“ Season of mists and mellow fruitfulness
Close bosom-friend of the maturing sun… “
So begins John Keats’ ode to Autumn, and he could have easily written it this week, as the wet and often stormy weather of late gave way, and an Indian summer with morning mists and calmer air enticed people out of doors to enjoy the autumnal sun. Apples and blackberries are ripening, the swallows are leaving, and soon the days of summer (such as they were!) will be but memories. All too soon the winds of winter and long dark nights will return, but in the meantime, there are fish to be caught!
Sea temperatures are at their warmest by now, and early autumn is a great time of year for sea angling. Fish are feeding hard to fatten up before winter. The king of the sea, the bluefin tuna, is becoming a more common sight off our shores lately, and tuna were caught and tagged this week all along the west coast, from Cork to Donegal. Good mixed species fishing was reported from around the coast, particularly from Killala Bay and the Wicklow area. Kit Dunne also had good shark fishing aboard his charter boat on a trip to the Celtic Deeps off the SE coast. Not many shore reports but this is the weather and time of year to be getting out there, with a great mix of species available and all feeding hard.
Back to freshwater now, and trout fishing has been very up and down on the big loughs, with both Corrib and Sheelin providing good sport at times, and proving decidedly temperamental at others! Some anglers have had great fish too, with some fine fish especially on Sheelin. It is great to see so many anglers practising catch-and-release too.
There were few salmon reports this week, with the season winding down, but West Cork bucked the trend, with good fishing reported from several rivers, including the Ilen. there were reports of good sea trout fishing on Lough Currane. There was also a fantastic report from Kylemore, where Eric Logan caught and released a magnificent trout of 8lbs 4oz – either a long-back sea trout or a ferox, but either way a truly magnificent fish. But our Catch of the Week comes from the Blackwater, where Ryan O’Hagan caught (and released) a beautiful autumn salmon estimated at 23-25lbs!
Covid-19 and travel restrictions have really impacted on the coarse angling festival scene this year. Normally we would have several reports of competitions, but we have just one this week, where Michael Cormican won the Lower Bann competition with a mix of feeder and whip tactics. Young Aaron Reilly wasn’t too worried about Covid when he landed his first bream from the River Rinn. Aaron had 3 other species on the day too.
September sees an uptick in pike angling, and from now on pike anglers will be getting into the swing as water temperatures cool down and pike become more active. While reports were few this week, we know you’re out there fishing, so feel free to send us your stories and photos! Kieran Lee struck it lucky this week, with two fine double figure pike on spinners and soft plastics from Lough Gowna.
Other news
The government issued a new strategy this week for living with Covid-19. While angling should remain unaffected for the most part, with travel and sporting events allowed at Levels 1 and 2, anglers are reminded to check the current status and bear in mind any restrictions that may apply if the alert level increases nationally or locally. Above all, stay safe and follow advice on hand hygiene, cough etiquette and social distancing.
And now the weather…
The Indian Summer is set to last through the weekend, with good spells of sunshine and temperatures in the high teens, so this weekend would be a good opportunity to get out and enjoy some fishing. Rain is set to arrive in the west (it’s always the west!) ushering in a cold front and introducing much cooler conditions and bringing a change to more unsettled weather into the middle days of next week. Our advice – make the most of the weekend!
Safe fishing to all this weekend and tight lines, especially here in Ireland.
Kevin Crowley
Catch, Photo, Release
If you have an angling story to share with the Irish Angling Update, please send it to [email protected].
All the angling news
Salmon Fishing Reports
- West Cork round up, Ilen fishing well
- Quiet on the Bandon, rain should improve fishing
- Currane produces sea trout in south westerlies but shift to east slows it down again
- Good sea trout fishing on Kylemore last week
- Good fishing at Owenmore Fishery last week, to improve again next week with rain
- Huge salmon reported at Ballyhooley Castle on the Blackwater
Trout Fishing Reports
- Tough fishing marks late season on Corrib
- Arrow still worth a cast
- Dark, moody, temperamental Sheelin tempts anglers in search of autumn gold
Coarse Angling Reports
Pike Fishing Reports
Sea Angling Reports
- Bluefin tuna tagged off Cork, Clare, Sligo and Donegal
- Shark fishing off the south east producing plenty of thrills
- Great fishing on Killala Bay in flat calm conditions
