Jim Clohessy of TopFisher.eu found the fish on Saturday but getting them to bite was another story…
#abaddayfishingbeatsagooddayworking
A run on May 3rd…. What a strange day it ended up to be. We were making the most of some pretty poor conditions… brisk northerlies after a period of easterlies.
The main target was bass. We’ve had some bass hanging around the harbour in recent times and they have returned after the winter offshore. They can be tricky to locate. We managed to locate them but regardless of what lure we tried they wouldn’t take. They followed in their masses but wouldn’t take.
Bass- By Garmin
We were kept occupied with the occasional pollack and wrasse as we drifted. It was rather frustrating. I suppose there was no competition between half-interested fish. We’ll be back at them when they are feeding properly.
Chunky wrasse are a good craic… but not the target
You’d have to wonder if there is a bit of a change in bass habits here. Other than late season, we’ve never had a great deal of shoal bass activity in recent years other than schoolies. These bass have been around for a few of years at this stage.
The northerlies were chilly but it was lovely sunny day. Caps and shades all round. May can always throw a fishing curve ball.
Read more…
Check out Jim’s website, an absolute treasure trove for anyone looking to improve their sea angling game…
A short report here from Paul Bourke of Irish Fishing Tours. Sometimes there just isn’t much need for too many words. Long story short – on Monday Paul and his guests hit a sweet spot on Lough Derg. He ended up having 20 pike to the boat in a hectic afternoon.
As he put it, “Serious hard hits from these fish!”
Irish Fishing Tours provides customised fishing holidays based in the picturesque harbour village of Garrykennedy on the shores of Lough Derg. Our comprehensive fishing trips include a guiding service, tackle hire and food and accommodation.
Choose from my list of existing fishing holidays or contact me to tailor one to your specific requirements. Airport transfers can be arranged on request.
Irish Fishing Tours is owned by Paul Bourke. Paul has lived and fished here all his life. As a guide, he will show you the best fishing locations, advise you on baits and methods and then allow you the freedom to explore the lake yourself. He fully understands the needs and interests of the experienced enthusiast.
Des Bridgette reports on the first round of the Athy & District Anglers Summer League which was fished on Sunday…
We held the first match of our summer league in Oakland yesterday. This league is being held over 6 matches. Big thank you to Oaklands for facilitating us it was a very enjoyable match for us all the Results and weights are as follows
1st Barry 53 lbs 8ozs
2nd Chris 34lb 15ozs
3rd Ryan 30lb 1ozs
4th Des 27lb 13 ozs
5th Mick 27lb 1 ozs
6th Pat 23lb 15ozs
7th Noel 20lb 11ozs
8th Chick 19 lbs. 1ozs
9th Mike 8lb 15 ozs
10th Paula 6lb 11 ozs
Well done Barry and a big thank you to every one for turning up.
If you’d like to fish the Marina Club Grounds or get involved with the club and fish matches like these, then click the links below!
Athy & District Anglers Club was formed in 1959 and to this day they continue to pursue their goals of protecting, maintaining and encouraging the sport of angling in the greater Athy area. The club works with local authorities to improve and maintain local fishing areas as well as organizing events and matches for local and national anglers. Athy & District Anglers Club welcomes all new members and all age groups to the sport! If you’d like to get involved, please check out the Getting Involved section of their website.
A very popular carp fishery. Popular with competition anglers and novices alike. Alway a great chance of a bumper bag here. Friendly staff more than happy to advise beginner anglers. Caters to all sorts of clubs and groups.
Sensas Ireland held 3 matches over the long weekend. They fished an Open on Friday, a 2 day pairs event on Saturday and Sunday and another Open on Monday.
Friday’s competition was won by Phil Wood who beat a field of 31 anglers with a catch of 14.560kg.
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Phil Wood
The Pairs event kicked off on Saturday. The 40 anglers taking part fished from 12:00 to 17:00 on either the Garden Centre & Jellets (Section A) or the Graveyard and Fountain House (Section B). the best weights came from Section B where the higher number pegs fished really well.
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Rob Hewison
Rob Hewison
Day 2 saw some incredible fishing with a huge weight returned by Cathal Hughes. Here’s his report on the event…
That’s a wrap on the Sensas Pairs for another year.
With water levels higher than I’ve ever seen on Inniscarra, pegging for the organisers was a nightmare, but credit where it’s due, they found enough here and there for the match to go ahead.
Day 1.
