Galway angler Cathal Hughes is one of Ireland’s top competition coarse anglers, with many competition wins to his name. He teamed up recently with friend and fellow top match angler Philip Jackson for a pleasure session on Lough Corrib, and produced a video of their planning, baiting and fishing session for the Daiwa UK social media channels.
Cathal has been talking about the big bream in the lake for years, but at 44,000 acres, it was a daunting task to track them down. Check out the video below to see how he finally did it.
Paul Waghorne was back in Ireland for his annual fishing holiday.
I’ve just completed almost three weeks in Ireland again. Only saw two tourist anglers in the whole time I was there.
Fishing was very poor over Easter and the following week due to rivers flooding and cold lakes. I was with another English angler who I produce YouTube videos with. The first has been published, filmed on a typical Irish April day with showers and sunshine. We had loads of Tench (14) between us in just under 3 hours. Other sessions were less productive.
1lb 8oz Roach from the River Robe near Lough Mask.
Total number of Tench for myself was 55, none over 5lbs, in fact the best was 4lb 10oz although Steven Keogh from Navan had one at 4lb 12oz.
On our first trip to Mask we had upwards of 40 Bream to 6lb 6oz.
Closer to home I spotted what I thought were a small shoal of Chub on a stream. Although we didn’t fish that time, on our return a week later (Sun May 4th), Steven caught a 2lb 4oz Chub which surprised both of us.
Chub
The chub is widespread across Europe, but it is not native to Ireland. In fact, they are a very recent introduction to Ireland’s fish fauna. In 2005, fisheries staff confirmed anglers’ reports of chub caught in the River Inny. An eradication campaign in the Inny captured 30 chub, but after no sightings for several years, their presence was confirmed once again in 2020.
Chub River Inny June 2020
Chub have a sturdy body, with brassy coloured sides, dark fins, a blunt head and a large mouth. Their scales are distinctively large and dark-edged, and they also can be distinguished by the dorsal fin on their backs and anal fin on their bellies, which both have a rounded, convex edge. Adult chub are a shoaling fish and are voracious predators that will eat almost any prey they can get their mouth around. For this reason, introduced chub threaten native species either by eating them, especially smaller juvenile fish, or by competing with them for food. They prefer to inhabit large lowland rivers with a moderate flow of water but are sometimes found in tributaries or deeper pools in rivers.
Inland Fisheries Ireland is closely monitoring the occurrence of chub as an invasive species in Ireland’s rivers. Anglers are asked to report any catches of chub to Inland Fisheries Ireland’s 24-hour hotline number 0818 34 74 24without delay.
Angling guide Dan O’Neill reports on some recent guiding and the Irish Spring Angling Fair at Ardaire Springs:
Ardaire Springs Report
A busy couple of days but they had many rewards. The morning started out by saying hello to all my friends and members of the Cadence pro team, as well as some of my fellow APGAI members. It’s great to see all the people I interact with on social media / texts and emails and be able to have a face-to-face conversation. Looking around at the various stands, it was clear to see how much work went into it and how well organised it all was. There was the kids casting pool and kids fly tying, which was run by APGAI, try before you buy, one-on-one tuition, as well as lots of free information and tips flying about.
I got a great response from the kids who are watching and learning from my TikTok series of beginner videos. We did some casting and had a good chat about fishing. It’s great to meet them and their parents / guardians to put a face to the videos. There was for sure more kids at the fair this year and each one of them showed and looked enthusiastic and keen to learn which is a great sign for the future.
I went inside to watch some of the fly tiers and their artwork. Super tiers and what a science it is, different colours, materials and why they use them is all beneficial to know and interesting. At some point, I will begin my fly-tying journey and be sure to revisit these wonderful tiers.
The lure fishing area was quite busy, Senan Stanley and Marcin Kantor did a great job showing and helping many enthusiasts. A fantastic, well-organised fair. See you all next year.
