Joe Fitzharris is back this year with the first report of the season from O’Flynn…
Lake O’Flynn & District Anglers ran a very well contested McCarthy cup on Sunday in very blustery conditions.
The results are as follows,
Mark Gannon reports on the charter boat fishing out of Courtmacsherry…
A group led by Jan Hein from Holland chartered the Lady Louise last week for a day’s fishing. The weather was a bit damp and misty but sea conditions were ok.
We started out drifting on the reefs where great sport was had on pollack and coalfish. Later in the day Ronan anchored on a skate mark and after loosing 3 fish, a fine Common Skate was landed, approximately 120 lbs, and released unharmed.
This was Ronan’s first day skippering after he completed the P5 course in Castletownbere. His fanatical interest in fishing and his boating skills will make him a superb skipper to hire for a days charter fishing.
The latest episode of the prolific Ireland on the Fly podcast is available now, episode description courtesy of the Ireland on the Fly team below:
Stan Headley is a fly angler and fly tyer who would be known to so many people in Ireland and the UK. A regular contributor to Trout & Salmon magazine down through the years, the Orkney angler also penned three books – The Loch Fishers Bible, Trout & Salmon Flies of Scotland and Reflections on the Loch which became the go to source for Scottish lochs’ fishing – but he was also a fan of fishing in Ireland too and was a regular visitor to these shores.
However, due to illness, Stan says that his fishing days are now behind him and so this week’s interview with him is one tinged with sadness but also fond memories as he joins Tom & Daire to look back on an incredible life in fly fishing, what it meant to him and the similarities and differences fly fishing Irish loughs and Scottish lochs.
Rate, review and follow the show to keep up to date with all the latest Ireland on the Fly episodes on Apple or Spotify, plus you can sign up for our newsletter on www.IrelandontheFly.com and get regular updates on Instagram.com/IrelandontheFly.
Lough Sheelin angling report, April 21st – April 27th 2025
The fishing gods played havoc on Sheelin for the bulk of the week gone by. Lough Sheelin was predictably busy on the bank holiday Monday but rough southwesterly winds left anglers searching for shelter and quitting the lake early. The aquatic gods threw a bucket of cold water over everything after the holiday weekend by producing heavy downpours with southwesterly winds racing down the lake at uncomfortable speeds on Tuesday. The meteorological cat and mouse game continued as, after the despair and disappointment of early week, Wednesday was a better day with sporadic hatches of buzzer appearing with sympathetic light northerly breezes and daytime temperatures climbing to 17 degrees, giving us all the illusion that finally the weather was on the turn by being conducive to buzzer fishing. Hopes were soon dashed as cold easterlies hit in on Thursday destroying any surface hatches and pulling the water temperatures back down to 11 degrees and then on Friday the rain returned with a vengeance. The weekend of April 26th and 27th saw a marked improvement with the much desired moderate south westerlies returning along with a daytime warmth reaching 18 degrees.
It has been a very frustrating fishing week with nothing steady happening, buzzer hatches were sparse, localised and brief. The hiccuping start to the buzzer fishing here is all down to our unpredictable Irish weather which jumped from winter-like conditions to a sudden burst of summer.
Lake levels have risen and the water is discoloured in sections particularly where the wind was blowing into the shoreline which again added another stumbling block to piscatorial successes. The lake was busy both on Saturday and Sunday with the majority of anglers focussing on the silted areas of Goreport, Bog Bay, Corru, Rusheen and Sailors Garden – all on the hunt for buzzer taking trout.
The fly anglers have now surpassed the spinners with the sound of that welcome whip cast through the air as lines with teams of wets were aimed at the trout looking up to feed on some stage of the buzzers or chironomid dipterans lifecycle. Most of the action is happening below the surface so teams of wets using droppers of the Blank Buster Buzzer, Flashback and Epoxy were favoured. Tungsten Depth Charge Buzzers as point flies with a team in size 8 and on droppers in smaller sizes. Beadhead Buzzers use brass beads to take the buzzers down, slower sinking than tungsten beads, these take the set up down at a slower rate than normal patterns. The Emergers that were responsible for some catches were the Shipman’s, CDC Emergers, Shuttlecock Black CDC and Assassin.
The term buzzer refers to anglers flies which imitate the pupa of the midge and not the air borne adult. Boring as this kind of fishing might be to some anglers, buzzers account for 50% of a trout’s diet and are one of the few insects that are present in all their forms (larvae, pupa and adult) on virtually every day of the year but of course it is the heat that really brings on a hatch. Over the years as fly tyers develop new patterns, the term buzzer has evolved to encompass all manner of different flies and there is now a vast and mesmerising choice of colours and dressings that represent different stages of the lifecycle.
