DAI and Rinn-Shannon & District Angling Club introductory fishing day
Oisin cahill off the Dublin Angling Initiative reports that the DAI was recently invited to assist The Rinn-Shannon & District Angling Club in hosting an introductory fishing day for The Mohill Summer Camp on Lough Rowan, Co. Leitrim. The boys and girls, ranging from the ages of 7 to 12 years, were introduced to the basics of boat trout fishing with many trout being caught. The Rinn-Shannon & District Angling Club hosted an event that was second to none with members donating their time to bring the youths fishing on their personal and club boats.
DAI and Rinn-Shannon & District Angling Club introductory fishing day
A great day was had by all and was finished with a lakeside barbeque run by the welcoming Club Secretary Paul Beck.
The lake is in a fantastic setting, full of fine fish and is run by a very professional club. The club hosts many youth events during the year and have a wheelchair accessible boat on the lake.
It`s well worth a visit and fishing enquiries can be made to Paul Beck at 087-6254740 Web: www.rinnshannon.com
David McEvoy from the Delphi Fisheryreports that the rain has finally ceased and they even saw some blue skies in Delphi in the last week…
The midges have also made a dramatic comeback, eager to make up for lost time and they were as vicious as ever. The fishing has also slowed down with the fine weather and the salmon seem to be getting a touch of the blues, i.e. very uncooperative in other words. Having said that we did have some truly stunning days (for the year that’s in it) in the last week and one was privileged to be out and about in such beautiful surroundings.
Another Finlough salmon
We have landed ten fish since my last update. The first of these was taken by Brian Forristal, who landed his first ever salmon. The fish was taken on a Cascade in the Deadmans and weighed in at 4lbs4.5ozs. Urs had a fish that evening from the Kings pool of 3lb 14oz on an Improved Helmore’s Hackle.
We actually did get rain Sunday night and Monday morning and there was a good flow in the Glenummera at Doolough. Matt Gardinier was getting a lesson from me and because the midges were so bad on the lawn we adjourned to Doolough where Matt landed his first ever salmon, a lovely hen fish of approx. 8lbs taken on a Delphi Collie and duly returned to hopefully further its journey up the Glenummera in December to spawn.
Ready to be released…
On Wednesday Wayne Byrne who is home on holiday from the UK managed to out fish his brother Gareth, when he landed two fish. The first was 8lb 5oz taken in the Turn pool on a Gold Headed nymph and the second of 4lb 8oz from Boat Point on Finlough on a Yellow Flame Thrower. On Thursday Urs had one of 2lb 3oz on a Daddy Long Legs from Boat Point on Fin and on Friday he had another, this time a fine fish of 10lb 1oz from the Turn pool on a Neighbour’s Cat nymph. (I hope the neighbour has a new cat at this stage!!)
Finally yesterday there were three salmon landed. Mark Corps had two from the Turn pool on nymphs, one of 8lb 5oz and one of 4lb 12oz. Finally David Dunne also had a fish of 6lb off Finlough on a Willie Gunn.
There are plenty of fish in the system now but they are a little bit difficult at the minute, but it looks like the weather will break again on Wednesday which will hopefully liven them up again and draw a few more fresh fish in.
At Delphi Lodge, with many years of experience with the timing of the best runs of fish, we have in place a price system that offers both great value fishing and lets our anglers know when they have the best chance to catch a fresh run spring salmon or a summer grilse or Delphi sea trout.
Gary Robinson congratulates Ian Burton as winner of the Irish Kayak Fishing Open 2015
The curtain has closed on the inaugural Irish Kayak Fishing Open. A first of it’s kind event in the country, a lot of work was put into creating and running this event.
Courtmacsherry in Cork was chosen for the event as it offers good fishing opportunities for a range of species within relatively sheltered confines. A multitude of species are on offer along with a wide selection of launching points.
Broadstrand the venue
A modest but eager crowd of attendees arrived at Broadstrand Beach on the morning of 15th August from approximately 09.00. The idea was to have the fishing run from 11.00 until 16.00 and the main concern was the weather conditions, especially after experiencing the worst July on record. As it happened, we arrived to a bay that looked like it had been capped with a sheet of glass – conditions were ideal.
