Back out on our first full day’s fishing trip of 2025…nice and calm but cold. Fishing was very slow for the first few hours but did get plenty of mackerel close to the harbour which is a bit mad for February. Unfortunately, the pollack weren’t as handy got but we managed an odd one here and there. However, it was close to high water before a few more started to take; some nice size fish in it too.
John Browne reports on the sixth round of the Oaklands Winter League fished at the weekend…
On Sunday at Oaklands we had the 6th Round of the Ger Hennesy Winter league. Water temperatures at only 5°C and unfortunately the Carp weren’t playing ball.
Top weight on the day went to in form junior Conor Fitzharris netting 6.930 kg from peg 1, well done!
Conor Fitzharris
Top senior on the day, in a very tight match, was Leo Lynch with 6.530 kg from peg 3.
A very close 2nd was Sion Pritchard weighing 6.420 kg peg 53.
Not to far behind in 3rd was Tommy Ryan with 5.800 kg peg 55.
Today’s Results
1st Leo Lynch 6.530 kg
2nd Sion Pritchard 6.420 kg
3rd Tommy Ryan 5.800 kg
Section A
Kieran Reeves 5.700 kg
Section B
Paddy O’Regan 3.300 kg
Junior’s
1st Conor Fitzharris 6.930 kg
2nd Finn Mccarthy 3.710 kg
3rd Charlie Upton 2.550 kg
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.
Vincent Appleby is back again this week with the welcome news of Lough Currane’s first salmon of the season…
On 7/2/2025, there was bright sunshine throughout the day with one boat on the water, yielding only a few catch-and-release kelts. The wind was initially gentle to moderate from the east, later shifting to east-southeast, followed by clear skies. The weather from the previous day included no rainfall, a maximum air temperature of 10.7°C, and 8 hours of sunshine.
08/02/2025 Fishing activity on Currane was minimal across all areas. It is presumed that efforts in trolling and fly fishing were largely unproductive. The wind direction shifted from east to southeast before returning to east later in the afternoon. This was accompanied by reasonable cloud cover, with occasional sunlight breaking through. Yesterday’s weather recorded no rainfall, a maximum temperature of 7.8°C, and 7 hours and 3 minutes of sunshine.
9/2/2025 The Currane anglers reported no activity, with all reels quiet and lines slack according to my communication via WhatsApple. The wind was from the northeast, varying from gentle to fresh. Weather data for the previous day indicated no rainfall, a maximum air temperature of 7.5°C, and a total sunshine duration of 2 hours and 2 minutes.
10/2/2025 Two Currane boats caught some Kelts and an occasional brown Trout. The wind was moderate to fresh, coming from the Northeast and veered East, with reasonable cloud cover. Yesterday saw no rainfall, a maximum temperature of 7.6°C, and 1 hour and 2 minutes of sunshine.
11/2/2025 The Currane anglers experienced no activity in trolling or fly fishing. It was extremely cold on Lough Currane, with moderate to fresh east to southeast winds and gusts up to 52 km/h. Yesterday’s weather: no rainfall, maximum temperature 7.6°C, and 3 hours of sunshine.
12/2/2025 The Lough Currane anglers experienced a quiet day. However, the weather conditions were notably harsh due to strong southeast gusts reaching up to 50 km/h, with an average wind speed of 33 km/h. The day was characterized by good cloud cover and occasional light showers. The previous day’s weather included a total rainfall of 3.9 mm.
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.
Munster Coarse Anglers fished the second last match of their winter series at Portumna at the weekend. Kevin Leahy reports…
The numbers are thinning as the the last match approaches. Still to be fair those Holidays in the Sun, County Darts Finals and Spouses Birthdays do take precedent when duty calls.
Seven brave souls made it to a cold Portumna bank side this morning. To be honest the sport was not too bad with some quality roach making a appearances and there were three double figure weights making it to the weigh in. In the end there were only 2oz separating Father & Son duo Richard and Liam. Following today’s results Richard and I are in a two way shoot r bragging right in this year’s league.
Munster Coarse Angling Club 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
Fishery manager David McEvoy reports that Delphi got off the mark on Monday 10th, with its first spring salmon of the season.
