Mark Gannon reports on the charter boat fihsing out of Courtmacsherry…
Pollack
Skate
A disco triple
24 May: A fishing family from Holland Arie Borsboom with his 2 son in laws Denis and Ben are enjoying the fishing off Courtmacsherry. Fishing from the Lady Louise skippered by Taylor Murphy saw a great day with Common Skate tagged and released to about weight 40 kg, good conger, pollack, coalfish, dogfish, bullhuss, pouting, thornback ray and plenty of mackerel. We will have individual spaces on our charter boats available Monday to Friday during the summer call 086 8250905
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Skate
Cod, pollack and coalfish
Conger
Ling
Full house
25 May: Superb fishing yesterday on the Lady Louise. Irish Specimen Common Skate for Michael Fielding with plenty of other species for his fellow anglers. We have spaces on June 1st and 2 spaces each day from the 1st July to the 6th July on a shared charter basis. Enquiries to Mark on +353868250905
Courtmacsherry Sea Angling Centre offers charter boat fishing and inshore small boat hire.
Lady Patricia
Aquastar 38′. 370 HP Skipper: Mark Gannon Licence: 819 Base: Courtmacsherry Operational Area: 30 miles out from Courtmacsherry
Notes: Mark has two Aquastar 38’s, Lady Patricia and Lady Louise. Specialising in wreck fishing, Mark’s boats have consistently provided specimen fish over the years. Shark, reef and general inshore angling also on offer.
Lady Louise
Aquastar 38′. 370 HP Caterpillar Skipper: Sean Maxwell Licence: 818 Base: Courtmacsherry Operational Area: 30 miles out from Courtmacsherry
Authorised blue fin tuna boat 2026
Notes: Mark has two Aquastar 38’s, Lady Patricia and
Lady Louise. Specialising in wreck fishing, Mark’s boats have consistently provided specimen fish over the years. Shark, reef and general inshore angling also on offer.
Inshore small boat hire
With our Self Drive boats several different activities can be enjoyed. Our self drive 16′ Boats are equipped with 8 HP Yamaha 4 stroke engines. Equipment includes:
• Set of oars
• Life-Jackets
• Anchors
• Charts of local area
Twenty eight boats headed out on Lough Derg on Sunday for the widely anticipated Lough Derg Predator Challenge. Some of the best known names in pike angling, guiding, retailing and lure making were present. The guys at Baracuda Fishing tackle Shop pick up the story…
Early morning on the Ballina Jetty 28 boats came, check-in went smoothly and by 9am every boat was at the start line! After the start all teams rushed to their favourite fishing spots trying to catch Pike, Perch and Trout and hopping to do well and maybe will win this edition.
Even if the weather was perfect for Predator fish for some reason they didn’t play the way anglers believe they will. Some teams struggle to catch fish during the competition, and the weather was plain and simple May weather, with sunshine, some heavy showers and SW wind all day !
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Team IrishFishingTours finished 5th with 14 pike with one super heavy 93cm fish. They lost a couple meter fish, one at the net that would have seem them finish better, but hey that’s fishing
Team IrishFishingTours finished 5th with 14 pike with one super heavy 93cm fish. They lost a couple meter fish, one at the net that would have seem them finish better, but hey that’s fishing
Team IrishFishingTours finished 5th with 14 pike with one super heavy 93cm fish. They lost a couple meter fish, one at the net that would have seem them finish better, but hey that’s fishing
Big fish lost at the net in a tournament, it was the fine margin between winning and losing. Senan didn’t sleep much that nigh
After a fussy day on the lake at the end we had our leaderboard and a good number of fish were caught and uploaded FishDonkey app.
Now it’s time to reveal the winners of this edition.
Team Catch&Release 295cm
Team Snipe&Troll 275cm
Team Durslak 271cm
Longest Fish: Team Snipe&Troll 103cm
Sponsored Nays Lures: Team Carlow Predator Angler 266cm
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Many Thanks to everyone who took part to this event.
