Muckalee Reservoir in Kilkenny was the battleground last month for the 2012 Youths Lake Championship, which was held on a catch-release basis.
Sean Dempsey was crowned the TAFI Leinster Youth Lake Champion for 2012, having caught 18 trout in total on the day. Fergal McKiernan came in second place, and third was Michael Conroy.
Fishing conditions were near perfect, with some surface activity from the resident brown trout. The competition was stiff, with almost 20 competitors fishing for the top prize. Some 16 anglers caught trout on the day and 77 trout were caught in total.
……Kilkenny People….22/06/12…..read the full article…
SOME of Ireland’s native animals are on the brink of extinction because of pollution and over-fishing.
Several bird species, including the common scoter, black-necked grebe, quail, red-necked phalarope and nightjar are under threat, while kestrels and skylarks are also declining “significantly”.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) report says just 7pc of habitats and 39pc of species listed as needing protection by the EU have a “favourable” status.
…..Irish Independent…..26/06/12…….read full article…. http://www.independent.ie/native-animals-at-risk-of-extinction
Joe Flanelly from Keel River Lodge reports that Lough Carra fished very well over the weekend. Paul Murphy from Westport (originally Ballinrobe) had 2 nice trout including a 2.5lbs beauty. Conditions were good with blustery showers and moderate southwest winds. Thomas Flannelly fishing from Keel River Lodge had 4 good trout weighing 6.5lb, best fish 1.75lbs. The most successful patterns were the Green Peter, Golden Olive and Alexander.
Paul Murphy from Westport was clearly delighted with his 2.5lbs trout from Lough Carra
Simon Ashe reports from Ballynahinch Castle that the favourable water conditions accompanied by a late run of spring fish and an early run of grilse has given us the best start to our season in over a decade. Given the fact that angling pressure has been quite low over the past few weeks, the catch per unit effort has been very high for this time of year. The daily increase in the grilse run over the fish counter, along with perfect water height in the river bodes well for the coming weeks at Ballynahinch.
Stephen Cullinane landed a beautiful 9lbs salmon on 16th June after local guide, Jonathan Broderick, had taken a 12lbs fresh fish. Jonathan was teaching a client to roll cast with a trout rod and 6lbs nylon when he hooked into this fish. After 45 minutes (and with a very tired arm!) the fish was landed by the short pier on Beat 1.
A number of smaller grilse in the 4 – 5.5lb bracket have been taken by guests at the hotel with quite a number lost.
The numbers of sea trout finnock entering from the estuary has been quite low at this stage and we were expecting more to run this past week. Hopefully the run should pick up in the coming weeks. Watch this space!
To book fishing or accommodation at Ballynahinch, contact the castle at 095 31006, or check the website at www.ballynahinch-castle.com
Fishery manager Jim Stafford reports on fishing last week. Water levels on the Erriff were perfect at 1.4 meters on Sunday 17th. The local angling club held a competition on the river – Peter Coyne came first with 2 fish which weighed in at 16.75lbs, which were caught on an Orange Shrimp and Collie Dog in the Falls Pool on Beat 9. Second was Brian Graham with one fish of 8.25lbs, which was caught in the Black Banks on Beat 6 on a Shrimp Fly. Several other fish were hooked and lost on the day.
Alain Metayer, France, a member of Michel Winthrop’s party, grassed a beautiful fresh run springer of 12.75lbs on his first day ever salmon fishing – the fish was taken on a Lady Fallaci in the Garden Pool on Beat 9. Changing beats in the afternoon Alain sportingly released a 10lbs fish taken on the same fly in the Black Banks Pool on Beat 6. Rene Boutonnet, a member of the same party, caught a sea-liced fish of 10.25lbs, which was taken on a Cascade in the Falls Pool from the right hand bank.
Alain Metayer, France, with his first ever salmon, a fine fish of 12.75lbs taken on the River Erriff, June 2012
James Keogh, Dublin had one for 9.5lbs taken on a Cascade in the Boat Pool on Beat 5, and he also released another estimated at 8.5lbs. The following day he had a fresh run grilse of 4.75lbs from the Sally Pool on Beat 7.
