Lough Sheelin Angling Report By Brenda Montgomery, IFI – June 2nd – June 8th, 2014
On a lake without a fly rod I’m a tourist. Rod in hand I become something else … David James Duncan (From Trout Grass)
The Wicklow wand – Vincent Hatton bring in a 3lb plus beauty on Sheelin last Wednesday June 4th
There were mixed emotions on Sheelin this week as some anglers struggled to cope with the apparent sudden collapse of the mayfly. The numbers fishing the lake did not dwindle, with the bank holiday Monday and last weekend seeing boating numbers topping the one hundred mark but during the week the daytime previous week’s explosion of angling activity noticeably slackened off. Evening fishing was still popular with some reassuring numbers of good trout being landing.
Standing back from it all, for many anglers Sheelin’s mayfly season seemed to stop as suddenly as it started.
Friday May 9th was when the mayfly season really kicked off on this lake, with the surface waters literally boiling with trout in their frenzy of feeding on the hatching mayfly. In the lead up to this date there had been scattered and sporadic hatches in sheltered bays and shorelines allowing the trout that very necessary period of adjustment to the ‘new menu’. Angling numbers increased dramatically as word got out that the mayfly was up and nearly every angler the length and breadth of Ireland and some from its surrounding countries of England, Scotland, Wales and France were living the dream as Sheelin produced for most anglers copious numbers of beautiful 2lb plus fish as well as impressive heavy weights of 4 to 8lbs plus with a top weight of 10lbs. It was a fantastic time for every trout angler where Sheelin lived up to its magical name – ‘The Fairy Pool’ out stripping most of the trout lakes in Ireland for top class trout fishing. Everyone knows about ‘Duffers fortnight’ and true to form the frenzy of feeding slowed down after that fortnight and even a little before, and Sheelin steadied itself this week, reestablishing itself on a more even keel and fishing became fishing and not catching and the easiness and simplicity of fishing was gone for another year. Anglers need not despair however, as this is all good because no lake could sustain the numbers fishing it and the constant boat traffic which Sheelin has experienced over the past number of weeks recorded at well over a 1000 anglers per week with in excess of 1500 trout being caught (most of which were carefully returned).
Charlie Dillon, Tyrone with his 5 lb trout caught on a Spent Gnat in Goreport Bay (released)
Lough Sheelin fished well this week but anglers had to work much harder for their catches. Nature led everyone on a merry dance with frequent unsettled winds and temperatures dips and rises coupled with fussy trout feeders making everything a lot more difficult, challenging and unpredictable. Bank holiday Monday saw some nice fish being recorded but some anglers were caught on the hop with the spent going out in the day instead of the usual evening time. Sheelin is at the end of the mayfly season but it’s not quite over yet with some evenings during the week witnessing those magical spiraling clouds of mayfly dances particularly around Derrysheridan and at the back of Church Island with good fishing on the green and wet mayfly. Last weekend was slow and a clap of thunder on Saturday evening followed by bright conditions didn’t improve angling, there was also little or no fly life on the water’s surface and any fish being caught were on the wets – the Golden Olive Bumble, Bibio and Claret Dabbler getting good results.
Nature at its best
Sheelin however is leaving the mayfly behind it and this week saw the start of the gradual metaphorosis from the mayfly and spent to the sedge and mid-week saw sedges hatching all over the place.
Sedge fishing is arguably reputed to be the cream of Lough Sheelin’s fishing season and usually gets into full swing from mid-June onwards to continue right up to the close of the season – October 12th. Just because the mayfly is near at an end does not mean that the trout will stop feeding. Sedges are an important part of the trout’s diet throughout the fishing season with peak hatches from May through to September. The flies are most commonly fished ‘dry’ either singly or in teams of two, positioned four to six feet apart. Whilst dry flies are normally fished static, sedge patterns such as the Murrough, Grey Flag, Sheelin and small Brown Sedge are best retrieved with short pulls to represent the characteristic skittering motion of the natural sedge across the water surface. The Green Peter and the Red Tailed Peter are classic all-rounders and can be fished wet or dry.
The Sheelin May fly – magic and mystery
Terry O’Keefe, Cork landed himself some Sheelin magic with this beautiful trout fishing with Michael Kelly
The flies most used this week by anglers were the green Mayfly, the Spent Gnat, a small Brown Sedge (12-14 or smaller), the Bibio, Watsons Fancy, the Fiery Brown Sedge, the Chocolate Drop, the Sooty Olive, the Wulff (grey, royal and green), the red tailed Green Peter, the Welshman’s Button, French Partridge, the Golden Olive Bumble, the Stimulator and a selection of Dabblers.
The Welshman’s button
Vinny Hatton, Wicklow with a Sheelin beauty, June 4th L.Finney’s Brown Sedge
Craig Sheridan, Cavan with his 6lb plus Sheelin trout
The Lough Sheelin Trout Protection Association will be hosting a Youth angling day in July. This popular event will include fly tying, fly casting and trout fishing followed by a Bar B Q. For further details contact Thomas Lynch @ 087 9132033
Please remember anglers to abide by BYE-LAW 790 which strictly prohibits
• All trolling on the lake from March 1st to April 30th (inclusive).
