Lough Sheelin 2015 Angling Review By Brenda Montgomery, IFI

“The angler forgets most of the fish he catches, but he does not forget the lake in which they are caught.” – Charles K. Fox

Lough Sheelin 2015

Last Thursday 2015 faded into the past and Friday January 1^st heralded a brand new year – 2016.

With only 8 weeks to go before the opening of the trout season here, we are now on run down to a fresh start, fishing this jewel of a wild brown trout fishery which is Lough Sheelin.

December 21^st marked the winter solstice, the shortest day of the year, a day when the earth is tilted farthest from the sun, effectively marking the death of the old year and the coming of the new. In 46 B.C.E the Roman emperor Julius Caesar first established January 1^st as New Year’s Day. Janus was the Roman god of doors and gates and had two faces, one looking forward and one back. Caesar felt that the month named after this god (January) would be the appropriate ‘door’ to the year.

While each culture New Year celebration has its own flavour, but whatever they are there is a common theme and that is of washing the slate clean and starting anew. Interestedly (and thankfully not an Irish custom) there are some towns in Italy where you have to watch out for falling objects, as people shove their old sofas, chairs and even refrigerators out of their windows on New Year’s Eve. In Ecuador, people make dummies, stuffed with straw, to represent the events of the past year. These “ano viejo” effigies are burned at midnight, thus symbolically getting rid of the past.

While it is good to start afresh and be full of eager anticipation for a new fishing season here, I am mindful of a quote I heard recently from BBC Radio 4’s Thought For Today which states ‘Life can only be understood backwards, but it must be lived forwards’ so with this in our heads it is perhaps useful to skim back over the past 12 months on this lake and maybe learn from what is now its history.

2015 was undoubtedly a challenging fishing year on Lough Sheelin. This lake’s fishing is governed by the weather and for 2015 the weather did not play ball and in fact wreaked havoc on many occasions with many an angler’s fishing plans.

2015 was a roller coaster of emotions for the Lough Sheelin anglers – a heady mixture of anticipation, frustration, ecstasy and disappointment.  A stubborn cold twinned with biting North Westerly/Easterly winds permeated into mid-season, effectively crippling the Mayfly season and leaving many anglers in despair.

While there were no specimen trout caught during 2015 (over 10lbs) there were an impressive number of 9, 8, 7 and 6 pounders recorded.

The heaviest fish of the season was by Belfast angler Malcolm Dwyer with a 9lb 2oz beauty caught on a dry Mayfly pattern.

A selection of the other heavy weight catches were from Marco Orsi, Wales (9lbs), Nigel O’Shea, Donegal (9lbs on a spent gnat), Frank Kelly, Cavan (8lbs), Michael Farrell (8lbs plus), Gareth Llywelyn, Wales (7lbs on a Murrough), Aleksandrs Trifonovs (7lbs and 6.61lbs), Aleksei Vacietis (7lbs and Owen Jacob, Dublin (6 ½) to name but a few.

IFI recorded a total of 3079 trout caught by anglers for the 2015 season, most of which were released.  This figure comes from IFI’s weekly collection of angling data and because it was impossible to have access to all fish returns, it just gives the lower end of the scale as to the numbers of fish being caught on this lake. This figure is down from the previous year but 2015 was a totally different season to 2014. Sheelin anglers in general are conservation ally minded so overall a catch & release policy was adopted.

The allure of Sheelin is that this lake promises and delivers the heavy weights and this factor draws its devotees from all over the world, time and time again. A 2 – 3 pounder would be a great fish in other lakes but for Sheelin it would be dismissed as being a small trout. Lough Sheelin is refuted to be Ireland’s jewel in its fishing crown and for this year despite the inclement weather, this jewel shone strong and bright.

For simplicity Lough Sheelin’s 2015 trout fishing season can be divided into three stages

Early Season – March 1^st – May 14                    468 fish, heaviest 2 at 7lbs    

Mid-Season   – May 15^th – July 31                    2009 fish, heaviest  at 9lbs 2oz

Late Season   – August 1^st – October 12            602  fish, heaviest at 8lbs         

Early Season

Early season on this lake was dogged by persistently bitter searingly cold North Easterly/Westerly winds which relentlessly swept the lake’s surface. Subzero nightly frosts were frequent. This weather resulted in water temperatures remaining cold, fly hatches sparse and trout feeding deep.  Trout are mainly subsurface feeders so with little to tempt them to the surface, fishing during the first ten weeks was a tough slog.  Lures like the Minkies and Humungus featured heavily while the Dabblers (Silver, Claret, Peter Ross and Fiery Brown) held top place with the artificial flies.  Traditionals like the Sooty Olive, Pheasant Tailed Nymph, Buzzer patterns, Black Pennell, Connemara Black, Golden ribbed Hare’s Ear (size 8 on a sinking line) and Golden Olive Bumble also showed up in the trout records.

Because the trout stayed in the deeper layers of the water a di 3 or sometimes to get that bit deeper a di 5 was used but for early season it was more advisable to stick to the shallows and use a slow sinker.