Buzzers have to be fished slow and this is the crux for most, patience is tested and for many it is the ‘chuck and duck’ of the team of wets and the visual surface action of the dry flies that is much more appealing than a slow and painful retrieve. The truth of the matter is that this is the main buzzer season here, admittedly sluggish to get started this year but it is this section of fishing that brings up the Sheelin visions of big well conditioned trout. After feeding down at the bottom of the lake the trout will now be looking towards the surface to see what other food is around. Buzzers can be fished on a floating line under a bung or if on a drift using an intermediate or slow sink. Buzzers ascends from the lake bed slower than other nymphs so it is this slowness that has to be imitated. A combination worth a try would be a buzzer on the point with a Kate Mclaren and Green Peter on the droppers, fished very slowly. Suspended buzzer patterns are also good.
The flies that worked best were the Bits-type patterns in claret, fiery, black, ginger, orange, hare’s ear, olive and grey, the Klinkhammer, Grey Duster, Nymphs – Pheasant Tail, Diawl Bach, Hare’s Ear and Olive in sizes 12 and 14, Mini Muddler as a top dropper, Epoxy Buzzer, Shipmans Buzzer, Flashback Buzzers, CDC Emergers, Greenwell’s Glory, Bibios, Black Pennells, Connemara Black and Stimulators.
Some catches this week were down to the larger flies of Black & Gold Humungous, Silver Humungous, Black Minkies with a flash of silver, Snakes, Woolly Buggers and Cats Whiskers using heavy lines. The Dabblers are still there in Claret, Pearly, Silver, Green, Peter Ross and Silver.
The best fishing areas for this week have been in the silted areas of Bog Bay, Sailors, Goreport, Finea, Corru and Rusheen. Other areas were at the back of Church Island, Merry point and Goreport. All fishing location choices were governed by wind direction.
Lough Sheelin is on the cusp of her fishing season, as the weather warms the insect life will blossom here and with that the interest of the trout. Sheelin is a wild brown fishery so although a difficult, whimsical stretch of fishing water will always offer the angler that chance of a trout weight of a lifetime.
Please remember anglers to abide by BYE-LAW 949 which strictly prohibits from
June 14th, 2017 onwards:
Number of catches recorded: 32
Heaviest catch: a 6lb plus trout caught by Fergal Kellett on Epoxy Buzzers
Selection of catches:
John Mulvany johnmulvanyfishing@gmail.com 086 2490076
We are now entering the busiest part of the year for anglers, and there will be plenty of sea anglers hitting the rocks, beaches and estuaries, or heading out on the water in small boats, kayaks etc. over the summer months. We are asking all those anglers to keep a watchful eye out for fish that have been tagged as part of the Marine Sportfish Tagging Programme, which monitors the movement of certain fish species around the Irish coast and beyond. The programme relies on the help of anglers and charter skippers to tag sharks, skates and rays, but also relies on anglers to record and report any tagged fish they might catch. So we are asking all sea anglers to keep an eye out for those tagged fish and to report them to us.
If you do catch a tagged fish, the print on the tag can be small, and sometimes it’s easier to take a photo of the tag number with your phone to make sure you can read it correctly.
We have included some samples of tagged fish below so you know what to look for. What we need you to record is:
Please report any tagged fish you recapture to: shane.oreilly@fisheriesireland.ie
We promise to keep all anglers informed of the details of the tagged fish, and we send out an MSTP baseball cap to everyone who takes the time to report a recaptured fish. We look forward to hearing from you and tight lines 🎣 🎣 🎣
Having enjoyed a dry and balmy start to April, the weather gods have balanced the books over the past week by giving the country a good soaking. Rainfall amounts have been 3 to 5 times the average in most areas, with the south getting the worst of it. No surprise, then, that it has been duller than normal, with the sun often hiding behind thick banks of cloud, and the south again faring worst. Temperatures have remained around average, though, and the wet and mild weather has brought on a spurt of growth, as our hedgerows are now bursting with whitethorn flowers, nature’s promise that summer (and better fishing?) is only around the corner…
It seems that the coarse anglers have been the most active over the past week, as a number of club competitions and festivals took place around the country. Beginning in the north, the Erne Easter Festival was held in the Enniskillen area over the weekend, and the fishing was pretty good, with some of the daily bags reaching double figures. Gary Johnson fished the 3-dayer very consistently, averaging over 10kg a day to give him a final weight of 31.325kg and taking him to the festival win ahead of Aaron Hutchman, who had managed the biggest single bag of the week, an exceptional 23.425kg caught on day one of the festival. A little further south, the IASCaire Feeder Fishing Club hit a local lake in Co. Cavan for the third round of their spring league. Unfortunately, the fishing didn’t quite compare to the quality north of the border, and the guys had to grind it out, with Dykun Pavlo taking the win with 5.650kg.
