Donegal beach
Donegal fishing

May is being it’s usual self here in Ireland. Blazing sunshine, hailstorms, winds from the east, north, south and west. That was just over lunch time today…

Salmon were caught across a number of fisheries on the Munster Blackwater as fishing improved there last week. Special mention goes to Stephen Hardgrave who on his first day salmon fishing caught a grilse with his first cast! Other rivers in Cork were not as productive, all suffering from low water. The Laune saw salmon of 11lb and 15lb caught last week and following all the rain hopes are rising with the water levels.  Currane’s fishing conditions swung between bright and still to blustery with torrential rain. When conditions were in between a pair of anglers from the UK had a salmon each, 9lb and 14.5lb. This week’s rain brought plenty of water to the Owenmore Fishery and some lovely sea trout are to be had. As more rain is forecast the system’s lakes should also be worth a cast. At Galway the water levels have recovered somewhat and a few early grilse have provided anglers with sport this week, as well as a few springers. Salmon fishing on the River Moy continued to be slow during the past week. However, slightly wetter conditions resulted in rising water levels for a time and improved angling somewhat. Staying on the Moy the Game Angling Instructors Association is holding an Open Day on Saturday 20th May in Foxford, Co. Mayo. Demonstrations will will take place below the bridge in Foxford from 10am and everyone is welcome to come along. In Donegal, extreme low levels on the Drowes and Melvin are also curtailing the salmon fishing. There were a few fish caught on Sunday though, one angler accounted for 3.

Mayfly
Sheelin Mayfly – hanging out

Lough Sheelin was tough during the day last week as bright sunshine and temperatures to 20C worked against the trout rising. Better fishing was had late in the evening and towards the end of the week and into the weekend when the weather deteriorated. Some bit of spent fishing was had, but a mix of Wulffs, wet mays and even buzzers accounted for the most of the fish. There was some good fishing on Lough Derg too. Some anglers fishing from Scarriff met good amounts of trout on spent, but the weekend saw the fishing slow right down as the weather took its toll. It was a similar story on Lough Arrow where good fish were had on spent before the conditions changed for the worse. Mayfly fishing has been extremely patchy on Corrib over the last week. Conditions and hatches were all but consistent and anglers did well to connect to a fish. Lough Mask saw its first real rise to Mayfly but the mix of hard easterlies and hard sunshine made fishing tough.

A trio of Welshmen at Lanesborough had really rewarding fishing last week. Between sun up and midday they had around 50lb of hybrids and perch each. Pole was the winning method. Tench are still on the go and big shoals of silver fish have been observed in the area. Anglers on Mucko, fishing Yellow Island, reported mostly small skimmers and perch on long range feeder tactics.

Black sole
Black sole – caught and released on Donegal Bay and Catch of the Week

On of the first smoothhounds of the season was caught last week by an angler charter boat fishing from Wicklow. It was not a huge fish, but a first for this year onboard Lisin. West Cork and District SAC reported good fishing from the Slob Bank at the weekend. Unfortunately a lot of fish were lost to week along the shoreline, including one good bass of about 8lb! The Skelligs continue to serve as a stunning backdrop to the angling exploits of anglers fishing out of Valentia Island. Further north anglers fished through tough conditions on Killala Bay to be suddenly rewarded by a couple of hectic hours when loads of fish were caught including pollack and coalfish to double figures. Donegal Bay once again was the scene of angling perfection for the Killybegs Mariners. Whether afloat or fishing from the shore these guys really know how to rack up the catches, including a new one this week – black sole. We rarely get reports of this species, and even less of anglers willing to return them. So it gets Catch of the Week.

Crayfish Plague

All water users are being urged to take precautions after confirmation of an outbreak of Crayfish Plague on a stretch of the River Suir downstream of Clonmel to Carrick-on-Suir. Anyone using the river is being urged to observe the ‘Check, Clean and Dry’ protocol once they leave the river and before using it again. This means that all wet gear (boats, clothing and equipment) should be checked for any silt or mud, plant material or animals before being cleaned and finally dried. Disinfectant or hot water (over 40 degrees Celsius) should be used to clean all equipment and this should be followed by a 24 hour drying period.

Low pressure to the northwest dominates for the next few days, so its going to be wet and windy. On Friday scattered showers along the west coast will extend eastwards and become widespread in the afternoon, some of them heavy. Highest temperatures of 13 to 16C with mostly light westerly breezes. Sunny spells and further heavy, and possibly thundery, showers on Saturday in southwesterly breezes with maximum temperatures in the low to mid-teens. Gentler breezes from the south on Sunday and it should be milder, warmer day, but Monday is to turn blustery and cold. Not a perfect forecast, but a fairly fishy one.

Safe fishing to all and tight lines, especially here in Ireland.

Myles Kelly

Catch, Photo, Release

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