As the season headed into May, anglers were greeted by hail and snow showers, Sheelin struggled and spluttered to produce mayfly hatches and while angling numbers increased with the anticipation of the main event of the trout fishing calendar – the Mayfly season, Sheelin showed little or no sign of producing the goods. There were good hatches of buzzer and olives confined to the sheltered areas, behind islands and along shorelines as the month drifted towards the teens.

Mid-Season.

During the month of May angling numbers increased dramatically on Lough Sheelin as local and visiting anglers returned to the lake in droves with the anticipation of the famous mayfly hatches and from May 23^rd Sheelin shifted up a gear when despite the ensuing cold there were phenomenal hatches of mayfly.  For the previous two years the mayfly on Lough Sheelin had been early, arriving in the first two weeks of May and anglers were lulled into thinking that this would be the case for ever more, not so, 2015 reverted to form and the Mayfly season did not kick off  till the late twenties and even then it was disappointing because of the unseasonable weather and the bitter cold and high winds which rapidly changed ‘duffers fortnight’ into ‘desperation fortnight’ as despite the numbers fishing the lake only a few fish were being caught and it was all tough going.  Many anglers took their holidays around this time and many returned empty handed and empty hearted.

Wind directions dictated where angler’s fish on this lake and most of the time boats hugged the sheltered areas, along shorelines, in little alcoves and bays and behind islands.

Goreport, Bog Bay, around the Stoney Islands, at the back of Church Island, along by Holy Well and tight to the Western shore reported good trout catches for this mid-season.

The most popular flies were the Wet and Dry Mayflies – the Melvin May, Dennis Moss’s Ginger, Green and Gray Mayflies, the Mosley May as well as angler’s variants of the mayfly.

The Wulffs featured heavily and were successful in landing fish up to 7lbs in weight. The Green, Gray, Yellow and Royal all had their moment of glory with the Gray landing Denis Liston of Wicklow a fine 6lbs 5ozs trout on Saturday May 30^th. Other flies used were the Dabblers (Peter Ross, Green, Silver and Fiery) Epoxy Buzzer, Buzzer variants, Spent Gnat, Sooty Olive, Golden Olive Bumble, CDC Mayfly Nymph, the Welshman’s Button, the Fiery Brown Sedge, the French Partridge Mayfly, the Royal Coachman, the Silver Invicta, the Cock Robin, Klinkhammers and Stimulators.

Mid-season was tough going on Lough Sheelin despite amazing hatches of mayfly and great armies of spent that went out on the water most days, but there was a break in the middle of all the hardship where Sheelin rose up like a phoenix out of the soggy and weather battered ashes of the mayfly season and this was on June 3^rd when from 2pm onwards the lake boiled and it seemed as if every fish in the lake was rising up to feed on the spent gnat which covered the lake, the spinner’s wings spread flat against the surface water.

It was no coincidence that this Wednesday shone out as being a day to remember because this day was the only day in the week (if not the season) which had a warm feel about it and a calmness that alerted all trout anglers to get out on the water as soon as was physically possible.

It’s a hard thing to describe, that perfect day, when the usual underlying cold has been replaced with a soft enduring warmth that runs through the daylight hours into darkness, with no dipping evening temperatures and a ripple moving a surface water that is covered with spent, their death throes sending out enticing ripples proving irresistible to the trout. Wednesday worked for most anglers and large numbers of trout were reported, many weighing over 6lbs and a number in the 8 – 9lb range. The mayfly has a reputation of exclusively bring the heavy weights up from their lower feeding regions and for this day, the perfect fishing day, this was certainly the case as the surface water bulged with some beautiful trout.

For this day Lough Sheelin was gracious and giving and anglers were reminded of why Sheelin remains at the top in the fishing world.

Lough Sheelin’s 2015 Mayfly

What of time they have

They stretch out taut and thin and ringing clear;

So we, whose strand of life is not much more,

Let us too make our time elastic and

In consequently dance above the dazzling wave.

‘Mayfly’ by Louis MacNeice

Late Season

After the disappointment of the Mayfly season, angling numbers reduced dramatically on the Sheelin and this is where that quote ‘life can only be understood backwards, but it must be lived forward’comes into play as for the 2015 season many anglers made the mistake of giving up on Sheelin with the collapse of the mayfly and few held on for what happened next. Following the mayfly is the sedge fishing, refutably the cream of trout fishing and Sheelin produced excellent sedge fishing.  It was mainly an ‘after dark’ affair, when the impressive hatches of Murrough and Green Peter attracted splashy rises of excellent quality fish and good takes.  There were also good hatches of caenis at first light and dusk.  The Green Peter was never really a feature of this lake but in the past few years it has increased dramatically in numbers so much so that the hatches of this sedge is like a dinner bell to the hungry trout.  The Bloodworm also proved excellent particularly around the Bog Bay, Goreport, Corru and Lynch Pt. end of the lake.

The end of season dwindled as the fish became restless to return to their spawning rivers and although anglers saw many rises, trout only seem to surface the once and that was it. Anglers reported huge shoals of small trout, around the ½ lb and under, which is an encouragement for the future of this lake.

