We are bringing you the Angling Update a day early this week, to get you in the mood for a bit of fishing over the Easter weekend. Looking at the ‘metrics’, the past week has been fairly average weather-wise, with rainfall, temperatures, and sunshine levels all more or less the norm for this time of year. But conditions have been far from settled, with strong winds, heavy rain, bright sunshine, overcast skies, mild evenings, and cool mornings making it a real mixed bag.

In fact, it struck me while reading through this week’s angling reports that fishing itself can be a mixed bag at this time of year. Cool water temperatures, fluctuating water levels, and unpredictable weather make planning any outing tricky, and every trip feels like a bit of a gamble. One day can bring lifeless water and blank sessions; the next day, the fish can just switch on for no apparent reason. It’s a time of year that keeps anglers guessing, forcing them to adapt, rethink, and sometimes just stick it out… And sometimes sticking it out can bring real rewards. This week’s Catch of the Week is a real example of that, read on to find out why…!

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We begin this week’s roundup with the coarse anglers, who by the sounds of it have had a particularly rough time with the weather of late… Lashing rain and gale force winds left 31 members of the Monasterevin & Daingean Coarse Anglers huddling on the bank for their first match of the year. But there were plenty of small roach to keep the anglers active, and catch rates, if not weights, were impressive. Mark Alcock of East Belfast secured first place with an excellent haul of nearly 100 fish, finishing with a winning weight of 5lb 5oz.

Seven members of the VDE Baggers also braved extremely harsh conditions on the River Erne, facing cold temperatures, strong winds, and rising water levels. The match was turned by the welcome arrival of bream into Maciej Paul Bober’s swim, allowing him to net three of them for a bag of 6.5kg, giving him the win.

The wind was also howling at Garadice, where members of the CM Lakelands Feeder Club held a match that turned out to be a real tight one. Only grams separated the top three, with Damian Foltyn just pipping it with 4.64kg.

It seems nobody could escape the lousy conditions over the weekend, as the Erne Anglers had their fair share of high water and higher winds as they fished their winter league final. Andy Gregg toughed it out to bag a win with 6.755kg.

Three quality bream turned the match for Maciej

To sea angling now, and the IMREC project is a citizen science initiative in which volunteer sea anglers log their catches in an angling diary, giving us an idea of which fish are being encountered by anglers around our coasts. The 2026 report from the project shows that Dogfish, Mackerel, Seabass, Flounder and Whiting were the top 5 fish species landed by participants in 2025, with Counties Donegal, Sligo and Galway being the most popular venues.

On the competition scene, a healthy club rivalry has built up between East Coast near neighbours, Ballybrack SAC and Ringsend Irishtown Angling Club over the years. That rivalry was played out on Kilgorman Beach over the weekend, as both clubs went head-to-head for local bragging rights. Ringsend entered the day as reigning champions, but the ‘Brackers’ were determined to wrest the trophy back. And so they did, on a tough day for fishing, but a great day for camaraderie.

Kilgorman Beach was the venue for an East Coast inter-club battle

We end the sea angling reports with news of a couple of upcoming competitions, both in Co. Cork: Cork Sea Angling Club are hosting a fundraising open in aid of RNLI on the Slob Bank in Youghal on Sunday, 26th April, while West Cork & District Sea Angling Club are hosting an open shore competition on Sunday, 31st May.

To the trout scene now, and in a tale that should prove a lesson to all anglers faced with tough conditions, Noel Bennett of Kilbride Anglers Club relates a story of a recent trip to Lough Owel. In a day that can best be described as a slog, he and his boat partner, John Doyle, stuck it out, and just as thoughts were turning to the homeward journey, John’s line tightened into what turned out to be a 12lb+ trout. A remarkable fish that wins John this week’s Catch of the Week.

John Doyle’s ‘Fish of a Lifetime’ from Lough Owel wins this week’s COTW

Angling guide George Burdess didn’t have quite the same luck when he ventured out after a few early-season trout on some rivers in Co. Galway. Despite putting in the hard yards on numerous stretches of river, he didn’t have a lot to show for the considerable effort he made.

And we wrap up the trout section with news that onthewater.ie have added a new water to their growing list of fisheries for which they sell permits: Glenkeen Trout Fishery, Aughnacloy, who are offering day passes all year round as well as entries for competitions they are holding regularly.

Turning to pike/predator fishing now, and well-known angling guide and YouTuber Senan Stanley has been busy of late, both on the water and in the production suite, with a couple of new videos posted to his channel as he continues to target various species of predator on our waterways.

Angling guide Mick Flanagan was pushing the boat into a calm bay while guiding client Miro from Czechia when they both saw a large disturbance in the water. A discussion followed as to whether it was a beaver or a fish (they have beavers in Czechia). Luckily, it turned out to be a fish, and a hungry one at that, as it took Miro’s fly and a short while later he was cradling a fine pike just shy of a metre. It’s been a good week for the Czechs…

All smiles for the Czechs this week, with Miro’s fine fly-caught pike

In other news, our collaboration with the Invasive Species team at the National Biodiversity Data Centre continues, with dates now confirmed for Invasive Species Week 2026, running from 22–28 June. Anglers and clubs are encouraged to get involved, spread awareness, and promote best practice on the water.

We end this report on a sombre note, following the tragic news that two anglers drowned while fishing from rocks in Co. Clare. Our thoughts are with their families at this difficult time. It serves as a stark reminder of the risks we all face when out fishing—so check the weather, know your tides, wear a lifejacket, avoid wading too deep, seek local knowledge, heed advice, and always expect the unexpected when on or near the water. It’s no harm to refresh your memory of all the basics here.

And now the weather


Thursday will begin chilly and mostly cloudy, with some brighter spells in the east and southeast. Rain and drizzle will move in from the west and southwest, spreading countrywide later, with the heaviest falls in west Connacht, where spot flooding is possible. Temperatures will reach 7 to 10°C. Thursday night will remain cloudy with further rain, drizzle, and patches of mist and fog. Temperatures will drop to between 5 and 9°C.

A changeable Atlantic pattern will dominate over the long weekend. Friday (Good Friday) is expected to be windy and damp, with fresh to strong southwesterly winds and outbreaks of rain and showers. Temperatures will reach 10 to 14°C. Saturday will likely be wet and windy, with heavy rain at times. On Sunday (Easter Sunday), conditions will turn cooler and breezy, with sunny spells and scattered heavy showers. Temperatures will range from 7 to 11°C, with further unsettled weather possible into Monday. 

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. 

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