Sean Cassidy of onthewater.ie was in touch to say that they have added a few more clubs to their online permit shop. The website is now selling permits and membership for clubs on the River Slaney, Boyne and Kells Blackwater, Avonmore, Suir tributaries the Anner and Clashawley, and Fane.
Currently the clubs they have listed on our site are:
Competiton anglers will be interested to hear that they also have events listed for TAFI Leinster, who are exclusively using the platform to sell entries to their competitions this year – TAFI Leinster.
Carrick Beach & Rockers SAC are back again with another great shore angling report, this time from Waterfoot Beach…
Sunday the 23rd February saw leg 2 of our monthly masters league. Originally penned in for Glenarm beach, the continued growth and success of our club meant that we had too many members intending to fish this match and plans were made for a switch of venue to Waterfoot beach.
The weather forecast was looking a little ropey to say the least. High winds were forecast for the day but as the day approached the predicted speeds gradually dropped (a little). On the drive to the newly selected venue the coast didn’t look too bad, the strong winds had blown the water flat on Glenarm, Ballygalley, Drains Bay etc.
Arriving at the car park the sea was again flat with just the usual 2-3 waves breaking in close and lapping the shore. Conditions were still windy but down on the beach itself, not unbearable for the 15 members, 2 guests, 2 juniors who’d fish the match.
1 of 3
Rods were cast out at 12pm and instantly the majority of anglers were into fish with some nice little flounders and undersized turbot along the length of the competition. Signs were looking good for a high scoring match, but signs can be deceiving. About 2 hours in and the fishing almost completely died off for all anglers. The fast start seemed a long away in the past as anglers tried everything they could think of with very little success for the last 3 hours of the match.
All too quickly, (although not quickly enough for some) it was lines up time and it was back to the car park to see who winkled out the most fish. In the end there were there were 46 flounder and 1 plaice caught between us.
Results
Seniors
1st A. Nelson 153pts
2nd S. Bradley 137pts
3rd N. MaWhinney 108pts
4th B. Laughlin 94pts
5th M. McMurty 90pts
Longest fish B.Laughlin with 29cm Flounder
Superpool was, for the 2nd month in a row a bit of a face slap moment when the lucky category was drawn out as most fish as the angler that caught the most fish failed to enter this months super pool so the prize money dropped down to 2nd place and was won by S.Bradley with most fish (7 fish) Nelson had caught 8
Juniors
1st M. Dollery
2nd L. Finlay
It’s great to see new juniors joining and doing well, with young Miya even finding the time to teach Chris how to catch a few fish.
Would like to say well done to all who fished yesterday, especially our juniors.
Join the Club…
Carrick Beach and Rockers SAC was established in 1995 as part of the IFSA. The club is a mixture of sea match fishing and pleasure fishing all over Northern Ireland and Ireland.
The club is all about promoting the fantastic sport of sea angling. Contact us through the facebook page to find more about the club and memebrship.
Vincent Appleby is back again this week reporting from Lough Currane…
February 27, 2025. The Currane anglers were all quiet in all departments on this bright sunny day. The wind direction was North-Northeast veering to North, and then North-Northwest, with light to gentle intensity. Yesterday’s weather recorded a rainfall amount of 4.1 mm, a maximum air temperature of 9.2°C, and 5 hours and 5 minutes of sunshine.
February 28, 2025, Two Currane boats were actively fishing; however, it appears their reels remained silent. The wind was from the south before veering to south-southwest, accompanied by moderate cloud cover at times. Yesterday’s weather included 1.6mm of rainfall, a maximum air temperature of 10.3°C, 6 hours and 6 minutes of sunshine, and no wind gusts.
