Christmas is said to be partly a ‘Christianisation’ of those ancient midwinter festivals that marked the winter solstice in the northern hemisphere and today, December 8th, is the traditional start of the Christmas season in Ireland, when country folk would descend on urban areas to do their Christmas shopping. As we draw ever closer to that winter solstice, bitter cold days and longer, freezing nights are what we typically associate with the Christmas period, and we have certainly had those in the past week or so…
The ever darkening evenings and cooling waters affect our fish in different ways. In our lakes, coarse fish will become more lethargic in the next few weeks, seeking refuge in numbers at a depth that they find comfortable. Our hen pike realise that their spawning season is closing in and they will make the most of scavenging winter’s victims to build up their strength. In many of our rivers, our trout and salmon have been digging redds to lay their eggs for the next generation and continue their species’ cycle of life.
At sea, the cold makes some species move offshore as others take their place close to the coast, and it is close to the coast where we begin the angling round up for this week as the darkest, dreariest part of the year hasn’t stopped Kit Dunne, as he has been racking up specimen tope and spurs whenever he could snatch a few hours of decent weather to get afloat.
Our Catch of the Week for this week was also caught at sea, this time man on a mission, Kevin McGowan somehow managed to land a blonde ray from a shore mark. Not the most common catch, blonde ray favour deeper water than other ray species, and are occasionally caught by boat anglers. We had never heard of one caught from the shore, but that is what Kevin was determined to do, we’ll let him tell the story in his own words…
On the competition scene, the Irish Federation of Sea Anglers (IFSA) held the Inter-Provincial Shore Angling Championships last weekend in Northern Ireland where freezing temperatures and lack of surf contributed to tough fishing conditions. In Cork, the West Cork and District SAC held their club match at Garrylucas, though excessive weed caused problems and catch rates were low. Sometimes the fishing isn’t all about the catching though, as an Atlantic coast beach is a very special place to be for sunrise on a frosty December morning – as eighteen members of the Killybegs Mariners club found out for their daylight league outing. From the kayak, David Norman of Angling Adventures West Cork enjoyed a late season session chasing pollack and wrasse, possibly his last of 2023.
In freshwater, coarse anglers from the CM Lakelands Feeder Club and Athy & District Anglers have held their respective matches at bitterly cold venues and while Muckno fish were tricky to tempt, the Barrow produced over 100lb of fish for the Athy club, including an elusive November tench! Still on the Barrow, but fishing for a different species altogether, the Barrow Perch Bonanza took place last weekend where some fine river perch were landed, including a superb 41cm fish. At the Masters Feeder World Championships in Italy, the Irish team didn’t get the finish they were hoping for, but got some great experience competing at the highest level.
Next, we move away from the waterside altogether to consider cold-water lure options for pike with L’ile Verte Fishing Lodge, get the latest news from Peter Driver of Piscari Fly and consider fly-fishing, fly casting and fly tying with Dan O’Neill of South East Casting as he reflects on some of his recent events.
We also have a season report from salmon and sea trout fishing at Delphi Lodge and how the Bundorragha River system performed for their guests in 2023, it makes for a very interesting read.
If you have read just about enough about fishing for one day, the Ireland on the Fly team have another great podcast this week, with a focus on east coast sea trout with Mick McShane of Dundalk. Mick will throw a fly at pretty much anything that swims, but he has a special grá for the salty sea trout in the north east.
In other news…
With Christmas just around the corner, the Inland Fisheries Ireland permit shop is now selling fishery permits for the 2024 season, including those for a variety of fisheries in Donegal, Mayo, Galway, Cork and Kerry, as well as the ever popular Midland Fisheries Group Permit. The online Salmon licence shop has also opened, just in time for next season or for those looking for a stocking filler for someone special.
We will be keeping an eye out for more stocking fillers on offer from tackle shops, charter boats, fishing guides and anyone else we find offering a great fishing related Christmas deal. As we find them, we will post them here.
And now the weather…
*Yellow wind warnings will remain in place in western counties and small craft warnings will remain in place for the entire country this weekend*
It will continue to be blustery on Friday night with rain moving north-easterly across the country. Lows of 5°C to 8°C in strengthening winds.
Very windy on Saturday with rain pushing north-eastwards, followed by sunny spells and blustery, heavy showers and hail. Max temps of 7°C to 11°C. Winds will ease on Saturday night; however, a further spell of rain will extend north-eastwards across the country by dawn on Sunday. Lows of 4°C to 7°C.
On Sunday we will have a mix of sunny spells and heavy and prolonged showers, especially in the west. Strong southwest winds developing through the day. Highs of 8°C to 12°C. Dry and cold overnight, lows of 3°C to 6°C in westerly winds.
Monday looks set to be a mostly dry day with outbreaks of rain are likely to develop from the southwest. Tuesday will be a cloudy day with rain, mist and drizzle. Max temps of 7°C to 11°C in generally light and variable winds.
Safe fishing to all and tight lines, especially here in Ireland. If fishing in the sea, don’t forget to check the tides.
IFI Staff
Catch, Photo, Release
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All the angling news
Salmon Fishing Reports
Trout Fishing Reports
Coarse Angling Reports
- Tough going for Irish Masters at Feeder World Championships
- Perch pack fish Barrow Bonanza 2023
- Bitter conditions for CM Lakelands Muckno match
- Angling Feats in Winter’s Chill at Athy
Pike Fishing Reports
Sea Angling Reports
- Short days don’t stop specimens coming in Wicklow
- Slow daylight league outing for Killybegs Mariners
- Ireland on the Fly talks East Coast Sea Trout with Mick McShane
- Connacht Take Inter-Provincial Shore Title
- Blonde ray from the shore. Yes, you read that right!
- Troy Francis takes biggest, flattest and best at Garrylucas
- Late season pollack and wrasse for west cork kayak angler
