The whitethorn (hawthorn) is not even in flower yet (any day now) but the cuckoo arrived here on May Day, and even earlier, the mayfly was up! Anglers around the lake are reporting good hatches of mayfly, with trout in some areas switching on to them sooner than elsewhere. As usual, fishing in the Cornamona area has picked up quickly, with good fishing reported to wet and dry mayfly patterns. Elsewhere, trout were still being caught on buzzer and olives, and only slowly starting to switch on to mayfly.

A timely blast from the (recent) past popped up on our timeline this week, a great radio piece from 2016 for the BBC World Service from Diarmuid Fleming, then of the BBC and a great proponent of Irish angling. Diarmuid talks about the appearance of the mayfly in the Great Western Lakes, and its importance to local anglers and communities. Have a listen here: The Essential – From Our Own Correspondent: Time of the Mayfly – BBC Sounds

Guide Kevin Molloy also reports good fishing on wet mayflies last week in the Oughterard area. Before that his clients had good fishing to trolled baits. One client Keith had 3 trout on the troll. Tony Connolly and Gerry Conneely had 5 trout, also on the troll. A group of 3 American and Irish anglers had 5 trout on olives to 2.5lbs. Uwe and another German angler went trolling with Kevin and landed 5 trout. Kevin himself had a few nice trout on buzzer one day.

Before the arrival of the mayfly there was good fishing to olives, and buzzer fishing has been producing some fine fish too. Last week saw some fairly calm days which favoured buzzer fishing. Paul Heaney from Corrib Anglers guiding service shared a great photo of a fantastic catch for an angler under the guidance of top guide David Donnelly from Corrib View Lodge and Angling Services. This beauty was caught on a buzzer. As you can see from the photo the weather conditions were spot on for buzzer fishing and this trout was this anglers third trout of the day having had a 3lb and 4lb trout earlier.

A cracking 7.5lbs trout caught and released on buzzer

Danielle Gingell also had a nice trout on dry fly on Sunday.

Danielle Gingell with a nice Corrib trout on dry fly

Trolling has also produced some lovely fish of late. Jasper Mathews of Wild Atlantic Angling Experiences got in some trolling with clients before the mayfly took off, and this fish for Steph was the best of 3 for her day out. As Jasper described it “an absolute rugbyball of an 8lber”!

A beautiful and well-fed 8lbs trout for Steph

Before that he had a day out with Joe and Adam, a bitter north wind made for uncomfortable conditions, and only one fish obliged, but it was a lovely fish just shy of 10lbs for Adam.

A nice ferox for Adam

Ferox expert Tomi Kurman was lamenting the good weather, with bright sunshine and calm conditions, but then th wind and rain returned as he wished for. Yeah, thanks Tomi! With the wind came some better fishing, and his clients have boated some nice ferox too.

Galway Hospice Competition

Corr na Mona Anglers held the annual Hospice competition on Sunday, run for the benefit of the Galway Hospice so it is for a great cause and all the money raised goes to it.
64 rods caught 117 trout on a catch-and-release basis fishing to a 12″ limit.
Again this year we used the length to weight conversion chart whereby each trout is allotted a certain weight for its recorded length.
Conditions suited the wet fly and with decent hatches of olives and mayflies this method won out this year.
There were some great catches and it was a close fought thing between first and second. The team of Joe Creane, Roundstone and Seamus Kelly, Oughterard won it with 12 trout finishing ahead of the Clare lads, Seamus O’Loughlin and Brian McInerney who had more trout with 15 but found themselves beaten by a couple of pounds. Joe Creane picked up a few big fish in his bag including one of 55 cm (4lb) and three more of 45 cm and over which brought his team’s weight totals up.
1st: Seamus Kelly & Joe Creane – 12 Trout 20.88lbs
2nd Seamus O Loughlin & Brian McInerney – 15 trout 18.61lbs
3rd: Tommy Carroll & Mike Coyne – 5 trout 12.52lbs

Go Fishing

Kevin Molloy Guiding and Boat Hire

Baurusheen, Oughterard, Co.Galway.
Tel: +353 (0)91 866954 Mob: +353 (0)87 9604170


Wild Atlantic Angling Experiences

Jasper runs Wild Atlantic Angling Experiences, providing bespoke guided fishing for salmon, trout or saltwater species. To book a guiding trip with Jasper you can give him a call on 087 6031975, or check out the new website: wildatlanticangling.com


Corrib View Lodge and Angling Services

Corrib View Lodge is waiting for you! To book accommodation or fishing, check the website at www.corribangling.com, call Michelle or Larry at 093 31718, or email [email protected]


Tomi Guided Fishing

To book a trip with Tomi Kurman, give him a call on 085 7318541 or check out his Facebook page here: Tomi Guidedfishing