John Browne reports on the third round of the Oaklands Winter League fished at the weekend…
We had the third round of the winter league at Oaklands on Sunday. There were lovely conditions on the day for the match. As usual the end pegs came up trumps on the day.
Big congrats to Paddy O’Regan winning the day with 53.610 kg. Second on the day in the other corner peg Tommy Ryan netting 36.447 kg from peg 58. Running in third from another end peg 10 was John Townson bagging 22.250kg.
And also a fantastic result from young Conor Fitzharris 3rd heaviest weight on the day with 12.750 kg.
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Today’s Results
1st Paddy O’Regan 53.610 kg
2nd Tommy Ryan 36.447 kg
3rd John Townson 22.250 kg
Section A
Andrei Pirchio 17.160 kg
Section B
Leo Lynch 18.980 kg
Well done to all the junior’s and once again big thanks to all the lads who fished.
Next match and the final one for this year December 15th.
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.
Munster Coarse Anglers fished the fourth match of their winter series in O’Briensbridge at the weekend. Kevin Leahy reports…
When half the anglers DNW you know it’s been a hard match.
When all the fish caught are Perch you know it’s a bit of a grueler.
When success is counted by having a bite…
Needless to say O’Briensbridge was not on good form today. But there were some quality perch caught some over a pound as witnessed by Ian’s and Richard’s photos.
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Results
1st overall Ian Kelsey 4ĺb 14ozs
Section 1
Steve Grogan 1lb 1oz
Morgan Lewis 3oz
Section 2
Richard Bedford 1lb 13oz
Kevin Leahy 1lb
Let’s hope things improve before the next match in two weeks time.
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
Had a most enjoyable and final guided trip of the season here in beautiful West Cork with Dylan Walsh from Waterford. Dylan is new to kayak fishing and was keen to learn more and improve his results so I suggested a workshop to include all the basics needed to plan a trip and go afloat safely, plus an intro to the lure fishing piece – which is quite a lot to get through in one trip but manage it we did.
The fish were holding close to structure in very rough terrain at the first spot and the breeze was barely strong enough to give us a positive drift, with the influence of the tidal flow taking over, but we preserved, started picking up some decent pollack (A new species for Dylan) and after a move and with the light fading fast he managed a really nice sized one as we worked our Pirate Lures tight to the bottom which will probably be his PB for a good while I would have thought. Well done Sir! There’s nothing like ending a trip and the season on a high…
Just a reminder that we have gift vouchers available for Christmas.
Guided Kayak fishing Vouchers available
Go fishing…
If you’re interested in joining me for some guided Kayak Fishing or Coaching contact me – [email protected] (Gift Vouchers available).
David has been lure then fly fishing since the mid noughties with some of the best guides and anglers in Ireland and abroad.
Kayak fishing by lure & fly now takes him and his guiding guests beyond the shore to target Pollock, Bass or Wrasse with the chance of other species such as Codling, Coalfish, Mackerel or Garfish.
Shore fishing at night is also a very special experience.
South Shore SAC fished the last round of their master angler competition last weekend, and the early arrivals found access to their original venue (Kilgorman) blocked off. So, a quick decision was made to head to Arklow, where space was tight, but there was just enough room to squeeze the 32 competitors in.
So, as anglers made their first casts at the new venue, they were unsure what they might find, but when rods started to bend all along the beach, they knew they were in for an active day. Treble shots of whiting were coming in hand over fist and they were accompanied by plenty of doggies, making organisation and bait management the key to success. With so many fish coming in all across the beach, it was hard to keep tabs on who was making moves up the leaderboard, and when lines were finally reeled in at the end of the competition, nobody had a clue how things had panned out.
Well-prepped baits
The totters had a job on their hands as, apart from compiling results from the day’s round of the competition, they were also figuring out the results of the overall Master Angler competition. And with a number of anglers landing 50+ fish on the day, there was a lot of adding up to do. When all the sums were done, the winners on the day were: Zone A, Ramunus Butkus with 64 fish and Zone B, Paul Mason with 53 fish.
Final standings from a bumper day’s fishing
On the Master Angler front, it was a family affair, with Gavin Fogarty just pipping his brother Ciaran to the title by a single point. All competitors enjoyed a well-earned meal at Whites, where the prize-giving ceremony took place. See the full report on the South Shore SAC Facebook Page.