February salmon are not easy, and angler Ken Wickham has had a few visits over the past 5 years trying for one, but he was the first successful angler in the Delphi Valley this year. Fishing a Black Nymph, he hooked and landed a lovely 7lbs+ springer in the Waterfall Pool. The fish was sparkling fresh, still with sea lice attached, and gave a good acount of itself before being successfully landed. Well done and congratulations to Ken!
David reports lower water this week, but bitterly cold conditions – as he says: it’s not for the faint-hearted! Hopefully milder conditions and a drop of water will bring in some more fresh spring fish, and we look forward to more reports from Delphi soon.
Go fishing…
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.
It’s the time of year when anglers thoughts turn to the season ahead, better weather and good fishing. Charter skippers up and down the coast are busy preparing their boats for the coming season, carrying out essential maintenance, making upgrades, and getting ready for safety inspections. The Marine Survey Office carries out inspections on all passenger vessels, so when you book a registered charter boat, you can be safe in the knowledge that it is a good boat in top condition.
Two Westcoast skippers busy getting ready for the start of their season are Clare’s Luke Aston, and Connemara man John Fleming. Luke skippers the Clare Dragoon out of Carrigaholt/Kilrush, and the now 20 year old boat is due her licence inspection this spring. So the hull is getting some TLC at the moment to have her looking great, and be ready to welcome Luke’s guests when she gets back on the water.
The Clare Dragoon shows off her sleek lines out of the water
Luke is looking forward to welcoming back many returning guests, and some new ones too, for fish both large and small.
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A bit further north, John Fleming has been out potting for much of the winter in Galway Bay and surrounds, but now he is looking forward to getting back out with a boatload of anglers and seeing some good fish coming over the rails.
The Brazen Hussy II, a great boat to fish from.
John’s season will get going around St. Patrick’s Day.
“We will be starting off targeting the spring run of whitefish, and then soon after targeting spurdog. We will be at whitefish all season form start to finish.
Tope fishing will start around mid/late May.
Then of course the porbeagle will start around mid June until mid August.
We will once again be putting on squid trips from September to November.
We will also be running half day and evening mackerel trips June, July and August
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Best of luck, fair winds and tight lines to all our charter skippers this season!
Go fishing…
Clare Dragoon
Clare Dragoon is a LOCHIN 366 powered by 650HP engine, skippered by Luke Aston and operating out of Carrigaholt Co. Clare…
I have some offers up on my web site www.fishandstay.com and if anybody is interested in putting a trip together please do get in touch. Also I Twitter from the boat on @fishandstay and try to update my face book page www.facebook.com/CarrigaholtSeaAngling fairly often!To experience some of the best deep sea fishing available in Ireland contact Luke. Telephone: +353 65 9058209 or +353 87 6367544 Email:[email protected]Web:www.fishandstay.com
Brazen Hussy II
To book fishing with John aboard the Brazen Hussy II, give him a call on 087 7571320
A regular day is between 9am- 6pm from either Rossaveal, Spiddal or Galway depending on species being sought after. Fishing on the inshore reefs for pollock, cod, ling, wrasse, conger eel and mackerel can be reached in 10 minutes from departure, while our offshore reef marks are within 45 minutes of departure. Our ground fishing for tope, spurdog, ray, bullhuss, turbot, plaice and the giant common skate can all be reached within the hour which ensures the most amount of time is spent fishing.
The shark season usually starts at the end of June and runs into late October, this is the ultimate angling adrenaline rush with these hard fighting blue and porbeagle sharks all being tagged and released safely.
Package deals available
Transition Year students Nikita Greidans and Jack Keenahan are working together at Blackwood Bait and Tackle. As part of their Transition Year they are supplying reports to the Irish Angling Update…
My favourite type of coarse fishing is on the cage and method feeder it took me a while, but I believe I have refined my feeder fishing skills enough to write a blog about it and help introduce or help people understand feeder fishing.
What you will need
You will need a feeder fishing rod! I recommend anywhere between 11-13 feet for rod length with a 1 oz to 2 oz quiver tip and then a 3000-5000 size reel and 8-12lb mainline and 4-7 lb hook length depending on your target species. I personally use method feeders such as the Guru 24g x-safe guru method feeder. I find the weight of it is heavy enough to cast accurately without putting too much strain on my quiver tip and light enough to get indications from smaller species.