River Nore Guiding Report
What a week it has been for guiding. I got to fish with some fantastic people, some had fished before, while others were just learning. The hatches on the Nore have become more consistent and are quite strong. We have seen lots of olives, midges, and the odd mayfly. Dry fly action has been great early in the morning, at lunchtime, and in the evening. The lunchtime hatch has been the busiest in recent days. Water levels have dropped quite a bit, and the river is clearly showing all runs and glides now. The fish are sitting high in the runs and feeding quite well. Had some fish of about 30cm, which gave a great fight on the 9ft 4wt. I did have to come down quite a bit with tippet size and leader length as the wonderful sunshine made things a little difficult. I used Fuller’s mud on my leader to eliminate flash, and it did seem to make a difference; my wading was key to not disturbing fish. I caught quite a few before I set foot in the river. I was careful on my approach, which really paid off.
My TikTok channel has many videos for beginners and people who just want to be pointed in the right direction for equipment. It can be confusing for beginners, so the aim is to help.
My past couple of days have been quite busy with guiding, had plenty of trout on the dry fly, which is super sport. Some more interesting guests and a tip from an Orvis pro guide. Make sure to take a look next week for some hints and tips to trick those wily Browns.
Dan has been guiding on the River Nore from the age of 14. He holds a wealth of knowledge in many different techniques. Dan provides guiding for Trout, Salmon and coarse fish.
All levels from beginner to experienced are welcome.
Available for guided trout and salmon fishing in the South East
Fly Casting Instruction
Dan is a APGAI Ireland qualified single handed fly casting instructor. All levels from beginner to experienced are welcome.
Dan also holds regular fly fishing classes on the River Nore for groups and individuals.
The bass were on the feed again as the tides were building last week for Cormac Walsh of The Lure Fishing Podcast.
The Savage Gear Seeker proved to be very effective for Cormac, with the white 16g one doing most of the damage. Cormac prefers to change out the standard treble hook for a bigger one, and a straight, steady retrieve did the business, with most of the fish caught in close – within 20 metres.
He also had a bonus Garfish take the seeker – the biggest one he has caught before! A great specimen at an estimated 2.5lb.
A group of sea anglers raised €926 through holding a Darkness into Light fishing session on a beach in West Cork. The event was organised by Jason Convery, and he hoped to raise €500, but he almost doubled that amount. Fishing wasn’t exceptional, made difficult by the flat calm conditions, but on a night like that, it’s not about the fishing. Well done to all involved 👏 👏 👏
The Tolka Trout Anglers are running some fishing lessons on the north Dublin river. See the post below from their Facebook page:
Hi folks, the season for fishing and getting outdoors is now. There is more fun to be had exploring the wild outdoors. Some people think fishing is boring until they experience it. Well, our team at Tolka Trout Anglers will be happy for you to come and join us for free Anglers tuition and water awareness lessons every Wednesday from 7pm -9pm. Join us at Tolka Valley park pond at the corporation depot near Broombridge. If you are interested, come join us or contact the club for details for lessons and joining the club. Please read club rules, as it is a licensed river. And please, any children attending under 16 must be accompanied by an adult. We will have experienced fishermen and women to teach everyone how to fish, no matter your age.We have spare equipment if needed for attendees who won’t have it. You won’t know until you go… Give it a go!
Kit Dunne of Wicklow Boat Charters reports that the tope have returned to Wicklow oin good numbers. He had a few different groups out over the past week and managed to boat plenty of tope. And the tope must have been hungry, even taking frozen mackerel baits!
East coast waters are home to some of the best fishing in Ireland, with Wicklow boasting record catches of Tope, Bull-Huss, Ray and Spurdog in recent years. Catch Gurnard, Pollock and Codling on the inshore rough patches or on the offshore banks. Target your Specimen Tope, Spurdog, and Bull-Huss with Kit your local experienced skipper and accomplished Irish International Angler.
Angling Charters are offered on a full-day, half-day and evening trip basis and can be tailored to suit your needs. Two boats are available – Manannan Mac Lir and Castle Maiden. All levels of anglers are catered for. Anglers will benefit from your skipper’s angling experience and local knowledge with advice and guidance on-hand at all times.
Rod and tackle hire available, coaching and Bait supply on request.
SPECIALIST ANGLING CHARTERS
Specialist Angling Charters are offered for those who wish to target specific species, specimen fish or try new angling methods.
