“If I fished only to capture fish, my fishing trips would have ended long ago.” 
Zane Grey

mayfly
Mayfly on Mayblossom

Now into the third week of the mayfly season here on Lough Sheelin and with the month of May now behind us, this lake lived up to its reputation as being a punishing, inflexible and grueling stretch of water to fish, particularly during the day. The general consensus for this week was that any trout caught here were hard earned.

There were plenty of anglers fishing during the week, with our visiting anglers being mainly from Northern Ireland, England, Scotland, Wales, Belgium and France with two Russian anglers introducing Sheelin for the first time into the eastern bloc of Europe.

Christopher Defillon with David Gauduchon, France
Christopher Defillon with David Gauduchon, France

Despite good numbers out fishing the lake, returns were poor verging on abysmal during the day with Sheelin only redeeming itself somewhat in the evening and beyond night fall when the spent gnat fishing turned up feeding fish.  The trout seemed to be taking the spent more as the week progressed into the weekend.

boat
Pulled in

‘Fishing is called fishing and not catching’ – a well coined expression from the seasoned hard core Sheelin anglers who take this lake in their stride, embracing the bad days as well as the good and seemingly secure and totally accepting in the knowledge that this is a moody lake that never gave its fish up easily.

Darragh Browne, Dublin happy out with his nocturnal fish
Darragh Browne, Dublin happy out with his nocturnal fish

 The Hatches

Dancing spent at Merry Point
Dancing spent at Merry Point

Lough Sheelin for this week produced the goods as far as mayfly hatches were concerned, with impressive swarms preforming graceful aerial dances on par to an extract from the 1963 Hitchcock film ‘The Birds’ and with impressive falls of spent, like snowflakes, spreading out like some elaborately designed carpet stretching out across the water as far as the eye could see.

Cathal McNaughton, Antrim with a 3lb 3oz trout caught at Wilsons Pt. on a Spent Gnat
Cathal McNaughton, Antrim with a 3lb 3oz trout caught at Wilsons Pt. on a Spent Gnat

Putting fishing to one side for a moment, anyone who ventured out on Lough Sheelin this week witnessed one of the most amazing fetes of nature out on this water and that is the life cycle of the spectacular mayfly – Ephemera danica, the presence of which is a very reassuring reminder that the ecology of this lake is healthy because the nymph of this insect would simply not survive in a polluted environment.

Paul O’Reilly, Dublin with his Spent Gnat trout
Paul O’Reilly, Dublin with his Spent Gnat trout

These majestic and beautiful insects form a very vital matrix to this wonderful wild brown trout fishery that is Lough Sheelin. Mayflies are unique to other insects in that they go through incomplete metamorphosis, going from egg to nymph to adult, and lacking the usual intermediate pupal stage, they are the only insect to have two winged adult life stages a subimago and an imago.  Moulting or emerging of mayfly nymphs happens when the water gets that bit warmer or during the mornings or evenings in the summertime.  When mayfly nymphs start molting, air and gases collect under their protective shell, increasing their buoyancy and pushing them to the surface.  They start coming out of their exoskeleton either while still subsurface, or when they float to the surface and these are our emergers.  Our welsh anglers over the past few days were fond of fishing with mayfly nymphs, in greens, browns and greys and they achieved some successes with these subsurface patterns.

Mayfly
Mayfly

Emerger patterns for anglers covered the surface stage.  Des Sherwood from England landed himself a 4 ½ lb fish using a pattern that imitated both a nymph and an emerger – a pale body with a brown tufted head.

The exoskeleton splits along the back and the mayfly pulls itself out and lifts up its wings.  The mayfly sits on the surface at this stage  (looking for all the world like miniature sailing boats) – not to dry its new wings which is a common presumption but rather they wait for their wings to fill with fluid and their veins to harden.  The second molting of the winged adult mayfly is unique in the world of insects.  The final transformation is from a dun (sub imago) to a spinner (imago) – with clear intrinsically veined wings, short antennae and large eyes.  They have no digestive organs and can neither eat or drink and so after mating die within a few hours.  Spinner falls usually happen in either dusk or dawn but there can be earlier falls during the day depending on the weather.