March 1, 2025. Five boats ventured out, but unfortunately, their reels remained silent. As one Currane angler remarked to me, “The Currane anglers were all quiet on the Southwest front. The wind was gentle and variable from south-southwest, southwest, south-southwest, west, northwest, and southwest, followed by showers and substantial cloud cover. Yesterday’s weather included 0.2mm of rainfall, a maximum air temperature of 10.8°C, and 4 hours and 5 minutes of sunshine. The total rainfall for February was 192.1mm
March 2, 2025. One Currane angler summed up March 2nd’s catches: “Five blanks.” This reflects the efforts of Currane anglers today. Wind moderate Southwest, veering WSW to SW with good cloud cover. Yesterday: rainfall 3.2mm, maximum temperature 10.4°C, sunshine 0.4 minutes, no wind gusts.
March 3, 2025. The Currane angler’s report indicates that five boats were out on the water, but there were no signs of fish activity. Wind conditions were gentle to moderate from the SSW, shifting to SW late in the afternoon. Weather conditions for the previous day included a trace amount of rainfall, a maximum air temperature of 10.4°C, and 0.1 minutes of sunshine.
March 4, 2025. An angler at Currane reported that four boats went out, but none caught any salmon, dubbing it a ‘Blankety Blank’ day. The wind was moderate to fresh from the SW, veering SSW with gusts up to 40 km/h. The previous day’s weather saw no rainfall, a maximum temperature of 11.4°C, and 4 hours and 4 minutes of sunshine.
March 5, 2025. There was only one boat operating, the Lonesome Boatman and his client. Unfortunately, their fly lines and trolling lines remained slack throughout the day. The wind was from the South-Southwest, with good cloud cover and gusts reaching up to 52 km/h. The weather report for the previous day indicated no rainfall, a maximum air temperature of 11.4°C, and 0.6 minutes of sunshine.
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 :-
the river Inny (Knockmoyle) and its tributaries
the waters of the Waterville system, including the Waterville River, Lough Currane, the Cummeragh River and all their tributary rivers and lakes
For more information on the daily conditions, 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 on Currane.
Notes: Located at Lakelands House Bed and Breakfast and Self Catering Accommodation, on Ireland’s best sea trout lake, Lough Currane. Frank is a professional angling guide and boatman.
Sea angling can be arranged with local operators.
Boat Hire
Boats for hire. All boats and engines are moored on the farm, 300 metres from the house, with easy access from the road with car park and boat shed.
Notes: Having ghillied on Lough Currane for over 30 years Vincent is a great choice for those looking for a guided service or flyfishing instruction on the Lake. All ages are catered for and even experienced anglers will benefit from the watercraft and fly-lore unique to Lough Currane. All tackle is provided and accommodation can be organised if required.
Senan Stanley is back with two reports this week after a long absence. On Monday he was out with angling pal Ivan getting amongst some cracking perch…
Forty centimetre long Perch are rare enough in Ireland nowadays, so we were over the moon to find 4 beauty’s over the 40cm mark in an action packed session!
42cm perch
Our fish trophies came in at 42cm, 42cm, 41cm, 40cm with loads more around the 38, 37, 36, 35cm mark. Small jigs did the trick!
Guided fishing for pike, trout and perch on Lough Derg. Fishing from a custom fitted Sheelin boat with all modern electronics including live scope, gps electric trolling motor etc
For enquiries and bookings get in touch via Facebook or Instagram.
Senan Stanely is back reporting on the pike fishing. We’ve not heard from him in a while, but he’s back with a bang…
What a powerful fish! 115cm , 25.9lbs. This one did its best to pull the rod out of my hand as it latched onto the lure. Fights don’t normally last that long on our heavy lurefishing gear but this one had me doing laps around the boats for a solid 2 minutes as it was in full control.
Guided fishing for pike, trout and perch on Lough Derg. Fishing from a custom fitted Sheelin boat with all modern electronics including live scope, gps electric trolling motor etc
For enquiries and bookings get in touch via Facebook or Instagram.
Peter Driver of Piscari Fly is back with his weekly roundup of the fishing scene
Back in Action
Opening weekend on Lough Owel.
