L

ast weekend saw cooler weather and widespread rain spreading east across the country resulting in rising water levels and dropping water temperatures. This short-term change in the weather improved angling conditions for a while. However, with temperatures rising steadily since the beginning of the week and a Status Yellow high temperature warning in place (temperatures are expected to peak at around 30 degrees over the coming weekend), most angling will be impacted again.

Anglers are reminded during these periods of high temperatures to consider fish welfare. The use of keep nets is not recommended when waterways, particularly canals, experience high water temperatures, low water levels and low oxygen. Pike become very sensitive to temperature and pressure changes and angling for them is not recommended. Stress of capture can lead to mortalities for salmon and trout when water temperatures exceed 20 degrees Celsius.

In this context IFI has announced that the Galway Fishery, the Erriff Fishery and the Cloongee Fishery on the River Moy will be closed from midnight tonight as water temperatures exceeded the 20-degree threshold today. A closure of the Moy Fishery in Ballina is also expected and anglers are urged to check with the Ridge Pool Angling Centre in Ballina (+353 (0)96 22669) for up-to-date information.

However, salmon angling largely improved last week with the higher water levels and more grilse running the systems. Better conditions and increased catches were reported from most Kerry fisheries such as Lough Currane, the Kenmare rivers, Killarney Lakes and the Laune. The Munster Blackwater saw the arrival of a grilse run to the river after a long-anticipated wait. Angling improved somewhat on the River Lee and several West Cork rivers including the Bandon and Ilen, while conditions on the Erriff also picked up with a few more salmon and sea trout landed. Further north, decent fishing with more fish running was reported from the Moy and the Ballisodare Fishery.

Jack Mannion beat 9, river Erriff
A salmon goes back on the Erriff

Over to trout fishing where reports generally become more rare during the summer months. Anglers on Lough Sheelin, however, experienced some great late evening sedge fishing recently. For more detailed “Sheelin-Action” check out Brenda Montgomery’s comprehensive and well-illustrated report.

John Byrne with a 63cm Sheelin trout

We also received two short updates from Lough Conn and the Ballin Lough Fishery in Co. Mayo. Elsewhere, Kanturk and District Trout Anglers held a very successful youth day on Lough Cloon seeing a great turnout and some nice catches. Mick Flanagan of Midland Angling has been in touch and sent in a report from Lough Owel where he spent plenty of time last week catching some nice trout on lures and on the troll with clients and friends. He also had some fine perch. Staying in the Midlands, lures also worked well for Senan Stanley and Paul Bourke fishing on Lough Derg. After the pair landed a few good trout between 35 and 50cm, Paul ventured out again the following day catching two nice pike measuring 90cm and 101cm respectively.

1m plus pike from Lough Derg

While pike angling usually slows down a bit during the month of July, coarse angling remains in full swing with numerous competitions taking place throughout the island. In the North, Nick Seedon topped Lurgan Coarse Anglers Blackwater Mini-League which came to a close at the weekend, while Piotr Horbinski won the latest round of the CM Lakelands qualifier series fished on three different venues in Co. Cavan.

The Grand Canal in Co. Offaly saw a great turnout at the NCFFI All-Ireland Youth Canal Championships held in Daingean. The championship brought together junior anglers from across the country, competing in a fun and friendly environment designed to promote canal angling among youth. A full report is available here. Also in Offaly, members of the Leinster Coarse Fishing Federation found water levels to be well down on the canals from the norm last weekend, but that didn’t seem to impact the fishing too badly, with good mixed bags of hybrids, roach and bream.

Moving to Co. Wexford, where the 25th anniversary Dunbrody Festival was held at Oaklands over the past weekend. This 2-day festival saw difficult fishing with strong winds but there were still some great nets weighed in, especially by winner Ronan Minogue. Staying in the southeast, fine bags were reported from Loch Mahon – Ireland’s newest Carp Fishery. Loch Mahon is situated 10 minutes from Enniscorthy and 20 minutes from New Ross and can hold up to 15 anglers at a time, with loads of room for feeder anglers and pole anglers. The carp range from 1lbs to 10lbs, and there are some lovely tench as well. Further info available here.