Go fishing…
With the Lough Derg Predator Challenge over for another year the guys at Baracuda Fishing Tackle Shop are turning their attention to the Lough Derg Perch Bonanza 2024 in August and Lough Ree Predator Challenge 2024 in September…
It’s time for Ireland on the Fly’s second and final mayfly update from around the country and this week they hear how Lough Sheelin and Lough Arrow fared with Eamonn Ross and Jackie Mahon.
Eamonn explains how the fishing was fantastic the first week the mayfly was up with some incredible fish being caught, but it’s been tougher since then.
Meanwhile on Arrow, Jackie describes it as patchy, and similar to many other places, if you were able to hit it at the right time, the fishing could be top drawer, but outside of the windows it was proving to be much harder.
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Winter and spring are often times that charter skippers are busy with surveys, stripping and painting, servicing and refitting. And so May is when a lot of them return to the high seas of Ireland. Down in Kerry, Deep Sea Dingle’s boat Molly O was launched last week and reporting good fishing for pollack and a few mackerel to boot.
Across the bay in Caherciveen, Kerry Sea Angling Charters, who fish from the Fuego are reporting hot enough fishing for mackerel, pollack, ling, cuckoo wrasse, flat fish, whiting, pouting, coalie and some haddock even.
Tyler 42 Glass fibre hull. Twin Caterpillar V8 engines. Skipper: Rory O’Connor, ex trawler skipper, 20 years experience. Licence: 1411 Base: Dingle Operational area: Dingle Bay & Blasket Islands grounds.
Notes: Wheelhouse, 2 Radar, 2 Fishfinders, 2 VHF Radios GPS & Track plotter. Large Cabin, Galley, Seating & Toilet are for the fisherman’s comfort. All rods are Penn with Penn Senator reels (No extra charge) Large selection of lures. Full list of safety equipment aboard. Species fished Cod, Pollack, Ling, Coalfish, Mackerel, Skate & Shark. Whale, dolphin & bird watching tours available.
Ocean Tramp 37′. 370HP Cummins Skipper: Des O’Connell Licence: 562 Base: Caherciveen Operational Area: Up to 30 miles from Caherciveen, Knightstown and Portmagee.
Notes: Deep sea fishing around Dingle Bay, the Skelligs and Blasket Islands. All types of fishing catered for – conger, ling, pollack, garfish and many more species. Can take 10 anglers comfortably. Half day fishing trips and mackerel trips also available.
Seward Totty is one of a US party of 8 spending a week at the exclusive Beechwood Estate within Adare Manor. I collected him for a day on the Deel on Sunday morning. Heavy showers and gloomy dark skies early on are not what you expect as June nears but as we approached mid-day things began to change with Mayfly still hatching, sparse enough, nothing like last week’s carnival. I was there on Friday with Deel debutant and new club member Tom O’Shea and saw lots of Mayfly spinners on the wing in early afternoon. Wet-fly was the only practical approach and Seward had about 10 fish in all, most on a Mayfly nymph but also on a large Greenwell dropper which is not unlike the Mayfly dun. Water level up slightly after Saturday’s drop of rain but weed now starting to surface and will carpet much of the river before long… the Duffers have had their forthnight but will have to up their game as upstream approach now desirable with over 4 months still left in our season.
A butter-bellied Deel trout
One can bemoan the silted nature and agricultural run-off which encourages such abundant weed growth, but were it not that way would we have the meteoric increase in Mayfly and smaller ephemerae hatches…swings and roundabouts! (All fish carefully returned)
Badged Fly-fishing Guide and Instructor for wild brown trout on Co. Limerick’s rivers Deel and Maigue.
Notes: Based near the picturesque village of Adare(Ireland’s Prettiest Village)
Paddy has been delivering personal guiding for wild brown trout on local streams and rivers for 25 years now. He is a qualified Marine and Countryside Guide and offers Fly-casting tuition for beginners and improvers.