I was off to peg 22 on the five peg Jellets section, while my partner Shane Dunne headed for peg 39 on Fountain House. With both of us having fished our respective sections on the open, we’d a fair idea of what to expect.
Long story short, I plugged away all day catching hybrids and roach on long pole, in what I can only describe as the most uneven swim I’ve ever fished, full of massive boulders I think . Anyway my 15kgs put me 2nd, behind Sensas Ireland stalwart Gavin Walsh who weighed 18kgs beside me. Shane also finished 2nd on Fountain House with 20kgs, which put us on 4 points and in second place after round 1.
Day 2.
My first job was to avoid the long walk on the out of sorts Graveyard section and draw the more favourable Fountain House section, the sigh of relief was very audible when I pulled 38 from the bag , next to where Shane fished the previous day.
Shane wasn’t so luckily drawing 18 on Jellets, which in my opinion is the second worse peg there, with only 19 being worse. After a quick chat we headed on our way, with me really feeling concerned if we’d be able get into the overall off Shanes draw.
I needn’t have worried, the man fished an absolute blinder on pole and slider to take the section apart with over 13kgs. In all honesty, I believe that was the best result of the weekend, unreal performance.
My match was less complicated, balled in, caught a load and weighed 34kgs , for that all important 1 point.
So adding to our day 1 tally we finished on 6 points which crowned us 2025 champions, happy days.
Team mates Conor Browne and Enda Hickey finished 2nd on 8 points, well done lads, while Vincent Walsh and Rob Hewison completed the top 3.
Next up, Inniscarra May festival in 2 weeks time.
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Cathal Hughes
Shane Dunne
Bu that wasn’t the end of it. There was still the second Open competition on Monday to go. In the end that was won by andrew Pirchio with 18.100kg in a competition where almost half the field caught more than 10kg
Go fishing…
Starting 17th May, Inniscarra TDL kick off another 7 days of match fishing (any method), beginning with the one-day ‘Hogans’ Open, followed by the O’Callaghans Cup and the Ottewill Trophy. Contact Kevin Grayto get your name on the list – you won’t want to miss it!
Inniscarra Lake TDL
Inniscarra Lake TDL are affiliated to the National Coarse Fishing Federation of Ireland, NCFFI the National Governing body for coarse and predator fishing and casting. www.ncffi.ie
For details of the all the events, venues and more, a downloadable copy of the events calendar, 2020 festival results and a directory of angler friendly accommodation in the local area please visit www.ncffi.ie/inniscarra-angling.
O’Callaghans – the nerve centre of the competition scene on Inniscarra
With Daily flights from the UK and Holland to Cork, and regular flights from many other countries it no hardship to find your way to Inniscarra.
Spring salmon fishing has generally been very slow all around the country, and Galway was no exception. High water levels prevailed for early season, with low fishing effort, and even when water levels dropped there were were very few sightings of fresh fish, and none caught throughout March and most of April.
Local angler Simon Lenihan finally got the fishery off the mark on Friday the 25th of April, with a fine fresh silver salmon of 12.8lbs. The fish was taken on spinner, and gave a good account of itself before being landed. Well done Simon, not the first time he has landed the first of the season, although certainly the latest.
The second fish was landed yesterday (5th May), with the lucky angler being Billy Moylan. He was fishing the fly from the west bank when he hooked the fish from the catwalk, and finally landed a nice 10.6lbs springer.
Water levels are currently at 3 gates, with a good drop of water coming over the over gates, so wading is restricted to close to the east bank, but hopefully this is a sign of better fishing to come and we see more reports from Galway soon.
Lough Sheelin angling report April 28th – May 4th 2025
“In the spring, I have counted 136 different kinds of weather inside of 24 hours”
Mark Twain
Holding gold – Fergal Kellet
It has been another tough ‘spirit breaking’ week on Lough Sheelin and I’m blaming the weather. Temperatures rose to a tropical 24 degrees on Tuesday only to crash to sub-zero after dark on some nights. Easterly winds swinging from North to South featured throughout the week and really the only thing our weather here was good for was ‘drying turf’.
It has been a frustrating number of days with sporadic hatches of buzzers and only a glimpse of what is to come when a handful of mayflies were spotted at Crover mid-week. It is like some sort of Chinese torture, we know what is there, we know what Sheelin is capable of – a spectacular potential but the weather keeps dealing painful cuts and won’t let things kick off from a piscatorial point of view.
