A trout salavage operation is being carried out by Inland Fisheries staff who are working tirelessly in an effort to remove the many fish which have become trapped in the drought hit Cong canal. The Mayo canal is the main spawing canal for the much sought after ferox trout. The dry spell has resulted in a significant drop in water levels, and given the porous nature of limestone within the canal this happens at an alarming rate.
During this period fishery staff monitor water levels on a daily basis, watching the shoals of juvenile trout and pools to form within the canal…….Mayo Today……21/05/12….read full article…
The federation of Irish Salmon and Sea Trout Anglers is warning that Government plans for a fish farm off the Galway coast may deplete salmon stocks by breaking the natural life cycle of the fish.
The group claim that Galway waters may be polluted from waste eminating from the fish-food used in open pen cages at sea.
Bord Iascaigh Mhara recently made its application for the deep-sea fish farming licence near Inis Oírr, that has the potential to create up to 500 jobs…..Galway News….17/05/12…read full article..
Raymond Crawford at Drowes With His 13lbs Fish on May 6th.
Report from Drowes on 15 May 2012 – At long last the northwest has had the rain we have badly needed for weeks. There is a nice fresh in the water and the gauge at the Four Masters’ Bridge is reading just under 0.55 metres. The fresh water has got some fish moving and there have been good numbers of fish reported over the past number of days. Thirty seven fish have been reported both caught and caught and released since my last report. The largest of these was R. Crawford’s 13lbs fish from the Sea Pool on May 6th.
In recent days there have been some early sea liced grilse reported and some coloured double figure have been caught and released. Fly and prawn have accounted for the majority of the recent fish, the Cascade yet again being the fly of choice.
The forecast is for further unsettled weather with good cloud cover and outbreaks of rain which should keep water levels topped up. Air and water temperatures are below normal for the time of year but for the the first time in a long time prospects for the week ahead look encouraging.
Raymond Crawford at Drowes With His 13lbs Fish on May 6th.
Wicklow Boat Charters skipper Kit Dunne reports on another weekend of big catches from the Wicklow animal fishing grounds. A party of 4 from the, “Fishing Enthusiasts of Dublin”, set off Sunday morning on what turned out to be a perfect day, after North East winds for the previous few days the prospects were not very clear but certainly turned up trumps. The group who were relatively new to animal fishing were delighted with a good start to the day with Smooth-Hound and Ray in the first hour.
Ksenia with a fine BullHuss. This fish wins Ksenia Catch of the WeekAls first fish of the day at the tide died was a Smoothy.
The tide picked up slowly but didnt stop the fish coming, Tope came during the run followed by many Bull-Huss as the strength in tide began to drop again. The day was then finished off with a hectic last 1 1/2 hours of Tope 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, 7 Tope, 6 bullHuss, 3 Smooth-Hounds, (with only 5 peeler crab onboard), 2 Ray and over 100 Dogfish – Not bad for a days work !
Stephane gets in on the Tope action with his first one.
Well Anglesea anglers boarded the John Boy at 10AM Crosshaven and we set off promptly on a very fine, calm & warm Sunday morning May 20th.
We made directly for the Ling Rocks a well-known and frequented mark at this this time of the year.
Shortly after arriving we began our first drift with the lads in high spirits and strange references being made to window dressings, we were off the mark with fair sized ling and cod with odd Pollock and wrasse being boated at pleasantly regular intervals, the drifting carried on producing a good mix of species with some nice Ling and Cod being boated.
After a bite to eat and Big John getting his much revered rocket soup we went to anchor is search of Conger, slow enough to start with Big John soon got us off the mark.
A few congers followed along with the odd Ling, Pollock, Pouting & Cod.
After a move in the late afternoon the Ling came on strong for a spell and some conger and few more species just for good measure.
Overall a very good days fishing on the John Boy with Donie.
Winner of the boat on the John Boy with a very respectable 397 points Michael (Conger) Healy with a good mixture of species including Conger, Ling, Pollock, Cod, Pouting, Gurnard & Cuckoo Wrasse
Once again the heavy rain bypassed Connemara, and consequently rivers here have not risen much over the week, just small freshets caused by light rain. However, this didn’t affect Ballynahinch Castle, where the first salmon of the season was landed by Tom McManus, guided by Michael van Murrick. The fresh fish weighed 9lbs, and was taken in the stream on Beat 1.