• From May 1st to June 15th – no trolling between 7pm –6am and no trolling under engine between 6am – 7pm and
• June 16th – October 12th – no trolling under engine between 7pm – 6am.
• No trout less than 14 inches should be taken from the lake
A catch & release policy is actively encouraged on the lake at all times
Most of the fish featured in these angling reports are returned carefully and safely to the lake
A Red Butt Mosley Mayfly A wet French Partridge
It won’t work if you are not wearing it
Water rarely gives second chances and a life jacket is just that – it saves your life, so we would implore anglers and all other users for their own safety as well as it being the law under
SI No 921 of 2005 – Pleasure Craft (Personal Flotation Devices and Operation) (Safety) Regulations 2005
To please put on and keep on that life jacket until you are back on dry land.
Caoimhe Sheridan, Cavan – getting it right
Sheelin’s Spent – June 3rd
There are a good selection of Sheelin ghillies/guides available and they are well worth investing in if angling visitors are unfamiliar with the lake, or perhaps haven’t that much fly fishing experience or maybe are a little ‘cut for time’ due to work or other commitments. If one guide is unavailable it’s an absolute certainty that there will always another capable one to step into the breach.
Lough Sheelin Guiding Services (www.loughsheelinguidingservices.com) 087 1245927
Michael Farrell @ 087 4194156 Telephone: +353 43 6681298 Email: [email protected]
Rising Trout Photography by Oystein Rossebo
Most of the fish featured in these angling reports are returned carefully and safely to the lake
“It is only the inexperienced and thoughtless who find pleasure in killing fish for the mere sake of killing them. No sportsman does this.” – W.C. Prime, 1888
The heaviest fish for the week was a beautiful 7 ½ pounder caught on Wednesday June 4th by Liam Faulkner, Navan on a Murrough
Total number of trout recorded for the week: 205
Selection of Catches
Vaughan Ruckley, Edinburgh – 8 trout averaging 2 – 3lbs, all caught on the Spent Gnat, Monday June 2nd.
Martin McCoy, Armagh – 4 trout, heaviest weighing in at 4 lb, rest at 2 ¾ – 1 ½ lbs ‘the best dry fly fishing that I’ve ever had’.
Donal Hegarty (in the company of his long haired pointer Heidi) – 1 trout at 2lbs using a Welshman’s Button. 10 days ago Donal reported 2 lovely trout dapping at Merry pt. at 4 ¾ and 2 ¾ lbs.
Anthony McCaffrey, Derry – 6 trout fishing at Inchacup and at the back of Church Island, heaviest weighed in at 5 ½ lbs.
Nigel McBerwick, Scotland – 3 trout evening fishing the dry spent, 6lbs, 4lbs and 1 ½ lbs.
Michael McCabe, Dundalk – 1 trout using a bibio at 1 ½ on June 7th.
Ned Clinton, Crover – 1 trout at 3lbs pulling wets
Stevie Munn, Mullusk Anglers – 1 trout at 5lbs caught off Church Island on a Spent Gnat.
Jimmy Martin, Northern Ireland – 1 trout at 2lbs using a Chocolate Drop Sedge.
Gerard Usher, Asbourne – 2 trout at 2 ½ and 3lbs on the spent gnat.
Vincent Hatton, Wicklow – June 4th, 1 trout at 3lb plus.
Peter Ffrench Mullen, Co.Armagh – June 3rd on the Spent Gnat 1 trout at 3.25lbs at Merry pt.
Andrew Brown, Dublin fishing with Robert Brown – 28 fish in total for the week, heaviest weighed in at 6 ½ lbs.
Bill Chapman, Belfast (ghillied by Lough Sheelin Guiding) – 1 trout at 5 ¾ lbs on a Grey Wulff.
Ryan Houston, Enniskellan – Monday June 2nd 3 trout at 2, 3.75 and 4.25 lbs, all caught on a spent.
John Maguire – 1 trout at just over 4lbs using a Claret Dabbler.
Cathal Joseph McNaughton, Co.Antrim – 1 trout at 3lb 7oz on a spent in Holywell and 2 trout at 3lbs6ozs and 1 ½ lbs using a Yellow Wulff at Wilsons Pt.
Charlie Hendron, Ballymena, Co.Antrim – 1 trout at 3lbs at Holywell on a Spent Gnat, 2 trout at 1 ½ lbs each on a Yellow Wulff at Wilsons Pt.
Charlie Dillon, Benburb, Co.Tyrone – 1 trout at 5lbs 9ozs on a Spent Gnat in Goreport Bay, 1 trout at Church Island weighing in at 2lbs on a Yellow Wulff and 1 trout at 3lbs 11ozs on a Spent Gnat in Goreport Bay.
Cathal Gerard McNaughton, Cushendall, Co.Antrim – 3 trout at 4lbs 3ozs, 4lbs and 2lbs 14ozs on a Yellow Wulff at Wilsons Pt., 1 trout at 4lbs 13ozs on a Spent Gnat at Holywell and 3 trout in Goreport Bay using a Spent Gnat weighing between 1 – 2lbs. June 1st 1 trout at 1 ½ lbs, June 2nd on a spent at Crover 1 trout at 2 ½ lbs and Tuesday June 3rd 1 trout at Merry Pt. using a Spent Gnat.
Brenda Montgomery IFI