First of the season – Niall McMenamin with his Sheelin trout
I don’t care where you live, or which fly rods you use there is not a fly fisher alive who wants to wake up in the morning to an East or indeed a North wind blowing. That little proverb which includes ‘Wind from the East, fish bite the least, Wind from the North, do not go forth’ although not always correct is still a good predictor to how fishing is going to be. Both East and North bring cold air which chills down the surface, putting the brakes on insect hatches which has a knock-on effect of keeping the trout feeding at the bottom. To be a little bit kinder to the wind, it can be the angler’s friend in that a bit of chop on the water reduces visibility so fish can’t readily see the flaws going on above the water – baits and chuck and duck casts. Furthermore, the wave action along the shore often stirs up the bottom of the food chain, giving the big trout a reason to feed. Therefore, as a concession, a North or East wind might be favourable to no wind at all.
Buzzer trout
We have had long spells of hot bright sunshine this week which gave the trout another reason to stay down in the depths. Trout don’t like bright sun for several reasons but they namely stay down as there is simply no food to keep them in the upper layers. Here, during bright weather there is very little food, certainly not in sufficient quantities to hold the trout in the upper layers.
There was some stratification of the water column with a surface reading of 14 at 0.5 metres and 10 degrees at 12.5 metres. Lake levels have shrunk again after the initial rise due to last weeks rain and now that familiar washed-out hemline look is once again visible around the lake.
Buzzer success
Anglers fished the lake every day usually in the double figures. A few used the lures targeting the fry feeders with Rapalas, Minkies, Humungous, Woolly Buggers and Cats Whiskers. The Dabblers in Pearly, Silver, Claret and Green were still popular.
Now, into May the majority of anglers here are fishing teams of wets – buzzer patterns and Epoxys. Mayfly nymph patterns were also getting a look in. Nymph fishing will never be the most popular method with most if not all complaining about the slowness required. Like it or not it cannot be over-stressed that, to be successful with nymphs, the speed of retrieve should be as slow as possible, and that contact with the flies should be maintained at all times. Best patterns were Diawl Bach, Pheasant Tail and Hare’s Ear.
Dry fly fishing was there in the mix for this week with Bob’s Bits or Shipman’s in a variety of colours proving to be successful. The best colours are claret, fiery brown, black, ginger, orange, hare’s ear, olive and grey. These colours will cover both the early buzzer rises, our scattering of spring olives and for later, the smaller sedges. Grey Dusters are very effective when the trout are rising to buzzer hatches and the scraggier the better.
Black Pennell, Connemara Black, Peter Ross, Black and Blae, Sooty & Sweep and Sooty Olive on a slow retrieve are worth trying.
Best fishing areas, depending on wind direction were the silted areas of Goreport, Corru, Sailors Garden, Bog Bay and Finea.
Dragonfly larvaHolding on
It is hard to get things perfect but mereologically speaking we are still in Spring – March, April and May so no need to panic yet. The season is moving on with the May blossom changing from those tapioca like bubbles to branches heavy with white flowers, the cuckoo is back in full throttle around Bog Bay and we have two sea eagles here who have successfully negotiated the winter without being shot or poisoned.
All anglers who have ever fished Lough Sheelin will unanimously agree that this is a very difficult stretch of water, this a lake which will not give up her spotted quarry without a fight so with that knowledge under your belt disappointment should never feature – a trout is a bonus.
Flies and Lures
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A deadly colour in the right light, Peter Dunne
Below the surface. Robert Samuelson
Bibio Kenneth Rawley
Bibio size 12, Kenneth Rawley
Bubble caddis emerger, Mario
Desmond Paul
Buzzers, patterns by James Casey
Caddis, Jan de Haas
Deer Hair Emerger. Paul Page
Frankie McPhillips Lough Arrow variant, Desmond Paul
Emerger, Bengt Jansson
Green drake pattern, Kenneth Rawley
Grey boy. Kieran Sherlock
Green Wulff Kenneth Rawley
Ian Christie
Peter Dunne
Pale Olive Dun May, Scott Jackson
Wulff pattern by Kenneth Rawley
Pippa wulff variant, Kenneth Rawley
Mayfly nymphs. Sean Deeney
Buzzer bonanza
Please remember anglers to abide by BYE-LAW 949 which strictly prohibits from
June 14th, 2017 onwards:
The taking of any brown trout of less than 36 centimeters.
For a person to fish with more than 2 rods at any one time.
To fish with more than 4 rods at any one time when there is more than one person on board the boat concerned.
For a person to take more than 2 trout per day.
All trolling on the lake from March 1st to June 16th (inclusive).
To fish or to attempt to take or to fish for, fish of any kind other than during the period from March 1st to October 12th in any year.