Following registration and a brief explanation of the rules we were then treated to a talk and pyrotechnics display from a member of the local RNLI crew. Following that, the competitors were free to leave the beach to start fishing. All the while a crowd of locals had gathered to look over and marvel at the plastic boats that these intrepid anglers were going to be tackling the sea with. Many questions were asked and many answers and explanations were given about the ever-growing sport that is kayak angling.
All the while the competitors were out on the water, trying to amass a number of different species of fish, the competitor with the most species caught at the end being the winner. A few of the usual suspects, mackerel and shad, were picked up using standard methods on the way to deeper marks. Anchoring up and using a selection of baits to pick up other fish was the method of choice over deeper water. The range of species returned almost matched the range of baits used to try to tempt them!
Gary Robinson congratulates Ian Burton as winner of the Irish Kayak Fishing Open 2015
Competitors fished hard in worsening conditions. The wind picked up over the course of the morning and although conditions were far from dangerous, with the wind being offshore it did make for an uncomfortable and energy sapping paddle back to the launch point. All the time we were under the watchful eyes of the safety craft that were manned by Inland Fisheries Ireland staff.
Shane Cronin congratulates Mark Burton with second place in the Irish Kayak Fishing Open 2015
Back on the beach and the waiting crowd of locals the scores were tallied and the photographic evidence was checked. After a round up of all entries we had a clear winner with seven species caught on the day. I suspect that had we access to deeper fishing grounds just a bit further offshore that we could have added to that tally but the offshore wind deterred anybody travelling out that far, the thoughts of the paddle back into the wind enough to keep them within the bay!
The winners for the Irish Kayak Fishing Open are as follows;
1st – Ian Burton
2nd – Mark Burton
3rd – Paul Deane
Gary Robinson congratulates Paul Deane with third place in the Irish Kayak Fishing Open 2015
Well done lads on a good result as anglers and for helping to make the event become a reality. Big oaks grow from small acorns and on the back of the feedback from anglers and the public the consensus is that the event can and should be grown into something bigger and better in 2016. Watch this space.
Gary discovered the thrill, freedom and pure joy of kayak fishing almost by accident. After purchasing kayaks with the intention of paddling trips with his long-suffering partner, he started to assess the suitability of such a craft as a fishing platform. Some internet searches showed him that he was not alone in his thoughts. America and Australia already had blossoming populations of kayak anglers. Needing no more encouragement, he set about rigging his first sit on top kayak and transforming it into a fishing platform to gain access to some of the more inaccessible waters. Now into his fifth year of kayak fishing he shows no sign of slowing down.
Lindsey Clarke reports from RIVER DROWES – Monday 3rd to Sunday 9th August 2015.
Water levels on the Drowes this week were good. The week started with the gauge reading 0.57m but the river rose again over the week and by Friday the gauge read 0.71m. The river then fell slightly and by Sunday the gauge read 0.69 metres. The river fished well for grilse. On Wednesday, Brendan Ryans recorded a 5lb grilse caught on a spinner from Red Roof and Joe Broderick reported a 5lb 4oz grilse caught on a spinner from the Mill Pool. On Thursday, Paul Cardy recorded a 5lb grilse caught on a fly from the Blackwater. Harry Lloyd reported a 4lb grilse caught on a fly from the Eel Weir and Vincent Roche accounted for a 4lb grilse caught on a fly from the Mill Pool. On Sunday, John Winter reported 2 grilse weighing 3 and 6lb caught on prawn from the Money Hole and the Washstones. Tom McDonnell registered a 4lb grilse caught on a spinner from Tinkers and Chris Sinclair accounted for two grilse weighing 5 & 6lb caught on prawn from the Sandy Hole and the Washstones. With the good water levels, prospects look good for next week.
For info/bookings etc on the Drowes Fishery & Lough Melvin see the website: http://www.drowessalmonfishery.com/ or Tel: +353 (0)71 9841055 (8 am to 12 noon)
Charter skipper Donie Geary of John Boy take the whole family out on a fishing trip, to show the dubs what the rebels have to offer:
Just finished 4 days with a regular group which I inherited from Brian & Cherry Byrne, They had previously been fishing with Brian for about 15 years, and still… enjoy the comforts and hospitality of “Loughcarrig House”
The group is made up of members of the Smith family from Dublin including brothers, sons, uncles and son in laws.
