Rob Love from Carton House Fishery reports:
Hurrah for a little bit of warmth – with milder weather featuring and with more of the same to come over the next week things are certainly looking up (including Mr Trout on the lookout for his next meal).
There are good hatches of Large Dark Olive now featuring on the river and fish have been a little more enthusiastic about coming to the dry fly in the last few days.
CDC Duns and F flies are worth casting over any feeding fish as are CDC bubble Olives in size 14 or 15.
As already mentioned in the previous reports both flashback PTN and Hares Ear in size 14 or 16 are worth a try – especially when fished through any runs or riffles.
Declan Doyle had a smashing days fishing on the Rye on Tuesday with 15 fish up to 3lb.They were all caught on nymph – Hares ear & Copper Johns being particularly successful.
The River is running clear at present so a fair degree of stealth is required when approaching pools and fishing – casts really have to be kept to a minimum. Having said that, fish can be spotted feeding in some runs and targeted individually by creeping up sometimes on hands & knees and with short accurate casts.
Floating lines of 4 or 5 weight are ideal – anything heavier can tend to spook the beautifully marked resident brownies.Fishing is strictly by fly only and all fish caught must be returned.
Permits should be purchased at the hotel main reception (where maps are available) prior to fishing. Parking is at the hotel car park or by the boathouse on the Rye Lake.
Fly fishing for both pike and trout is available on the Rye Lake. With milder weather forecast we could start to see fish coming up to the good hatches of Large Dark Olive over the next week.
While fishing from the bank is an option the best way to cover this water is from the hotel Sheelin boat – this can be arranged through the hotel.
Tickets / permits should be purchased at the hotel main reception prior to fishing. Parking is at the boathouse on the lake.
Please respect the wishes of golfers and stay off greens and Tee areas as they can become badly cut up when fishing activity takes place on them.
The Sheet of Water
A large group of Anglers fished the Sheet of Water on Tuesday. Quite a number of fish were lost at the net or came short however a good number were still landed making for an exciting days fishing.
The Sheet of Water has had a fresh stocking in the last few days. With rising temperatures and more in the form of insect activity fishing here should be quite good over the next week. Various midge are hatching in large numbers and the Alder has started to make an appearance which should get fish in the mood for feeding at the surface.
It is an excellent spot to get some casting practice in as there is little fear of back casts becoming snagged etc and it is quite sheltered even in the most unfavourable of conditions.
Several types of fly are working well with the more typical ‘rainbow flies’ at the top of the list. The more successful flies at the moment are in orange fritz or pink fritz. Also worth a try are more traditional nymph patterns such as GRHE and Goldheads.
Typical river set up’s are perfect as the water is not particularly deep – a 5wt rod being perfectly adequate.
Fishing / watercraft lessons can also be arranged on this stretch of water. Included in the price for a lesson is the hire of a rod, reel, line and flies for anyone new to the sport.
A day permit is €50. Anglers should note that this means they can fish for pike on the Rye Lake, trout on the Rye Lake, trout on the Rye Water and 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
