Alice Murtagh from the Corelessmore office reports on coarse fishing in the Cavan/Leitrim area…
Fishing in the Ballinamore area is reported to be good with plenty of Tench on Bolganard, Corgar and Drumlona, also plenty of Bream on Brackley.
The river Erne at Belturbet off the jetty is giving good bags of fish with two locals bagging 19 fish in a one hour period. Good mixed bags up to 70lb is also being caught on Inishmuck.
A Welsh angler fishing the Arva area for two days reported plenty of Roach, Bream and very good Hybrids caught on worm tipped with red maggot. A party of ten anglers also report good mixed bags of fish including Roach, Bream, Hybrids and Perch.
Peter Gleeson reports on the mayfly situation at Lough Derg…
The cold spring has meant that the mayfly hatch on Lough Derg is up to a month behind on recent years. It was only last weekend that the first hatches were seen in the shallow areas where the mayfly traditionally first appears – Youghal Bay, Luska and Dromineer Bay.
Anglers have been out seeking trout with wetflies in shallow areas, but the results have been very poor. Some 52 anglers took part in the Crocks Cup organised by the Mountshannon Angling Club on Sunday last, but only four fish were weighed in.
Garrykennedy Angling club held two competitions – one last Saturday and the other on Sunday – producing a total of just five fish over the legal limit of 14 inches.
Anglers are hoping that Mayfly hatches will have improved over the coming days, but the unusually cold weather has not generated much optimism. Peter Gleeson
Patrick McDonnell from Inland Fisheries Ireland adds some more detail…
John Ryan, Nenagh had a fine fish 3.5lbs on wets, Danny Flynn and Mike Maloney both from Garrykennedy reported trout of 2.7lbs and 2.4lbs both on the wets. Eddie Ryan, Newtown had one for 1.5lbs from Youghal bay.
Mountshannon angling club held their competition on Sunday 5th May with 54 anglers taking part for a first prize of an outboard engine. 4 fish were weighed in with Andrew Brown, Dublin taking first place with a fish of 1.5lbs.
Gearóid Muldowney and his cousin have a very productive day on Lough Beltra
We fished Lough Beltra on Sunday and had a great day. Lovely mild weather, overcast and just enough wind.
My cousin Brian Gannon and I started fishing at 9:00 and I hooked into this fish at 5:30.
The fish took a size 8 double Beltra Badger “style” fly. (I’m not familiar with the pattern, I didn’t tie it, does anyone know it)
I was using my late fathers single handed trout rod rated 6-8wt which should be put out to stud as I can ask no more of it, it preformed amazingly under such pressure. I hook into the fish at 5:30 and Brian netted him for me at 5:55.
The twenty five minute battle has left me battered and bruised. My right arm aches from locking my arm for so long and my left had is burnt and bruised from the handle hammering against palm side of my index finger knuckle as I tried to slow some of the fishes runs. I bought the reel the day previous for 14 euro and dressed it with 250 yards of new backing. I figured the only thing going in our favor that day was backing and plenty of it.
This is my first ever salmon, first time to fish lough Beltra and the first time to fish for salmon from a boat.
I’ve put in the hours over the past few years, mainly on the Moy. I fish for trout in rviers with the fly rod alot. I was particularly unlucky last season not to get a Salmon so this one was a while coming to me.
Gearóid Muldowney - Beltra Salmon
I have only one regret, he took the point fly, not the dropper which I had tied myself.
Lough Beltra is fly only and catch and release until 12th of May but as you can see the fish was pretty coloured anyway.
The fish was handled with great care and thoroughly revived (15min) before letting him go.
The hook itself was hooked on his lower jaw and there was no blood.
I’d like to thank Brian Gannon for netting him and staying calm even when I had to ask him to use the ore to try and unhook the muddler dropper from under the boat.
Its a miracle we managed to net him all. Our lines got tangled at on point. My line went around my reel just before he made his first run. The dropper fly got hooked under the boat for about 4min but the fish stayed on.
The fish was measured (lip to V) with a leather strap I had made for the net a few days previous and the leather was well marked.
The mark was made at 37inches and from photos I estimate the fish was 9-10inches deep (belly to fin). Unfortunately we didn’t have a scale and I didn’t think to measure his girth. The fish is estimated to weigh in the region of 16-17lbs and I can only imagine what he may have weighed when he first came into system.
Fish lenght 37″
Fish depth 9-10″
Estimated weight 16-17lbs
Fly Beltra Badger style double size 8
Landed on a 6-8wt, 10.5′ long, single handed rod
Hooked on Lough Beltra at 5:30 on the 5th May 2013
Revived and released at 6:15.
