“I salute the gallantry and uncompromising standards of wild trout, and their tastes in landscapes” John Madson
Bill Shanley, Kinnegad guided by D.C Angling & Guiding Services with his Sheelin trout
For this week on Lough Sheelin it felt like being on a section of the Mediterranean rather than on a freshwater brown trout lake in Ireland. For the entire week when the remnants of early morning mists and night cold had disappeared, the sun beat relentlessly down and temperatures reached an unseasonal high of 20 degrees. Despite the apparent sudden projection into summer, there was a falseness about the heat, no lingering soft warmth existed because as soon as the sun disappeared a chill immediately crept in followed by substantial night time air temperature drops. There was a change at the weekend with strong cold blustery winds on Saturday followed by rain and sleet the Sunday.
Steve Collins, England (guided by Lough Sheelin Guiding Services) Lough Sheelin April 10th
There seems to be no middle ground in April – the days are positively spring (or summer) like or they can be as wintry and gloomy as can be. This week’s mix of weather particularly the tenacious harsh bright sunshine and surface calm made fishing exceptionally difficult and for those who did catch fish everyone reported it as being ‘a hard slog’.
Martin Connor of DC Angling & Guiding Services with his 5 ½ lb fish, April 12th
After the long cold of the winter and perhaps a tricky wind swept first month of opening season, it is perhaps easy to be swept along with good weather and the fast approaching may fly season. But no amount of sudden heat wave or angling enthusiasm will change the fish on this lake, it is worth reminding ourselves that for the trout, water temperature and insect activity changes very little from day to day, it is all a gradual process. The water temperature is still cold and in early season it is the cold winds that are the killer, especially when from the North or East, these coupled with our consistently frosty nights, chill down the surface film, keeping the waters cold and sending any emerging fly back down to wait another day while reducing tentative duck fly, olive and buzzer hatches to a mere scattering. The fly life was poor for this week and the trout were not rising because there was nothing for them to come up to the surface for.
‘Going Home’ – Lough Sheelin, April 2015
Selection of Catches
A total of 27 trout were recorded over the week. The heaviest fish for the week was a 5 ½ lb caught by Martin Connor, Armagh on Sunday April 12th
Peadar McAvinney, Clones – Saturday April11th 2 trout at 4 ½ and 2 ½ lbs, caught using Minkie’s at Orangefield.
Bill Shanley, Kinnegad – 1 trout at over 2lbs using wet flies.
Brian McAvinney, Scotshouse – on Sunday April 12th 1 trout at 2lbs using a Minkie at Derrysheridan.
Steve Collins, England – 1 trout at 46 cm fishing with Lough Sheelin Guiding Services.
Paul Tracey, Scotland – 1 trout at 2 lbs using a Diawl Bach and 1 trout at 1 ½ using a Sooty Olive.
Mark Smith, Monaghan – 1 trout on April 11th at 2 ½ lbs using a Cormorant.
Gary McKiernan (www.loughsheelinguidingservices.com) with his trout of over 3lbs
For this week Sheelin remained firmly stuck in a kind of transitional gap between the very early season of fishing lures, fry patterns and traditional wet fly patterns and the much anticipated next stage of olives, buzzers and more traditional wet fly patterns. This lake hasn’t made the jump yet and despite the tropical weather refuses to be rushed. Mid April can be frustrating time on this lake because Spring is making itself known with the increasingly bright evenings, the swallows are back, sweeping low to the water’s surface and the gorse bushes are like patches of yellow fire on the surrounding hills. We are nearly there but not quite.
A 51cm trout, caught and released by Lough Sheelin Guiding
The flys…
The trout are slow to come up from feeding in the lower regions of the lake simply because there is no food there to tempt them up so for this week, the Minkies and Humungus using sinking lines still are at top position.
Lough Sheelin April 9th 2015
A few trout were seen pitching reminding the anglers that the trout are still there but are not yet prepared to investigate what’s being offered to them by the ever hopeful Sheelin angler.
Despite this week’s struggle on the angling season, Sheelin’s angling returns still passed into the twenties and some sizable fish were landed. The fact that it was all tough going made the success of catching a trout all the sweeter. These past few weeks have certainly been no ‘Duffer’s Fortnight’ but the best is yet to come and although most of the fish were caught on lures, some heavy weights were still landed using the Silver Dabblers, Sooty Olive, Black Pennell, the F Fly, the Cormorant and some Olive Emerger Patterns.
Because the trout are favouring the deeper water columns, a pattern with a bit of sparkle threaded through is a good plan, anything really to attract a passing trout.
There are hatches of duck fly particularly around the Western shore and with a promise of increasing temperatures, the fly life will improve and with it the sub surface and surface feeders.
The F fly
The F fly
The F fly can be used when buzzers are hatching and it fishes in the film as an emerger. The cdc feathers being naturally oily hold the fly in the film and the fish will usually sip them in. Fish the fly static and do not attempt to put any floatant on the fly. The only drawback is that after a fish has been caught the fly must be changed and allowed to dry before using again. When the fish are on it you get through plenty of flies !! In larger sizes the olive version can be very effective during hatches of olives. The fly can fish very well on mild winter days when there are nearly always some buzzers hatching and locally a black version in size 18 can perform very well in winter for those anglers willing to try the floating line. On the rivers the fly is a good one to try when fish are rising but you are not certain what exactly they want. Experiment with sizes and colours until you find the right combination. Do not allow to drag or else the fly will become water logged although it can still take fish beneath the surface
Blast from the past
Kit Rooney, Crover, Lough Sheelin (1980)
Kit lived all his life in a small house overlooking Lough Sheelin at Crover. He served as a ghillie/boatman to numerous anglers and gentry for over 50 years on the lake and for him Lough Sheelin was undoubtedly a second home.
Brenda Montegomery Inland Fisheries Ireland
For anyone interested in joining Lough Sheelin’s Angling Club – The Lough Sheelin Trout Protection Association please contact Thomas Lynch @ 087 9132033.
All anglers are required to have a Fishery Permit to fish Lough Sheelin which must be purchased before going out on the lake.
Please remember anglers to abide by BYE-LAW 790 which strictly prohibits
All trolling on the lake from March 1st to April 30th (inclusive).
From May 1st to June 15th – no trolling between 7pm –6am and no trolling under engine between 6am – 7pm and
June 16th – October 12th – no trolling under engine between 7pm – 6am.
No trout less than 14 inches should be taken from the lake
A catch & release policy is actively encouraged on the lake at all times
Lifejackets
It won’t work if you are not wearing it.
Life jackets are required by law – SI No 921 of 2005 – Pleasure Craft (Personal Flotation Devices and Operation) (Safety) Regulations 2005.
Water rarely gives second chances and a life jacket is just that – it saves your life, so we would implore anglers and all other users for their own safety as well as it being the law.
Please put on and keep on that life jacket until you are back on dry land.
