Irish Angling Update 🎣 09 September 2022

It’s been another very dry, very sunny, warm week. With blue skies dominating and so much sunshine it’s no wonder that temperatures were 1-2°C higher than you expect. On top of that a number of stations reported just 1% of the normal rainfall for the time of year. So, although water temperatures have dropped recently, low water prevails on our rivers and lakes and fishing conditions can still be pretty tough. Mind you, sea anglers have been enjoying the settled conditions, though the weather man says that’s all about to change…

Back to the week that was for now though, and in salmon angling news anglers on the Moy reported 50 fish caught despite the low water and warm temperatures. Fishing in the estuary has improved as the sea trout are feeding hard on herring fry hunted inshore by mackerel shoals. Very few other rivers reported much at all. The Currane system struggled with calm weather and bright skies. A few sea trout were caught and released on the drift and one grilse was reported. We also have a lovely video from Andrew McGall who has some great insights into his approach to salmon fishing.

Trout fishing has been very quiet. Very few rivers are fishing well, even for the evening rise but we did get one interesting report in from the Maigue. The lakes have also been tough. We do have a few reports in though from Lough Owel, Conn, O’Flynn and the stocked lakes Barfinnihy and Fadda in Co. Kerry.

Things are hotting up on the coarse angling festival scene with matches being held at numerous venues over the past week and plenty more planned for the coming weeks. Some decent nets of fish have been weighed in with a one day catch of 65lb registered in the Strokestown Festival and winning bags of 66kg and 67kg caught at the recent 3 day festivals on Inniscarra. For this and more see Coarse angling festival season in full swing.

Pike anglers have been catching some decent fish as water temperatures cooled. Lough Derg produced pike to over 100cm for TJ and Son for TJ’s Angling Centre in Killaloe. Further up the Shannon system, French anglers staying at Melview Lodge had super fishing around Longford with plenty of pike in the 90s and a few over the metre. Meanwhile, Connacht Predator Anglers had a competition on Lough Corrib where trout to 70cm, perch to 35cm and pike to 109cm were caught and released.

Sea anglers did better with the conditions on offer last week. Dutch journalists fishing out of Wicklow had a mix of ground fishing and a trip to the wrecks and they had a total of 14 species for the week, including Black Bream and Pollack just shy of 10lbs. Local anglers also did well with one recording a specimen tope of 158cm. Further south bass anglers are reporting good fishing from a number of East Cork marks with a few specimens landed. Cork Harbour is also fishing well for bass anglers and saltwater fly anglers. Working our way west and north we find ourselves off the coast of Clare where Lady Gwen II and the Clare Dragoon had great fishing for rays, sharks, cod, ling, whiting, pollack and more as bait proved no problem to find. Fish are also feeding hard in Galway Bay. Skipper John Fleming says the reef fishing in Galway has been “on fire” of late, with pollack in particular feeding hard and taking lures eagerly and plenty of other species in great condition are also being caught. Finally we arrive at Donegal where anglers aboard Fiona Tee fishing out of Killybegs had a great mix of fishing including big bull huss to 115cm, big pollack, conger double figure ling and bluefin tuna of 80 inches. Fishing from the shore Killybegs Mariners were also enjoying great fishing in the sunshine. Plenty of good fish were landed including nice wrasse and even saurys to 34cm.

Public Consultation

Great Western Lakes Management Plan

Last week recently launched the Draft Great Western Lakes Management Plan. Loughs Corrib, Mask, Carra, Conn, Cullin, Arrow and Sheelin are some of the best wild brown trout fisheries in Europe and are collectively known as the Great Western Lakes. Inland Fisheries Ireland wishes to develop a long term management plan for these lakes to address many of the factors currently impacting on the ecological wellbeing of native fish stocks in their catchments.

For more information, including the draft plan, a comprehensive list of Frequently Asked Questions, “open evenings” and how to participate in the public consultation and have your voice heard, check out the web page here:  Western Lakes Plan

The next open evenings will take place on:

Tuesday 6th September: Monsignor Horan Memorial Centre, Partry Commuity Centre, Co Mayo F12 KF86

Wednesday 7th September: Anglers Rest Hotel, Headford, Co Galway H91 PN77

Thursday 8th September: Courthouse, Oughterard, Co Galway H91 CC96

Tuesday 13th September: Crover House Hotel, Mount Nugent, Co Cavan A82 P2D9

No tickets or registration is required and all open evenings are operating on a ‘drop-in’ basis from 4pm to 8pm.

And now the weather…

The current run of fine weather is due to break and the outlook is for conditions to become unsettled with plenty of wind and rain on the way. The rains will arrive tonight and Saturday will be mostly wet and windy. Highest temperatures of 14 to 18°C in a fresh south or southeast breeze. More rain overnight and strengthening winds sweeping northwards with a possibility of localised flooding.

Please note – there are Yellow Rain and Small Craft warnings in effect from Saturday night through Sunday afternoon.

Another breezy wet day on Sunday, but warmer with temperatures reaching 17 to 21°C in fresh and gusty southeast winds.  Monday will start with bright spells and scattered showers before persistent rain sets in again. Another warm day at 17 to 22°C in fresh and gusty southeast winds. Much the same on Tuesday with the outlook for the unsettled conditions to continue. Freshwater systems will do well out of the weather and hopefully the winds won’t hit the sea anglers too hard…

IFI Staff

Catch, Photo, Release

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