14th April 2012
Here at Owenmore, we had two seatrout landed and one salmon lost during the flood. The water levels have now dropped but there is rain forecast for next week. The temperature hopefully will rise and we should have better fishing. We had snow on the mountains here yesterday.
Contact Name: Frank Maunsell Address: Brandon Bay, Dingle, County Kerry.
09/04/12: There is a general buzz of optimism within the small band of anglers that regularly haunt the coast line that encompasses the Burren. The seas and skies are coming to life and fish are starting to show on many of the well-known marks on the rocks and beaches in North Clare. Terns are feeding heavily and the odd gannet can be seen patrolling the margins between the reefs and open water. Dolphins are once again hunting the gullies and even the occasional otter can be seen in some of the most surprising places.
Good sized plaice were caught in a recent club competition along with nice huss, dogfish and some pollack.
School Bass have been taken on crab and lugworm in various locations and many lure anglers are starting to wake from their winter hibernation. Mackerel are not yet showing even though they are being caught in the surrounding counties.
I have been taking advantage of the run of big tides to scout out marks that I think will hold fish and although I have been carrying a rod most of the time very little fishing has taken place which has not been my intention but conditions have dictated it.
There is a mark in plain view where I have never seen an angler so I took the time to park and walk to it. It takes about twenty minutes to get down to it and involves going through a few fields and gateways. It would not be ideal to go there heavily armed with two fourteen foot beachcasters and a seatbox. Although the walk is not that far the way is arduous and requires some holding on to rocks.
Burren, Co. Clare
A lonely dolphin was hunting the gully and hunting hard, spending very little time on the surface and moving at speed following the same pattern of a figure of eight along the gully and then round a kelp strewn rock at the far end. I though it would move off but after about an hourIdecided that it would be me that moved along as the dolphin showed no signs of wanting to share either the mark or a decent photo of itself.It is amazing how different a mark can look at low water when you are picking your way along the rocks. I will be back to fish this area but it looks as if it will hold more pollack and wrasse than bass and the gully that I wanted to see turned out to be much deeper than I had hoped for even though it was surrounded by many shallow sandy bottom patches. If you recognise the area from the photographs I think it would be well worth spending some time getting to know the area.
Sea around Co Clare
As I picked my way along the rocks coming to the more frequently inhabited parts I found a nice flat platform for a rest. On that platform there was a very nice set of braid blades, not the kind of thing a tinsel tosser would have left behind but an item that some thought went in to buying. If they are yours you are welcome to them back, but only on the condition that you bring a carrier bag with you as I picked up your empty bottles and food wrappers as well!!
Back to deep water and I was surprised to see an otter which I presumed was a sea otter due to the lack of rivers or lakes in the area. I was gutted that my camera ran out of batteries before I could get a decent shot at it.
My new rod and reel arrived during the week. I have not given either of them a good testing yet but all I can say at this stage is I cannot believe that vast chasm in performance an action between a modern purpose-built lure rod and my old pike spinning rod. Sometimes you just cannot see how bad things are until you step away from them. Even on a budget it is possible to get a serviceable rod and reel and a box of lures to get you going.
I have asked around on a few forums for a bit of advice on the lures that I wanted to start with for fishing shallow reefy ground and I am pleased to say that most of the replies I got pointed me in the direction of lures that I had already considered.
Just as a note to myself, it may be better to buy lures in the winter rather than at this time of year as I could not find anywhere with a tackle house feed 128 shallow mullet in stock on any of the websites I tried.
Since Danny Meagher’s last post he has been hitting the water at every opportunity with some fantastic results so early in the season.
He had his first few Bass on a Hard Plastic over a week ago and they have been hitting them hard since, for now the Soft Plastics have taken back seat as we push on through April.
Feed Shallow ready for action.
The weather conditions have varied from bright sunshine without any wind, to heavy rain driven by a bitter Northerly wind. Fish have been caught through these varying conditions
We experienced some of the better fishing over the weaker tides at various tide states, High Water being the least productive. One of the weaker tides produced Barry’s first Lure caught Bass of the year:
Barry with his first lure caught Bass of 2012.
Water clarity has varied from brown & murky to gin clear, we experienced good fishing when we found a happy medium between the two. Mullet turning, Sea Trout jumping and Sand Eels swimming were some of the sights we encountered. The Bass we caught were in great condition and ranged from 2lb – 7lb, all were put back to fight another day. Here is a sample of some of the fish:
Great condition for AprilHead into the tide before the release
THE dry weather continues and we have Ireland to ourselves. The roads are free of tour buses and tourist traffic. We can drive around the Ring of Kerry clockwise or anticlockwise, as we please.
The two last weeks in March delivered warm sunlight all day long. Now, in April, this sometimes turns to cold sunlight and sharp, clear weather, great for walking once one warms up…….The Irish Examiner…16/04/12…..read full article..
A recent column on alternative means of treating waste has attracted a deal of reaction, which is not surprising given the ongoing outcry about charges for septic tanks.
In that column, the focus was on integrated constructed wetland systems (ICW) which are working successfully in different parts of country and are dealing with waste from private houses, farms, and commercial enterprises. The systems involve the free flow of water through a number of ponds, with plants aiding the treatment process….The Irish Examiner….16/04/12…..read full article..
ANGLING: A WELL-presented angling guide features Lough O’Flynn, a 300-acre limestone lake 2km from Ballinlough in Co Roscommon. The lake is one of Inland Fisheries Ireland’s (IFI) managed wild brown trout lakes and is also stocked each year with brown trout.
The centrefold showcases the Upper Suck Valley from O’Flynn through Roscommon and Galway until the Shiven tributary joins….The Irish Times…16/04/12…..read full article..
ANOTHER LIFE: THE PLANT THAT burst into bloom in our gateway a few years ago was new to my eye, certainly pretty, and grown, perhaps, from a seed thrown off a passing lorry. Picking it to paint it was, perhaps, a lucky impulse. Left to produce its own seeds, it could have sprayed them explosively, raining little black ball-bearings for several metres all around.
The banks of the stream that ducks through a hollow at that corner of our acre could now be choked with thickets of Impatiens glandulifera, or Indian (Himalayan) balsam, joining the existing jungle of Fuchsia magellanica, the alien from Argentina…..The Irish Times..16/04/12…read full article..
A SHOWDOWN with Inland Fisheries Ireland has led to a group of anglers in Enniscorthy has ended in victory for the local fishermen after they forced a major re-think in an earlier ruling by the Dept. Enniscorthy Local Anglers Association (ELAA) was formed only in January of this year, directly as a result of local fishermen’s’ anger at new regulations introduced by Inland Fisheries Ireland (IFI). The Enniscorthy Echo, 12/04/12.Read full article ‘Victory for anglers in by-law row‘.
Pleasant Easter weather has definitely helped anglers make their catches with us here at Cashel. Bangor’s Michael Anderson used damsel to bank seven trout all of which he released. Pat Nicell, junior and senior (Derry and Buncrana) accompanied by mate James McFeely (Derry) banked an amazing twenty-three trout between them which fell to assorted small lures. Dungiven’s Andrew Logan caught thirteen in total, two of which he took home for tea which took small lures. Dungiven’s Martin Bradley likewise did very well catching fourteen lovely trout all of which he released. Mark Boyce (Dungiven) got five to the bank which took small buzzers. Adam Semple (Dungiven) managed to get trout on the hook but unfortunately they got away. Better luck next time Adam! Jim Russell and Danny Walker (Monkstown) bagged three each for home and released one each back into the lake. They used their old favourite, the Kate McLaren, to make their catch.
