Beautiful shoreline
Fishing around Blemullet

Wind, rain, cold temperatures and in between times the sun shined. When (and where) it did, it was glorious, but over all things are still behind despite nature doing its best to keep on track. The wind was probably the biggest problem for anglers in the last week with many lakes becoming unfishable and charter boat reports drying up. As always though, for those who could get out when the weather suited there was good fishing to be had, and we have some great reports from around the country this week…

Salmon anglers had to choose carefully in the last week as floods hit many rivers and the wind made lake fishing impossible in some cases. The winds were so bitter on the Moy that few anglers ventured out so despite perfect water levels just 35 salmon were reported.  The Drowes was a bit low, if anything, and though there were not many anglers on the water decent numbers of fish were caught. The river should fish well this weekend following the heavy rain earlier this week. Loughs Beltra and Carrowmore saw some fine springers caught, 15 fish from Carrowmore alone. The Galway Weir finally had its first fish of the year – a 4.72 kg salmon caught on Flying C by Fergal Cormican. Moving south there was good fishing on the Feale and after the big flood there this week there is great water for all types of fishing. Lough Currane went from becalmed to wild and so passed another uneventful week at the lake. There were a few salmon caught, but many days were lost to poor weather. In county Cork there was just one salmon reported from the Bandon last week and 5 from the River Lee.

Spring salmon
Mark Loughnane on the Felae

Trout fishing seems to have been hardest hit by the weather and we have just one report in – from Lough Mask. Water levels there are finally returning to normal and anglers are getting good numbers of small fish as Duck Fly hatch in bays here and there.

River Inny
Ben Moloney with his PB – a 22lb Pike and Catch of the Week

There was a lot more action from pike anglers this week. Ben Moloney and Ian O’Keefe were on the River Inny last week and they had good fish to 22lb.  Meanwhile on Lough Ree, Belgian anglers had pike to 103cm ahead of the International Pike Festival being fished this week. Bluebell Community Angling Club fished their last match of their Winter League and had good canal pike to 14lb. There was good enough fishing in Monaghan over the weekend. The big fish were not feeding well, but there were plenty of jacks and the odd good double, and it looks like fishing at Cavan venues was much the same.

Well done to Team Ireland for winning the International Feeder Friendly Challenge for the 3rd year in a row. The event was fished at venues in Cavan and bags to almost 9kg were weighed in. There was also some good club fishing in Cavan with weights to 7.46kg recorded by CM Lakelands. At the other end of the country, Gareth Anderson had over 100lbs of carp at Oaklands to win the Open there. Great fishing given the blustery conditions.

There were no charter reports in this week, but we had plenty to report on the shore angling scene. Matches fished around the coast at the weekend saw good fishing in the south east at Ballyhack, some decent catches at Woodstown in the south and great flounders at the Cashen in the south west. Fishing at Lettergesh in Galway was not so good due to weed and not many fish were caught. A little further north along the Erris coastline the Killybegs Anglers had some excellent fishing and what looks like the best of the weather on offer. The club travels to this part of Ireland once or twice a year and the venues never let them down.

And now the weather..

Met Eireann tell us it will be very mild for the next couple of days. Before that though, it will be quite cold Friday night, with grass frost under clear and calm conditions. Lowest temperatures 2 to 5C. And then we get the heatwave – Saturday will see temperatures reach 15 to 18 or 19C, in light breezes. It will be cooler along the east coast where temperatures with temperatures about 9 or 10C. Some showery bursts of rain gradually moving up from the southeast, more widespread into the afternoon and evening. Further showery spells of rain overnight with lowest temperatures of 6 to 9C.  On Sunday temperatures will be lower with sunny spells and scattered, blustery showers. Highest temperatures of 10 to 13C, this time the better values further east.  The outlook for the early days of next week is for cool, fresh westerly breezes with sunny spells and scattered passing showers, some of which will turn heavier into Tuesday. Heatwave, shmeatwave – if you’re going fishing bring layers and raingear!

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

Myles Kelly
Catch, Photo, Release

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