The fish were certainly switched on down in Portumna for the Boathouse Bar 5 Day Festival, as daily bags in the 40lb and 50lb class saw some fine weights registered, none better than Dave Brooks, who’s tally of 276lb saw him finish 10lb ahead of Bruce Pennell in second. Weights were also pretty good down at Inniscarra, where the Dave Bacon Memorial Feeder Festival took place over three days. Thirty anglers competed for the trophy, but it was Neil Richards who was on a winning streak, backing up his festival win earlier in the week, to complete a fine double win by finishing top of the pile for this one, with a 33.95kg total. Unfortunately, we have saved the worst till last in the coarse angling round-up, and the unlucky Munster Coarse Anglers fished an extremely tough 2-dayer on Lough Bridget in Co. Clare. There were seven dry nets over the two days as anglers had to scrounge for every bite, with the result that a pretty paltry 3lb 13oz bag for Patrick O’Neill was enough for him to take the win. Now, to some notices of upcoming events. Firstly, the Belmont & District Fishing Club are hosting an Open fishing competition on Sunday, the 27th of April, on the match stretch of the Grand Canal at Shannon Harbour, and all interested anglers are welcome to participate. Secondly, any aspiring canal angler could do worse than to head for Daingean this weekend, as the All-Ireland Canal Championships will take place there over two days, and you will be able to see some of the top canal anglers in action.
Trout fishing seems to have been pretty patchy over the past week, with our reports indicating that fish were hard to come by. Dan O’Neill found the River Nore to be unfishable for part of the week, but when he did get out with a client, they were able to winkle an odd trout or two out using a pheasant tail fished under an indicator. Over on the river Suir, George McGrath did well to find a bit of decent dry fly fishing, as a hatch of olives brought the fish up, and George has kindly shared his killer fly pattern with us. Things were tough enough on the loughs, and the twenty anglers fishing the Leinster TAFI competition on Lough Owel had to deal with a cold and windy lake. A huge hatch of olives in the afternoon failed to bring fish to the surface, but Fergal McKiernan managed to tempt five fish to finish in pole position. Lough Sheelin anglers also struggled with cold, northerly winds, which have put a hold on the buzzer fishing, which usually comes to the fore in late April. Anglers who persevered did pick up the odd fish, though, the best of which was a fine 5.5lb trout taken by Martin Ryan fishing with wets. We wrap up the trout news out in the west, where angling guide Jasper Matthews saw a bit of action for clients fishing wet flies, and even managed one for himself fishing dries.
To sea angling now, and it seems things have been relatively quiet around our coasts over the past week, but even on a lean week, we can always count on the Killybegs Mariners for a fishing report, and they fished the ninth round of their shore league over the weekend, where Chris Whyte took the win with 98 points. At the other end of the country, the New Ross & District SAC held a club competition at Ballyhack over the weekend, and they got into the thick of it quickly, with plenty of double and triple shots of flatties coming in. However, it was a 52cm bass that swung things in the favour of James Ryan as it helped him to the win on the night. Bass angling on the south coast seems to be picking up, and Cormac Walsh took advantage of some good tides and mild weather recently to tempt a few bass on hard plastics. Keith Barker also got in some good bass fishing in the Waterford area, where an early morning session brought him four super bass between 64cm and 74cm.
To salmon angling now, and news that the rainfall over the Easter weekend brought some fish into the Ballisodare system, and the first couple of salmon for the season were landed by Noel Barber. They both weighed around the 7/8lb mark and were caught using a Snaelda tube fly. Those same rains failed to do much to raise water levels, or spirits, down on Lough Currane, where Vincent Appleby reports another slow week on the lake, although we did hear of at least one salmon caught on the lake by a visiting angler. Daire Whelan of the Ireland on the Fly podcast did his first ‘on the river’ broadcast from the Slaney during the week. And, chances are, he’ll be eager to do one again pretty soon, as things turned out a bit better than he had expected. We wrap up the salmon section with news of some recent brown tag lotteries, as results were posted for both the Easkey and Roughty draws, which were held during the week.
