Mayo’s strong fighting pike “saved” the holidays for a group of German salmon anglers from the Rhine-Ruhr region. The group of 11 anglers attended a flyfishing for salmon workshop on the River Moy organised by group leader, Rolf Renell. When salmon angling conditions deteriorated further and the anglers still hadn’t connected with a salmon, their guide, Paddy McDonnell ([email protected]), decided to take the group out flyfishing for pike on a number of nearby lakes including Levally, Conn and Cullin.
It didn’t take long before the first pike was hooked, played and safely released. For some members of the group it was their first experience flyfishing for pike, others had flyfished for pike before at home in Germany and in Sweden. However, everyone in the group was taken by the fighting spirit of Irish pike and stated that these pike were the hardest fighting pike they ever had fished for.
The group landed over a dozen pike including some trophy fish well over the magic one meter mark, and it was group leader, Rolf Renell, who managed to land the biggest fish of the week – a fine pike measuring 115cm!
Having experienced the fantastic sport flyfishing for wild Mayo pike can offer, the group is genuinely considering visiting the Foxford region twice a year from now on: in summer to fish on Ireland’s most productive salmon River, the Moy and in autumn to hunt for Esox Lucius!