Heavy rains resulted in a huge spate of 2.2 meters on the morning of the 21st, which rendered the river unfishable for the rest of the day. The river was in good order the following day – Stuart Woodhead, Scarborough, U.K., had a grilse and 2 good sea trout taken in the Holly and Coronation Pools on Beat 9. Tom Harrington, Limerick, had a fish of 5.75lbs and released another of 5lbs which were caught in Altamont’s Dam and Colonel’s Pool on Beat 6. The following day Tom caught another of 7.5lbs in the Cottage Pool on Beat 4.
Bill Aston, Ballinrobe, released 2 fish estimated at 5lbs each, which were caught on an Orange Micro Tube in Toad’s Pool behind the island on Beat 4. Alan Hartnett, Dundalk released a fish estimated at 5.5lbs and 2 good sea trout which were taken on a Cascade on Beat 6. Peter Hunt, Clonbur, released a 6lbs fish taken on a Collie Dog in the Broken Bridge Pool on Beat 5.
Overnight rains increased levels to 1.5 meters on the 23rd. Stuart Price, fishery manager at Mount Falcon, released a 9lbs fish taken on an Orange Shrimp in the Mering Pool on Beat 7 and also went on to catch fish of 5lbs and 6lbs in the Guage Pool on Beat 9.
The total catch for the week was 18 salmon and 12 sea trout. At the time of writing the report sea trout in excellent condition continue to enter the river and the grilse run is promising with the main run expected in July.
There are still places available for a casting and flyfishing course for ladies, which will take place from Thursday the 5th to Sunday the 8th of July, led by qualified casting instructor mark Corps. All accommodation and meals are included, as well as tuition in all aspects of flyfishing and salmon fishing, and plenty of time on the river to practise the skills acquired. The cost for 3 nights B&B, lunch and dinner, and fishing tuition is €500 per participant. Partners can stay for €300, and may fish the river on the other beats for free. Contact Aasleagh Lodge for information and booking.
To book fishing on the Erriff or accommodation in Aasleagh Lodge, contact fishery manager Jim Stafford on 095 42252, or visit www.aasleaghlodge.ie for details. The lodge and fishery also have a Facebook page at www.facebook.com/AasleaghLodge.
Water levels have been very up and down all week, ranging from 2 gates open up to 4, and back to 2 again, although after this morning’s heavy rain and seeing the forecast I won’t be surprised to see that go up again. Salmon are running the weir in very good numbers now, with many running straight through in the high water. Flyfishing has been difficult due to the conditions, although fly anglers are still getting fish, with many also being caught on spinner or shrimp.
There were 35 fish landed for the week, and among the anglers to score were Conor Haughey from Dublin, who had a 4lbs grilse on shrimp, and fellow Dublin angler Dermot Quinlan who had 2 grilse to 6lbs on shrimp. Michael Rogers from Dublin landed 3 fish over 2 days, all grilse and all caught on spinner, while his friend Andy Smyth landed a 7lbs grilse on fly and a 5.5lbs fish on shrimp. Northern Ireland angler Dexter Lynas, a longtime visitor to Galway, caught a nice 6.5lbs fish in high water on the fly, while Jim Ryan from Tipperary took 2 grilse to 6lbs on fly also. Kildare man Sean McManmon took 2 grilse on fly, while Offaly angler Liam Dunne landed a 7.5lbs fish on shrimp.
Damien Nolan from Clare landed a 5lbs grilse and the best fish of the week, a 10.5lbs salmon, both on shrimp, while Dublin angler Brian Howard took 2 grilse on fly. Local man Dave Lenihan showed his expert knowledge of the fishery by landing 3 grilse, including 2 on fly and one on shrimp.
Fishing prospects depend very much on water levels over the next week, but runs of fish are very good at the moment and should produce good fishing.
Gary Robinson sends us this report from West Cork:
I headed for the County of Cork in the south west of Ireland for the weekend. The area is a paradise for kayak anglers, with the many bays and headlands there is nearly always some location to be found that is in out of the worst of the big swells and high winds that can be a feature of this part of Ireland’s rugged coastline. To say the place is picturesque would not do it justice. Breathtaking is a better word and a fine place to spend a couple of days with the kayak, whether fish get caught or not. Honestly, to spend time in these surroundings is a privilege; to catch fish is just a bonus. Fortunately for me it looked like I was due a lot of bonuses. I had a bit of a bad run of luck recently, among other things I had my car broken into and my two waterproof cameras were stolen so I was due a bit of good luck. And what better way to get over such events as a bit of fishing therapy? With it still being a little bit early in the marine fishing season I thought that targeting Pollack in County Cork would be one way to lift my spirits.
