The River Bandon saw another few salmon caught last week. Conditions on the river were described as good for the week and 5 salmon were reported caught on spinner and shrimp. The best of these was a 10lb fish.
This post was compiled from angling reports shared on the Lough Arrow Anglers Facebook page:
Mayfly fishing is now well underway on Lough Arrow, with strong hatches reported across the lake throughout the week. While cold northerly winds made conditions challenging at times, anglers still enjoyed some productive fishing.
Fishing out of Dodd’s Boats, Gerry Coyle landed three trout, Michael Martin also had three, while Padraig Kelly caught two and Paddy McGarvey one. From John Hargadon’s boats, Neil Burns from Cavan caught a fine 2lb trout on a Sooty Olive. John Hargadon and his son-in-law Brian Drury also enjoyed success, landing trout up to 2lbs on wet mayfly patterns. They reported excellent mayfly hatches around Lyttle’s, although few fish were rising consistently.
In Ballindoon, Jimmy Frazer and his daughter Sarah Maxwell enjoyed steady sport while dapping, catching fish each day. Meanwhile, caravan park visitors Ken Murray and Graham Brown also experienced good fishing during the week, with Graham landing what was likely the trout of the week — a fish estimated between 5lb and 6lb.
Evening spent-fly fishing has been limited so far due to the persistent cold winds, with many flies remaining in the shoreline trees rather than making it onto the water. However, anglers are hopeful that improving conditions over the coming week will lead to better spent fishing.
Attention now turns to the club’s annual Mayfly Competition, which takes place next Sunday, 17th May.
A full report and more photos can be viewed on the Lough Arrow Anglers Facebook Page.
Trout fly fishing on Lough Arrow
Ryan Cummins, PRO with Lake O’Flynn & District Anglers Association reports on their latest competition…
We had a great turn out of anglers and we would like to thank all who travelled to attend the competition.
Despite the grim chill of a north wind that swept down the water at daybreak, which looked as if we were in for a quiet and unproductive morning, the fish proved surprisingly cooperative as the hours unfolded, with a few boats getting action from the outset.
As of lunch time there was mixed reviews with some happy faces and some not so but most had smiles all around come the end of the competition with many anglers for filling their quota and most boats wetting their nets by the end of the day.
1st Gerry Madden (2lbs 8oz)
2nd Micheal McDermott (2lbs 4oz)
3rd Ronan Baggot (1lb 8oz)
A massive thanks to Mark Malone and the Malone family for sponsoring this this competition as they have for so many years.
Vincent Appleby tells us that after a quite start to the month of May when it seemed the salmon were taking a long bank holiday of their own that a salmon was eventually caught on the 6th of the month. The lucky angler did very well for himself considering that “conditions were pure kat. The sun was blazing down on the lake like it had a personal grudge, and the variable light‑to‑gentle NE wind wasn’t exactly inspiring the fish to rise and shine.”
After that it was quiet again and the sun was the main thing to be reported on…
10/5/2026. Straight to the action, and the action was mostly in the sunscreen department. Just three Currane boats were out today, each one manipulating their skills from the North Shore to the Point of the Grassy, drifting on to the Gray Rock, sliding past the mouth of the Commeragh, and trolling by Holly Island with the bow pointed at the ledge before swinging gently toward the Bull Rock and finally slipping into the Sound. From there it was a straight run for the Major — but sadly, the only thing major was the suntan. By all accounts, the Currane anglers caught nothing but rays and a touch of humility.
Now for today’s Currane anglers weather chart: wind fresh and variable from the NE, accompanied by blazing sunshine that left no mercy for man nor salmon. Yesterday’s weather: rainfall none, maximum air temperature 13.6°C, and 7 hours and 1 minute of pure, unfiltered sunshine.
And I will finish on a fitting note: One Currane angler said he saw a salmon today — but only because the heat had him hallucinating.
In recent days the winds have come up and the lake has been wild at times. Needless to say, we’ve not heard word of another salmon yet. as Vincent put it,
“Just for the record, there were still no reports of any C&R Wild Atlantic Salmon—clearly the fish were taking a day off while the anglers were earning their sea legs.”
For more information on the daily conditions on Lough Currane, all the craic and news be sure to check out Vincent Appleby’s Salmon and Sea Trout blog for regular reports with back dates, petitions, public consultation notices, readers letters and videos and more of what’s happening in Waterville and beyond
Inland Fisheries Ireland wishes to remind anglers that the Conservation of Sea Trout (No.7 or Kerry District) Waterville Area Bye-Law No. 971 of 2019 remains in effect. This Bye-law prohibits the retention and possession of any sea trout (Salmo trutta L.) taken by any fishing engine or by rod and line in the Waterville area i.e. that part of the sea eastward of a line drawn from the most westerly point of Bolus Head to the most westerly point of Lamb’s Head and to all the waters discharging in to it.