Peter Driver of Piscari Fly is back with his weekly roundup of the fishing scene:
How’s the Fishing
What a great few days we had at the Hanak European Grayling Championships in Wales….Great fishing on a magnificent river with great friends new and old….huge congrats to all the winners over the weekend and a massive thanks to Hywel Morgan and Dylan Roberts and all the team there and clubs that bring this brillant weekend together. Well done to our own Mark Driver on the longest fish prize with a lovely fish at 47.2cm. Also to our fellow team mate Rob Redman thanks for being on the team and look forward to next years adventures.
Mark won longest fish at 47.2cm
The boys went over on Wednesday, they practiced in ok conditions considering the rivers were blown out of it the week previous. On Wednesday, Thursday and Friday they got fish everywhere they went. They spent most of their practice in the upper reaches of Bala and got some good fishing throughout the weekend. The boys got a few nymphs working and a few tactics were working. It was great to meet up with the other teams then Friday night and have a chat and look forward to the competition starting on Saturday morning.
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Saturday started well, Peter and Mark were drawn on A4 Saturday morning and the best they were hoping for was a possible third because A1 and A2 tend to produce big numbers in this competition. So they were looking for a 3rd, that’s where they wanted to be and that’s exactly what happened the guys got 7 fish and got 3rd place so they got 3 place points off the morning session. So everything was going according to plan.
In the afternoon Peter and Rob were out and got a good beat. A beat the boys had practiced on 3 weeks previously and so knew there were fish there. But we just could not get them going and we only got 3 fish for the session, poor enough result and a lot of place points -12 points for the afternoon session. That’s the way it goes. The joys of fishing tournaments, sometimes you get the luck sometimes you don’t. The boys fished their hearts out but just could not find the grayling in that beat for that session. So that left the guys down in 24th place and a lot of work to do on Sunday.
On Sunday morning Mark and Rob fished C5 and Peter controlled on C6. C5 had fished really well on both sessions the previous day and had won both sessions, so hopes were high that they would get a good result off the beat. And we did, the boys got in and fished really hard. Lucky enough the flood waters that came down the A beats in the morning time didn’t get to the C beats quite as quick which meant Mark and Rob had about an hour and twenty minutes before the water coloured up. They got 14 fish out of it but then once it coloured up the fishing went off completely as it did on the entire river system. It was unfortunate but you can’t control the weather, that’s outside of the organisers control. Still was a good session for the lads and Mark picked up a 47.2cm grayling on this session. This meant they won the session and brought the teams final place to 8th.
Overall a great competition like any competition you take away a lot of learning from it. So the guys have lots of learning to do, extra practice next year and work on a few things. It’s great tournament, great fun, very friendly and a great group of people go to it. Great effort done in the organising to keep it simple and efficient. Really looking forward to next year and thanks again to all the people and clubs involved in organising.
Congratulations to all the winners, it was a very tough competition at times and all those who finished on the podium were certainly well deserving.
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For more information and details about where to fish drop me a line [email protected]
What’s New?
Stocking filler idea
Piscari-Fly hats and caps
A restock of our hats just in. Beautifully embroidered, the Piscari 5-panel cap will keep your face perfectly protected from the sun. The cap is also equipped with a double stitching to ensure its long-term solidity.
The Beanie will protect your head from the cold and is a very comfortable piece of headgear for those cold days out fishing.
This week we are highlighting the Venator Nymphing Rod.
This is a 10 foot 6, 2 weight nymphing rod that has just outpreformed our expecations over the last year. we fish this rod 100% of the time be it with 3 large nymphs down deep for grayling or micro beads and pushing them out to 30 feet. It is a super senstive rod with great tippet protection for those fine leaders.
Meticulously crafted with precision engineering and cutting-edge technology, the Venator is designed to meet the specific demands of nymphing enthusiasts. Built with high-performance materials and expert craftsmanship, the Venator offers unparalleled sensitivity, allowing you to detect even the most subtle strikes with ease. It’s lightweight yet robust construction ensures effortless casting and precise control, giving you the confidence to tackle any nymphing scenario.
Also dont forget if you are a member of piscari-fly club there is massive discounts on the rod.
Free Piscari-Fly euro nymphing flyline with your Piscari-Fly Venator rod
Saturday 7th December – PISCARI-FLY CLUB goes live again
Live Flytying on the club is back at 8.30 on saturday night. Join us for the craic, the flytying and the giveaway. This week will be all about Mayfly nymphs for the big lakes, over the last number of years Mayfly nymphs have been producing some cracking fishing, so this week we will tie several patterns and chat about the best way to fish them. Dont miss a great night of fly tying, chat and giveaways. Click here to join us: https://club.piscari-fly.com/
About us
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.