Scenic West Cork
Pollack are considered a clean species and can grow over a metre in length. They have a fairly strongly defined lateral line and the colouration starts with a white underside, the flanks are lot darker, being said to be a mix of very dark olive towards black. When the sun hits them I think that bronze is the closest colour that could be used to describe them. They can be found anywhere in the water column up to depths of approximately 180 metres/600 feet. They grow to an impressive size with the Irish record just breaking 19lbs/8.6kg but many anglers would consider a 12lb/5.5kg fish to be a catch of a lifetime. They are a fantastic sport fish, making many powerful dives for bottom cover once hooked.
With this in mind I decided to target them with a light set up. My weapon of choice would be an 8 foot/2.4 metre light action spinning rod used for fishing for small trout and European perch which would be similar to the American small-mouth bass. I was using a fixed spool reel and it was loaded up with 10lb/4.5kg monofilament line. At the important end of the tackle I used 1oz/30gr jig heads and some 6 inch/15 cm soft plastic or rubber worms. The hard fighting Pollack would provide tremendous sport on this light type of set up. The plan was to get out in the kayak and drift. As I drifted I would cast the lure in the opposite direction to the drift, wait until it hit bottom and slowly crank the lure back towards me. Frequently, Pollack will see a lure rising through the water column and can follow it for quite some distance before engulfing it and diving back towards the bottom for cover. The first dive that the fish makes is generally the most powerful and if you can beat them on their first dive then you should be able to boat them. The bigger fish will still make multiple dives after the first which can result in rod bending lunges and a 5lb/2.2kg fish will have no trouble towing the kayak for a short distance.
Baits used on the day
On what turned out to be a day’s sport that surpassed all my expectations, I hit the waves at about 8.00am by launching from a small harbour area. I was fishing in a large bay, sheltered from the worst of the easterly wind that was blowing. I planned to drift about, using the fish finder to look for features and target these areas. Water temperature was a little on the chilly side with 53°f/11.6°c showing up on the fish finder. Temperatures like that mean there are a few weeks to go yet before the sea warms up enough to entice a multitude of species to come in close to shore but I figured it still should have been fine for some Pollack fishing. The first hour or so was slow going but by about 10.00am I drifted over an area that looked very interesting on the fish finder screen. I was passing over a couple of drop-offs where the bottom shelved from 60 feet/18 metres down to 70 feet/21 metres. Along this little underwater shelf were a couple of quite large fish signals that I just had to drop a bait down towards.
I let the bait hit the bottom, started cranking it in and within seven or eight turns of the reel handle, the rod locked over and I felt the pull of a decent fish. After a couple of deep lunges and a spirited fight I was looking at my first Pollack of the day, a fish of about 5lb/2.2kgs. A good start to the day and hopefully that fish was an indicator of how the day was going to progress. It was! The next few hours could only be described as ridiculous fishing. It wasn’t really fishing at all, it was more like catching! Nearly every cast of the soft plastic bait resulted in it being hammered by Pollack. One or two fish took it on the drop but most of them waited until the retrieve and hit the lure just as it was rising up off the bottom. You could feel the fish nipping at the tail of the worm two or three times on most retrieves and then the rod would lock over and you would be connected to yet another powerful adversary. The deep surging run of these fish have to be felt to be believed and to experience them on such light tackle was pure joy. I have no idea how many Pollack I caught, I stopped counting after I hit thirty and that was as early as 11.30am!!!
Gary leaving the shore
By 15.30 I was starting to get hungry and decide I would break for a couple of hours to get some food and just relax for a couple of hours but I fully intended to get back out there for the evening. Regrettably, I had to bring two fish ashore with me. They had hit the lures hard and bled a lot when I tried to remove them, eventually going belly up when I returned them to the water. Still, they made a great dinner and they also gave me an opportunity to weigh a couple of fish. The pair that I landed with were not the biggest of the morning session and the larger of the two came in at 8lb/3.6kg and by looking at that fish I reckoned I had some that were getting very close to the 10lb/4.5kg barrier.
Paddling to his mark
For the evening session I hit the water at about 18.00 and headed off for the same spot. The sport continued to be excellent but maybe not quite as hectic as the morning. The trade-off for this was that the average size seemed to increase a little. Having weighed the 8lb/3.6kg fish at lunch time and being able to work off that example, I think that some of the fish I landed in the evening session were well over 10lb/4.5kg probably getting up to about 12lb/5.5kg. Some of the fish that I landed were the same length as my leg and I am 6’2”/188cms tall!!