To book fishing or accommodation at Ballynahinch, call the castle on 095 31006, or visit www.ballynahinch-castle.com
Tom McManus and Michael van Murrick with the first fish of the season from Ballynahinch Castle Fishery. The fish weighed 9lbs and was taken in the stream on Beat 1.
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.
Donal Connolly from Nonaim Lodge in Glann, Oughterard reported on fishing for his guests over the last week. Cold conditions and squally weather has made fishing difficult at times but there were still some good fish being caught. Roy Smyth, John McIlwaine, and Jai and Laurence Wilson, Antrim, had 10 trout on wet and dry fly, all returned, best was 1.75lbs.
Marc Sims, Lancashire, had a total of 21 trout over several days fishing – all on dry fly and all released – best was 3lbs with several more in the 2 to 2.5lbs bracket. Marc Boesch, France, had 3 trout for a day’s fishing on wet fly. Samantha Benielli, France, had 2 trout for a day’s fishing dry fly, a lovely 2-pounder and a smashing fish of 2.75lbs which was the biggest trout she has caught so far – she plans to break this record next year on Corrib!
Symon Brown and his 15 year old son Aaron, from Tipperary, had 5 trout on the dap for a day’s fishing, all released. Roger Thompson had 2 trout of 1.25lbs and 3.5lbs in difficult windy and cold conditions.
To book fishing or accommodation with Donal and Connie, contact Nonaim Lodge at Tel: +353 (0)85 7364830, email [email protected] or check www.fishingcorrib.com
Guests staying at Camillaun B&B in Oughterard also enjoyed good fishing over the past week , with some excellent trout fishing on a variety of patterns as well as on the dap. Some of the more notable catches was that of father and son partnership Vic and Geoff Goddard, who collectively landed 37 trout to 4.5lbs, all of which were safely returned. James Campbell and Jim Seer had 21 fish to 3lbs and 17 of these were returned. Richard and Robert Kelly from Dublin had 7 excellent fish all to the dap. On Sunday there was a major competition in Oughterard – it was won in dreadful conditions by a trustworthy Welshman who has come fishing to Camillaun for the past 17 years – Alan had 2 fish one of 3.25lbs and the other 1.75lbs, both on wetfly.
Weather conditions continue to be unpredictable – but there are still boats available for the remainder of the Mayfly – to book fishing or accommodation visit www.camillaun.com or call Deirdre Forde at 091 552678.
Eamon Walsh reports that fishing in the Cornamona area has been sporadic during the week, with some anglers having good catches while others fared less well. The best of the fishing was to be had in the early part of the week with some excellent hatches of fly, as the wind was settled from the north. As the week progressed and the weather became more unsettled with squally winds, the fish became more elusive and hatches of fly dropped away a bit. Dapping the natural mayfly would appear the best method of enticing trout to the surface, especially the larger ones.
Regular visitor to Corrib, Keith Curtis and boatman Pat Egan took 2 excellent fish to the dap, one of 4lbs and another of 6lbs, while returning many more, early in the week. Martin Quinn from Limerick and local man Mike Flynn both had fine trout while fishing in Cornamona Bay.
A group of Welsh anglers were delighted with their week’s fishing, claiming it was the best visit they had enjoyed in over 15 years. Des James estimates they boated in excess of 100 trout over the 13″ limit during their 6 days, while also having many more smaller fish. Des himself landed a lovely fish of over 3.5lbs, his best to date off Corrib. All fish were sportingly released back to the lake.
The reports are much the same in the Headford/Greenfields area, with catches again patchy. Don Stiffe and 2 visiting anglers had 16 trout up to 4lbs over a number of days, all released. Brendan McGee had 2 fish for 5.5lbs on dry mayfly, both released. Bill Tully and a friend fishing for 2 days had 10 trout to the dap.
The best of the mayfly hatches may be over, but trout are still switched on to mayfly and are feeding hard, so when a few mayfly start hatching fish are still visible splashing at the surface and taking flies.