To pike fishing now, and a group of four visiting French anglers had a fantastic trip to the midlands area recently. Staying at Melview Lodge, the group had 183 pike, with plenty in the 90cm+ bracket and a few over the magic meter mark. Angling guide Senan Stanley was also amongst the pike during the week, albeit in an unconventional way… Fishing for perch with a tiny lure rod and a 2-inch lure, a cracking pike smashed the lure, and he managed to boat it despite the light tackle. Finally, 10-year-old angler Evie Harkness from Ballymena stuck to her task last weekend as bites were hard to come by on a small lake in Cavan. Her grandfather patiently rowed her around the lake while she cast lures into the margins to no avail. But a switch up in tactics finally brought a reward, as a nice pike engulfed her trolled lure and was quickly landed, measured, photographed and returned. Coming in at 91cm, it beat her previous PB of 80cm, and it wins Evie this week’s Catch of the Week.
We wrap up this week’s Angling Update with a reminder that the Irish Spring Angling fair will be taking place over the May Bank Holiday weekend. It’s going to be a highlight on the Irish angling calendar and there will be something of interest for anglers of all disciplines.
Today has seen widespread rain across most of the country, with some heavy showers in places. The rain should clear eastwards as the day progresses, and tonight will be relatively dry with temperatures of 3 to 8°C. Saturday will see spells of sunshine in most areas with the odd light shower, and temperatures of 13 to 17°C. There will be some rain overnight on Saturday, but this should clear on Sunday morning, giving a mostly dry day with some well-scattered showers. Monday will be much the same, but it looks like Tuesday will see a break in the weather and we can look forward to a more settled spell of warmer, drier weather.
Safe fishing to all and tight lines, especially here in Ireland.
IFI Staff
Catch, Photo, Release
If you have an angling story to share with the Irish Angling Update please send it to reports@fisheriesireland.ie.
Family Friendly Angling Fair Reels In Angling Novices & Enthusiasts
Don’t miss what has evolved into Ireland’s largest and only angling show of its kind this May. Building on the success of previous years, this year, the Irish Spring Angling Fair promises to be bigger and better than ever! The two day event takes place on Saturday 3rd and Sunday 4th May 2024 at Ardaire Springs Angling Centre, located just outside Mooncoin, Co. Kilkenny (Eircode: X91XTY7). Once accompanied by an adult, children under 14 years of age can attend for free making this an ideal family day out. Parents can browse the stands, attend talks and demonstrations, while children can enjoy a dedicated Kid’s Zone and avail of free fly tying and casting lessons, and the opportunity to catch their very first fish!
The Irish Spring Angling Fair has become a big hit with angling novices and enthusiasts who value the opportunity of meeting with and learning from a host of world renowned celebrities such as Scott Mackenzie, Glenda Powell, Peter Driver, Craig Barr, Jason 0’Riordan, Maurice Cahill, Stuart Wylie, Martin Barrera Oro, Marcin Kantor, Cormac Walsh and more.
The two day weekend schedule is packed with interesting talks on various angling related topics and free demonstrations, such as salmon, trout, saltwater and pike flies being tied by some of the best in the business. Game, sea and pike angling are also hot topics and there is guaranteed to be something for everyone, as well as onsite catering for refreshments throughout the day.
Ardaire Springs Angling Centre has been run by Ned Maher for many years and the site has over 4 acres of lakes, stocked with rainbow and brown trout ranging from 2lb to 20lb. As angling fairs go, this is a venue like no other, as it allows world renowned celebrity anglers to showcase their skills and leading tackle manufactures to provide fishing tackle and boat demo’s on the lakes.
With a broad range of exhibitors lined up for this year, anglers will be presented with a fantastic opportunity to immerse themselves in all things angling, pick up some of the latest tips and techniques and add to their tackle collection. Some of the exhibitors in attendance will include tackle suppliers and stands from fisheries as well as international angling holiday promoters and much more.
Don’t miss this landmark family-friendly Angling Fair at Ardaire Springs Angling Centre and the opportunity to meet celebrity anglers and fellow angling enthusiasts for what promises to be a great weekend!
For more information, please see www.irishspringanglingfair.com or contact Ned Maher on 086 8128937 or info@irishspringanglingfair.com
On Thursday 24th April 2025, a draw took place to allocate an initial 15 Brown Tags for the taking of salmon on the River Easkey. The requirement to hold a brown tag is set out in Wild Salmon and Sea Trout Tagging Scheme (Amendment) Regulations.