Paddy replies promptly to all queries, email best so I have reference record of details in the event of a follow-up booking. Deposit not usually required as advice of accommodation suffices in lieu.
Tackle and gear hire
Full fly outfit/waders etc. on hire also for those wishing to go alone.
Vincent Appleby reports from the shore of Lough Currane…
22/5/2024. We go back about 25 years give or take, Currane anglers father and son from Germany came to Waterville to fish, sadly I haven’t got any records on that trip, all I do know is today they were back out there on Lough Currane and I can tell you they weren’t out there long while trolling with their Gillie, of Waterville Boats and at [email protected] when their reel went off and fair play to them they caught a fine 8lbs. Salmon with their gillie, all I can say is, 25 years well worth waiting for My Noble Gentleman the Salmon.
Hardly a bear in the sky
So on that note we will head for the Gillie’s photo of the week, as you can see it looks like that the bear is on the charge, all I can say is, it’s a pity there isn’t few a bears out there fishing on the lake. Wind NE light to fresh and followed by showers. Yesterday’s weather, amount of rainfall 0-0mm, amount of sunshine 16.3c, maximum air temperature 8.2c.
23/5/2024. To today’s fishing notes, Yes, I can say I have looked at my WhatsApple all quiet on the SW front. Wind light to fresh NNE and variable, followed by reasonable cloud cover. Yesterday’s weather, amount of rainfall 0.4mm, amount of sunshine 1.9, maximum air temperature 14.9c.
Scarriff and Deenish Islands
24/5/2024. As you can see by the photos the odds of a Salmon being caught were against my Noble Currane anglers? And going by my WhatsApple all reels were negative, all I can say is stay positive, wind light to fresh NW veered SW followed reasonable cloud cover. Yesterday’s weather, amount of rainfall 0.0mm, amount of sunshine 6.0, maximum air temperature 13.9c.
25/5/2024. All I have to report, there was a good bit of rain this morning and began to clear early this afternoon, how much that’s another story, but I will have those facts in tomorrow’s notes but personally I don’t think it will be a big amount? Going back to the Currane anglers reels and lines all I can say is that they were all slack in all departments and I’m coming to the conclusion that their reels and lines need a good bit of WD40. Wind SE veered SW fresh and followed by strong gusts. Yesterday’s weather, amount of rainfall 0.0mm, amount of sunshine 8.0, maximum air temperature 15.2c.
26/5/2024. Going by my WhatsApple the Currane anglers didn’t take my advice on the WD40 saga, I take it that the Currane anglers are going to try the 3-in-one oil and I’m not talking of alcohol, so on that note we head for the weather, wind WNW light to fresh, followed by reasonable cloud cover and light showers. Yesterday’s weather, amount of rainfall 10.2mm, amount of sunshine 0.7, maximum air temperature 14.4c.
27/5/2024. I’m late with tonight’s report so it will be short and sweet. The Currane anglers were all quiet on the SW front, wind SW light to fresh and variable and overcast. Just for the record there is rain this evening, will have all the rain facts in tomorrow’s notes. Yesterday’s amount of rainfall 5.4mm, amount of sunshine 1.4, maximum air temperature 13.3c.
28/5/2024. I’m early tonight? and here we go again, it’s the same old story and yes you have it, the Currane anglers were all quiet in all departments and the same goes for My WhatsApple. All I can say is put Fish farms on land /fishfrom.com/ and let the Wild Atlantic Salmon and Sea trout free of this filthy business. Wind West fresh and followed by good cloud cover. Yesterday’s weather, amount of rainfall 6.4mm, amount of sunshine 2.5, maximum air temperature 15.c.
29/5/2024. The Currane anglers were all quiet this day, so the least said the soonest mended, but as I always say, no spin no fly’s just facts. Now we will head for gone with the wind, fresh NNW followed by reasonable cloud cover. Yesterday’s weather, amount of rainfall 3.2mm, amount of sunshine 0.9, maximum air temperature 14.9c.
