Lough Derravaragh Angling Report By Brenda Montgomery, IFI November 23rd to November 29th 2015
Lough Derravaragh, November 2015
Sir Henry Piers states in 1682 that this lake had an abundance of trout, pike and bream
The week gone by reminded me of the shortened version from a Robert Burns poem ‘the best laid plans of mice and men often go awry’ because there were a lot of fishing plans (including my own) scuppered by the weather as dropping temperatures, heavy rainfall and strong westerly winds, the remnants of hurricane Clodagh, swooped across Lough Derravaragh as the weekend began. It was disappointing, as it is at the weekend that most of the catches are recorded from this stretch of water.
During the week temperatures were unseasonably high and Derravaragh was a comfortable place to be on and aside from the weekend this lake produced some nice catches of both pike and perch. Although there are local anglers who regularly fish this lake, they are seemingly few and far between and it is our overseas anglers mainly from Poland, Latvia and Lithuania who have been featuring most, on this lough, particularly over the past few weeks.
Streamers, spoons and spinners in their various shapes, sizes and colours seemed to be the most effective contraptions in catching the pike and perch but there was some dead baiting mainly of mackerel which worked a treat as well.
Damien Willis making it look easier with his soon to be released Derravaragh pike
(copyright 2015 loughfishingbuddies)
The spoons took top position for the pike with Effzett copper spoons, Effzett in silver or silver/gold, the Pheasants Eye or Norwich spoon, the Toby as well as the Landa Longa giving results. Antoni Balicki, Dublin and boat partner Marcel Mlodnicki landed 5 pike from 4 – 8lbs alternating between a 28g Toby in a zebra pattern, a silver Toby and a gold spoon. Konrad Widuch using a classic red and white pattern with silver on the concave side caught a well-conditioned pike estimated in the 9lb plus range.
Small spinners were working for perch, silver and copper bodies in reddish or green worked well and just up from the Crookedwood side of the lake close to the shore line yielded the largest number of catches. Latvian anglers Eriks Mezkalnins and Bendiks Trusis fished the lake on Thursday and caught 7 perch and 2 jack pike between dead baiting and using small orange rubber lures, fishing close to the shoreline.
Spoons are possibly about the most basic of lures, but that’s where it stops as despite at their simplest really being only a piece of stamped sheet metal they come in most amazing and confusing colours, patterns and sizes.
An interesting extract from UK pike angler Dave Lamb’s which could be helpful goes ‘pike don’t think, they react. No one can ever really know what makes any pike take a lure at any particular time. There are loads of reasons. In fact, it is highly unlikely that a pike knows why it takes a lure. Because it can’t reason it relies entirely on its instincts to survive. The most concise summing up of this that I have come across can be summed up in the saying, “Pike don’t think, they react.” This is a paraphrasing of a comment in an American walleye fishing magazine which struck me as particularly apposite, and one which I think every pike angler should bear in mind at all times when lure fishing. Instinct has served the pike well enough for thousands of years. After all, until anglers came along, anything moving through, or on, the water was likely to be food for a pike. The pike’s inherent instinct has not yet evolved to distinguish between live food and lumps of wood, plastic or metal. Certainly it has the ability to make this distinction through its senses, but as far as moving objects are concerned anything is fair game to a pike – until it has learned the hard way that lures are not food. How readily a pike can tell one lure from another is difficult to ascertain. A pike might hit one lure, for example, the angler failing to hook the fish. This lure might then be rejected on subsequent casts, but a change of lure might see the fish repeating its mistake. I have actually witnessed a pike turn and hit the same lure three times in three casts. Small pike seem more likely to repeatedly have a go at an individual lure than larger pike. This either indicates that big pike learn more quickly, or that they have already learned about artificial from past experiences’ – an understanding of a fish that we are fishing for is a good thing.
Every angler on this lake has his own theory but one thing which is true is that we are now in the best time of the year to fish for pike and perch on this lake. Water levels are high and weeds and reeds have mostly died down, making it easier to retrieve a lure when fishing close to the shore without hooking greenery with every other cast.



When fishing for pike, the leader is something that needs a little special attention. With approximately 700 razor sharp teeth in its mouth, even a small pike will sever the fly from the leader. (copyright M.Cromie)
A Blast from the Past
‘Mullingar, Time Goes By’
The old Springfield Tunnel under the Royal Canal was part of a shortcut for residents in Springfield and Ginnell Terrace area of the town for generations. It was replaced with a modern new tunnel as part of a new water scheme in May 2010.
Larry Reilly from Austin Friars Street is photographed making his way home through the old Canal Tunnel in 1980.
As we struggle with the unpredictability of the Irish winter weather and with the fast approaching festive season I happened to come across a perfect solution to survive both – a new publication from retired IFI inspector, Matt Nolan – ‘Mullingar, Time Goes By’ aptly described by RTE reporter Ciaran Mullooly as encompassing ‘a priceless reminder of days gone past in Mullingar and the Midlands, a magical window on the world we have lived in and on the happy memories of our rich heritage’. Not being a Westmeath native myself, I flicked through this book somewhat absentmindedly only to become mesmerized and drawn into a fascinating 40 year history of people and events from Mullingar and its surrounds. Page 18 features the one and only Jimmy Nally from Multyfarnham and who was chairman of the Derravaragh Angling Club for many years.
This book, of which all profits go to the North Westmeath Hospice, is Available in Easons in Mullingar and Cavan and also on Amazon.
Jimmy Nally, Multyfarnham chairman of the Derravaragh anglers for many years. 1996
Brugha Meehan and John Fagan, two expert Derravaragh anglers are photographed in Coolure Bay. Both Brugha and John were lifelong angling buddies and every year they made their annual pilgrimage to Lough Derravaragh. 1987
Lough Derravaragh’s ‘The Children of Lir’



With Christmas just around the corner and the often frequent difficulty in buying for that person who seems to have everything or wants nothing, what about booking a day’s fishing on this braising and magical lake? The best man for the job would be Mullingar man Michael Flanagan whose knowledge of this lake and indeed all the midland water ways is second to none. It would be a unique present, getting back to nature and waking the ‘hunter/gather’ instinct that may have got buried somewhere beneath work, deadlines, shopping and the pressures of everyday life.
Just a suggestion.
Mick (who can supply all fishing gear and life jackets just bring yourself) can be contacted at 087-2797270. E- mail [email protected] web- sitewww.midlandangling.com
The Weir Cup or Christmas Pike Competition will be fished on Lough Derravaragh on Sunday December 6th 11am – 4pm from Donore. This popular annual competition is run in memory of the late and great Sean Weir, Multyfarnham who was a member of the Derravaragh angling club and whose passion and love for fishing this lake will be forever remembered.
For further information please contact Joe Keena at 086 8722449.
Sunset on Lough Derravaragh (Aileen O’Carroll)
‘The Lone Swan’
(photograph by David Benton)
Brenda Montgomery IFI