We just can’t seem to shake that nagging wind at the moment, and it seems like almost every day since the last week of August has brought its fair share of gusts, gales, breezes and blasts. It has disrupted a lot of our fishing plans, particularly at sea, with many boat and even shore competitions rescheduled in the hope of better weather to come. The past week has seen that wind accompanied by a fair amount of rain, with all parts of Ireland receiving a good dousing, but Mayo getting the worst of it, with 88.3mm (340% of the average) recorded at Knock. Somewhat surprisingly, sunshine levels have been at or above average for the time of year, but it hasn’t been enough to offset the autumn chill, as temperatures have been below average across most of the island.

The windy weather in recent weeks has created particular challenges for charter skippers around our coast, with numerous days lost due to wind and swell. Some are lucky enough to have relative shelter on their doorstep, and anglers fishing with Luke Aston of the Clare Dragoon made the most of the sheltered Shannon Estuary, enjoying some good sport with tope, ray, and huss. They also got some excellent reef fishing on the odd day they were able to venture further afield. Anglers fishing with skipper Mark Gannon in Courtmacsherry didn’t have the luxury of a sheltered estuary, and as a result, found their days at sea limited. When they did manage to get out, bullhuss, ling and the odd spurdog featured amongst the catches.

A ‘sheltered’ Shannon Estuary tope

Rathmullan was the venue for the IFSA Boat ‘Fish-off’ to choose the team to compete in the World Boat Championships in Spain next year. The weather made things tough for all competitors, and the winning five anglers may well be hoping for some sunnier stuff in Spain… Wind and swell affected the shore anglers as well, and the Killybegs Mariners had to change venue for the second round of their winter league to avoid them. Fishing on Manor Beach, they landed some good-sized flatties, with John Cunningham taking the win on the night with 6 flats and a whiting.

To wrap up the sea angling reports we have a bit of competition news. First up, dates have been announced for an open competition hosted by West Cork & District SAC at Youghal on Sunday, 9th November; and, also in Youghal, the final round of the Munster Shore League 2025 will take place on Saturday, 13th December.

To coarse angling now, and the final of the VDE Canal Masters was held in the Daingean area last weekend. It was a tough day for the anglers, with strong winds and rain, but Alan Larkin won’t have minded the discomfort, as his 11lb+ bag won him the trophy and a cheque for €2000. It was also a wet start to the day for anglers competing in the final of the 2025 All-Ireland Method Feeder Championship at Oaklands Lake last weekend. But the sun came out in time for the prizegiving, which saw Matja Ivkov crowned the champ for 2025.

Johnny Bailey with his 170lb+ bag from Loch Mahon, which wins him this week’s COTW

A new addition to the match scene saw 16 anglers compete at Loch Mahon in the first running of a league based on Ireland’s commercial fisheries, where the competitors will fish 2 matches on each of four commercials. Johnny Bailey won the first round with 170lb+, so if the fishing remains that good, they’ll all have sore arms by the end of the league… Johnny’s super bag wins him this week’s Catch of the Week.

All eyes will be on the North-East this weekend as some of the best match anglers in the country will be fighting for the title of Ireland’s FeederKing. Following eight qualifier rounds, a total of 24 anglers will compete this weekend on Loughs Sillan and Skeagh, and we’ll bring you a report on proceedings next week. And to wrap up the coarse fishing news, dates have been announced for The Irish Feeder Championships, which will be held on Lough Muckno on the 27th & 28th September.

Trout angling has been hampered by wind on the loughs and by floods on the rivers, but we do have a couple of reports despite the adverse conditions. Firstly, to the loughs, where forty-three anglers turned out on Lough Conn last weekend to compete for the Kieran Lynn Perpetual Cup. Fifteen trout of 13 inches or over were caught, and Patrick Kelly took the heaviest trout prize. Next, to the rivers, where angling guide Paddy Dunworth found the water levels on the River Maigue to be fluctuating all over the place, but when they eventually settled, he enjoyed a successful day’s fishing with some clients from Oregon.

Inland Fisheries Ireland has published further reports and analysis of sampling on the Munster Blackwater but there is still no clear cause emerging in the case of the recent fish kill there.

Alex Liem on the Maigue
Alex Liem on the Maigue

In salmon angling news, the weather was against the anglers trying to fish Lough Currane in recent weeks, as the wind would have made the lake tricky, if not downright dangerous to fish. However, a couple of salmon were reported last week, and there was decent trout fishing at times when conditions allowed. The River Inny also produced a couple of fish when the water levels dropped back. As mentioned earlier, Co. Mayo bore the brunt of the rainfall over the past week or two, so it’s no surprise to hear that the River Moy experienced high water levels, but fish were caught throughout the system when conditions allowed.

Sea trout anglers

We would like to remind all sea trout anglers that we are looking for your help to understand a bit more about this species and are hoping to tap into some of your knowledge to help us better understand the changes in fish stocks and their supporting ecosystems over time. You can help by filling out a short survey, which is available at this link.

Open days and angling fairs

In other news, you may be interested in hearing of a few open days and angling fairs which are coming up in the not-too-distant future. Southern County Resort will be hosting an open day this Saturday, 20th September, and Ardaire Springs will be running a similar event on Saturday, 4th October. Details of both events are available here. –[News just in is that the Southern County open day has been cancelled due to adverse weather]-.

Following that, the Irish Fly Fair, will take place in Enniskillen on 25 and 26 October. Visitors to the Irish Fly Fair will have the opportunity to watch the best international fly dressers practice their art, while champion fly casters will be available to demonstrate and advise on fly casting techniques and fly fishing tactics.

Public consultation

Inland Fisheries Ireland is running a public consultation on the agency’s Statement of Strategy for the next five years (2026-2030).

Anglers and angling associations are some of the organisation’s key stakeholders, and this document will guide IFI’s role in any future involvement with recreational angling and the angling sector.

To contribute to the public consultation, please take the time to review our Statement of Strategy Guidance Document and Make an Online Submission – which you can do here.

The public consultation will be open for submissions until Friday, October 17th, 2025.

Extract from the IFI Statement of Strategy

And now the weather…

Unfortunately, the weekend looks like it’s going to see a continuation of the windy conditions of late as an unsettled weather pattern remains dominant. After a drizzly start to the day, Friday will be mainly dry with some bright sunny spells in the west, but it will be wet in the south and east with the highest temperatures between 15°C and 18°C. Rain will spread into the south and east on Friday night, but it should remain dry elsewhere.

Saturday will see some cloud and rain in the south and east, but it will brighten up later in the day. In the west and north, it will be mainly dry with a mix of cloud and sunny spells at first, but cloudier conditions with showers, some heavy with a chance of isolated thunderstorms, will spread from the northwest through the day. It will become increasingly windy on northern and western coasts, approaching gale force in places.

Sunday will be cool and bright with sunny spells and scattered showers, mainly in the north and northwest. Sunday night will see temperatures drop, with a chance of frost in places!!! 🥶

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.

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