The pessimist complains about the wind; the optimist expects it to change; the realist adjusts the sails 

(William Arthur Ward).

We have to confess to being pessimists over the last week, as windy conditions prevailed for most days. A steady breeze is great for much of our fishing, but strong and gusty winds make fishing difficult inland, and downright impossible off the coast. As a result, deep sea angling took a quieter turn this week, with boats really only getting out on the very odd sheltered day. Last Saturday was one such, and we had reports of great fishing from Galway Bay, West Clare and Killybegs.  We have reports of super fishing over the first hald of May from Wicklow, where guests of Wicklow Boat Charters have caught some lovely fish, including some lovely tope and the first black bream of the year.

wicklow fishing
Black bream

Shore anglers haven’t had it all their own way either, but Jeremy Smith (West Cork Fisher) has enjoyed some great sport, with bass to 6lbs and some lovely gilthead bream too. The Lisdoonvarna Fanore club enjoyed a nice day on the rocks at Ballyreen, with some decent conger and pollack coming ashore.

The mayfly is well up on all the lakes now, but the windy conditions has made fishing difficult, particularly for those seeking dry fly and spent gnat action. Lough Conn saw localised hatches, with fishing to match, many anglers meeting lots of fish while others are seeing none. Good hatches were reported on Lough Arrow, with trout to 4lbs caught.

On the rivers, fly hatches are really in full swing, with great hatches and fishing reported from the River Nore in particular.

We also with the Irish Ladies Flyfishing Team good luck as they compete in the Ladies International Flyfishing Championship next week in Scotland. We also feature a great podcast from Ireland On The Fly about the mayfly season in Ireland.

nore trout

The early part of the week was relatively dry, with rivers falling slowly, but rain over the last couple of days has seen a rise, and many rivers will be in good order for salmon fishing this weekend. There were 99 salmon reported from the Moy this week. Low water saw few salmon reported from the Bandon, which will benefit from the rain, while good fishing and the first grilse were reported from Lough Currane.

River Moy salmon

Coarse angling festivals are in full swing, with a busy week ahead on Inniscarra Reservoir. Tommy Burke fished well in tough bright conditions to win the Edenderry Anglers competition at Killeen.

Belmont Anglers fished their Open at Shannon Harbour on Sunday 15th May. By all accounts a great day was had by all the anglers. There were some great fish weighed in including some really handsome tench and bream.

tench

With the summer coming in, a lot of new anglers are taking up the sport, or dusting off old rods and giving it a go again. See our reminder about how to make sure you are fishing legally and looking after the fish.

 

Other News

Anglers are asked to keep an eye out for tagged shad in the Barrow or Suir rivers in particular. shad were tagged by Inland Fisheries Ireland in 2019 and while some have been recaptured, anglers may have missed the tag on other fish. Check the link above to see how to identify tagged fish.

Two young artists from Cork and Dublin have scooped the winning prizes in the 2022 ‘Something Fishy’ national poster competition, with a third student from Laois being awarded the ‘Special Judges Category’ prize.  The competition which is organised by Inland Fisheries Ireland (IFI) in conjunction with Blackrock Education Centre received artistic entries from across the country. We love this one promoting Catch-Photo-Release.

Emma Kilmurry, 5th class winner, Sacred Heart School, Clondalkin, Dublin.

And now the weather

Breezy conditions look set to continue, with a good deal of showery weather coming in off the Atlantic. Saturday looks a nice day, with lighjt to moderate winds and good cloud cover, winds strongest along Atlantic coasts. A showery day follows on Sunday, brightening up later in moderate southwesterlies. Monday looks to be the wettest day, with heavy showers turning heavy, and cooling down. The outlook is for more of the same, showery and breezy, although temperatures recovering later in the week.

Safe fishing to all 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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