A fine specimen…
Leaving from East ferry pier on Saturday the plan was to hit a small wreck south of Power head , but on the way I was informed that the wind was to increase to force 6 by lunchtime, so instead altered coarse for the (wait for it) the Smiths. Fishing wasn’t great to start with, but as the wind freshened we moved back towards Roche’s point ,and had a good last 2 hours landing Conger, ling and a few nice cod.
On Sunday we hit the wreck and had a few hours of comfortable fishing landing half a dozen good ling and about a dozen conger before everything went quiet as the tide slackened. we finished up doing a few drifts at Power head where we had a few tidy Cod and Pollack.
On Monday with the forecast for strong s/w. wind we opted to fish the turbot bank, after spending a full hour catching a dozen fresh mackerel and some Launce, we set up for a relaxing days fishing.
4 of the boys set up a single hook flowing trace while Paul (the old man of the sea) decoded to fish small with a 3 hook light trace for dabs. After about an hour of drinking soup and telling jokes Paul’s light rod bent double, after a mighty struggle against a good flood tide he managed to land a tidy plaice a Blonde ray (7lb.) and a dab all on a trace of about 15lb. We finished the day with 4 Rays Biggest 12lb. a fine conger and a share of dabs and whiting.
Paul with his 12lb. fish.
On Tuesday with empty cooler boxes we set out to rectify the situation and I headed to the sand about 6 miles S/W of Roche’s
point, With a lovely drift were landing some a few nice cod and Pollack and small ling but no whiting.
About lunchtime we decided to go to the whiting mark south of the Smith’s and immediately the whiting were on the feed 3 at the time.
We had a constant flow of very good whiting some fine cod and a few good ling and Pollack to send the Freezer boxes back to Dublin full to the brim.
Overall a very enjoyable 4 days, despite the weather with a happy go lucky group of (bleeden) Anglers. and we are already looking forward to 2016.
Go fishing…
Donal Geary
John Boy Charter Boat
Base: Cobh Operational area: 30 miles out of Cork Harbour
Not one but two monsters. This one was 69cms for James Crowley
Bass fishing addict and guide James McSweeney of Lure Fishing Ireland fishes Cork harbour and surrounding waters which is a mecca for the ultimate bass fishing experience. James reports:
I am delighted to put up these photos of James Crowley and John from this weekend. John had his first ever sea bass. And James had not one but two absolute monsters one at 69 and another at just over 75cms. The 75er should have been Johns but he missed him first go and then it absolutely smashed James’s plug off the top.
What a fish off the top..Double hook up
For a while this fish gave a normal enough fight until it caught sight of the boat and stripped the line as if there was no drag on. It tore around the boat on three or four cracking runs and had the three of us doing laps of the deck. In the last photo James is holding 2 fingers up for two monsters off the top.
Well done James.
75cms for James…Not one but two monsters. This one was 69cms for James Crowley
James is a guide lucky enough to have Cork harbour as his home. Cork harbour is a spectacular place. It is the second largest natural harbour in the world. Fishing in and around the surrounding areas can be very exciting. He can fish everywhere be it fresh or saltwater fishing, from shallow marks to deeper waters, James assures you of the best possible service to all guests. His favourite techniques are plugs and he has a huge variety of surface, shallow, and deep diving lures. Soft plastics are great in the deeper waters. There are also some great areas for fly fishing.
Lindsey Clarke reports from Owenea Fishery – Monday 3rd to Sunday 9th August 2015.
There was plenty of rain this week and the first half of the week brought big floods. On Monday the gauge read 0.44m. Tuesday gave a very big flood with the gauge reading 0.60 metres. Wednesday read 0.40m and Thursday 0.36 metres. Thereafter the river fell and read only 0.16m on Saturday and Sunday. The gauge average for the week was impressive reading 0.33 metres! The river was fairly busy with 61 visiting rods fishing for the week. The river fished well and there were decent numbers of salmon caught.
