Kevin Ashurst with one of the bream which made up his 100 lb bag
Kevin Ashurst with one of the bream which made up his 100 lb bag
Big Kev – a match fishing legend – rounded off a successful season with an autumn pleasure session at Boa Island on Lower Lough Erne. He’s now back in the UK and no doubt tackling the River Weaver, but he will certainly be relishing his latest Irish sortie ended with an estimated 100lb of bream.
This was a feature session for Angling Times due for publication later this winter and Kevin stepped up to the mark with 28 large bream and a raft of hybrids. He fished a 13ft feeder rod casting about 40m and using four red maggots on a size 12 hook. Dave Houghton Active Irish Angling Tel: (UK) 0151 324 4744 or (IRL) +353 (0)71 9642743 Web:www.activeirishangling.com
Liam Kane wins Catch of the Week with this specimen mullet
Liam Kane wins Catch of the Week with this specimen mullet
Anglers have endured every kind of weather in the last week with frost, sleet, high winds, heavy rain and clear, bright sunshine each featuring at some stage. There has been extensive flooding in many parts of the country and coarse fisheries in the midlands and along the River Shannon and its tributaries have been particularly affected.
With much of the Shannon and midlands flooded it is not surprising that the Cavan, Monaghan and other fisheries in the north east fished best. Once again there were good reports from Lough Muckno where bags to 30lb were returned at an IADA competition there.
A young German angler fishing with angling guide Kenny Sloan caught his first ever pike, followed by his second, measuring 86cm and 74cm in length in the Foxford area despite difficult conditions. Corsican anglers fishing in the Cavan lakes with Pat McLoughlin also overcame difficult conditions to catch some good pike. Despite high, coloured water and a cold, hard breeze they had up to 14 fish a day with the best pike weighing 20 lbs. Some good pike were also reported from the Lower Shannon, Lough Erne and Lough Ramor.
Catch of the Week goes to Liam Kane for a fine 5lb 12oz mullet he had at Laytown during a spell of calm warm weather. Given the recent heavy weather at sea it is no surprise that there are only a few reports in from charter boats, but anglers who could get out when conditions allowed enjoyed some great sport. Shore anglers fishing with Paul Harris on the Beara had plaice to 3lb 9oz and bull huss to over 10lb. Luke Aston reports that the boat fishing at Courtmacsherry has been very good recently. Last week his anglers had big cod, ling and pollack as well as blue shark. Similarly there has been good late season fishing off the Clare coast where again good cod, ling and pollack have featured.
Inland Fisheries Ireland would like to remind all salmon and sea trout anglers to return their completed logbooks and any unused gill tags by the 19th October 2011 to their local IFI office. The return of logbooks and unused tags is required under the Wild Salmon and Sea Trout Tagging Scheme Regulations. Please see the Inland Fisheries Ireland websitel for more details.
Tight lines especially in Ireland, Paul Bourke Angling Information Officer
It’s hard to believe that another trout season has come and gone. Last Wednesday October 12th we fished our last days on Owel for Trout. There was a good turn out of anglers on the lake for the last day of the season competition.
Owel had being stocked and fish ranging from 3lbs to 2lbs were caught. Derek O Brien topped the day on Owel with 3.036lbs, 2nd Brendan Murray 2.660lbs, and 3rd Christy Dunne 2.648lbs, 4th Kenny Kiernan 2.500lbs.
The lake is closed for trout fishing till March 1st, but is open for perch and pike fishing.
It’s hard to believe that another trout season has come and gone. Last Wednesday October 12th we fished our last days on Ennell for Trout. There was a good turn out of anglers on the lake for the last day of the season competition.
I teamed up with Marty Smith on Ennell, and once again failed to catch an Ennell Trout. It was tough going with very few fish moving, and little or no fly life to encourage fish to surface feed. On the day John Brennan produced the only fish of the day back at Caffreys Lounge at 8pm. John had a lovely fish of 2.664lbs.
Lough Ennell is closed for trout fishing till March 1st, but is open for perch and pike fishing.
One notable recent catch was a fine John Dory of over 3lbs
My main fishing season is over now and I will just do the odd day trip now as demand dictates up until early January when the boat will be lifted for it’s annual maintenance.