Mark & Roger headed to windy cold Lough Owel on Sunday for the 2nd day of the opening. Temps were low, winds were perfect with good overcast conditions. The guys set up and launched from Tullanghans shore after getting their online Midlands Licenses for the lake and other regions. Reports from friends on the 1st of March, fish were deep off shelves with some good fish being caught; there was even a report of an 11lber being caught, although I’m unsure if this was on a fly.
The guys set off for Sudder Point & Bay for a few drifts with no success before heading towards the Pumphouse & Kettle. They both met a fish each on the same drift but not connecting. The fish were just not committing with soft takes. A few more drifts in there with unfortunately no more takes. The guys headed across the lake and on their 2nd drift met 3 fish in a single drift. Hooking each of them after again soft takes, but seconds later fish coming off, the hook ups just weren’t there due to soft takes. Thinking we were on the fish, we reset and did several drifts in the area but with no success.
A break for a hot cooked meal on the shoreline before heading back up the lake working the shoreline towards Church Island in nice water, then, across to Ladies and back to outside Sudder Island Point. No fish and temps were getting colder. Water temps never rose over 5.4 degrees for the day. This most likely having a impact on the fish feeding. All the same it was a great to get a day out to blow the cobwebs off the lake boat and gear and get a cast in. Hopefully with improving weather coming in, water temps will rise and the fish we be more active for the next day out. Tight lines for the 2025 Season.
1 of 2
Jamie Conway and Marc Tuckett from Rathdrum trout anglers got out for a few hours on the Kells Blackwater. The lads said it was great craic up there. Jamie caught some lovely 20cm brown trout.
1 of 2
One of our customers Keith from Kildare got off the mark there with his Piscari Venator. He caught a beauty…
Great to see people getting out on the rivers and lakes. Hopefully with this good weather we will see the rivers drop back and be ready for action here on the Nore for St Patricks weekend. And hopefully I will get out myself before that too.
What’s Coming?
Get ready for an action-packed weekend at the Irish Spring Angling Fair, where some of the best names in fly-fishing and angling will be sharing their expertise! Whether you’re a seasoned angler or just starting out, this event is the perfect opportunity to learn, connect, and enjoy top-tier demonstrations. You can find out more and buy tickets online now at https://irishspringanglingfair.com/
Join us at the Irish Spring Angling Fair for a weekend of learning, connecting, and celebrating the sport we all love!
Piscari-fly Club
Back Live this Saturday night at 8.30pm. Tying some more top patterns and sharing top tips so make sure you check it out on Piscari-Fly Club.
Also if you are in the market for some new fishing gear for this coming season we have great discounts for our club members on all fly tying and fly fishing gear.
Based on the River Nore just outside Thomastown, Co Kilkenny, Ireland. Piscari-Fly is a growing Fly Tying and Fly-Fishing business with a vast amount of experience and knowledge. If there is ever anything I can do to make my service better for you please feel free to suggest it to me and I’ll gladly try my best to accommodate your requests. Thanks again. Peter Driver.
As a small business we depend on the satisfaction of our customers and their word of mouth reference, google reviews are important to our online presence and we sure would appreciate your review. Just head over to this link and give us a quick review.
Paul Roche was out and about doing some eaerly season trout fishing this week in the Cavan area. With the season open, Paul reported perfect water levels on tributaries of the Annalee River, and he used sinking lines and polyleaders to reach the fish, which are generally hard on the bottom in cold early season rivers.
The fish pictured were caught on the Bunnoe river using a Gold ribbed hares ear with a 2.5mm bead and yellow dubbing thorax. All fish were carefully handled and released again.
1 of 4
Go Fishing
All legal methods allowed. Permits for the club can be purchase at the co-op Lisboduff Cootehill H16VX64. Club membership is available for flyfishing. Flies and guiding available at 0830886946. 24 hrs notice required
Dan O’Neill is back with his latest River Whispers blog…
The River Whispers 17
In this edition we take a look back at some fishing trips and how we approached them over the school holidays. I speak about the Trout Fishing Ireland free zoom calls and its different editions. Keep an eye out for the new APGAI newsletter which is full of information from some of the world’s best anglers.