Understanding the life cycle of this most important insect forms an integral and vital part to successful fishing during the mayfly season here.

The Catches

Joe Mcilduff winding down on Crover shore after catching the weight of the week - a 7 pounder on a Spent Gnat on Tuesday night May 30th
Joe Mcilduff winding down on Crover shore after catching the weight of the week – a 7 pounder on a Spent Gnat on Tuesday night May 30th

This week it was all about sunsets and late evenings, for it was those anglers that fished at these times who dominated the catches of trout for this week.

 Lough Sheelin was all about sunsets and darkness for the last week’s May fishing

Lough Sheelin was all about sunsets and darkness for the last week’s May fishing

For this week at least, Lough Sheelin was the definition of conservation during the day time – its trout were safe as the majority of anglers struggled, pulling flies during those office hours, negotiating wind changes and temperature drops ‘4 seasons in two hours and lake fish hate it’ one experienced angler concluded. The weather is of course a contributing factor and so far this mayfly season has not been one which anglers would have wished for.

Shane O’Reilly, Dublin in the mid day heat on Lough Sheelin
Shane O’Reilly, Dublin in the mid day heat on Lough Sheelin

It’s an undisputed fact that Lough Sheelin contains a huge stock of trout, anglers are seeing them (and missing them), the fly hatches particularly of mayfly are enormous but the Sheelin fish are simply not interested or motivated to ‘take on’ in any sort of a steady fashion.  Takes that do happen seem to be almost half hearted, these fish are just not hungry enough.  The best analogy is the one of someone eating a huge meal, you are stuffed to capacity and then someone produces another plate of irrestible food but still you can’t help yourself and you might pick despite being full and this is what it’s like with the fish.  They have a huge and varied amount of food subsurface, they don’t need the surface food but still there is a chance they might just try it out.  Takes are soft and inconsistent.

‘Releasing’
‘Releasing’

Regardless of the lack of any serious feeding, beautiful fish were caught this week as well as some heavy weights both seen and lost.

The heaviest fish for this week was a 7lb trout caught by English angler Joe Mcilduff, Northern Ireland using a Spent Gnat pattern, fishing off Crover.

Total number of trout recorded: 123

Selection of Catches

  • Ned Clinton, Crover – 1 trout at 5lbs 3ozs on a Spent Gnat pattern.
  • David Palmer, Northern Ireland – 2 trout – 5 lbs on a Spent Gnat and 4 ½ lbs on a Murrough.
  • Martin McCoy, Northern Ireland – 2 trout – 3 & 5lbs caught on Spent Gnat patterns.
  • Paddy Lyons, Cavan – 2 trout at 4lbs 10 and 3lbs 12ozs on Spent Gnat patterns.
  • Brendan Corrigan, Northern Ireland – 10 trout for the week, heaviest at 5 ½ lbs caught on a Spent Gnat pattern off Inchacup Island.
  • Mark Teller, Northern Ireland – 12 trout for the week, heaviest at 5lbs caught on a Grey Wulff at the back of Church Island. Other weights varied from 2 ½ lbs to 4 ½ lbs.
  • Andrew Dale, South Wales – 2 trout at 2lbs on Spent Gnat patterns.
  • Kieron Ward, Navan – 1 at 1 ½ lbs on a Spent Gnat.
  • John McGovern, Drumcondrath – 2 trout heaviest at 2lbs on Spent Gnat patterns.
  • Marc Luyten & Chris Vercammen, Belgium – 9 trout heaviest at 3 ½ lbs using Spent Gnat patterns, fishing mid lake and out from Inchacup.
  • Peter Neeson, Northern Ireland – 2 trout on May 31st, heaviest at 3lbs caught on a black Spent Gnat pattern.
  • Colm Higgens, Clane – 5 fish up to 5lbs on Spent Gnat patterns.
  • Owen Jacobs, Dublin – 1 trout at 3 ½ lbs on a black Spent Gnat pattern.
  • Ben Mckay, Scotland – guided by Lough Sheelin Guiding 6 trout heaviest at over 6lbs, caught on Spent Gnat patterns.
  • John Mulvanney, Kells – 3 trout heaviest at 3lbs on a Spent Gnat pattern.

