Lough Currane and River Inny updates from Vincent Appleby and the Waterville Lakes and Trust…
The Appleby Reports
29/5/18 There was a nice light wind from the West, with the sun blazing down on Currane, sadly the Lough Currane Anglers all they were hitting was the water bottle because it was roasting hot with temperatures soaring into the low twenty’s? That is your meteorological service for today, on the Game Fishing front you don’t have to be a rocket scientist to work out today’s common denominator. Yesterdays weather, maximum air temperature 17c.
28/5/18 The fly anglers may have been redundant for the lack of wind, so its over to the lure department where there was some fine action, we start at the W End of the Lake, Local Gillie Mr. Bob Priestley, caught a fine 9 lbs. Salmon while trolling on his own, now we head down the North Shore to the Bungalow, Mr. John Smith of Birr, Co Offaly, caught a cracker of a Salmon in the 11 lbs. class, while trolling with his Gillie Mr. Neil O’Shea of www.oshealoughcurrane.com. Now for C&R of the day and that goes to Swiss Angler Mr. Markus Hodel and fishing out of the Smugglers Inn at https://www.thesmugglersinn.ie/ caught and released a fine 8 lbs. Salmon, while trolling with his Gillie Mr. Dominic McGillicuddy of www.fishingwithdom.com Today’s weather bright, hot and flat calm as you can see by the C&R photo. Yesterdays weather, amount of rainfall,4.5mm. Maximum air temperature 18.0
27/5/18 The Lough Currane Anglers this day were made redundant because of the lack of wind, mind you the same couldn’t be said for their verbal’s and the trolling department didn’t fair much better and that sums up today’s action. Wind as already stated and very humid and overcast all day. Yesterdays weather, amount of rainfall o.o. Maximum air temperature 19.6c 26/5/18 The temperature may have been down slightly due to the good cloud cover today but sadly the results were the same as yesterday but on a brighter note https://www.met.ie/warnings are warning of Flash floods as you can see for yourself if you click the above and as one angler said this evening while having a liquid libation in the Bar and I quote, a flood would be no harm and there is no argument to that. Today’s weather, wind NE light and very humid. Yesterdays weather, amount of rainfall 0.1mm. Maximum air temperature 19.6c.
25/5/18 Heat wave hits Lough Currane with temperatures hitting 24c.today? as the Wild Atlantic Salmon go into a dormant mode, so its not surprising that the Currane Anglers get red faced with a mixture of a suntan and blood pressure! That sums up today manipulations, but to be fair what would you exspect when all the elements are against we anglers. Wind NE light to fresh and clear skies. Yesterdays weather, maximum air temperature 16.2c.
24/5/18 Lough Currane anglers could only look up to the blue skies as the Sun blazes down on South Kerry. So you don’t have to be a rocket scientist or a bookie to work out the odds of catching a Wild Atlantic Salmon or a Lough Currane Sea Trout, mind you I say that because Lough Currane has a great reputation for making one look a fool! So watch this space. Wind NW fresh. Yesterdays weather, maximum air temperature 17.6c, The pharmacist did well in the selling of suntan lotion today to prevent the Currane Anglers from getting a suntan, all I can say is the suntan lotion worked a treat, but sadly the same couldn’t be said for their flies and lures. Wind West light and bright sunshine all day. Yesterdays weather, maximum air temperature 16.5c.16.5c.
That is your ration from the last week on Lough Currane, from your Gillie and the Waterville Fishery, no spin no fly’s just facts.
Vincent Appleby
www.salmonandseatrout.com
The Trust report
Waterville Sea Trout in Trouble!
For the third year in a row the there has been a very poor run of sea trout into the catchment this year. For the first time in recent memory, just one ‘specimen’ sea trout has been caught to date whereas in a ’normal’ year a good number of these early running fish would have shown up in the catches on Lough Currane. These are now worrying times for us all and in particular the fishermen and those local businesses which depend on them.
The Trustees have, since the inception of the Trust in January 2017, been busy lobbying the Fishery Agencies, Government Ministers, and local politicians to encourage them to take action to prevent the potential complete collapse of our famous sea trout stocks. So far with little success. Inland Fisheries Ireland are proposing to carry out even more research to ascertain the prime causes of the collapse in the stocks but they report that Government funding for this study has not yet been made available, despite the urgency of the situation.
Of course the problems now facing Waterville are obvious. Other migratory fisheries, throughout the West Coast of Ireland and Scotland have suffered from a proliferation of sea lice from offshore salmon farms, which have decimated outward migrating salmon and sea trout smolts. Probably the the most famous of these sea trout fisheries, once of equal standing to Waterville, was Loch Maree in Wester Ross in Scotland, which was also famous for its large ‘Specimen’ sea trout. It was similarly decimated twenty five years ago. Twenty five years on Lough Maree has yet to recover. A lesson we must take note of for Waterville. Clearly time is of the essence if we are not to share a similar fate.
Without Government help, so far lacking, little can be done to tackle the problems at sea but the Trustees are determined to do whatever they can to enable those sea trout, which do make a spawning run into Lough Currane this year, to spawn successfully in suitable habitat. Currently they are seeking grant aid, from several sources, to carry out small stream habitat improvements including replacing spawning gravels lost in the recent flooding events. It is not generally appreciated how small the streams are which attract a spawning run of sea trout. Often these tiny streams, which are little more than spawning channels, attract some of the largest sea trout. In the past the local community would have joined together to carry out this essential work. Nowadays any ‘in stream’ work needs ‘Environmental Impact Studies’ and ‘Appropriate Assessments’ for each stream, to be agreed with Inland Fisheries Ireland, before any work can begin.
Regardless, the Trustees are determined to forge forward with this work and come August will need all the volunteer effort they can muster to complete it before the first sea trout spawning runs of the Autumn and Winter.
We will be putting out a call to all concerned volunteers, to help us with this work, should we succeed with our grant applications. Watch this space!
Rod Robinson
Waterville Lakes & Rivers Trust
Go fishing…
Vincent Appleby
Eureka Lodge, Caherdaniel West, Co. Kerry.
Telephone: +353 (0)66 9475248
E-mail: [email protected]
Web: www.salmonandseatrout.com
Waterville Lakes and Rivers Trust
The Waterville Lakes & Rivers Trust, formed by concerned volunteers in 2016, is one of the new Rivers Trusts to be set up in Ireland and is currently aspiring to Charitable Status. Its remit is to protect the fresh and coastal waters of the Iveragh Peninsula.
Find out more and how you can contribute at
Find out more about Lough Currane…
The rivers and lakes of Waterville drain a large catchment and are regarded by many as the foremost Salmon and Sea-Trout fishery in the country. The lake system is well developed with access to boats and guides being readily available to the tourist angler. The Sea-Trout caught here are renowned for their size and quantity. For more details see
