Angling on the Munster Blackwater has been slow of late and the river is running low and clear. The best of the fishing has been in the lower sections. Welcome news is that the grilse have started to appear in small numbers which should provide some extra impetus over the coming weeks.
Daniel Kolomanski was in touch with a report of the season to date on the Ballinaroone Beat, a 1 kilometre-long stretch of the Munster Blackwater, circa 2 km upriver of the village of Ballyduff on the South side:
“We have had a good start to the season with 23 salmon (as of 2 July 2024) to 15 lbs and most in double figures. Also one excellent sea trout to 5 1/2 lbs. A good result considering that we have only been fishing for 7 weeks due to the high water earlier this year. We also limit the number of rods to 4 on our beat, so the fishing pressure has been light.
The grilse have finally made an appearance, however, the numbers are still being dominated by mainly double figure salmon. The condition and strength of the fish has been a standout this year, including some fish well over 20lbs that were met, seen and played but escaped the net. Small, sparsely dressed flies have been the most successful lure with the late afternoons and evenings being the time when most have been caught. Getting your lure down to the fish has been the key to success as the water is still very cold for this time of year and is currently some 4 degrees Celsius cooler than that of upriver.
For those new to the river or salmon fishing or if you’re just in need of a bit of remedial casting tuition, we suggest engaging one of the excellent local ghillies. It’s the best money that you’ll spend especially if you’ve travelled far or this is a special occasion. Let us know and we’ll suggest a few people who are excellent casting instructors and canny fishers who spend most days on the water and know the river and the salmon runs and lies for each season.
We and our ghillies encourage catch and release.”
Contact information to follow…