Caught by Gearoid Muldowney
Netted by Brian Gannon
Peter Cunningham With A Beautiful Bass from the County Louth Coastline
Tuesday 7th May was a nice day, a moderate breeze and quite a bright day with lots of sunny spells. Not ideal conditions for the already challenging fishing conditions to be found on the shallow beaches along the Louth coastline. However, this did not deter expert sea angler Peter Cunningham from Drogheda who had hand picked his day and the tide well in advance of his outing. No accident then that Peter landed this fine bass (pictured below) on his first outing of the season. The fish was released unharmed back to the water to provide another angler with the opportunity and great experience of catching a splendid fish like that. In addition to this lovely bass Peter had a good number of flounder as well.
Peter who runs the Boyne Angling Centre tackle shop in Drogheda, will be sharing his knowledge and experience on how to catch fish like this at his first of two sea angling days being run during Fisheries Awareness Week. Peter and his colleagues in the Boyne Sea Angling Club will be holding the first of these events on Port Beach Clogherhead this Sunday 12th May from 10am to 1pm. All are welcome to attend and full details of the event can be found below.
Peter Cunningham With A Beautiful Bass from the County Louth Coastline
Sunday 12th May 2013, “An Introduction to Sea Angling” Event
At this event the Boyne Sea Angling Club invites you to enjoy and experience the sport of sea angling. There are a multitude of different species that can be targeted all along the Louth and Meath coastline as well as on the Boyne estuary. Peter Cunningham and his team will be providing expert tuition on how to target species such as mullet, flounder, dabs, plaice, mackerel and bass. Those wishing to take part should bring their gear along so that it can be checked. They will be shown how to set up their tackle, how to tie up rigs and traces and how to cast. Peter will be covering both bait fishing and spinning techniques and providing tips on both methods of fishing. In addition to the practical fishing information on offer, advice will be provided on how to stay safe while fishing with particular reference to tidal and weather conditions. This event takes place from 10am to 1pm at Port Beach in Clogherhead, Co Louth. The club will also be recruiting new members on the day, so don’t miss out on this great opportunity to get involved in angling, a hobby for life. This event is free and open to beginners, novices and improvers alike. All are welcome to join in.
To take part in this event please contact: Peter Cunningham at 087 2169726, by email at boyneanglingcentre@gmail.com or simply drop into the shop for a chat.
Further details and information on this and other events will be available at the Fisheries Awareness Week website at www.faw.ie
This year looks like being the year of the June fly, as mayfly hatches are well behind, and even olives are only starting to appear this week. Fishing has been slow, and anglers are anxiously awaiting a bit of warmer weather to get hatches and fish moving.
The Cornamona Anglers held their annual wetfly competition last Sunday, with 20 anglers weighing in 13 trout over the limit. Jackie Coyne from Renvyle was the winner, with 3 trout for 3.21lbs. Second place went to Mike Shanks from Cornamona, with 2 trout for 2.27lbs, and local angler Martin Kinneavy was third, with 2 trout for 2.17lbs.
On the Oughterard side, a large Mayfly Festival Competition was held on Sunday as well, with 98 anglers taking part. Hatches and fishing were sparse on the day, with just 16 trout weighed in. Local tackle shop owner Tommy Tuck put local knowledge to best use and took top honours with 2 trout for 2.36kgs. Kevin Molloy was second, with 2 trout for 1.68kgs, and B. Molloy was third, with 2 trout for 1.62kgs.
Frank Butler reported that the Collinamuck and District Angling Club held the Dowling and Butt Cups Competition last Sunday. Fishing was slow, with just 4 trout recorded for the weigh in. Winners of the Dowling Cup with 2 trout for 4.5lbs were Mike Keady, Dave Connolly and Gerry Reilly. Second were Paddy O’Farrell and Noel Carter with 1 trout for 3lbs, and 3rd were John Butler, Frank Butler and James Bohan with 1 trout. Paddy O’Farrell received the Butt Cup for the heaviest fish
The forecast for the week is for unsettled, cool and changeable weather. Hopefully hatches will start improving over the next few days and we will have better fishing to report next week.
Ronan Cusack reports that trout angling on Lough Mask this week has been outstanding, with reports of great catches coming in from all across the lake. Weather conditions have been mixed, but a noticeable increase in temperature has reflected well in the much improved fly hatches. The long awaited olives have finally appeared in big numbers in all the usual haunts. Hatches of buzzer and sedge have also been frequent this week, so the outlook for the coming weeks is bright.
Cian Murtagh and Vincent Kelly from Cavan had a three day fishing trip on Mask and Carra this week with Ronan. The lads had a total of 20 trout which exceeded the 13 inch legal limit (all but 4 fish returned alive). They also admitted losing count of the number of undersized trout they returned. Vincent had the heaviest fish over the three days, which was a Mask beauty of 3.4lbs. He also landed a lovely 2.5lbs trout off Carra on Friday, which was one of a bag of 6 while pulling wet flies in stormy conditions.