The Bye-Law mainly affects seatrout fishing on :-
This post was compiled from angling reports shared on the Ballybrack SAC Facebook page:
Ballybrack SAC fished the third leg of their Master Angler competition on Wicklow North Beach on Sunday, 12th April. A total of 21 senior anglers and three juniors attended, although expectations were low on arrival due to the small tides, excellent weather and the challenge of Wicklow beach fishing in April.
As expected, fishing was tough throughout the day. However, these slower sessions are all part of sea angling and remind anglers of the patience and perseverance required on difficult venues. Wicklow can fish very well, just not ideally in April on small tides — a lesson learned for the organisers. Despite the conditions, some anglers managed to overcome the crabs, test different rigs and land quality fish.
In Zone A, Peadar Taite made the most of an end peg and showed his experience by landing an early plaice along with two more scoring fish to secure the overall win. Sean Hickey finished second with a fine flounder, also winning the flatfish pool, while Martins Matisovs took third place.
Zone B proved even slower, but Ramunas Butkus landed an excellent 54cm bass to win the zone and the round fish pool. In the juniors, Jesse Murphy narrowly beat Sean Keane after both landed sizeable fish. Despite the slow fishing, it was still an enjoyable outing for the Brackers.
A full report and more photos can be viewed on the Ballybrack SAC Facebook Page.
Sea Angling on the East Coast
The New Ross & District SAC are hosting their annual three-day open competition on Hook Head at the end of the month. Full details are in the graphic below:
Thirty-two members of the Irish Federation of Pike Angling Clubs fished the first qualifier of the year on a river venue last weekend. They hadn’t fished that spot in a number of years, so who knew what was in store… but the venue fished well on the day, and 169 pike were caught and released.
Results were as follows:
Minister of State at the Department of Climate, Energy and the Environment, Timmy Dooley has signed a national bye-law to support the long-term sustainability of pollack stocks in waters around Ireland.
The Pollack Fishing Conservation Bye-Law (No. 1028 of 2026) gives national effect to EU measures relating to recreational pollack fishing, as set out in EU Regulation 2026/249 on Fishing Opportunities.
These measures are being introduced in response to scientific advice from the International Council for Exploration of the Sea (ICES), which indicates that pollack stocks in the Celtic Seas areas, including waters around Ireland, are at low levels and that catches should be restricted in order to support stock recovery.
This bye-law introduces a daily bag-limit of three pollack per angler. Once this limit is reached, anglers may continue to fish on a catch and release basis. Daily bag limits and catch and release are a commonly used fisheries conservation measures, both nationally and internationally, to reduce fishing pressure while continuing to allow recreational angling activity. The bye-law will come into effect from 1 June 2026.
Pollack is an important species for recreational angling in Ireland and is a key target species for many sea anglers and charter boat operators. This sector has demonstrated a strong commitment to conservation and, for many years, have voluntarily practised catch and release angling and supported data collection under the Irish Marine Recreational Fishing Survey (IMREC), managed by Inland Fisheries Ireland, which is helping to improve our scientific understanding of recreational fishing activity.
Signing the bye-law Minister Dooley said:
“The scientific advice shows that pollack stocks are under pressure and that action is required to support recovery and ensure the long-term sustainability of the stock.
“Pollack is an important species for recreational sea angling in Ireland and supports valuable tourism and charter boat activities in many coastal communities. I recognise the concerns that have been raised by the sector and I recently met with representatives to hear directly their views on this matter.
“These measures build on the strong conservation ethic already demonstrated by anglers through voluntary catch and release and participation in scientific data collection.”
A 24-hour species hunt was held last weekend, with all proceeds going to Pieta House. Despite some very adverse weather conditions, the participants managed to land 36 different species over the course of the competition, including: Shad, Conger, Smoothhound, Turbot, Sea Scorpion, Undulate Ray, Couch’s Goby, Leopard Spotted Goby, Connemara Clingfish, Goldsinny Wrasse, Tompot Blenny, Ballan Wrasse, Pollock, Dab, Whiting, Bass, Flounder, Perch, Roach, Rudd, Brown Trout, Rainbow Trout, Common Carp, Mirror Carp and many more.
If you are interested in seeing what it takes to participate in a competition like this, you can read a blow-by-blow commentary on well-known specimen angler Craig Murphy’s Facebook page.
The results were as follows:
South Shore SAC will be hosting the Mick Kearney Open Competition on Morriscastle Beach on Saturday, 23rd May from 12.00 – 17.00. All info on the event is in the graphic below:
Boat Hire
Salmon and Sea-Trout fishing Guide