While the sport was far better than I expected and the thrill of catching such fish on the very light tackle was thrilling, I will be back down to the area for another go with some stronger gear. I connected with two different fish and no matter what I tried; my set up just did not have the backbone to pull them off the bottom. A pair of leviathans that got the better of me, but I will get the better of them eventually. The session was a good distance for me to travel – a 560 mile/900km round-trip. When I get my waterproof cameras replaced I will go back to the same area and try again. I aim to be there again by August.
Bill Ryan gives us this excellent report from West Clare:
Tuesday, 26 June 2012 Anthony and I continue our experiments with Light Rock Fishing in West Clare. We are discovering new marks suitable to this very sporting method of Sea Angling. From The Bridges of Ross right up to Doonbeg there are gullies waiting to be explored!
The last standing Sea Arch (or bridge) at The Bridges of Ross
We have had success with Ballan Wrasse recently at The Bridges of Ross, Farrihy near Kilkee and Puleen near Doonbeg. It rained heavily in Farrihy but that did not put us or the fish off! In the photograph of Anthony’s Wrasse you will notice a blur in the top left corner! This is a wrasse scale which somehow got onto the lens of the camera! This is the best Wrasse to date on Soft Plastic weighing 3 lbs. 13 oz.
Anthony's wrasse, great fish!
The best Soft Plastic Lure would appear to be a Yoshikawa Superworm in a green colour. Senko in watermelon also works well.
This mark can only be fished 3 hrs before Low and 3 hrs up in good conditions as it gets cut off by the tide!Anthony chills out and ponders
For tips and advice and to follow our progress find us on Facebook at West Clare LRF where you can also see our collection of photographs and videos from our Fishing Sessions.
Neil O'Neill with a fine 5 lb. sea trout from Lough Currane
Ghillie/Guide Vincent Appleby reports on the recent fishing in the Lough Currane area.
21/6/12 I start this week’s report with an apology to renowned Angler Mr. Neil O’Neil, I stated in last week’s report that on the 17/6/12 that Neil caught 5 sea trout all in the 1 lb. class this incorrect, in actual fact Neil caught a cracker of a sea trout of 5 lb. caught on the fly, all I can say is sorry for that, but at least the record has been put straight
Neil O'Neill with a fine 5 lb. sea trout from Lough Currane
All the headlines go to the hired out boat department of www.lakelandshouse.com Mr. David Vaughn and Mr. Leon Smith caught 2 sea trout in the 3 lb. class and they also saw a good few Juniors which is good news and staying Franks Hired out boat department Mr. Bill Bullock caught a fine 2 lb. sea trout and finished his day off with a 4 lb. sea trout, wind all over the place and overcast. 22/6/12 on the salmon front, a guest fishing with his ghillie Mr. Dominic McGillicuddy and of www.fishingwithdom.com caught a grilse of just 2 lb. which they sportingly put back and they finished day off with a sea trout of 3 lb. on the fly and staying with the sea trout, just the odd Junior caught. Wind NW fresh to strong then veered WSW and veered S this evening fresh with reasonable cloud cover. 23/6/12 Mr. Jonathan Fish of the UK fishing with his ghillie Mr. Vincent O’Sullivan and of www.vincentsfishing.com caught a fine grilse in the 5 lb. class and 1 sea trout in the 2 lb. class, which they sportingly put all back, Mr. Keith Francis of Northampton of the UK fishing with his gillie Mr. Tom O’Shea of [email protected] caught 2 fine sea trout ranging from 2.5 lb. and up to 4 lb. and in in their C&R department Keith released a fine sea trout in the 5 lb. class, now we cut across to the south side and the hired out boat department of www.lakelandshouse.com Mr. Barry Vaughn, caught a 5.5 lb. sea trout on the fly and I believe the this fly is some fly of distinction, the reason I say this, it was especially made for Barry by a good friend, and as he has caught a good few game fish on this fly his good friend as requested to have the fly returned back to him, all I can say is if Barry dose return this noble fly all I can say is Captain Mainwaring to that if you get my drift. And just for the record Barry was fishing with his good friend Mr. Phil Hawker, and in the losing department. Mr. John Lennon, lost a cracker of a sea trout and finished off his day by losing a fine salmon, talk about bad luck but that’s fishing. Wind was all over the place and eventually went south and overcast with light for most of the day.