Cian Murtagh with a fine trout from Lough Mask
The Westport Angling Club held a club competition on Saturday last out of Churchfield. There were 29 anglers on the day, with 29 fish over the limit weighed in. First place went to John Campbell from Westport with 3 fish for 7.3lbs. Jimmy Gibson, also from Westport, was in second place with 4 trout for 6.5lbs. Tommy Carroll from Islandeady took third with 3 trout for 6lbs. Philip McGing from Westport had a trout of 3.25lbs which took the heaviest fish prize.
Ballinrobe & District Anglers had a 2 day pairs development competition over the weekend. There were 60 anglers competing, with 118 trout weighed in over the 2 days. First place went to Martin Feerick, Ballinrobe and Frankie Guilfoyle, Ennis, with 13 trout for 22.14lbs. In second place were Pat Feerick, Ballinrobe and Brian Rapple with 11 trout for 18.06lbs. Gerry Moran and Ronan Cusack Ballinrobe were in third place with 13 trout for 14.99lbs. Heaviest fish went to Shay Cash, Dublin, with a trout of 2.51lbs. Ronan Cusack also took the best Ballinrobe angler prize.
Brian Hall of Halls Angling Centre had 3 nice trout on Thursday evening last while fishing Ballahalla, Brian’s best fish was 3.3lbs. To book fishing or accommodation at Hall’s, contact David or Helen on 094 9541389 or check www.lakeshoreholidays.com
Ronan also guides on Mask and can be contacted at 087 2869487 or by email at cusackronan@gmail.com
Spring salmon are running the Erriff in good numbers now, and anglers have enjoyed some success. Gerhard Tröster, visiting from Germany, fished Beats 8 and 9 last week and landed 2 good salmon, one of 11lbs and the other 13lbs. Both fish were taken on a size 9 Munro Killer, and were both released safely. Gerhard and his friend Christoph had a great day and have promised to return in the future.
Gerhard Troster from Germany with a fine 13lbs spring salmon that he caught and release on the River Erriff recently.
Heavy rain at times over the last few days has brought in more fresh fish, and Richard Kelly from Clonskeagh in Dublin landed a fine 16lbs fish yesterday off Beat 9.
Richard Kelly with a fine 16lbs Erriff spring salmon, May2013
The river peaked at 2.06 metres last night, and should remain fishable for the rest of the week, with excellent prospects for fishing.
To book fishing contact Jim at Aasleagh Lodge on 095 42252, or email erriff.fish@iol.ie
Fishery manager Terry Gallagher reports that the first salmon of the season, a fine springer of 12lbs, was landed by Geoffrey Fitzjohn while fishing River Beat 1. The fish was taken on a Black Shrimp fly in relatively low water conditions. Jacob Finkelsson landed the first sea trout of the season, a fish of approx.. 15 inches, in the sea pools of River Beat 1.
Terry says that 2012 ended on a high note at Costello and Fermoyle Fisheries, with a total of 71 salmon landed, considering the relatively low rod pressure for the season. The sea trout run for the year was below average for the fishery and this was reflected in the rod catch, with only 614 fish landed. Again, rod pressure was down but hopefully 2013 will see runs of fish returning to normal levels.
It is early days yet at Costello but we should expect to see a few more springers in the coming weeks before the main run of fish begin to appear from June onwards.
To book fishing, contact Terry at 00353 (0)91 572 196, on mobile at 087 2399988, or by email at terrygal7@gmail.com
Yet another very productive week for the Ballisodare Fishery, with 40 salmon caught and many of those released safely. Conditions were not favorable at the start of the week. However, despite this, Monday saw six salmon landed including fish for J.P. Chenoux, John Murray, Michael Mullaney and Paul McMahon, with all fish ranging from 6lbs – 9lbs.
The following day conditions had improved and six were caught on fly with one to the worm. Both Sean Maye and John Donohoe had salmon of 8lbs; Fechin Mc Morrow Jr. had one of 7lbs while Vincent Henry and James McGuire landed fine fish of 10lbs each.
Ten in total were landed between Wednesday and Thursday, all caught on fly. Luke O’Connell had a fine fish of 13.2lbs, with Thomas O’Donovan Jr., Dermot Glennon, James McGuire and Hilary Mitchell also scoring on Wednesday. Visiting French angler Mr. Dubois had two of 8lbs and 7lbs on Thursday, while Hubert Henry and Denis Crawley also enjoyed success.
Cold temperatures and strong winds made conditions tough throughout Friday and Saturday, despite this eight salmon were landed. Ronan Watters, Christy O’Gara, Adrian Kelly, K. Wilson and Richard Todd were among those who landed fish, with most taken on fly and a few falling to the worm.
Sunday was a much better day for fishing, slightly overcast with a small breeze and not quite as cold as previous days. Nine salmon were caught on Sunday, five of those were released. Anglers who landed fish were Kevin Flynn (8.5lbs), Albert Shaw (6lbs and 7lbs with one released), Dennis Barrett (8lbs), Clive O’Neill (8lbs), Sean Gallagher (7lbs and 5lbs, both released), James McGuire (6lbs) and Vincent Henry (5lbs), with most taken on fly.
