Skipper Seán Maguire reports some good catches aboard the Isle of Aran in recent days.
Having said that, the mackerel were hit and miss for one of his regular groups, but they had a great time catching pollock, coalies and a variety of other species that were happy to hammer whatever mackerel feathers and lures the anglers tried.
The Isle of Aran has spent a lot of time fishing in the shelter of the estuary this season, with persistent strong winds having cursed the charter skippers in 2024, so whenever the opportunity arises it has been great to get that bit further out.
Twin engine 10 meter Lochin 333 Skipper:Séan Maguire Licence:1629 Base: Carrigaholt Operational Area:15 miles from Kilbaha, Carrigaholt, and Kilrush
Notes: Whether you want to go to the Atlantic Ocean for a large selection of species, including different types of shark, or fish the estuary for ray conger tope etc, Fishing Adventures will cater for whatever fishing you desire. With state of the art electronics, quality fishing gear, and large deck space, the Lady Gwen II is a stable and comfortable boat to fish.
The Seamus Mooney Enfield Winter League kicked off last weekend on sections of the Royal canal near Enfield and eighteen Anglers fished the 1st leg.
Fishing was very poor in the Town Stretch, but the Millennium Bridge fished a bit better with Dara Finnegan taking the spoils with 6.40kg. Eight anglers fished Millennium – split into 4×2 sections. The Town Section had 10 Anglers split into 3 sections as follows; 3 anglers, 4 anglers, 3 anglers – so that everyone involved had a great chance of collecting points.
Millennium.
Section A. — Dara Finnegan……………6.46kg.
Section B. — Michael O’Connor………..4.54kg.
Town Section.
Section C. — Bob Hulme…………………0.80kg.
Section D. — Conor Browne…………….1.04kg.
Section E. — Mark Leonard……………..2.12kg.
The next leg will be fished on Sunday October 20th.
Day tickets are once again available for pike fishing on Milltown Lake near Castleblayney. The fees are the same as last year, at €30 per day per angler, and anglers are allowed to fish with two rods.
Lake access is good, with a number of stands to choose from and a well maintained car park. While club members can get on the water early, visiting day ticket holders can only leave the car park to fish after 8am and must be off the water before dark.
This season's Milltown specials
1 of 4
Proper Milltown pike
Some good pike have already been caught in the opening week of the season and anybody interested in buying a day ticket should contact the Milltown club via their Facebook page.
Fishing at Portumna has been something special over the last month. At the weekend the Portumna Coarse Angling Club had a club match in which both the first and second placed anglers caught over 20lb. The competition up was held on the Salmon Run where Richard Pulford had 23 lb 14oz and Larry had 22lb 50z, 3rd placed Stuart also did well with 14lb 9oz.
The previous week the club fished match at Rodgers Island. The top 3 were as follows
1st Gary McCay 18lb 2oz
2nd Bruce Pennel 13lb 11oz
3rd Patrick O’Neill 11lb 11oz
Gary McCay at Portumna
Boathouse Pub Portumna Fishing Festival
All this fishing comes after the very successful Boathouse Pub Fishing Festival which was fished by 34 anglers on 4 venues over 5 days. The festival finished on September 20th after some very exciting match angling displays. There were huge nets weighed in over the competition. Bruce Pennell got the ball rolling on day 1 with a massive 68lb 6oz, an incredible 26lb more than the next biggest catch.
Day 2 proved to be a busy day though and 5 anglers went over 40lb with John Deacon amassing 53lb 14oz for the daily win but Bruce took another section win to go two points ahead of the field.
On Day 3 Geoff Walker emerged as the clear winner with 50lb 4oz. There was a big shake up at the top the leader board with Richard Pulford going into 1st on 5 points, while Paul Caygill kept hold of the second spot and Gary McCay moved into 3rd position both on 7 points with 4 anglers lying behind them on 8 points.
Day 4 saw Paul Caygill weigh in 45lb 13oz on the Town stretch for a win. Richard Pulford had another section win himself so the leader board remained much the same; Richard in first on 6 points, Paul Caygill in 2nd on 8 points and Geoff Walker in 3rd on 9 points. With one other angler on 9 points, 3 on 11 and 3 on 13 the field was still wide open.