I like to fish between 4-6 wraps as my local lake has a clear spot where the Tench tend to roam and feed. I usually use a single corn kernel on a size 14 hook and a 12 cm hook length before I reach my method feeder which is on a running rig. I’m lucky enough to have a seat box and feeder arms but a single bank stick would work as well.
Bite indication
Watch out for line bites, where a fish has not taken the bait, but has swum into the line. It’s important not to strike at “liners” so as not to foul hook or spook of your swim. Bite indications can be seen by small or large jitter motions at the end of your rod tip it may simply curl over if you’re fishing for carp or tench.
My own experiences with method fishing
I love to feeder fish it’s my favourite method for coarse fishing and it will always hold a special place in my heart because it caught me biggest tench and carp. I hope to catch a big bream with my feeder rod, but the time will come. I hope that everyone will have an amazing feeder experience as it truly is a quality way to fish I hope you enjoyed reading this blog and wish everyone tight lines.
Buy some gear…
We cannot take orders through the website at the minute so please contact us directly for orders but you can use the website to view the products…
We cannot take orders through the website at the minute. Please continue to browse our website to see the products available and contact us directly for orders.
The NCFFI has announced three exciting youth events for 2025:
𝗘𝘅𝗰𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗡𝗲𝘄𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗴 𝗔𝗻𝗴𝗹𝗲𝗿𝘀!
The NCFFI is proud to announce three dedicated championships for our youth anglers, reinforcing our commitment to getting more young people out on the bank and ensuring equal opportunities for everyone to achieve success.
We’re thrilled to welcome back the 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝘁𝗵 𝗖𝗮𝗻𝗮𝗹𝘀 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗺𝗽𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽 for the first time since 2018, alongside dedicated championships for 𝗙𝗹𝗼𝗮𝘁 and 𝗙𝗲𝗲𝗱𝗲𝗿 fishing.
New for 2025, we’re introducing a 𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗨𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿-𝟭𝟮𝘀 𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗴𝗼𝗿𝘆, designed to encourage novice anglers to take part and develop their skills in a fun and supportive environment.
Looking to sharpen your skills? Join our 𝗗𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹𝗼𝗽𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗗𝗮𝘆𝘀 and work your way up to becoming an 𝗔𝗹𝗹-𝗜𝗿𝗲𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗖𝗼𝗮𝗿𝘀𝗲 𝗔𝗻𝗴𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗺𝗽𝗶𝗼𝗻. Plus, with our 𝗧𝗲𝗮𝗺 𝗜𝗿𝗲𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗠𝗮𝗻𝗮𝗴𝗲𝗿𝘀 on the lookout for emerging talent, this could be your chance to get noticed!
The Irish Federation of Pike Angling Clubs has announced an open boat competition to be held on Garadice Lough on Sunday, 30th of March. Details are as follows:
Entry €100 per boat.
Max 4 rods per boat.
Sunday 30th March 2025 Fishing 10am to 4 pm.
Check-in at Haughton’s Shore car park from 8.30AM to 9.45AM.
No live scoping allowed. Safety: Lifejackets are mandatory.
Angling guide & instructor Dan O’Neill has been helping a couple of young angling entrepreneurs get their first fishing competition together:
In recent weeks, I have been talking to Jack and Nikita; it would be unfair for me to say I’m helping them as these two anglers help themselves. As part of their mini-company project, they set up Blackwood Bait and Tackle. The company has its own website and blog, which can be read on the Fishing in Ireland website. When the lads had an idea to host a competition, they went to a fishery in Garryhill, Carlow, called Southern County Fishing Resort, where Pat and Chris were great and agreed to hold the first Blackwood Bait and Tackle Open Competition on the fishery. The guys were on the phone immediately to me and making plans for the competition. As an angler, it can be challenging for sure to get the next generation interested. I think it’s important that we really get behind these two young anglers and show them that the fishing community is there to support them. We may require some stewards nearer the time, so keep an eye on the Blackwood Bait and Tackle page and my socials. We have some prizes from Cadence, Trout Fishing Ireland and Slaney Tackle. If anyone else would like to donate some prizes, please contact Jack or Nikita at the contact details below.
In the coming weeks, there will be plenty of activity on social media around the competition, so be sure to keep an eye open to see some of the prizes up for grabs on the day.
If you could share all social media posts you see around the competition it would be much appreciated.
Boat Hire
Salmon and Sea-Trout fishing Guide
Anyone who would like to fish the Munster Coarse Anglers Winter League can contact us by 