We here at Lough Sheelin Guiding Services provide what we think is a world class ghillie and guiding service on the famous Lough Sheelin. We will do our upmost to try and make sure visiting anglers catch there fair share of these famous wild trout and make
your visit a memorable one.
Our Ghillies offer fully guided trips and be assured we know every corner and drift on Sheelin and will work hard for you to make sure you get the best opportunity to catch Sheelins famous wild brown trout.
Well its the start of a New Era for me. This season I will be running a Guiding Service on the midlands lakes. I will be primarily based on Lough Sheelin, Lough Owel and Lough Lene, where I have fished all my life. I have many caps for the Senior Irish Team, Captain twice, I have also won the Brown Bowl and have coached the youth team on and off for over 15 years. I am also the Irish Ambassador for Wychwood Game.
The midland lakes produce some of the biggest wild Brown Trout in Ireland and some of the biggest Stocked triploids too. The season starts with fry imitations but quickly turns to the buzzer, followed by Olives, Mayfly and sedge fishing as the year progresses.
If you want to book a day with me please please don’t hesitate to get in touch.
Sheelin Boats are sponsoring the Sheelin May Fly-In – in aid of Youth Suicide Prevention Ireland at Lough Sheelin Airfield, Tonagh, Co Cavan on Saturday 24th of May 2025 from 10am to 7pm. (weather permitting).
Lough Sheelin Airfield is a grass short strip airfield on the border of Co. Cavan and Co. Meath, alongside one of Europe’s finest brown trout fishing lakes.
Come, spend a while, or the day, on the airfield with food, refreshments, and chat, or fishing the lake, or both. (Or stop in on your way to or from the fly-in at Carrickmore in Northern Ireland). Overnight camping can be arranged prior.
Sheelin Airfield – Courtesy Google Maps
Aviators and anglers, light aircraft and STOL pilots are all welcome. If possible, please radio in advance about 5 miles out, and avoid flying low over houses.
Bring a flyrod and waders, or call us to book a boat in advance, and enjoy both the buzz of the fly-in, and the rise of the mayfly on the lake for a few hours.
Airfield Coordinates: N 53:79.645 W 07:28.458 (Shannon FIR)
7 NM N of Castlepollard (Westmeath) – 4.5 NM WNW of Oldcastle (Meath)
Frequency: 123.450 MHz (Callsign: Sheelin Airfield)
Runways: 14/32 (Windsock adjacent midpoint of runway)
Length: 345 metres (x 12 metres)
Surface: Grass
Elevation: 230 ft amsl
Circuits are at 1000’ to the South of the airfield: RH circuit for RWY 14 LH circuit for RWY 32
Circuit and approach images on Google maps: Lough Sheelin Airfield – photos
Airfield weather: https://scanner.topsec.com/?d=142&r=show&u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.wunderground.com%2Fdashboard%2Fpws%2FIKILBR5&t=88c40267dfdced2e9ce13835b86a87a81df24fe9
So, the last few days of April have seen us bathed in sunshine, as we have enjoyed a prolonged (for Ireland anyway) spell of settled weather. Temperatures have been well above average, and it looks like the highest ever temperature for April was recorded in Athenry yesterday, a truly tropical 25.9°C. No surprise that it has been much drier than usual as well, as the country has seen little rain over the past week.
The month of May sees the angling world really kick into gear, and anglers across all disciplines generally have a spring in their step around the May Bank Holiday weekend. Specimen anglers will be beating a path to St. Mullins, hoping to bag a specimen shad, while trout anglers will be scanning the airwaves to hear which lough is fishing best for the mayfly. Tench anglers will be searching for bubbles in the margins as we enter into the prime tench-targeting month, while the country’s charter boat fleet will be back in the water and starting to catch consistently. Salmon should start returning to our rivers in greater numbers over the coming month, and, finally, the pike will be feeding hard after their spawning exertions. So, it’s time to quit looking at screens and get out there, the fish are waiting for you!
Sea anglers haven’t really needed a rallying call as they have already been very active over the past week, as clubs across the length and breadth of the country have been holding competitions in stunning weather. We begin our round-up in the far north, where the Ulster Krakens headed to Ballycastle Beach for leg four of their Master Angler at the weekend. The fine weather was enjoyable for the competitors, well, at least until they had to contend with swimmers encroaching in their competition stretch… Pamela Stewart took a fine win with nine counters on the night. Meanwhile, Donegal stalwarts, the Killybegs Mariners, ventured outside their native county for a trip to Erris Head in Mayo last week. They didn’t let unfamiliar ground stop them from catching a rake of fish, with plenty of flatties and a few nice sea trout.