Tomi Kurman from the Corrib Predator Team emailed to say that himself and fellow guide Jack Gorny spent a few days recently guiding the Shimano Yasei Team in making a promotional video for the new range of Shiamo Yasei rods. They were fishing with world famous anglers Willem Stolk from the Netherlands, and Jurgen Haese and Dustin Shone, both from Germany. Irish waters were chosen by Shimano for their video, after Jurgen’s visit last year, when he was guided by Jack, and they enjoyed great pike fishing on fly and lure.
The visit coincided with the spell of dry fine weather towards the end of April, which made for difficult conditions, but they enjoyed some fine sport, landing pike up to 27lbs and 117cm.
Willem Stolk (Netherlands) and Jurgen Haese (Germany) with a trophy pike from Lough Corrib. The pike measured 117cm and was weighed in at 27lb before being released again.
Inland Fisheries Ireland would like to take this opportunity to remind anglers that fisheries officers are continually carrying out checks and patrols around Corrib, Mask and Carra to ensure that local bye-laws and regulations are being adhered to. Anglers should be mindful that since 2008 it is illegal to be in possession of any trout under 33cm (13 inches) and that there is a daily bag limit of 4 brown trout per angler per day. Contravention of any of these regulations may result in a prosecution or on-the-spot fine. People involved in the accommodation industry or in the hiring out of boats to visiting anglers are asked to advise all patrons of local fishing regulations. These regulations were introduced following consultation with the public and are designed to improve the conservation of wild trout stocks in the catchment.
Ronan Cusack reports that fishing was difficult on Lough Mask this week, with strong winds and temperatures barely moving out of single figures. Despite this, anyone who decided to brave the elements was well rewarded.
Ivor Hazlet and Gareth Love, Northern Ireland, had 9 fish over 2 days (best fish 1.75lbs). Gerry O’Brien, Ballinrobe, had a total of 11 trout for the week on dries (best fish 4lbs, all returned). Gerry also returned countless undersize fish in the course of the week. John Moorhead and Alan Cogan, Cork, fished with Ronan on Saturday last, and they had 2 keepers plus several undersize fish (best fish 1.75lbs). Noel Fay, Kildare, fished with Oliver Wickam, Partry, on Tuesday and they had 5 fish for their day (best fish 2.5lbs). Frank O’Hara, Ballinrobe, had 2 fish on Tuesday (best fish 1.75lbs). Kevin Sheridan, Ballinrobe, had 23 fish for the week on a combination of wets and dries (best fish 2.5lbs, all returned). Kevin Beatty, Ballinrobe, had something to smile about on Thursday when he landed a cracking trout of 6.75lbs on a dry olive. Sam and Mark Proctor, Co Down, had 4 trout on Monday last (best fish 1.5lbs).
Ronan Cusack fished with two UK anglers on Monday and Tuesday, and they returned 14 fish over the 13 inch limit, plus numerous undersize fish.
Mayfly hatches are still very sparse on Mask, yet olives continue to hatch in large numbers all week
Ronan also guides on Mask and can be contacted at [email protected] or on 087 2869487.
Margaret Gorman from Isham Self Catering and Angling Centre at Dringeen Bay on Lough Mask, reports that guests endured difficult angling conditions during the week with north/north-easterly winds prevailing. However, they received surprisingly good returns this week from anglers fishing out of Dringeen Bay.
Jean Yves from Corsica and Christian Desgrippes from mainland France had a great day during the week and caught 5 trout, with their best fish weighing 4lbs. Isham guests, Des McDonough and friends from Carlow had another good day with 6 trout – all good fish. All of these anglers were fishing wetfly and most fish were returned to the water again.
Dr. Ian and Rosie Gordon, Northern Ireland, had a very enjoyable day’s fishing with dry flies on Saturday, 12th May and had 3 trout and a lot of small fish. Their best fish was 3lbs and again, most of their trout were returned to the water.
Despite Sunday being a difficult day to fish with almost gale force southwesterly winds, Adrian Gorman and Martin O’Neill retreated from Lough Mask to the shelter of Dringeen Bay to be rewarded with a fine catch of 5 trout for 9.5lbs and numerous small fish, most of which were returned, best fish 2.5lbs. Adrian and his friend were fishing wetfly and all of their fish were caught on mayfly patterns.
Other anglers fishing from Isham during the week all reported good activity with lots of small fish showing.