Helen Dagnall, Pairs winning team
The last day was probably the most dramatic. Dave Brooks took the daily win with 65lb 6oz, followed by Pawel on 49lb 7oz and Macca in 3rd on 46lb 5oz. However Richard Pulford did enough with a 2nd place on his section to emerge as the over all champion with 5 points (final positions are based on your 4 best days).
In this incredible festival 7 anglers caught over 100lb in the five days with the overall 3rd place winner Pawel Mlecka catching 125lb 14oz.
Final results
1st Richard Pulford 5pts
2nd Paul Caygill 6pts
3rd Arunas Mlecka 8pts
4th Geoff walker 9 pts
5th Ronnie Goldwater 9pts
6th Wayne Hall 9pts
Pair’s Results
1st Dave Brooks and Helen Dagnall
2nd John Deakin and Geoff walker
3rd Bruce Pennell and Richard Pulford
Go fishing…
For information about the Portumna Festival and other matches in the area check in with the club on their Facebook page.
Portumna Coarse Angling Clubare affiliated to the National Coarse Fishing Federation of Ireland and are members of the Angling Council the National Governing Body for coarse and predator angling. www.ncffi.ie
Blue Shark Angling Galway, based in Ros A Mhil, Galway, have reported some nice fish on recent trips, with plenty of tope on the ground. They have also found some good sized pollock and some surprise red bream!
Skipper: John Fleming Licence:1011 (11 passengers and 1 crew) Base: Rosaveal, Spiddal, Galway (Depending on species) Operational area: Rosaveal, Spiddal and Galway up to 20 miles to sea
Notes: A regular day is between 9am- 6pm from either Rosaveel, 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 addrenaline rush with these hard fighting blue and porbeagle sharks all being tagged and release safely.
Package deals available
Vincent Appleby, assisted by the Inny Farmer, reports from Lough Currane and the river Inny…
3/10/2024. No reports and in the words of one Currane angler and I quote, I believe there were no boats out today but you can put a question mark on that, so that sums up today’s notes. Now to the weather, Wind moderate to fresh, SE, veered SSE, followed by good cloud cover all-day. Yesterday’s weather, amount of rainfall 0.1mm, amount of sunshine 5hrs.0mins, maximum air temperature 16.7°c. Amount of rainfall for the month of September 46.6mm. Staying with the weather, Kerry on an orange rain warning so click for the facts https://www.met.ie
4/10/2024 One C&R Sea Trout angler fishing late in the evening caught and released 9 trout, the biggest was in the 3lbs class. Wind fresh South, veered SSW, S, and overcast all day. Yesterday’s weather, amount of rainfall 6.6mm, amount of sunshine 0hrs.6mins, maximum air temperature 16.7°c. Staying with the weather, going by the forecast tomorrow will be a day for the high stool, with gusts SSE up to 72 km/h. Followed by heavy rain, amount of rainfall forecasted for Lough Currane is 65.0mm and as I always say that doesn’t include the amount of mountainous rainfall.
5/10/24 It was batten down the hatches as forecasted as the rain pelted down and followed by strong gusts up to 74km/h. Yesterday’s weather, amount of rainfall 10.2mm, amount of sunshine 0hrs.1mins, maximum air temperature 15.7°c. Back to today’s rainfall, will give you all the facts in tomorrow’s notes.
6/10/2024 Straight to the flood, the amount of rainfall was 39.8mm. That doesn’t include mountainous rainfall. Now back to today, as of yet no reports which isn’t surprising after that big flood and just for the record there was a fair bit of rainfall today, wind fresh South and overcast all-day. Yesterday’s weather, amount of rainfall as already stated, amount of sunshine 0hrs,0mins, maximum air temperature 16.5°c.
7/10/2024 I start with the E.M.H Appleby Memorial cup, sponsored by Fogarty’s Centra, Waterville, and a great prize of a €100 voucher, which was won by local Currane Angler Mr. Mike O’Dwyer, for his great catch of an 11lbs. Salmon, caught on the troll. All I can say is My Father and especially my Uncle would be delighted that he won it, you might say why? well that’s classified. Now to today’s report, well as of yet no reports but to be fair to the C&R Currane Sea Trout anglers after that big flood the lake would be on the rise for three days and that’s not surprising with 61.6mm in the last three days and that doesn’t include the mountainous rainfall. Going back to the lake that doesn’t mean you couldn’t catch a fine trout. Today’s weather, Wind fresh South and veered Southeast followed by heavy cloud all day and a few heavy showers. I will finish by saying a big Thank You to Patrick Fogarty of Fogarty’s Centra, Waterville from the Appleby Family for supporting the E.M.H Appleby Memorial cup and the Waterville Fishery.
