The hard, clear, cold weather has given away to milder damp conditions. Ice that had taken hold of many lakes and ponds melted away as temperatures jumped. Though having said that the damp weather made what cold there was creep closer to the bones, or so it felt. Unfortunately the lockdown that has gripped the country has not yet loosened its hold, so anglers have not been as busy as they’d like to be…
It hardly needs repeating, but the 5km lockdown has really had an impact on angling already this year. The salmon fisheries that opened on January 1st reported opening day to be the quietest ever. Angling effort is very light and there is still no sign of the first springer of the year.
Pike anglers too should be busy at this time of the year. We don’t have any reports from that quarter so for now it’s off to Youtube where Marcin Kantor posted a great video of his fly fishing adventures from December last year. We also have a brief report on pike fishing on the Royal canal from last December.
For the trout angler we have some fly tying updates from Peter Driver and George McGrath. There is a lovely mix of nymphs, spider and lough style flies on offer and the videos are well worth a watch. Don’t forget that Peter will be tying live on Saturday evening and you can watch the stream on his Facebook page.
Charter skipper Kit Dunne sent in a review of 2020. Bad and all as it was, his boats had some great fishing as they explored new wrecks from his Wicklow base. We also feature a video from Chris O’Sullivan where he shows us how to bait up with gaper clams and the guys at Irish Angling Adventures show how you can find new fishing spots without ever leaving your home. A handy skill in the current circumstances. Finally, we have a quick update for December from the east coast.
And now the weather…
Saturday will be a fresh day with sunny spells and scattered showers – mainly across Ulster and western counties. Highest temperatures will range 6°C to 9°C, in moderate to fresh west to northwest breezes. Some more showers on Sunday and after a mixed weekend it will become more unsettled again from Monday, with milder wet conditions for a time before temperatures decrease again later on Tuesday and remaining cold through to next weekend.
Safe fishing to all and tight lines, especially here in Ireland.
Myles Kelly
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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Salmon Fishing Reports
Trout Fishing Reports
Pike Fishing Reports
Sea Angling Reports
- Look and Learn – Find New Fishing Spots From Your Own PC
- East coast shore angling Dublin and Wicklow in December
- Gaper clams for winter cod and bass
- Fishing through it all – Wicklow Boat Charters experience of 2020