Over the school holidays Anthony and I had made lots of plans for some fishing trips. Unfortunately the weather pushed us to change the plans on the mornings of most of the trips. There was a time when Anthony was younger where I would see him peering at me from under the brolly looking cold, now I am peering from the brolly urging him to get under it. Our trips were to the R. Barrow and Southern County fishing resort. First trip was to the R. Barrow where the levels were nice. We visited our usual haunts and also did a little bit of exploring. We decided to fly fish for pike and try some new areas. Anthony was armed with pike flies that Stuart Wylie sent him and I had my trusty Whistler with me. We began fishing canal mouths and slack areas of the main river. Fish were shy and we had some follows but no commitments. I changed down to a Dougie’s perch pattern and again just follows and tail swipes. Anthony was first to hit a pike and it came during the last 2 hours of daylight. I hit a fish but to Anthony’s delight I lost it which meant I bought the chips on the way home. One pike for a hard day’s fishing but the only way to know the result for sure is to play the game.
A trip to Southern County for us turned out to be a superb day. I fished a small pheasant tail under a Klink and had some great takes and even a few on the Klink. The fish really are energetic and spring into action once the hook is set. The fish are in super condition. I spoke to Pat the owner for a while and it was fantastic to hear his interest in the trout and their welfare. The day was quite windy and wet but we had a high bank behind us that took the sting out of the weather. Anthony hooked some great trout too using the same method, we pulled some streamers for a little while and had some what looked like torpedo’s chase the streamer and turn away just at the bank, fantastic fun and really visual.
Blackwood Bait and tackle
Blackwood bait and tackle held there open day on Sunday the 2nd of March. What a fantastic day it was and the two young business owners done a fantastic job creating a friendly yet competitive atmosphere. Thanks to Slaney tackle, Dan at Trout fishing Ireland, George Kavanagh of GK photography and of course Pat Foley and Chris Kavanagh at southern county for giving the lads use of the fishery to hold the competition. Great to see such support for these young anglers and also to see that fishing can be a part of the mini company
1 of 4
Season Ahead
So, the season is finally just around the corner and some last-minute tying is taking place at many vices across Ireland. Usually, I use streamers and heavy nymphs’ early season, if the levels allow I wet fly fish with some of my early season patterns. It can be hit and miss but it’s fishing so it’s enjoyable. Looking forward to seeing some of you on the bank soon.
Southern County Fishing resort
I have been visiting this fishery over the last few weeks with Anthony. We had some great trout in both lakes and even spent some time course fishing on the top lake for silvers, carp and perch. Fantastic fishery that has undergone recent improvements to walkways and fishing areas. Really hard fighting fish and in top condition. I will be holding 2 demo days on the fishery soon so keep an eye out for them. They will involve a casting clinic, casting demo, one on one tuition, fly tying demo, fly tying talk, what fly and when. A great chance to learn a bit more about rainbow trout.
Trout Fishing Ireland zoom series
In recent weeks some of you may have seen my free zoom classes. The classes were designed to help people with fly fishing and different techniques. It helps people also who are travelling to Ireland from abroad to fish here. There are many topics so be sure to check them out and email me at [email protected] for details on times and dates. See below for a list of topics,
Dry dropper
Wet fly
What to expect when fishing in Ireland
Equipment Maintenance
Beginners course
Irish Spring Angling Fair
I will be at the Irish spring angling fair with Cadence and my association APGAI. The full Cadence range will be there to try. The new Predator range is well worth checking out and why not come for a cast with me to test out some of the range. Other Cadence Ambassadors will also be there to give expert advice and talk about the range. APGAI Ireland will be holding a kids fly tying event, there is also kids casting on site. A great chance to learn the basics for those budding young anglers. A fair not to be missed on the 3rd and 4th of May at Ardaire Springs Angling Center.
