Michael Flanagan of Midland Angling reports that it’s next to impossible to get a calm day to venture out for some Perch & Pike fishing on Ennell or Derravaragh. Plus the Inny is in flood, and would be hard going. The Royal Canal is in great shape and crystal clear along some section, it’s a great banker when the fishing is hard going. Lough Lene Anglers got off to a very bad start for the New Year with the death of legendary Angler and Shooter Paddy Dolan. Paddy was Vice –Chairman of Lough Lene Angling Association.
Paddy loved his fishing & shooting and hosted his annual Paddy Dolan Trophy every June for pike. On behalf of Angling Focus we send our deepest sympathy to the Dolan family and all his many friends.
Midlands Angling provide a top class Guiding service covering many of the top coarse and game waters across the Midlands. Visiting fly anglers have landed some fine trout while out with Midland Angling Guides, pike anglers also recorded some net bursting catches including many pike over 20lbs. Top waters include Lough Ree, Ennell, Owel, Lene, Mount Dalton, and Glore Lake just to mention a few. Michael Flanagan Midland Angling
Pike and Trout angling guide.
The Irish Federation of Sea Anglers, Interprovincial Shore competitions commence this Friday the 10th of January in Ulster!
The top five anglers from each province pit themselves against the other provinces in the team event for both Ladies and Men. The individual anglers also have the chance to make the Irish home nations team to face England Scotland and Wales next summer. The top 5 over the course of the weekend will make the team. Best of luck to all taking part next weekend out of Portrush, Co. Antrim – Lets hope the weather and the fish are favourable!
Details for 2014 Interprovincial Shore Ladies / Men…
Fishing details:
1st Session Ladies
Saturday 11th January Waterfoot 10am-2 pm
2nd Session
Saturday 11th January Waterfoot 5pm – 9pm
1st Session Men
Saturday 11th January Portstewart Beach 10am – 2pm
2nd Session Men
Saturday 11th January White Rocks , Portrush 6pm – 10pm
3rd Session Men/Ladies
Sunday 12th January Benone Strand 10am-2pm
Peg draw on Friday 10th January in Port Hotel at 9pm
Awards presentation will be in the Port Hotel , Portrush
at approx 5pm.
“Cowardice asks the question: is it safe? Expediency asks the question:
is it politic? Vanity asks the question: is it popular? But conscience
asks the question: is it right? And there comes a time when one must
take a position that is neither safe, nor politic, nor popular- but one
must take it simply because it is right.” : Martin Luther King Jr.
1929-1968
The first salmon of 2014 was landed this yesterday afternoon (07 January) from the River Drowes Bridge Pool at Lennox’s Bridge by Ballyshannon angler Eoin McManus. The salmon was straight from the sea – a bar of silver complete with long tailed sea lice. The almost 8lbs fish was taken on a Rapalla at 2.30pm.
Eoin Mc Manus with the first salmon of 2014.
The water remains very high at 1 metre on the gauge. Yesterday was mainly mild and dry and the water level should now start to drop. One other fresh fish was seen in the Mill Pool during the afternoon.
Knock The Priest On The Head Bring A Camera Instead
In an effort to encourage an increased level of catch and release, especially for spring fish we are offering a prize of the latest GoPro Hero Action Camera for the first spring fish to be caught and released at the fishery in 2014. The fish must be a fresh, wild spring salmon and the release must be recorded by photo/video, verified and witnessed. (Terms & conditions apply).
The Latest GoPro Hero3 Plus Black Edition For The First C&R Spring Salmon Of 2014.
There will also be a prize for the first fish caught on fly in the 2014 season. Fly tyer Denis O’Toole has kindly sponsored a selection of flies ideal for spring fishing such as the Frances, Snaelda, Ally’s Shrimp, Willie Gunn and the perennial favourite, the Green Butt Cascade .
Wooden Fly Box Hand Made In Switzerland By Peter Zahnd.
A great spring selection to cover differing conditions.
The flies are presented in a wooden inlaid fly box, hand made in Switzerland by Peter Zahnd.
* Status orange weather warning for the southwest, west and northwest coasts * Status yellow warning for Leinster and other parts of the country * Cork and Galway cities at risk of flooding * Highest gusts – between 100 and 130kph – on southwest, west and northwest coasts * Flooding will be caused by heavy rain, and high tides and coastal surgest * Coasts will see the highest tides of the year * Met Eireann issued alerts to councils on Monday, to set precautions in place * Walkers warned not to go near the coast or shores * Irish Water Safety (IWS) has warned drivers and pedestrians not to pass through floodwaters * Structures which have suffered unobserved damage in recent storms will be vulnerable * Rivers like the Lee, Suir, and Shannon have already burst their banks, causing flooding….
Ireland’s Biggest Bass Festival brought anglers from far and near last year. The craic and the laughter will be remembered for a long time. The tales of the catches get better and bigger the more they are told. Be a part of this years festival on July 25th, 26th and 27th 2014. Book now with Absolute Fishing ‘Here’
2013 Festival Photos…..
Overall winner Jamie O’RourkeTaking time out after a long night’s fishingTaking a break from the summer sun…
Phil, Eugene and John with Tralee Bays first cod of 2014. Who said you can't catch cod in Kerry?
