Irish coarse angling has been on an upward curve in recent years. Back in 2014, Ireland won a silver medal at the world championships held on Inniscarra lake in Cork. In 2022, Charlie Richards became the world champion at U20 level, while Michael Buchwalder claimed individual silver medal at the senior world championship later the same year. In April 2023, Ireland hosted the FIPSed World Club Feeder Championships on Lough Muckno, where Lurgan CAC finished with the gold medal and and CM Lakelands took the bronze position.

World Champions NCFFI Team Ireland

And so, there can be only one place to start this week’s angling report, as Team Ireland have gone and won double gold at the world championship in Merida, Spain. Brenton Sweeney’s squad finished top of the podium ahead of some of the world’s best anglers from twenty one competing nations, which included top ranking teams England, Hungary and the Netherlands.

Top 5 Individual World Championship Feeder Fishing for Nations, with world champ Michael Buchwalder in the middle.

Not only that, but Michael Buchwalder has gone one better than his silver in 2022 to become the individual world champion and gold medalist in 2024 ahead of 113 competitors. Well done to all involved, including all of those behind the scenes at the National Coarse Fishing Federation of Ireland, a tremendous achievement. Team Ireland win our Catch of the Week this week!

For any budding young anglers who aspire to represent their country at an international level, the NCFFI are hosting a series of sessions to get them onto the Team Ireland Pathway – starting on Saturday, May 11th, at Gaulmoylestown Lake near Mullingar.

In other coarse fishing news, tench fishing has improved in recent weeks, and members of the Iascaire Feeder Fishing Club and anglers fishing in the Lanesborough area have had good numbers of fish during their evening sessions. Daytime fishing has been trickier though, as the Tulla Anglers found out during their match in Templemore, but competitors fishing the River Suck three day festival fared slightly better fishing at Donamon and Emlagh. At Oaklands lake the fish don’t mind what time of the day it is, and the Boylan family had great success there catching tench, roach and a last cast carp!

Pike fishing has been hotting up too in recent weeks and our pike guides have been putting their guests in the red zone. French visitors to Melview Pike Fishing Lodge landed a whopping 198 pike during their trip to Ireland, the best of them 104cm. In Roscommon, regular visitor to Ireland, Gerald, had some super fish on the fly with Angling Services Ireland and on Lough Ree, fishing with Anglers’ Paradise, Chris Barry had two 100cm+ fish in the boat at the same time! Another Lough Ree guide who spent time on the water this week was Chris Scally of Fish Tales, but he was out recording a very informative podcast with the Fishing with Steve YouTube channel. In Clare, Tulla District Angling Club held their Bank Holiday Monday competition that saw 13 anglers catch 24 fish.

Mayfly fishing has been mixed for trout anglers on the loughs. There were plenty of fly but few fish on Lough Derg over the bank holiday weekend, and hatches were mixed on Corrib (though parts of the lake fished well), but up on Lough Conn in Mayo anglers reported the best mayfly hatch in years in the past week. Conn was where the Dubs hammered the Mayo team on their own patch over the bank holiday weekend, with good fishing during their annual bank holiday weekend competition. The mayfly haven’t really gotten going on Sheelin, but some big fish have fallen to the mighty buzzer in recent weeks. On the rivers, bright sun made for tough going for the North Kildare Anglers, but it didn’t stop Archie McCauley from catching a lovely trout on the Dodder in Firhouse. Proud grandparents William and Helena Walsh brought their grandchildren, Cian (8) and Saoirse (6), to Shepperton Lakes to try and catch their dinner; after catching a first ever fish each, they were awarded medals to mark the achievement on a day they will never forget!

8yo Caroline Black with a lovely Corrib trout she caught while dapping

After months of high water, salmon anglers on the rivers have had the opportunity to wet a line in better fishing conditions since the beginning of the month. In Galway, the first Erriff salmon of the 2024 season was landed on May 1st and the first fish of the season was also caught on the Galway Weir on May 6th. The Moy is also beginning to improve, with fish of up to 15lbs reported caught throughout the system; conditions there have favoured the worm and flying C so far this season. The Moy estuary has been fishing well too, with sea trout running to 3lbs or so. In Kerry, not a sausage was caught on Currane and low water hampered the Laune anglers, but fish have still been landed on Lough Lein and on the Flesk. In Cork, conditions on the Blackwater are good for fishing, but returns have been poor so far.

Fergal Cormican with his 16lbs fly-caught fish from Galway

Around the coast our charter skippers have been making the most of the better weather to get out to the reefs and none more so than in Clare where the Clare Dragoon and the Isle of Aran have both been in amongst the pollack and coalies – with good numbers of mackerel reported too. In Wicklow, the first tope and hounds of 2024 were landed by the Wicklow Boat Charters crew while up in Donegal, some fine cod were caught by anglers aboard the Fiona Tee. From the shore, the Killybegs Mariners wrapped up their shore league with an evening at Rossnowlagh, although it sounds like the league was won long before the final round.

Finally, the Ardaire Springs Angling Fair was held over the May bank holiday weekend and, according to reports, the atmosphere, location and people involved gave it a real community feel, the demos and talks were fantastic, the exhibitor’s enthusiasm and passion for the sport really shone through, the fly tiers were superb and the kids’ zone was a great success – well done to the organisers there.

And now the weather…

Friday night will be dry with clear spells. Lows of 7°C to 10°C with light variable breezes.

It will be another warm and dry day on Saturday with good spells of sunshine. Highs of 18°C to 22°C with southerly breezes. Lows of 9°C to 12°C overnight.

Sunday will bring a mix of cloud and sunny spells with showers or longer spells of rain, some heavy with the chance of isolated thunderstorms. Highs of 15°C to 19°C in light breezes. Lows of 8°C to 11°C overnight with light breezes.

Monday will bring further outbreaks of rain or showers, heaviest over the eastern half of the country with a chance of thunderstorms. Highs of 13°C to 17°C. Early on Tuesday morning a band of persistent or heavy rain will move in from the east and will extend westwards. Localised flooding is possible, especially in Leinster.

Make sure to check the forecast before going afloat and if you’re going to sea, don’t forget to check the tides. If you plan to fish in the sunshine, don’t forget the factor 50.

Safe fishing to all and tight lines, especially here in Ireland.

IFI Staff
Catch, Photo, Release

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