The best areas to fish this week were from Gaffney’s Bay, Inchacup and around by the Stony Islands. The biggest falls of spent over the past few days were around this area of the lake, again this is dependent on wind direction.  Drifts into Arley and Walkers fished well.  Although there is a lot of fish at Wilson’s Pt. this is an area of the lake that does not like boat pressure so even the presence of two or three boats will spook the fish and drive them to down deep.  Lynch’s pt. has a reputation for bigger trout but still contradicting this was the weight of the week which was caught along Crover.

Follow the leader
Follow the leader

Going forward my advice to any angler intending to fish this lake in the coming week is to stick to the evening time, from 7pm onwards, adjust the choice of area according to the wind direction and use a spent pattern in black with perhaps a small bit of red in the butt of the body.

A quiet corner of Lough Sheelin
A quiet corner of Lough Sheelin

The Flies

A beautiful Royal Wulff tied by Kevin Sheridan – this fly fished exceptionally well on Lough Sheelin and generally works for spent fishing here
A beautiful Royal Wulff tied by Kevin Sheridan – this fly fished exceptionally well on Lough Sheelin and generally works for spent fishing here

The most successful flies this week were the Mayfly nymph patterns, wet Mayfly patterns in greens with mixes of brown and white mingled through, the Mosley Mays, the French Partridge, the Goslings, Dennis Moss’s Ginger Mayfly, Soft Hackle Mayfly Emergers, CDC Mayfly Emergers, the Wulffs (grey and royal), the Spent Gnat patterns (a predominance of black worked best). Other patterns catching fish were the Dabblers (Claret, Green and Silver), Stimulators and Bumbles.

Some Emerger patterns
Some Emerger patterns

The best combination for day time fishing was an orange Stimulator on the top dropper and a May fly pattern like a French Partridge on the point with a chartreuse coloured fly in the middle, fished on a floating line. Gink up the Stimulator and this will bring up the trout.  The Royal Wulff topped the poll for the evening fishing and proved it’s reliably and consistency this week by producing a number of results over the 3lb mark.  This is a great fly for spent fishing and ginked up as a top dropper is good for wet fly fishing.  There are a number of varieties of Wulffs but Royal, Grey and Black were the best for this week.  The yellow Humpy, a Claret Bumble (as a top dropper) and a Golden Olive Bumble got results for day time fishing.

Anglers, for this week tried out a vast and mind boggling array of Mayfly patterns with what seemed to me to be a huge amount of chopping and changing of flies, some sound advice is to stick to one set up and only if the fish are rising and not interested in the flies then change the flies but not before then. A good rule of thumb is to use 8lb strength ultra-green maxima for wet fly or spent fishing and a 6lb strength for day time when fishing the greens.

Now pick one...
Now pick one…

Go fishing…

A permit is required to fish Lough Sheelin. Buy your permit online at: shop.fishinginireland.info or from any of the permit distributors listed here.

House Rules

A catch & release policy is actively encouraged on the lake at all times
A catch & release policy is actively encouraged on the lake at all times

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

Join the Club…

For anyone interested in joining Lough Sheelin’s Angling Club – The Lough Sheelin Trout Protection Association please contact Thomas Lynch @ 087 9132033.

Guides and ghillies…

Grey Duster GuidingGrey Duster Guiding
Kenneth O’Keeffe
Tel: 
086 8984172 Email: [email protected]

Christopher Defillon
Tel: +33 68 596 4369  Email: [email protected]
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/christopher.defillon

Lough Sheelin Guiding Services
Tel: 087 1245927 Web: www.loughsheelinguidingservices.com

John Mulvany
[email protected] 086 2490076

D.C Angling & Guiding Services
contact David @ 087 3946989

Michael Farrell
Tel: 087 4194156 or  +353 43 6681298
Email: [email protected]

Michael Flanagan,
Trout and Pike Guide.
Email: [email protected] Web: www.midlandangling.com

Lifejackets

We would implore anglers and all other users to wear life jackets for their own safety as well as it being the law.

Getting it right – Caoimhe & Oisin Sheridan
Getting it right – Caoimhe & Oisin Sheridan
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.

Please put on and keep on that life jacket until you are back on dry land.

evening shot
evening shot