Danial Brosnan PRO for Tralee Bay SAC reports on their recent Winters League:
We all taught it would be a washout and it WAS for the first hour. The beach was situated in our favour because the wind was to the back of us. Ballyquinn is a very steep beach something we are not used to in Kerry. It is obviously very deep a couple of feet out and this was what we wanted to try and target some winter species. Cod was on our minds and the holy black sole….
The anglers got to be thanked for coming out because if people were to go on the weather forecast, fishing would have looked like a mad act. The weather played ball tho as the clouds opened up and dispersed after about 40 mins. We had a good two hours of lovely calm weather. The usual suspects again of Phil Ord, Eugene Farrelly and Chris o Sullivan, where hard to keep up with. Chris had a double in his first few casts which included a dog and with the new Tralee Bay Sea Angling Club rules, dogs will be very valuable. People can complain about the rules all they want but they are the rules and you can’t change them now for the year….
Ballyquinn Beach, Brandon, Winter League, 2014
Phil Ord had a double also in his second cast and whoever says fishing is luck, can throw that statement out the window. Paul O Sullivan who travelled all the way down from limerick to fish and an unbelievable start with four flats in the first hour. Myself and a couple of others were struggling and the bad starts cost us….
Martin McGowan was starting to catch and Anthony Foley had a few nice rounds. Connie had a few also. With the last two hours John Sheehan who was getting worried started flaking them in and Eugene had three trebles. You can’t beat a lucky peg… LOL…
On the last hour mark, there was a shitty bum moment, as fellas dropped from all angles… There was a clap of thunder which was like the gates of heaven opened and there was lads lying flat to the sand. Lighting was belting from all angles and anglers were inclined to leave the bait out that couple of extra minutes….
As I said before the usual suspects were in the running in the last half an hour, Phil, Eugene and Chris were playing for the big spots…
We got to hand it to, Chris O Sullivan, who pulled out a double dog last cast to cement his number one spot… Top notch angler who has the chance, next weekend, to fish for Ireland in the Home Nations… Every competition that is on in Kerry, affiliated or not, Chris will be there and it stands to him in his angling…
Thanks for everyone coming out and I myself seriously enjoyed it, there something about fishing in the elements and I can guarantee in the summer time there still be lads complaining about something…
I would like to wish Chris well next weekend and please god he can fish for Ireland and represent the club..
We gonna give the winter league a break till the weekend after the club comp and we will try and finish it off in Feb…
Phil, Eugene and John with Tralee Bays first cod of 2014. Who said you can’t catch cod in Kerry?
Eugene with a specimen Kerry cod..?????
A double for Dan
VENUE, BALLYQUINN BEACH, BRANDON….
DATE : 6/01/2014….
TIME: 1500 – 1900….
CONDITIONS : LIGHTENING, THUNDER, MILD, CALM, GALE FORCE WIND AND NO WIND…
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
RESULTS
1ST, CHRIS O SULLIVAN, 522 POINTS, 19 FISH….
2ND, PHIL ORD, 403 POINTS, 15 FISH….
3RD, EUGENE FARRELLY, 385 POINTS, 16 FISH….
4TH, MARTIN MCGOWAN, 273 POINTS, 11 FISH….
5TH, JOHN SHEEHAN, 263 POINTS, 10 FISH….
6TH, DANIEL BROSNAN, 138 POINTS, 6 FISH….
7TH, PUAL O SULLIVAN, 121 POINTS, 4 FISH….
8TH, ANTHONY FOLEY, 102 POINTS, 4 FISH…
9TH, CONNIE O SULLIVAN, 79 POINTS, 3 FISH…
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
POOLS
TOTAL FISH : 88 FISH…
BIGGEST ROUND : 28 CM, COD, EUGENE FARRELLY & PHIL ORD…
BIGGEST FLAT : 32 CM, PHIL ORD…
OVERALL POOLS HAVE NOT BEEN BEAT…
OVERALL BIGGEST ROUND : 60CM EEL, MARTIN MCGOWAN..
OVERALL BIGGEST FLAT : 37 CM BY 3 ANGLERS…
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
DISCUSSION
AS THE WINTER LEAGUE IS BEEN RAN ACCORDING TO THE NEW TRALEE BAY SEA ANGLING CLUB RULES…
EVERYTHING THAT IS SET OUT IN THE FIRST POST OF THE WINTER LEAGUE HERE ON FACEBOOK WILL BE STRICTLY ACCORDED TO…
DOGS ARE NOW REGARDING AS TOTAL SCORE FISH…
THERE IS NO MORE SET SCORES FOR DOGS, THIS WAS VOTED IN AT THE AGM…
WHAT WASN’T CONSIDERED WAS, ARE THEY NOW CONSIDERED ROUND FISH???