Growing up in the countryside of Gowran, Co.Kilkenny, I started my fishing journey on the River Barrow with my dad, which is where I caught my first fish, a lovely brown trout. The Gowran River was also a short walk from my homeplace, and on the days my dad couldn’t fish, I would walk through the fields and fish the Gowran River. My love for fishing grew and took me to Mount Juliet Estate, where I began guiding at 13. I went on to become fisheries manager at Mount Juliet Estate and, to this day, enjoy taking out hundreds of clients every year fishing on the River Nore. I enjoy all types of fishing and guide all over Ireland. I am an Apgai Ireland-qualified casting instructor and have Ambassador roles with Cadence and Yeti. I joined Fulling Mill as an endorsed pro guide and am part of the Patagonia pro team. My angling journey has been an exciting one and hopefully will continue to be.
I take out all levels of anglers, from beginner to experienced. I enjoy what I do and count myself very lucky to be able to meet and guide new people to what might be their first Irish fish.
Lough Sheelin Rehabilitation Competition in October 2022 where she finished 3rd having caught a beautiful wild brown trout of 5.79lbs
Maddy Kelly of the Irish Ladies Flyfishing Association writes about Dorrie Gibbons who will represent Ireland on the Irish Trout Fly Fishing Association Senior Fly fishing Team later this Spring…
Dorrie Gibbons from Cong, Co. Mayo, is quite likely only the 6th woman in the 90+ year history of the Irish Trout Fly Fishing Association (ITFFA), to have qualified to represent Ireland. She is a member of the 2025 ITFFA Senior Fly Fishing Team and will take part in the ‘Spring International Match’ to be fished on Rutland Water in England on the 16th May competing against teams from England, Scotland and Wales.
Dorrie won her place on the Irish Team by coming 8th at the National Final held on Lough Lein Co Kerry last June with a bag of 3 fish for 0.613kg using a Cortland Camo line and finding success with Dabblers – 2 on the International Dabbler and one on a Green Dabbler.
Being presented with the ‘George McBride Trophy’ at the Nationals on Lough Lein in Kilarney, for Top Woman Angler.
Dorrie comes from a fishing background. Both her parents were keen anglers when she was a child, especially her late father Dick Gibbons (RIP) who represented Ireland on many occasions with the Irish Disabled Team. Her mother Mary, at 83 years age, still thoroughly enjoys the sport of angling and fishes the Cong River and Lough Corrib.
Dorrie started fishing at the early age of 5, being taught by her Dad on the beautiful Lough Corrib. She started to take it seriously in her 20’s and became well known on the Irish Competition scene taking part in the big competitions like the World Cup on Lough Mask, the Lough Melvin Open and the Lough Sheelin Rehabilitation Competition in October 2022 where she finished 3rd having caught a beautiful wild brown trout of 5.79lbs. She has achieved 9 caps with the Irish Ladies Flyfishing Association (ILFA) team including two gold medals in 2009 and 2013. Dorrie also won ‘Top Lady Angler’ at the Bob Church Classic on Rutland Water in 2010 catching 17 Trout.
Last year, to celebrate a special birthday she chose to fish Kylemore Lake, Connemara with two good friends Basil Shields, and Mary Miller. Dorrie marked the day well by landing her PB fish – a Salmon weighing 18lbs on a Silver Daddy fly. It took 25 minutes to land the magnificent fish.
Jock Scott Salmon Fly, Fin Lough – Delphi Fishery’
Back in 2014 to celebrate an earlier milestone birthday, Dorrie organised a fly-fishing competition called ‘Cast a Line for Autism’ with all proceeds going to charities related to children with special needs.