Loch Mahon in Co. Wexford

Last but not least over to sea angling. As in previous weeks, charter boats recorded some outstanding catches. On the east coast, Kit Dunne of Wicklow Boat Charters continued to produce the goods for his clients reporting plenty of bullhuss and tope on most days, with the odd big one thrown in. Best fish of the week was a specimen tope at 161cm for Dan O’Reilly which wins our Catch of the Week. Earlier in the week, Kit had the local club, Wicklow Bay SAC, onboard for a species competition.  The fishing was excellent with a total of 18 species recorded, including plenty of tope, hounds, gurnard, ray, whiting, pollack, wrasse, dogs, some bullhuss, dragonets, and a few more.

Dan O'Reilly specimen Tope
Dan O’Reilly with his specimen tope

The outstanding skate fishing of last week continued in Courtmacsherry. This time, David Edwards of West Cork Charters was in touch and reported more specimen skate best at 215 cm as well as plenty of blue shark.

Joey Brady had a great speciimen Skate on Sunday
Great specimen skate from Courtmacsherry

Blue shark were also on the plate for anglers aboard the Clare Dragoon, skippered by Luke Aston, fishing out of Carrigaholt. But even on the windy days his guests enjoyed some good fishing in shelter, with tope, thornback ray and bullhuss featuring in catches. A number of porbeagles were also caught by his clients making it a perfect week along the Clare coast.

Skipper Sean Maguire who also fishes out of Carrigaholt reports that while the weather hasn’t been the most helpful lately, the fishing when they could get out had been quite productive, with plenty of pollack, spurdog, mackerel and even squid, while a little further north in Galway Bay, John Fleming reported a few more blues together with good mixed fishing for anglers on the Brazen Hussy II.

Further up the coast, the National Junior Competition / Daniel Peacock Memorial 2025 took place in the seas around beautiful Clew Bay. The event was organised by Newport SAC, and it was a special occasion as it marked the 20th anniversary of the passing of a local club angler and the grandson of former club secretary, Sue Steer. The overall winner of the competition was Daithi Nevin with an impressive haul of 14 dogfish, two ray and two bulhuss giving him a total of 160 points on the day.

Avid kayak angler David Norman of Angling Adventures West Cork was in touch again. David finally got a brief window last week to go in search of bass before the summer weather returned to its familiar unsettled ways…and bass he got!

bass
Super “Kayak” bass for David Norman

Cormac Walsh, another sea bass and lure expert landed some more bass on soft plastics exploring new venues and applying new tactics which obviously paid off. He also has a new episode of his popular lure fishing podcast available featuring Thom Hunt one of the top predator lure anglers in Europe and the UK.

Finally, we would like to make all interested sea anglers aware that the Greystones Annual Tope Festival will be fished on 30th & 31st August. Tight Lines!

 

And now the weather…

Tonight will be dry with long clear spells and light winds. Very mild or warm with temperatures not falling below 13 to 17 degrees. Saturday will hot with temperatures reaching 26 to 30 degrees. It will be dry and sunny with light to moderate southeasterly winds. Sunday will start out largely fine and dry with good sunny spells and mostly light winds. Cloud will build from the west with outbreaks of rain pushing in across Atlantic coastal counties. Some heavy and possibly thundery showers are possible in the west during the late afternoon and evening. A very warm day with highest temperatures of 22 to 28 degrees and southerly breezes. Indications for next week are for a change to more unsettled and cooler weather with more rain turning heavy at times.

Don’t forget to double-check the forecast before heading off, and if you’re going to sea, check the tides.

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

IFI Staff
Catch, Photo, Release

If you have an angling story to share with the Irish Angling Update, please send it to reports@fisheriesireland.ie and don’t forget that all of our fishing reports are available on our dedicated Angling Ireland Facebook page.

All the angling news

Salmon Fishing Reports

Trout Fishing Reports

    Coarse Angling Reports

    Pike Angling Reports

    Sea Angling Reports