Vincent Appleby on the River Inny 1966
8/10/2024 As of yet the Currane angler hasn’t sent any reports but watch this space. So, on that note we go to the good old days, the year was 1966 on the Inny, I came across an old photo of my good Self on the spin, no flies just old age. Wind NE and variable followed by good cloud cover and the odd shower. Yesterday’s weather, amount of rainfall 3.6mm, amount of sunshine 1hour.4mins. maximum air temperature.16.4°c.
9/10/24 You can say without of any fear of contradiction it was the Currane anglers day at the end of a rainbow as their flies and lures precured a few nice Sea Trout and there were a good few Brown Trout caught. NE and variable light to moderate followed by reasonable cloud cover. Yesterday’s weather, amount of rainfall 2.8mm, amount of sunshine 0hrs.6mins, maximum air temperature 14.5°c.
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.
A very busy session for Gavin on the beach with double and treble hauls of counting size flatties of turbot and flounders coming in every cast and having to put one rod away as it was too hectic for a pleasure daylight session which is a great complaint to have …
Flounder
Also, a lovely small eyed (painted) ray for Joshua Green, Proinnsias Doherty and Brendan on Donegal Bay after dark.
Painted on the measureJoshua Green with a nice painted ray
Earlier in the week, the club held a beach competition as a fundraiser last night on Narin with €200 in prizes on offer for the winners.
Fishing was tough going but John Cunningham found a few scoring fish close in on the calm conditions to win the event. Second place on the night with dogfish and flatfish went to Aaron Vambeck. Longest flattie with a 31cm flounder was won by Shane Cunningham. Most species with 2 was tied between John Cunningham and Cormac Burke so the peg numbers were drawn out of the hat and John Cunningham won the prize.
Colin Elder took the honours in the opening round of the Lower Bann Coarse Angling Club’s 2024/25 Winter League at Portglenone, weighing in 3.300kgs from peg 103. Colin also secured the Pete Dunn memorial trophy and the golden peg to cap off a great day. Ron Jordan was 2nd with 2.700kg from peg 106.
Round 2 is this Sunday 13th Oct again at Portglenone. Meet in the carpark for an 8.30am draw. The club already have 16 anglers registered for the Winter League but they are looking for new members – so anybody interested in joining should contact them via their Facebook page. The league will again be fished over a ten match series and fees are £10 for club membership plus £5 match fee for each of the 10 matches, with golden peg included (£1) in your match fee.
The Winter league will be again limited to members only and all matches will be adhering to NCFFI rules and guidelines.
With this weekend’s strong offshore winds we’ve been kept tight to the coastline seeking a little bit of shelter, Our fishing along a reef at Portballintrae produced this odd looking boy!
He’s a triggerfish a strange oval-shaped, flat body fish with very hard and rough skin.
Globally there are around forty species of triggerfish, with most being brightly coloured species which are resident in tropical waters. However, only the grey triggerfish is to be found in our waters.
Our Northern Irish sea’s are quickly changing, because as recently as 2005 a triggerfish being caught on the southern coast of England made the national evening TV news!
Inland Fisheries Ireland (IFI) is reminding salmon and sea trout anglers to return angling logbooks (setting out their fishing and catch record) and any unused gill tags from 2024 within the next 10 days..
In accordance with the Wild Salmon and Sea Trout Tagging Regulations anglers are required by law to return their completed logbook (even if there is no catch recorded) and all unused tags to the issuing office of Inland Fisheries Ireland by the 19th October annually.
Under the Wild Salmon and Sea Trout Tagging Scheme, anglers can return these in one of three ways:
1. Using the postage pre-paid business return envelope that was supplied at the time of licence purchase (preferred option).
2. Posting the logbook and unused gill tags to the IFI office address that is displayed on their licence or logbook.
3. 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.
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.
Isle of Aran
Brazen Hussy ll
Boat Hire
Salmon and Sea-Trout fishing Guide