Having received positive feedback from that first event, Dorrie aimed to run the competition to complete a 10-year period until her next milestone birthday fell but due to the Covid19 pandemic she lost two years of the event that had quickly become an annual fixture on the Irish fly fishing competition scene. However in those 8 years Dorrie managed to raise over €40,000 supporting The Galway Autism Partnership, a Sensory Garden (Cong National School), The Irish Guide Dogs, and St. Anthony’s Special School, Castlebar.
The ‘Cast a Line for Autism’ event will not be running in 2025, but she hopes to bring it back in 2026.
Buzzer fishing on Lough Corrib
Pub quiz
Being a member of any Irish fishing team is expensive and to help with costs Dorrie is running a Pub Quiz to raise funds to support all 3 representatives from Connaught including Tommy Carroll from Westport and Pauric Walsh from Cornamona who have also qualified for the ITFFA team.
The Pub Quiz will take place at Lydon’s Lodge Hotel, Cong, on Friday 21st of March 2025, beginning at 8.30pm. If you are interested in participating in the quiz, contact Lydon’s Lodge Hotel Cong on (094) 9546053 or Dorrie on (087) 9383185 for details.
1 of 5
Evening Sun, Lough Corrib
Beautiful photo of T.C. Kingsmill Moore’s fishing hut on Glenicmurrin, Costello Fermoyle Fishery
Fishing Boat, Doolough – Delphi Fishery’
Jock Scott Salmon Fly, Fin Lough – Delphi Fishery’
Autumn Stroll, Cong Woods
As well as being a good angler Dorrie is a talented artist and photographer and finds that her fly fishing and art help her relax especially when both are combined.
The Irish Ladies Flyfishing Association wishes Dorrie and the rest of the Irish team good luck and tight lines for both the Spring and Autumn Internationals.
During an ILFA trial on Lough Corrib fishing with Debbie Kittle, A fine fish caught on a dry sedge which proved to be the winning fish of the day.
Interested in joining ILFA or fishing for Ireland?
For any women interested in being part of a women’s team the Irish Ladies Flyfishing Association will be running trials throughout the year in order to select the team that will represent Ireland in 2026 when the International Ladies Flyfishing Championships will be held on Grafham Water in England. The first ILFA trial will be held in Leinster on Lough Lene on Sunday 6th April.
Anyone interested in the selection process of the ITFFA should contact a club that is affiliated to the ITFFA.
A series of days to introduce women to flyfishing will be run by several organisations in 2025 throughout Ireland including the ILFA, Reel Women based in Northern Ireland, FROG cic based in the NW and the Ulster Angling Federation based in Northern Ireland.
For more information about any of these introductory days or about the ILFA team trials or if you wish to join the ILFA or would like to support the ILFA please contact Maddy Kelly PRO, ILFA on [email protected]
This week on Ireland on the Fly, Tom & Daire find out about a fly fishing club that bucks the trend and continues to grow its membership in the face of declining interest in the sport.
Kilbride Anglers Club has long been an innovative and forward thinking club since it was first founded in 1940 and its chairman Martin Kearney joins Tom & Daire on this week’s episode to explain how the club expanded beyond its Liffey waters to the Kells Blackwater as well as having 14 boats around the lakes of Ireland.
But it was a pollution incident on the Kells Blackwater twenty years ago that forced the club into restoration and expanding beyond just its rivers.
Keep up to date with all the latest Ireland on the Fly on https://www.IrelandontheFly.com and listen and follow on Apple or Spotify.
Carrick Beach and Rockers SAC was established in 1995 as part of the IFSA. The club is a mixture of sea match fishing and pleasure fishing all over Northern Ireland and Ireland.
Boat Hire
Salmon and Sea-Trout fishing Guide
For any women interested in being part of a women’s team the Irish Ladies Flyfishing Association will be running trials throughout the year in order to select the team that will represent Ireland in 2026 when the International Ladies Flyfishing Championships will be held on Grafham Water in England. The first ILFA trial will be held in Leinster on Lough Lene on Sunday 6th April.