A total of 60 valid entries were received from salmon rod licence holders. Each was assigned a number in advance of the draw. 20 numbers were randomly generated. The first 15 successful entrants will be issued a brown tag today. The final 5 numbers are reserved in case an angler declines or returns the tag allocated to them.
The draw was conducted by Michael Wilson (Fisheries Inspector) and observed by Mary Walsh (RBD Director), Kathleen Finnerty (Ballina District Office), and Brian Flannery (Assistant Inspector).
The numbers selected are:
• 5245
• 5241
• 5233
• 5242
• 5209
• 5240
• 5252
• 5239
• 5223
• 5214
• 5218
• 5257
• 5212
• 5255
• 5238
The 5 reserve numbers are:
• 5208
• 5237
• 5201
• 5246
• 5206
The Brown Tags will be issued by post today.
Dan O’Neill from Trout Fishing Ireland reports from the River Nore…
Wow! What a week and set of challenges the Irish weather threw up this week for us. I fished the river when I could and utilized the lakes quite a bit. I had many guests out and the important thing was we had a great time and caught fish.
First up was Spring Schoellkopf an interesting lady who was the first female pilot for US Air’s predecessor Allegheny Airlines, her first flight was at the age of 23. I didn’t have to do much instructing here as Spring was quite a caster and angler.
We fished a foam indicator with a 3mm pheasant tail, simple fishing which gave good results. It wasn’t long before we had our first trout on what were challenging conditions.The largest trout we had was about 28cm and gave a great fight in the heavy water.
Listening to Springs stories while we fished was super and it was an enjoyable morning. Spring reminded me a little of Joan Wulff who i studied quite a bit for my APGAI exams. It was with some sadness we bid farewell at the fishing room and drew a line under a fantastic day. Its times like this that are the slightly sad part of guiding, watching Spring and her partner depart the fishing room, take one last look a the Nore and head off into the sunset was like saying goodbye to two people I knew all my life. Perhaps it’s just me but I find guiding gives you a connection with your clients and they relax to a level where the conversation just flows, humour and friendship just become natural. It’s this connection that becomes hard to break even after a few hours of knowing each other.
I had another fantastic duo out during the week and the river wasn’t so kind this time to us. Father and Daughter Kayleigh and Patrick McCarty were exactly what I needed to liven up my lake fishing. I was keen to fish the river but I knew we would have been wasting our time; it was chocolate brown.
We went to the lakes and tried for some roach, watching the orange tip of the float while one of us had some hot milk and the other two had a nice hot cup of coffee was exactly what we all needed. Sometimes fishing is put in brackets and its really time to spend with people maybe you haven’t seen in some time or you just need their company.
Kayleigh, I believe, was the first to hit a nice roach followed by Patrick, my turn did come but I missed the take, typical and I’m meant to be the pro. We had a great time on the lakes and had many roach, cups of coffee and hot milk. It was great to meet both Patrick and Kayleigh and throw a line with them.
Fishing wise this week it was for sure tough going but as always challenge accepted. I fished streamers myself expecting a bigger trout but it didn’t happen, I had a few around the 30cm mark but that was it. Fishing a 3mm gold head pheasant tail was the order of most of the days, had some fish on wet fly also, just a winged olive wet fly. Some rain due in shortly so will push the river up little but as far as i can see its to be dry for days so will aim to get down and give it a cast.
My tik tok videos on the basics needed to fly fish / coarse fish have begun so make sure to check them out, they are aimed at beginners to help them to choose or see what they may need for their chosen discipline.
Trout fishing Ireland (@trout.fishing.ire) | TikTok
It’s here at last, the 2025 Irish Spring Angling Fair. I am delighted to be included in the demonstrator line up with some of the industries finest. It will be a great weekend for people to learn more about fly fishing, get some advice and even tuition.
I look forward to seeing you all there, make sure and stop by the APGAI stand or Cadence stand and say hello.
The day was cool and cloudy, and they were fishing a small lake in Cavan, which was swollen from recent rain and heavily coloured. For several hours, her grandfather worked their boat along the shallows while she tried to tempt the pike with poppers and a pink floating frog, but the only sign of fish was tight to the margins, and he struggled to row over stubble and through masses of broken reed stems in the midst of a strong breeze.
But perseverance from both Evie and grandad eventually paid off as, in the late afternoon, the pike seized her Savage Gear roach, which they had been trolling in open water about 7 feet deep. Evie brought the fish to the boat for a quick photo before returning it back safely to the water. The tip of one fingernail was damaged during the battle with the big fish, but colour was fully restored (to match the other fingernails) during the three-hour journey home.
Lady Patricia
Lady Louise