Roger Martin from Westport, Co. Mayo, with a 10lbs brown trout taken while shore fishing on Lough Mask, May 2012
Mike Varley from Ballinrobe, Co. Mayo, with a 6.5lbs brown trout taken while shore fishing on Lough Mask, May 2012
Ronan also reported on trout salvage operations being carried out at the moment by Inland Fisheries Ireland staff, who are working tirelessly at the moment in an effort to remove the many fish which have become trapped in the Cong canal. The dry spell we have been experiencing of late has resulted in a significant drop in water levels, and given the porous nature of the limestone within the canal, this happens at an alarming rate. During this period fishery staff monitor water levels on a daily basis, watching for shoals of juvenile trout and pools to form within the canal. Once this happens the young trout are at their most vulnerable from herons and low oxygen levels. Only now is it possible for electrofishing to be carried out efficiently, allowing the greatest percentage of fish to be removed, causing the least amount of harm or stress. Once removed from the pools, fish are then placed in an oxygenated tank before been transported back to the lake and released into the wild.
Previous surveys carried out by IFI have shown that the Cong canal is the main spawning channel for the much sought after ferox trout, and its survival for the future relies greatly on this type of work. In the past two weeks alone over 5,000 juvenile trout have been removed from shallow pools in the Cong canal and given a second chance of survival in the lake.
IFI Staff John Campbell and Padraic Kerrigan using electro-fishing gear to rescue stranded trout from the Cong Canal before it dries out completely. The salvaged fish are released back to Lough Mask.
Steve Harrod at Delphi with his first ever salmon, a sea liced 12lbs3oz fish
18/05/12: David McEvoy reports from Delphi –
Well, fishing has picked up since my last update and we even got some water, 29.4mm to be exact. The river went up nicely to 30cms which although not extreme, compared to what we had is lovely water.
There are 8 more fish to report including a couple of crackers.
Leigh Hookes one of John Tappin’s party got us back on track with a nice fish from the Turn pool on Monday. The fish weighed in at 6lbs and was taken on a Monkey Dog.
Leigh Hookes at Delphi
We had nothing on Tuesday but we managed to land 4 on Wednesday.
Steve Harrod had one of the better fish of the year so far in landing his first ever salmon, a sea liced 12lbs3oz fish off Finlough on a Silver Stoat variant. Steve walked around for the rest of the day with that smile of a man who had just lost his salmon virginity. He was indeed very happy.
Steve Harrod at Delphi with his first ever salmon, a sea liced 12lbs3oz fish
Lee Hookes struck once again with a fish of 10lbs1oz on an Executioner from Finlough. He was aided in this task by his boat partners, John Tappin and Robbie Burton.
Christopher Jarman proved once again why he is one of Delphi’s top anglers in landing 2 fish. The first of approx. 9lbs came off the Turn pool on a Snake tube and the second a sea liced fish of approx. 9lbs from the New Islandpool on a Silver Stoat.
Yesterday we had 3 before lunch. Christopher Jarman had another fish, this time off Finlough of 8lbs13ozs on a Silver Stoat.
Chris Wathen had a fish off Finlough also on a Silver Stoat of 6lbs2.5ozs.
Christopher Jarman and Christopher Wathen at Delphi
And finally Tony Whitehouse accompanied by Peter Milne had a fish off Doolough of 8lbs3ozs.
There is nothing reported yet today but on the positive side we have light rain at the moment so we’ll take all we can get.
That now brings total for the year to 70.
19/05/12 Ciaran Boland definitely ended up top rod this week in landing two double figure salmon.
It is on it’s own a great achievement but it’s even greater when your boat partner for the first fish is Chris Jarman and the second, the salmon magnet, Paul Wymes. It goes without saying that Ciaran was a happy man when leaving today.
Ciaran had his first of the week yesterday afternoon on Finlough. The fish was taken on a Gowla Temple Dog, measured 85.5cms i.e. approx. 14lbs12ozs and was sea liced. Unfortunately there was no camera in the boat so we’ve no photo.
Ciaran Boland on Saturday at Delphi
His second was this morning on Finlough, weighing in at 11lbs and half an ounce and was again taken on a Gowla Temple Dog.
Hopefully this is a sign of things to come this week.