It’s not only the clubs that have been active, as regular anglers have been getting amongst the fish too. On the east coast, 12-year-old Jamie Ryan has been learning a bit of LRF fishing, expertly tutored by his uncle Dave. He was getting pretty proficient at the light rod stuff, so Dave decided he was ready for his first full-blown beach trip. They rocked up to a shingle beach in Arklow, and young Jamie showed he wasn’t out of his comfort zone by beaching a fine 4.5lb bass. We have a joint 12-year-old Catch of the Week this week, and Jamie’s bass helps him to a share of the prize.
12-year-old Jamie Ryan with a 4.5lb bass on his first beach fishing trip, winning him the joint COTW
On the south coast, Cormac Walsh took a punt on a mark he hadn’t fished in a while that only fishes at a particular stage of the tide. He got his calculations right, hitting the spot at the optimum time, and bagged a fine bass on a shallow diving lure in 3ft of water. Chris O’Sullivan, aka the Inshore Angler, had a couple of trips in very different conditions recently, both throwing up some cracking fish. First up was a session in beautiful sunshine where Chris landed a super 6lb bass. The next session couldn’t have been more different as Chris fished through torrential rain to land a smashing smoothy of 17lb 6oz (111cm), well over the specimen size of 103cm.
A couple of decent fish late in the day made a difference on Gulladoo
To pike angling now, and clients fishing with Bodo Funke were flying this week, literally, as he guided clients from Switzerland and the UK to their PB pike on the fly, and there were plenty of other decent fish boated in what was a bumper week for the fly anglers. In County Longford, angling guide Kevin Lyons welcomed some first-time guests from Switzerland, and they had some fine fishing, landing pike to 97cm on both lure and deadbait. In Co. Clare, 12-year-old angler Gus O’Reilly had a great fishing adventure recently, as he spent a day fishing Inchiquin Lake with local guide Damien Culliney. Gus was wowed by the speed of the boat and the fish-finding technology, and put it to good use as he boated his PB pike, caught on a roach deadbait (which he had caught himself earlier in the day). Gus’ fine pike wins him a share of this week’s Catch of the Week. Finally, dates have been announced for this year’s King of the Lake pike competition on Lough Ree. The designated days are the weekend of September 27th and 28th, so all pike competition anglers should block off that weekend in their diaries.
All smiles for 12-year-old Gus with his PB pike, which wins him joint COTW
Friday will remain dry and will be warmest in the south west, where temperatures should reach 18°C. It will stay dry overnight and into Saturday morning, but some cloud and patchy drizzle will spread southwards over the country during the day. Sunday morning will be dry with sunny spells. Some well-scattered showers will develop in the afternoon, most likely over Leinster and parts of Munster. Bank Holiday Monday will be largely dry with sunny spells, with highest temperatures of 11 to 14°C and light northeasterly or variable breezes. High pressure will continue to dominate next week, bringing largely dry and settled conditions with mostly light winds.
Pike anglers Dylan and Florian from Switzerland were over in Ireland for their very first time to take in some of the great pike fishing that Ireland has to offer. They decided to stay with host and guide Kevin Lyons at Melview Fishing Lodge.
During their stay they managed some lovely pike to 97 cm using both dead baits and lures.
Dylan – With one of his first Pike caught in Ireland
Host Kevin said, “it was a great trip for them and I’m sure we will be seeing them back in Ireland again soon for some more Pike fishing to try and get that 1m +. Thanks guys enjoyed your company and hope to see you again soon.”
Kevin has over 30 years experience of fishing in Ireland and is happy to offer a guided tour on your arrival, and to advise where the on-form waters in the area are. We can arrange your bait order so it’s here when you arrive. Melview offers free use of 17ft lake boats with engines to our guests (pay fuel only) and Kevin is happy to assist with any pre-baiting requests. Maps and other information regarding fishing are also available.
Chris O’Sullivan, the Inshore Angler, is back with a new video featuring a couple of recent catches – a beautiful 6lbs bass in beautiful sunshine, and a monster 17lb 6oz smooth hound in torrential rain!
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The smooth hound measured 111cm, well above the specimen mark of 103cm. Well done Chris!
Check out the video here and see these cracking fish come ashore…
If you like the video, feel free to click Subscribe so you can stay up to date with more of Chris’s videos. If you’re on Facebook you can also follow Chris here