Lough Sheelin’s Top Three for Late Season

The Lough Sheelin Trout Protection Association will be holding their AGM on January 22nd 2016 at 8pm in Crover House Hotel. This is a strong and progressive angling club dedicated to the protection of Lough Sheelin. All new members are welcome. For further information please contact Thomas Lynch @ 087 9132033.

A number of competitions were held on the lake during the year, the main ones were:

The Kilroy Cup (hosted by the LSTPA) March 21^st, 50 anglers size limit 17”, winner Pat Brennan, Longford with a fish of 3.92lbs.

The Sheelin Classic (hosted by the Kells Anglers) April 6th, 120 anglers, size limit 16”, winner Pat Bannon, Ballyjamesduff, Cavan with a 3.55lb fish.

The LSTPA/Recreational Ireland Youth Angling Day, July 25th, this popular day was well attended by a large number of 4 – 16 year olds and included fly tying, fly casting and some fishing out on the lake.

The McDonnell Cup, August 8^th, 30 anglers, winner Stuart Marry, Dublin with a trout of over 4lbs (56.2cm).

The McIntyre/Guider Cup, September 26^th, 28 anglers, winner Jim Condron, Nobber with a 3.8lb trout.

The LSTPA Lough Sheelin River Rehabilitation Competition, October 3rd, 300 anglers, winner was Athlone angler Fergal McKiernan with a 3lb 15oz trout

The Cavan/Monaghan Garda Divisional Fly Fishing Championships & Open Competition – October 10th, 120 anglers, winner Niall Burns, Cavan with a 6.5 lb trout caught on a Green Peter.

Other smaller competitions held at the end of the season were The Silver Stream Anglers Fly competition, the Royal Cup and the Tormey Shield run by the Kells anglers.

Lough Sheelin’s Younger Anglers

The Lough Sheelin Protection Association (the LSTPA) held a number of very popular fly tying classes at the IFI offices at Kilnahard in November and December and these will continue into January 2016. These classes are open to all age groups, for further details please Thomas Lynch @ 087 9132033.

There were three great losses during the year from Lough Sheelin.

Pat McLoughlin

The untimely death of angler Pat McLoughlin was met with great sadness in mid-May. The proceeds of this year’s Sheelin Classic trout competition held on Easter Monday, April 6th was in aid of Pat who had been battling cancer since 2014.  Pat attended on the day with the intention of fishing this competition but the fact that illness prevented him was a sad and worrying omen for the future. Pat was well known in fishing circles in Ireland and abroad and passed his skills on to many.

Jackie Child

I had the privilege of meeting angler Jackie Child on a number of occasions on Lough Sheelin. I could  not of done justice to this lovely man so instead I asked his best friend and angling comrade Stevie Munn to pen a piece about his lifelong friend and fishing companion.

John (Big Jackie) Child (1949 – 2015)

By Stevie Munn

My great friend Jackie Child passed away on June the 27^th. It is with great sadness and heavy heart that I am penning this. I knew big Jackie a long time, a life time. We fished together a lot over those years on Loughs , Currane , Arrow , Corrib , Erne , Melvin and his perhaps his favourite Sheelin , which we went to yearly with the Mallusk Angling Society, a club which he was a past chairman of . We also fished on the rivers Mourne, Maine, Kells and the Sixmile water and he was also a member of that rivers club, The Antrim and District Angling Association. I also for a short time worked with Jackie who was an electrician by trade and when I needed to get work he got me some. Jackie was one of my greatest mates, we had many laughs and shared many great days fishing together as he did with many other anglers.

Lawrence Finney

With the natural progression of the seasons there is usually an excited anticipation for the coming avalanche of fish travelling the rivers to spawn but this year this has been shadowed by the death of one of the greatest fly tiers in Ireland and certainly for Lough Sheelin – the one and only Lawrence Finney. Although Lawrence had been battling cancer, which he called his gremlin, for some time, it still came as a great shock to hear that he had passed away last Thursday night, October 8^th for it seemed to me that this great man could fight and win every battle.  I had the pleasure of knowing and ‘ pestering’ Lawrence for fly patterns over the past number of years and no matter how much I must of annoyed his head, not once did he refuse a short notice ask for a photograph of a Hopper or a Green Peter or whatever for the IFI weekly Lough Sheelin angling report.  He was a gentleman to the last, funny and extremely kind to me, a great friend and unwaveringly supportive of Inland Fisheries Ireland.  The stunning news of his death on Friday morning reminded me of W.H Auden’s poem ‘Stop All the Clocks’.  The world will be much poorer place without this special man.

Requiesce in Pace.

Lough Sheelin’s local angling club – The Lough Sheelin Protection Association as part of a Midland Fisheries Funding Project carried out extensive rehabilitation and enhancement work on the Halfcarton River (Tributary of the Upper Inny). This work involved the introduction of spawning gravel, weirs, deflectors, cattle drinkers, bank protection and fencing which greatly improved this river as a spawning site for the Sheelin trout.

The results of the terrible trio – Storms Desmond, Eva and Frank

‘The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams’ E.Roosevelt

Tight Lines for 2016

Brenda Montgomery IFI