heads towards the end of its season. There was great sedge fishing on Monday and Tuesday night with heavy hatches at the back of Church and down along the Western shore in particular but the Sheelin trout don’t seem interested and this is because there is plenty of food, almost too much for them – on the surface and in the lake. The best fishing was from 10pm onwards when there was good movement, surfacing and pitching of fish particularly around Orangefield, Hollywell and Church Island.
The shoals of pin-heads or perch fry are evident particularly around Goreport and in Bog Bay and the trout there are having a feast and this is good in that they will become bigger and fatter but its not that good news for the ever hopeful angler who is still trying to come down from the elated high of the superb mayfly season and adjust to some pernickety fish who have food in abundance and any amount of choice of edibles and refuse to take their pro-offered fly. As one angler put it bluntly ‘ sure why would they take a piece of straggly bacon when they have steak in the fridge’ and that’s exactly right because there’s such a huge variety of readily available food to the trout, so for it to go for a measley little fly, well that fly would need to be something very special.
Perch Fry – Pin-head fry
Fly fishing for trout is different in the second part of the fishing season when the mad frenzy of the mayfly is over. The lake goes relatively quiet for a short while probably for three reasons – the trout recovering from the recent boat traffic (fish seem to be wary more than spooked) the fact that they are stuffed with mayfly and also the new abundance of food that they are presented with.
It’s a difficult time for the fly angler and maybe a bit of an anticlimax but this can be overcome by staying away from the areas where the perch fry are congregating and switch day time fishing to late evening when you can catch trout feeding on buzzer and sedges in particular.
A sedge at Sheelin
(Goera pilosa)
Towards the end of the week there were plenty of hatches of buzzer and the trout were feeding on them. With the murrough on Friday the hatches were too short lived for the trout to feed on them but this changed at the weekend to hatches lasting over an hour giving the fish plenty of time to take them.
Sedge flies are the adult stage of caddis larvae and look like small caterpillars that live in tubular protective cases on the river bed. They fashion these cases from stones and small bits of twigs. The adult flies look a little like small moths and there are a huge variety of types varying considerably in colour and size.
The angler can effectively imitate all the stages of the sedge development, the most popular imitation used on Sheelin this week was a large dry murrough.
Dusk on the lake is the best time for sedge fishing on this lake, any time after 9pm.
Bending under the weight of it all – Andy Duncan, Mullingar with his 5lb plus trout caught on a spent, June 2013
There are still big hatches of caenis on the lake when conditions are right – mild and calm, and these small white insects justify their ‘other’ name – Fisherman’s Curse as they stick to just about everything
There are hatches of alder as well but these are inclined to hatch out and then retreat to the reeds along the shoreline and don’t venture out much and when they do the Sheelin trout don’t seem to be interested in putting them on the menu.
There are over 150 varieties of sedge so to say that there is plenty of choice for the angler when he’s picking a fly to catch the now wise Sheelin trout is a bit of an understatement. Sedges are an important part of the trout’s diet and this will continue on until the end of the season. Just because the mayfly is near at an end does not mean that the trout stop feeding. The sedge is most commonly fished ‘dry’ either singly (calm conditions) or in teams of two, positioned four to six feet apart. Whilst dry flies are normally fished static, sedge patterns such as the Murrough, Grey Flag, the Sheelin and a small Brown Sedge are best retrieved with short pulls to represent the characteristic skittering motion of the natural sedge across the water surface. The Green Peter which features only a small amount on Sheelin and the Red Assed Peter are classic all rounders, and can be fished wet or dry.
Andrew Brown, Dublin with his 6 ½ lb fish
Andrew Dale, Yorkshire happy after landing his first Sheelin trout this season– one of many
The Sedge fly imitations have knocked the Greens and Spent off their top position. The flies most used this week by anglers were the Murrough, a Small Brown Sedge (12-14 or smaller), the Raymond, the Bibio, Watsons Fancy, the Fiery Brown Sedge, the Chocolate Drop, the Grey Flag, hoppers the Hare’s Ear Sedge, the Sooty Olive, the Wulff (grey and in green) the red-assed Green Peter, the Welshman’s Button, a variety of Bumbles, the F fly and the Sweeney Todd. Also some success has been achieved using Klinkhammers.
The Fisherman’s Curse – Caenis 
Cathal McNaughton trout safely released
The Sheelin Sedge
No complaints here – one happy angler Vincent Kelly from Dublin with a prime Sheelin trout guided by Michael Kelly (087 2608068)
Sheelin Damselfly (Enallagma cyathigerum)
Wearing a life jacket or a flotation device on water is the law
A life jacket is just that -it saves your life so we would like to remind anglers and all other water users for their own safety as well as it being the law under
SI No 921 of 2005 – Pleasure Craft (Personal Flotation Devices and Operation) (Safety) Regulations 2005
Please put on and keep on that life jacket until you are back on dry land.