So that was Storm Bert, and Bert certainly made himself felt around the country. Before his arrival we were caught in a cold icy spell, and then we were whipped by strong winds and lashed with heavy rain. And there was some amount of rain, up to nearly 3 times more than normal. It has remained unsettled over the last few days and there is more wind and rain on the the way. Needless to say all the land around our rivers and lakes is water logged and the rivers and lakes themselves are high. The estuaries are full of flood water and it’s a wonder that anyone managed to wet a line at all…
Starting with trout angling, congratulations to Mikey Foley who won the TAFI Munster Banks competition at Adaire Springs. The fishing was pretty good considering Storm Bert, and the 14 anglers who took part caught 123 trout between them. In other rainbow news Laois angling centre was fishing well on Sunday which will be well received by those who’ll fish the TAFI Leinster Banks competition on December 8th. If you’re interested in improving your casting you should probably take note of the the latest River Whispers, there’s also a report on the recent Irish Fly Fair and a lot more besides…
On to pike angling now and the reports from Lough Derg are that last week’s cold temperatures really got the pike going and that fish are still on the feed following the weekend’s tempestuous weather. In short the 1m plus fish biting hard! Regular Belgian anglers Jean-Pierre and son Nick along with long-time friend Alain were back at Melview Lodge for yet blockbuster fishing holiday. In the first couple of hours they had 4 pike between 87cm and 97 cm and finished up their 6 day trip with 87 pike which included a number of 90s and 100cm plus fish. On Sunday Newbridge Anglers fished a big competition at Blessington – 94 senior anglers and 46 juniors took part! Unfortunately a mix of heavy rainfall and snow melt completely flooded the lake and the fishing was poor. Despite the pike not taking part in equal numbers there were some nice fish caught and the club enjoyed their day out.
We finish with sea angling, and obviously last week’s weather made it just about impossible to get anything much done at all. Before the worst of it hit Dave Norman was out with Patrick Hamrock and they had good fun with wrasse and pollack on lures in West Cork. Looking to the future, South Shore SAC will be hosting the 6th leg of the Leinster League in the Wicklow area next weekend. Good luck to everyone involved.
Finally, a huge congratulations go to the Irish shore angling team who came 3rd in the World Championships in Spain last week. Well done to Troy Francis, Chris O’Sullivan, JP Molloy, Derek Kenrick, Tim O’Sullivan and Ciaran Fogarty, with team managers Darren Ryan and Ruairi Coleman providing brilliant support. Chris O’Sullivan gets a second mention for his outstanding angling on the last day that saw him rise through the ranks to take individual Silver.
In other news…
As salmon and trout are either spawning or getting ready to, salmon and trout anglers might be interested to know that the public consultation is underway for the Wild Salmon and Sea Trout Tagging Scheme (Amendment) Regulations 2024, to provide for the management of the wild salmon and sea trout fishery by Inland Fisheries Ireland from January 1st, 2025. Anyone wishing to submit observations on or objections to the draft regulations can do so by email or post. The closing date for submissions is 18th December 2024.
Salmon Logbooks
We would like to take this opportunity to remind all salmon and sea trout anglers to return their angling logbooks (setting out their fishing and catch record) and any unused gill tags.
Agus anois an aimsir…
⚠ As we go to press there is a Small Craft Warning for all coasts of Ireland which will remain valid until midnight on Saturday. This will be accompanied by gale force winds in the west and north on Saturday with gales continuing on Sunday from Valentia to Rossan Point to Belfast Lough.
Saturday will start with light rain, drizzle and mist spreading from the southwest in the morning. More persistent rain will develop in the west and southwest towards evening, spreading across much of Connacht and Munster after nightfall. Sunny spells and scattered showers spreading from the west through Sunday, some possibly turning heavy at times. Highest temperatures of 11 to 13°C, with moderate to fresh southwesterly winds, veering westerly by evening. On Monday it will be mostly a dry, bright day with winds becoming lighter towards evening time, but the unsettled weather will continue and temperatures are to fall again.
Don’t forget to check the forecast before heading off and if you’re going to sea, check the tides.
If you have an angling story to share with the Irish Angling Update please send it to [email protected] and don’t forget that all of our fishing reports are available on our dedicated Angling Ireland Facebook page.
Salmon and Sea Trout Anglers who fished during the 2024 season are being reminded to please return their logbooks and any unused gill tags at the end of the season.