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
The rivers and lakes of Waterville drain a large catchment and are regarded by many as the foremost Salmon and Sea-Trout fishery in the country. The lake system is well developed with access to boats and guides being readily available to the tourist angler. The Sea-Trout caught here are renowned for their size and quantity. For more details see:
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.
The NCFFI is inviting young anglers to join a series of sessions covering a range of float fishing techniques and develop with them as they look to form a pool of anglers to progress to championship level.
If you are interested in travelling to the world championships in Spain in 2025 or the Celtic Cup in Scotland this October as part of Team Ireland Youth then express your interest here
The Leinster Pike AnglingClub held a two-day boat angling competition on the Shannon recently. Anglers started out from a single base and were free to fish anywhere as long as they did not go through any locks. Saturday was a fine day, and saw the best of the fishing, with one angler, Jay Cooke, managing 97lb to leave him well-placed going into the second day.
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Unfortunatey, the weather broke overnight, and fishing conditions were not so good for Sunday’s session. But Jay managed to add another 30lb+ to his tally from Saturday, leaving him with a bag of 131lb over the two days, streets ahead of the rest of the competition.
Full results as follows:
Overall Results – Total Bags:
Jay Cooke – 12 fish at 131lb 3oz
Will Carney – 9 fish at 66lb 9oz
Francis Crosbie – 10 fish at 39lb 11oz
Luke Ó Ciaráin – 14 fish 38lb 4oz Overall Results – Heaviest Fish:
Jay Cooke – 18lb 15oz
Fergal Doherty – 15lb 1oz
Sean O’Brien – 14lb 10oz
Ballybrannagan was supposed to be the venue for our latest club competition but unfortunately the beach was destroyed in weed so we used Ballymacoda as the backup venue.
Lines went out at 6pm and most anglers had fish on the first cast, small school bass and silver eels. The fishing continued like this for the first two hours and Fiona Ryan was the early leader followed closely by Derek Kenrick.
Troy Francis on peg 2 after a slow start, started finding fish regularly and continued this for the remainder of the match. Troy’s 13 fish were enough for him to seal the win on the night.
A bass for Derek in his last cast was enough for him to get second place just beating Fiona, both anglers had 10 fish each.
1st – Troy Francis – 13 fish – 357pts
2nd – Derek Kenrick – 10 fish – 280pts
3rd – Fiona Ryan – 10 fish – 268pts
4th – Stephen O Donovan – 7 fish – 194pts
5th – Barry Connelly – 5 fish – 177pts
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Colin Kilbride won the round fish pool with a bass of 36cm and Barry Connelly took the flat fish pool with a surprise painted ray of 63cm. Well done lad’s.
Species on the night consisted of bass, silver eels, flounder, plaice, smelt and painted ray.
Go fishing…
All about West Cork and District SAC…
The club was formed on march 19th 2009, in the small picturesque harbour town of Kinsale County Cork. We’re an inclusive club, this can be seen in our membership profile; from anglers who are new to match fishing all the way up to members of the Irish World Shore Team 2010, two of which are in the club! The club holds circa 10 competitions per year, members are encouraged to practice a catch and release policy in the interests of conservation. Anybody wishing to join our club is always welcome, just use the contact us page and we will give prospective members full details. Web:http://westcorkanddistrict.webs.com/ Facebook:facebook.com/pages/West-Cork-and-District-SAC/
Lady Patricia
Lady Louise
Molly’O
Fuego
Notes: Based near the picturesque village of Adare (Ireland’s Prettiest Village)
Boat Hire
Salmon and Sea-Trout fishing Guide
The club was formed on march 19th 2009, in the small picturesque harbour town of Kinsale County Cork. We’re an inclusive club, this can be seen in our membership profile; from anglers who are new to match fishing all the way up to members of the Irish World Shore Team 2010, two of which are in the club! The club holds circa 10 competitions per year, members are encouraged to practice a catch and release policy in the interests of conservation. Anybody wishing to join our club is always welcome, 