ANGLING COACHING
Whether you’re a Club, Individual, School or Junior, you can have an angling coaching session or programme tailored to suit your needs.
Castle Maiden
Offshore 105, 370 Hp Iveco
Skipper: Kit Dunne Licence: P5 Base: Wicklow Harbour Operational area: Wicklow, Arklow, Bray, Dun Laoghaire, and Courtown – 30 miles from ports of departure.
Manannan Mac Lir
Swiftcat 11.4m, 2 x 420hp Iveco
The new vessel, called “Manannan” for short, is an 11.4m, (37.5’), x 4.4m, Swiftcat, a state-of-the-art Charter Boat with great speed, safety, stability & comfort. She has a very spacious flush deck with walk around wheelhouse giving ample flush deck space all-round. With today’s high level of design options, she is well fitted out with all mod cons. She is a twin-engine shaft driven Catamaran, fitted with 2 x 420hp Iveco FPT NEF67 engines, she cruises at 18-20 Knots, with a top speed of 28 knots.
The NCFFI have announced that tickets are now on sale for the All-Ireland Method Feeder Championships:
𝗡𝗢𝗪 𝗢𝗡 𝗦𝗔𝗟𝗘 𝗧𝗶𝗰𝗸𝗲𝘁𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗠𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗼𝗱 𝗙𝗲𝗲𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝗤𝘂𝗮𝗹𝗶𝗳𝗶𝗲𝗿𝘀!
This popular event perfect for the positive angler is dedicated to the deadly Method Feeder tactic, which has helped anglers of all ages and abilities achieve large match weights on commercial stillwaters.
Join us for one of two qualifiers leading up to the 𝗔𝗹𝗹-𝗜𝗿𝗲𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗠𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗼𝗱 𝗙𝗲𝗲𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗺𝗽𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽𝘀, taking place at Oaklands Lake on 14th September 2025.
📍 𝗤𝘂𝗮𝗹𝗶𝗳𝗶𝗲𝗿 𝗗𝗮𝘁𝗲𝘀 & 𝗩𝗲𝗻𝘂𝗲𝘀:
1st Qualifier: Gaulmoylestown Lake – Saturday, 24th May 2025 (Max 20 anglers)
Book: www.ncffi.ie/mfq1
2nd Qualifier: Oaklands Lake – Saturday, 28th June 2025 (Max 30 anglers)
Book: www.ncffi.ie/mfq2
🏆 Qualification:
Top 12 from Gaulmoylestown (of 20)
Top 18 from Oaklands (of 30)
𝗧𝗼𝗽 𝟯𝟬 𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗹𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗴𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗔𝗹𝗹-𝗜𝗿𝗲𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗙𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗮𝘁 𝗢𝗮𝗸𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗱𝘀 𝗼𝗻 𝟭𝟰𝘁𝗵 𝗦𝗲𝗽𝘁𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿.
🥇 Final & Prizes:
€1,000 prize fund (based on full entry of 50 anglers).
Top three in the final will be awarded cash prizes and medals.
In the event of a tie, the organiser reserves the right to increase the number of finalists.
Online booking only. €5 admin fee for members / €10 for non-members (paid in advance). €20 towards the prize fund – collected on the day before fishing. Optional pools: €20 (on the day). €10 fishery permit, paid directly to the fishery owner on the day.
Gaulmoylestown AC Carp Match Ireland Oaklands lake
The fishing conditions on Saturday were extremely challenging for everyone who took part on the day. The main issue was that the fish were spawning, compounded by warm weather, bright sunshine, and a huge amount of surface, drifting weed throughout the section. Despite these obstacles, someone had to come out on top—and that someone was Bob Hulme. Bob managed a winning weight of 5lb 8oz, made up of one tench and a mix of small hybrids and roach.
The battle for second place was a close one. Dave Cullen weighed in with two tench, and it initially looked like he had edged past Stefan Dorneanu, but he narrowly missed out by just 2oz. Meanwhile, Dan Dorneanu—Stefan’s father—will surely be rueing the tench he lost, as it might have been enough to claim second place. In the end, Dan had to settle for fourth.
Well done to everyone who took part in what turned out to be a very tough match.
Castle Maiden
Manannan Mac Lir