Trout caught on a ‘yellow calf tail’ fly
The LSTPA are planning their youth angling day at Lough Sheelin on Saturday July 13th, this not to be missed day will include fly tying, casting and fishing with a Bar B Q and presentation of prizes rounding off the day. This day is open to all youth enthusiasts from 7 to 16 yrs., for further information contact Eamon Ross @ 087 9436655 or Thomas Lynch @ 087 9132033
Sedge – A Welshman’s Button
The Welshman’s Button
A catch & release policy is actively encouraged on the lake at all times
Mary Harkins, Dublin releases her 6 ½ lb trout
Please remember anglers to abide by BYE-LAW 790 – we need to keep our small fish alive……………
“It is only the inexperienced and thoughtless who find pleasure in killing fish for the mere sake of killing them. No sportsman does this.” – W.C. Prime, 1888
There are a good selection of Sheelin ghillies/guides available and they are well worth investing in if angling visitors are unfamiliar with the lake, or perhaps haven’t that much fly fishing experience or maybe are a little ‘cut for time’ due to work or other commitments. If one guide is unavailable it’s an absolute certainty that there will always another capable one to step into the breach.
The main ones are:
Lough Sheelin Guiding Services (www.loughsheelinguidingservices.com) – a group of local anglers who were all practically reared on the lake.
Michael Kelly @ 087 2608068
Michael Farrell @ 087 41941456
Damien Willis @ www.Loughsheelinbuddies.com
The LSTPA are running a competition in aid of the Cavan branch of SOSAD on Sunday July 14th from 11am to 6pm, starting out from Kilnahard. This competition is open to everyone but participants must provide their own boat and engine. Entrance fee is €25, all money will go towards SOSAD. There will be numerous prizes with the top prize going to whoever lands the heaviest trout. For further details please contact
Eamon Ross @ 087 9436655 or Thomas Lynch @ 087 9132033
In the last 45 years suicide rates have increased by 60% worldwide. Approximately 500 lives a year are lost to suicide in Ireland.
In spite of the extent of the problem the subject is often regarded as taboo. Our understanding of both that level of despair and that very particular experience of grief is incomplete. Behind the stark statistics are the human experiences of despair, of loss, of grief.
SOSAD (Saving Our Sons And Daughters) Ireland was founded by Peter Moroney, along with the help of family and friends, in 2006 after his second son committed suicide following a long period of depression
SOSAD Ireland offers assistance to those who are considering suicide, who have attempted suicide, and also to the family and friends of those who successfully end their own lives.
They provide an emergency call out service 24 hours a day, regular counselling free of charge, support groups and a bereavement support pack containing information and guidance to the bereaved.
“People talk too often about suicide in terms of bravery and cowardice. I don’t think it’s either of these things. I just think of it as a great sense of loss, of emptiness.”
– Wayne Moroney, Simon Moroney’s brother
Web site: www.sosadireland.ie
The trout of the week weighed in at over 4lbs was by Ned Clinton, Cavan caught on Wednesday June 26th on a Murrough.
Total number of trout recorded: 39
Selection of Catches
Pat Brady, Lavagh, Kilnaleck – June 24th 1 trout at 3 lbs on a sedge
Gene Brady, Ballinagh – 3 trout averaging 2 – 2 ½ lbs on a green, spent and murrough, fishing around Church.
Ned Clinton fishing with Liam Wright, Dublin – 1 trout at 4lbs on a murrough.
Cathal McNaughton, Antrim – 1 trout at 3 lbs on a murrough on Sunday June 30th in Kilnahard.
William Cullen, Dublin – Monday June 24th, 2 trout at 2 ½ and 3 lb, all caught on the sedge.
Martin Smyth, Cavan – Tuesday June 25th, 1 trout at 3lbs on a murrough, fishing after 10pm.
Jim Delaney, Kells – June 24th using a sedge and spent 3 trout averaging 1 ½ – 2lbs.
Frances Graham, Wicklow – 1 trout at 2 ½ lbs on a Klinkhammer.
Arnold Delahunty, Fermanagh – 2 trout fishing around the Bog Bay area of the lake, averaged 1 ½ – 1 ¾ lbs.
Fergus Duffy, Cavan – 1 trout at 2 ¾ lbs using a grey flag around Orangefield
Brenda Montgomery IFI