Inland Fisheries Ireland (IFI) is encouraging salmon and sea trout anglers to return angling logbooks (setting out their fishing and catch record) and any unused gill tags from 2024 if they have ceased fishing for this year or once the season has closed.
Under the Wild Salmon and Sea Trout Tagging Scheme, anglers can return these in one of three ways:
Using the postage pre-paid business return envelope that was supplied at the time of licence purchase (preferred option).
Posting the logbook and unused gill tags to the IFI office address that is displayed on their licence or logbook.
Scanning and emailing logbook and licence documents to [email protected] (please scan all sides of documents, including continuation pages, to ensure that the licence names and number can be correctly linked to the logbook).
These returns provide vital information regarding the status and management of our wild Atlantic Salmon and Sea Trout stocks into the future.
Reminder
In accordance with the Wild Salmon and Sea Trout Tagging Scheme, anglers in Ireland are required by law to return their completed logbook (setting out their fishing and catch record) and all unused tags to the issuing office of Inland Fisheries Ireland within 7 days of licence expiry and no later than the 19th of October.
As part of the Scheme, an angler must attach a valid gill tag to a salmon (any size) or sea trout (over 40cm) harvested, immediately on landing. They must enter details of their catch and/or gill-tag used into their logbook.
Any questions or queries?
Please email [email protected] and we will respond to your query as quickly as possible.
Paul Bourke and Senan Stanley, angling guides on Lough Derg, continued their good run of pike fishing last week. Paul reports…
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It does look cold!
Derg pike and Paul in the sun
another pike in the setting sun
21 November: Coldest day of the year so naturally, we went casting our lures for 5 hours! Top fish came in at 103cm, 101cm, 100cm, 98cm, 96cm and 92cm, with 10 other fish below 80cm.
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26 November: Perfect winters day started off this morning with a 110 cm pike for Adrian… The Fight was unreal from this fish,felt like it could have been a Tuna! Adrian travelled all the way from Wexford in hope of catching big pike while casting lures. He smashed his PB with that first pike of 110cm! He finished the day with 12 pike. The top 5 read like this; 110cm, 95cm, 93cm, 92cm, 91cm. All casting lures like always at Irish Fishing Tours!
Taking bookings now for December so email us at [email protected] to book, vouchers available now also for gifts!
Irish Fishing Tours provides customised fishing holidays based in the picturesque harbour village of Garrykennedy on the shores of Lough Derg. Our comprehensive fishing trips include a guiding service, tackle hire and food and accommodation.
Choose from my list of existing fishing holidays or contact me to tailor one to your specific requirements. Airport transfers can be arranged on request.
Irish Fishing Tours is owned by Paul Bourke. Paul has lived and fished here all his life. As a guide, he will show you the best fishing locations, advise you on baits and methods and then allow you the freedom to explore the lake yourself. He fully understands the needs and interests of the experienced enthusiast.
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.
Had a most enjoyable trip with Dublin based Padraic Hamrock last week, all be it in murky but calm weather. Padraig is an experienced all-round fly & lure, freshwater, saltwater and kayak angler who made history by being my first guest to also have an Bixpy drive as fitted to his Viking Kayaks kayak, all from Darrens Kayaks here in West Cork. We spent some time a discussing all things kayak fishing and motors before setting off on a longer range trip than I would normally do on a guided trip thanks to near perfect if overcast conditions, a settled forecast and our electric motors to quickly power us along to the spot in addition to our paddling!
En route we paused while I showed Padraig some Bass lure fishing techniques and gave him some pointers on how to locate them as he’d expressed an interest in Bass when booking. When we reached the first spot and after some more coaching, we got into a steady bite which continued throughout the trip and resulted in a PB or two I think! We cut it fine coming back as again our motors meant we could quickly cover the water back to the launch site giving us maximum fishing time during the shortened daylight hours available to us.
As a footnote Padraic went on to have another great day afloat fishing beautiful West Cork the following day having put into practice what he’d learned the previous day and can’t wait to make a return visit next year.
Go fishing…
If you’re interested in joining me for some guided Kayak Fishing or Coaching contact me – [email protected] (Gift Vouchers available).
David has been lure then fly fishing since the mid noughties with some of the best guides and anglers in Ireland and abroad.
Kayak fishing by lure & fly now takes him and his guiding guests beyond the shore to target Pollock, Bass or Wrasse with the chance of other species such as Codling, Coalfish, Mackerel or Garfish.
Shore fishing at night is also a very special experience.
Anyone who would like to fish the Munster Coarse Anglers Winter League can contact us by 
Piscari-Fly hats and caps