On Monday, Alan Watts recorded a 3lb grilse caught and released on a fly from beat 5. Otmar Butz reported a 3lb grilse and 2 sea trout of 1lb each caught and released on a fly from beat 8 and John Northridge accounted for a 6½lb grilse caught on a fly from beat 8. On Wednesday, Billy Blair had a good day recording 4 grilse caught on a fly from beat 8. The fish weighed 3, 5, 5 & 7½lb with the smaller of these released. On Thursday, Peter Lynch registered 3 sea trout caught and released and Alan Watson accounted for a 3½lb grilse caught and released on a fly from beat 8. On Friday, Billy Blair recorded a 10lb 2oz salmon caught on a fly from beat 8. Donal McMenamin reported a 5lb grilse caught on a fly from beat 6 and Chris Gallagher accounted for a 6lb grilse caught on a spinner from beat 8.
Sioux skipper Siegy Graber was delighted when guest Thorsten from Wolfsburg, Germany, caught a fantastic specimen ling on Wednesday, 121 cm, 26 lbs! Another guest, Uwe Latzel enjoyed the fishing day far out in the deep water with a ling double on one trace!
Other catches include cuckoo wrasse and a bluemouth…
Thorsten with his specimen LingUwe with a doubleBluemouth (Helicolenus dactylopterus) for Bernd SauerAndre Pavulis with a nice male cuckoo Wrasse
Go fishing…
Sioux
The charter boat “Sioux” is an Offshore 105 equipped with a 300 hp Ford Sabre Turbo Diesel engine. The season for most species is from April to the end of September; cod, pollock, ling, coalfish, whiting, haddock, mackerel, garfish, pouting, plaice, ballan wrasse, cuckoo wrasse, grey and red gurnard, seabass, mullet, skate, ray-thornback, conger eel, dogfish, bullhuss and blueshark (July – September)
Skipper Kit Dunne lands the tope on the Wickow coast.
Dutch anglers caught 21 Tope in a recent day on the Castle Maiden. This was completed with 6 Bullhuss and any amount of Hounds and a 42lb Specimen Tope for Henk.
Henk with Specimen Tope.Dutch anglers
The Cabra Angling group also enjoyed the fishing with Kit. They targetted the smaller fish and bagged a few Codling, Pollock, Ballan Wrasse and fresh mackerel.
Cabra anglers with Ballan and codling
John Morgan, Kingfishers Club, for a fine Blonde Ray
Kit also had a group from the Belfast Kingfishers Club who came to Wicklow for Tope, Hounds, Huss and Ray, needless to say they went home happy clocking up their species tally and one new Club record for Thornback Ray. Another club record for John Morgan, Kingfishers Club, for a fine Blonde Ray
Angling Charters are offered on a full-day, half-day and evening trip basis and can be tailored to suit your needs. Two boats available – Lisin andCastle Maiden. All levels of anglers are catered for. Anglers will benefit from your skipper’s angling experience and local knowledge with adviceand guidance on-hand at all times.
SPECIALIST ANGLING CHARTERS
Specialist Angling Charters are offered for those who wish to target specific species, specimen fish or try new methods of angling.
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.
What have the World Cup Trout Fly Fishing Championship and Croagh Patrick got in common, apart from being in Co Mayo? Answer: both had their main annual event cancelled this year due to adverse weather conditions.
In the case of Reek Sunday, it was the first time in living memory the pilgrimage to the top of the sacred mountain was cancelled. Despite the warning, several hundred people attempted the climb which resulted in numerous casualties.
World cup finals day on Lough Mask also fell foul of the weather. However, the finalists who qualified from the previous four days’ heats heeded the cancellation call and stayed away from the lake….
Courtmacsherry in Cork was chosen for the event as it offers good fishing opportunities for a range of species within relatively sheltered confines. A multitude of species are on offer along with a wide selection of launching points.
All the while the competitors were out on the water, trying to amass a number of different species of fish, the competitor with the most species caught at the end being the winner. A few of the usual suspects, mackerel and shad, were picked up using standard methods on the way to deeper marks. Anchoring up and using a selection of baits to pick up other fish was the method of choice over deeper water. The range of species returned almost matched the range of baits used to try to tempt them!
