Well between one thing and another…  namely Level 5 restrictions and dreary weather, no one is getting much fishing in at the moment. So it’s another Look and Learn week at Irish Angling Update HQ, where we’ve been catching up on some great videos, brushing up on old skills, and learning some new ones from some of the best.

 

Podcast

This week’s podcast comes from the Flyfishing Tapes on George McGrath’s super Youtube channel Gundog and Fly , where he plays host to a series of interviews with well know anglers. This week’s interview is with avid O’Donovan, a prolific competition angler with many wins both at home and abroad.

 

Flyfishing Tapes
George McGrath interviews David O’Donovan on the Flyfishing Tapes
Look and Learn

Kicking us off this week is another great tutorial from Peter Driver, currently in the middle of Nymphing November, where he is hosting live flytying sessions on Facebook from 8.30pm on Saturday night. And the good news is if you’re out in the pub (haha!) you can catch up on any videos you miss on Peter’s Youtube channel Piscari-Fly where all the shows are stored.

 

Nymphing November part 2

 

Next up is another masterclass from Chris O’Sullivan, the Inshore Angler on Youtube. This week Chris gives us a run-through in how to tie a Pulley Wishbone Rig.

 

Inshore Angler
Chris O’Sullivan ties the Pulley Wishbone Rig

 

 

Philip Jackson is one of Ireland’s top coarse match men, and in this video produced by Daiwa, he gives us a quick walk through of his set up and top tips for fishing ‘out’ in Ireland loughs.

 

 

Finally, Paul Gustafson, pike angler and author, has launched a new book with loads of Irish content, titled “How to Catch Big Pike”.  This book – a landmark on the subject – features Ireland again and again. It shows how you can consistently catch specimen pike when fishing rivers, loughs and more.

 

How to Catch Big Pike

 

 

From the Archives

Another look back through our angling heritage and this time it is to River Slaney and the Munster Blackwater we go to see how things were with the 1988 Channel 4 angling documentary series ‘The Angling Experience’, this one posted on the Swelly Dave Youtube channel. Well worth a look!

 

News

A new scientific paper entitled ‘The spawning location of vulnerable ferox trout (Salmo trutta L.) in the Lough Corrib and Lough Mask catchments, Western Ireland’ has been published in the Journal of Fish Biology by scientists from Inland Fisheries Ireland (IFI) in conjunction with the Norwegian Institute for Nature Research. It gives a great overview of tagging and tracking work carried out over several years, with information on important spawning areas that can inform future management.

 

Ferox trout being released

 

Inland Fisheries Ireland has granted funding for 35 angling projects across the country in 2020. The projects, which received financial grants though Inland Fisheries Ireland, supported by the Dormant Account Fund to the tune of €140,000, will benefit initiatives from groups in Ireland that are engaged in novice angling.

 

 

The draft Wild Salmon and Sea Trout Tagging Scheme (Amendment) Regulations have been published and are available to view here. A public consultation on the regulations is now open, and stakeholders have until December 11 to make any submissions they feel necessary.

 

munster blackwater salmon

Level 5 and angling

Everyone is aware that the lockdown is in place and what it means. But here is a reminder of the measures in place for angling:

And now the weather…

On Saturday morning, rain affecting eastern and southern counties will ease and clear leaving a fresh and blustery day nationwide with sunny spells and scattered showers. Maximum afternoon temperatures of 8 to 11 degrees in fresh west or southwest wind. Sunday looks like the best day of the week, largely dry with good sunny spells. There will be a few isolated showers, mainly affecting the west and northwest coasts. It will be a cool day with afternoon temperatures of just 6 to 9 degrees, in light to moderate southwesterly winds. The rest of the week looks much more unsettled, however, with rain moving in from the west on Monday, and further bands of rain on Tuesday.

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].


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