24/6/12 There was good action in the trolling department and where do start at the beginning, on the early shift Mr. Dan Sugrue of Waterville, caught 3 salmon all in in the 8 to 9 lb. class, as always Dan was fishing with his ghillie Mr. Brod O’Sullivan of Stella Maris Waterville, also in good form was Mr. Donal O’Shea and of www.curranelodge.com who caught a fine 6 lb. grilse on the troll, now we cut across to the south side, Mr Peter Keenan caught a 6 lb. grilse on the troll fishing in a hired out boat from Mr. Sylvester Donnelly, Now for my fish of the day and that goes to Mr. Ernest Smyth, who left Co Tyrone at 3.45 am this morning and by 3.45 pm this afternoon caught himself a fine 6 lb. grilse on the troll fishing with his ghillie Mr. Michael O’Sullivan of Waterville Boats and of [email protected]
Ghillie Michael O Sullivan with Mr. Ernest Smyth Co Tyrone with a nice grilse
Now To the catch and release sea trout department, Mr. Keith Francis of the UK caught 3 sea trout ranging from Juniors up to 2 lb., fishing with his ghillie Mr. Tom O’Shea and of [email protected] staying with the sea trout, Mr. Paddy Barrette, fishing with his ghillie Mr Bob Priestley caught 2 sea trout, ranging from Junior Class up to 3 lb.
25/6/12 Straight to the salmon department, Mr. Ian McMullan of Co Wicklow, fishing with his ghillie Mr. Neil O’Shea and of www.oshealoughcurrane.com caught 2 fine salmon/grilse on the troll, ranging from 5 lb. up to 6 lb., and in the sea trout department Mr. Jim Sayers of Waterville caught 2 sea trout in the 2 lb. class and one he put back. Wind S fresh and overcast.
Mr. Ian McMullan, Wicklow with two nice grilse fishing with ghillie Neil O'Shea.
26/6/12 Straight to catch of the day and goes to Mr Peter Glover of Perth Scotland, who caught 3 grilse on the fly, fishing with his ghillie Mr. Dominic McGillicuddy and of www.fishingwithdon.com on the sea trout front nothing that would hit the headlines, wind SW fresh and overcast light misty rain throughout the day.
Mr. Peter Glover, Perth, Scotland with ghillie Dominic McGillicuddy with three nice salmon
John O Connor took this fine tope on a half mackerel bait, after a 15 minute battle.
Wicklow Boat Charters skipper Kit Dunne reports on another weekend of great catches from the Wicklow fishing grounds. After 2 consecutive weekends of recording specimen Smooth-Hounds from Wicklow the focus switched to Tope for a party from Kells. A mixed group of 8 anglers from the Kells area set off on Sunday morning on what turned out to be an exceptional day. The forecast and tides were good and the keen group made the early start to give themselves the best opportunity of great fishing.
The group who were relatively new to animal fishing were delighted with a good start to the day with Ray and Bull-Huss caught in the first hour in a dying Ebb tide to slack water. After the slack and as the tide picked up slowly the fish still kept coming, baiting up big to snare the tope the lads were persistent in their efforts to bag a Tope.
Dave had a thing going on with Huss, this one took a whole squid.
John O Connor took this fine tope on a half mackerel bait, after a 15 minute battle.
The persistence paid off as Tope came during the run followed by a more Bull-Huss. As the strength in tide began to drop again there was a notable increase in catches with more tope and Smooth-hounds in numbers. The day ended with a hectic last 2 hours of Tope and Hound action, the dogfish went off and with a few big baits out the Tope came into their own. All in all the group caught and released, 11 Tope up to 40lb weight, 4 BullHuss, 13 Smooth-Hounds, (with only 12 peeler crab onboard), 2 Ray and over 80 Dogfish – Not bad for a days enjoyment ! The Kells boys look forward to another date booked for July.
Smooth-Hound made a burst in the last 2 hours.
This fine Thornback was taken in the slack.
Wicklow Boat Charters
Skipper : Kit Dunne
Base:Wicklow Harbour Operational area: Wicklow, Arklow, Bray, Dun Laoghaire, and Courtown – 20 miles from ports of departure.