I have just been out 2 or 3 times a week over the last while and all on day charters. Generally the fishing has been very good but the weather has been hard work and very uncertain. There has been a lot of sprat in the lower estuary and the Mackerel have been feeding on them. The size of the Mackerel is very variable from small Joey’s to large harvest Mackerel and all mixed in together. We have come on the odd shoal close to loop head which was all large but these shoals have not been widespread.
...reasonable catches of up to 20 fish a day mostly around the 6 to 10 lb mark.
The ground fishing is going very well with a lovely mix of fish about. Star of the show has been the return of Cod in reasonable numbers. They are not always playing ball but we have been getting reasonable catches of up to 20 fish a day mostly around the 6 to 10 lb mark. Another species that has made a bit of a return is the Spurdogs and we have been getting these mostly around the 8lb mark.
Pollack are abundant on most days, or at least for some period of each day! We have had some great sport fishing for them with shads on light tackle. We have also had reasonable catches of Haddock, Coalfish, Gurnard and Ling. And one noticeable recent catch was a fine John Dory of over 3lbs.
Luke Aston Clare Dragoon, LOCHIN 366, 650HP.
Carrigaholt Co. Clare
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To experience some of the best deep sea fishing available in Ireland contact Luke. Telephone: +353 65 9058209 or +353 87 6367544 Email:[email protected]Web:www.fishandstay.com
The ground fishing is going very well with a lovely mix of fish about.
Lough Ennell Anglers fished the Con Hope Perpetual Cup last Sunday October 16th. On the day Paddy Dolan won with a pike of 13lbs. The Lake is open all winter for pike fishing, and is worth a few days weather permitting. It can also produce some super perch. Coarse and Pike Angling regulations are in place, and you also need an I.F.I. permit to fish Ennell.
Liam Kane wins Catch of the Week with this specimen mullet
Liam Kane with his specimen mullet
Liam Kane, Dublin, enjoyed good mullet fishing at Laytown last week. The high point of the day was when he caught this lovely mullet which weighed 5 lb 12 oz. Ray McElhenney, Laytown, was fishing with Liam and also had reason to be happy landing another good fish of 5 lb 10 oz.
Bill Hickey sent in this photo of a 24.08 lb specimen pike caught in a competition 16/10/11 by Jimmy Ryan, St. Flannans Fishing Club. The fish was caught on the Lower Shannon at Farrells Island and was safely released after this picture was taken.
Charles Plunkett sent in this photograph of a 1.04m pike caught by one of two Dutchmen staying at Belle Isle from 1st to 7th October.
The pair, father and son, only caught 40 pike in the week but this was the biggest. Charles Plunkett Belle Isle
Lisbellaw,
Co.Fermanagh,
T: +44 (0)28 66387231
E: [email protected]
Pat McLoughlin had some visitors from Corsica over the last week. Fishing in the Cavan area last Sunday the lads had 14 pike on Sunday 16th October to 7lbs. All pike were taken on either lure or roach baits. The water is up and coloured in most lakes and the cold windy weather with generally overcast skies with sunny intervals made fishing difficult. Pat reports that the water temperatures dropped from 52 degrees on Sunday to 45 degrees today Wednesday 19th October. The group fished again with Pat in the Cavan area on Wednesday 19th October and boated 10 pike to 20lbs. An additional 15 fish were missed and all boated fish were only lip hooked. Lures again produced the best results.
If you fancy a days pike fishing with Pat he can be contacted at 086 1017415 email: [email protected]
Marc O’Regan has had a few outings over the last week on the lakes in the Cavan, Monaghan and Westmeath areas. Marc reports lots of small fish on lures with his best fish weighing in at 14lbs. Marc and guests recorded a total of 44 pike over three days.
If you fancy a days pike fishing with Marc O’Regan, he can be contacted at 087 9153002
On Lough Ramor in Co Cavan, Pat Christie from Kells fished with a few angling buddies over the weekend. During a night session Pat hooked and landed a beautiful 22lb fish. The fished took a ledgered dead bait and was returned safely to the lake after weighing. A number of pike to 10lbs were caught and released off the pier in Virginia over the last week. Fish were taken on dead bait and spinners.
