Salmon anglers are seeing better fishing now as a number of rivers are producing fish. Spawning, or at least pre spawning, behaviour has pike anglers’ attention. Cold conditions at the weekend made for tough coarse fishing and after a flurry of sea angling reports things seem to be a little quieter around our coasts following the blustery weather of last week…
Salmon anglers saw things improve a bit in the last few days as fish were reported from the Drowes, Delphi, Munster Blackwater and Lough Currane. Catches are still in single figures but as more fisheries open with the Bandon this week, we expect to see more photos of silver salmon in our reports. The catch of the week goes to a salmon again. Another first – the first catch and release photo of a springer we’ve seen this year. Well done to Noel Fitzmaurice who caught and released his springer on Blackwater Salmon Fishery beats of the Munster Blackwater.
It looks like pike have started spawning in some areas – or at the very least are very busy courting. Maybe it was just a Valentines Day thing? In the midlands last week anglers visiting from Prague had some great sport on fly, soft plastics and trolling. In between times they even managed some fine perch on drop shot.
The Daingean Match Anglers concluded their Winter League at the weekend – well done to Julian Kendrick who was the winner here. Annacotty Pumphouse saw the Munster Coarse Angling club have a cast, but the fishing was not great and only a couple of anglers managed anything at all. Still, the club is confident that the venue will produce the goods when conditions improve. Oaklands Fishery had no such problems at the weekend and despite the biting cold the carp were biting well. Their first match of the season was won by a 74lb haul!
Sea anglers on the west coast will have plenty of opportunity to get out on the competition scene this year. Galway Bay Sea Angling Club have published the details of their West Coast Shore League 2017 which begins with an Open Shore Competition at Renvyle on February 25.
This weekend Inland Fisheries Ireland will be running the Family Zone at the Ireland Angling Expo in the National Show Centre Swords. We have the aquariums stocked, indoor casting challenge built and more at the Inland Fisheries Ireland Family Zone. Junior anglers will have a chance to pit their casting skills against each other and the winners will take home a rod and reel combo.
The outlook is for it to be relatively mild this weekend; overall a lot of dry and mostly fair weather, however patchy rain or drizzle will turn persistent along the Atlantic coastline during Sunday and into the early days of next week too.
Safe fishing to all and tight lines, especially here in Ireland.
Myles Kelly
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Headlines
Salmon angling reports
- Currane gets its first salmon of the year
- Bandon River opens, no springer yet
- Another springer on the Munster Blackwater
- Delphi salmon anglers off the blocks
- Salmon drought over on Drowes, water drought continues
Pike angling reports
Coarse angling reports
- Cold at Oaklands but bags to 74lb landed in weekend match
- Munster Coarse Anglers not put off by poor result at Annacotty
- Daingean Winter League results, Julian wins
Sea angling reports
Other news
- Recruitment notice: Temporary Research Staff
- Inland Fisheries Ireland Staff Celebrate International Day of Women and Girls in Science
- Recruitment notice: Seasonal Fishery Officers
- Galway Bay Sea Angling Club competitions 2017
- National Ireland Angling Show, 18-19 Feb 2017
News clippings
- Angling Notes: First salmon of 2017 caught at Careysville Fishery, Irish Times
- Michael Viney: how trout disappeared from my favourite river, Irish Times
- Angling Show promises a great family day, Fingal Independent