ARE THEY INCLUDED IN THE ROUND FISH POOLS, I GOT ONTO EUGENE WHO WAS NEARLY 100% SURE THERE WERE NOT BUT I CANT REMEMBER IT BEEN DISCUSSED, SOMETHING FOR THE ANGLERS TO DISCUSS… WHATEVER THE RULES ARE WITH TRALEE BAY WILL BE THE SAME WITH THE WINTER LEAGUE…
Tralee Bay SAC is a thriving community of enthusiastic anglers – young and old, experienced and newcomers – with new members joining all of the time. We have a busy schedule of shore and boat competitions and lots of social events planned throughout the year. Tralee Bay is a family friendly, welcoming club with a reputation for promoting angling and encouraging newcomers to the sport.
Joining could not be easier – simply get in touch with us via our Contact us page leave your address and we will send you out an application form. Please also let us have your email address – especially if you have any queries for us. We are especially eager to hear from junior anglers who want to take advantage of club membership. For more information on joining see here – Joining Tralee Bay Sea Angling Club.
A photo taken by photographer John Mc Vitty of an angler battling the elements at the Sea Pools on New Year’s Day which appeared in yesterday’s Irish Independent.
Shane Gallagher from the Drowes Salmon Fishery gives us an update on river conditions:
Water levels rose again today following very heavy rain overnight and this morning. The water was a little coloured following the flood but mainly cleared by afternoon. The gauge is now back to over 1 metre. Forecast for tomorrow is cold and dry, more heavy rain and strong winds forecast for Sunday and Monday. Unsettled, stormy conditions look set to continue into the start of next week. The strong winds and flood waters are making fishing conditions very difficult indeed.
Drowes – The Terrace and Black Gutter this morning.Lower Blackwater Today.A photo taken by photographer John Mc Vitty of an angler battling the elements at the Sea Pools on New Year’s Day which appeared in yesterday’s Irish Independent.
Ardaire Springs is certainly setting the standards high for fisheries. Jason O’Riordan will testify to this. What a fantastic start to the weekend he had. A Superb monster brown trout weighing 11.5lbs ! Jason tells us:
It was late Friday evening when I noticed a message from Kuba asking if I would accompany him to Ardaire Springs. No problem, and as the forecast was for cold calm conditions I reckoned there was a chance of a BIG fish. As usual I set up 2 Hardy rods, one with a floating and one with sinking line. Two of Kuba’s friends were there and Mick, Martin and Dave arrived shortly after. Kuba and I started off with bloodworms and his friends opted for lures. They were first into the fish . . .
Kuba
. . . .but then Kuba hooked up on the worm.
Kris
I was into a bow at the same time!
There were a few fish moving subsurface but not a lot was being caught. I decided to switch to the sinker supplied to me recently by Waterford Angling & Outdoor and added a dropper. I put a Tarantula blob on the dropper and a mini booby on the point. A cast or two later and I was into something serious on the Tarantula. Ned was beside me and caught sight of the beast. He and Martin quickly removed their lines from the water and Ned offered to land the fish for me. After a good battle a superb double figure brown was in the net . . . CRACKER!!!
A superb brown for Jason
A few photos and Martin measured the fish at around 75cm (and it wasn’t even straight!). It was time to release the fin perfect beauty. What a start to 2014!!!
Safely returned
After that I didn’t fish too hard, trying a few new flies and tactics for the future. Kuba and the boys had a few on lures and Martin had some nice fish on his secret buzzer. The odd trout was taken on buzzers and worms fished deep and really slow. Quite a few anglers fished the lake and I doubt anyone had more than 8 trout which is exceptionally low for this fishery but although quantity was down on this occasion the quality certainly made up for it.
To make a booking contact..
Jason O’Riordan
Hardy/Greys approved guide and an IFFF Qualified Fly Casting Instructor
Notes: Jason has a lifetime of experience in fishing and guiding on the rivers, lakes and coastline in the area. Jason has given talks on fishing techniques at the leading angling shows in Ireland. Game Fishing Ireland offers guided packages for salmon, river trout, lake trout and saltwater game species. Fishing packages can vary in price depending on the target species and time of year. A typical package can include permits, travel, guiding, and packed lunch. Tackle hire is also available.
THE first salmon caught in Ireland this year cost Limerick restaurant proprietor, Ted Moynihan, £157.50. This is believed to be a world record price… Limerick Leader, 03/01/14. Read the full article ‘Memories, 1974: Limerick man pays record price for fish‘.
The National Coarse Fishing Federation of Ireland’s executive committee have appointed Mark Theedom, Brenton Sweeney and Gavin Walsh as their national team managers from 2014 to 2016. Theedom takes charge of the Float Team (World and European Championships and Celtic Cup); Sweeney the Feeder Team (World Feeder Championships); and Walsh the Junior Team (World Championships and Celtic Cup). The appointments will be ratified at the Federation’s AGM next month… Belfast Telegraph, 04/01/14. Read the full article ‘Ireland team managers for next three years appointed‘.
