Igor Pavlović enjoyed a three hour session on the River Inny recently which produced two stunning pike – one of which was Igor’s new personal best! Igor was lure fishing with both Svartzonker lures and Irish made lures from Mel Handmade Lures.
Conditions were good on the day and after landing his 17lbs PB on the Svartzonker, he followed it up with a 12lbs fish within the hour to finish off a great river session with two very healthy river pike.
It has been a mixed bag on the weather front over the past week, with torrential downpours one minute and bright, brassy sunshine the next. Some parts of the country experienced up to 35mm of rain, while the south west of the country saw little at all. It was slightly warmer than average most days, but anyone who has been out fishing the loughs in recent days will have noticed the nippy north wind biting as soon as the sun has set…
All this mixed weather is wreaking a bit of havoc on the loughs, as anglers are having to contend with very changeable conditions that make every drift a new experience. Such was the case on Sheelin, where the unsettled weather has made the fishing a bit patchy, but some big fish are being landed for those in the right place at the right time. The fishing on Lough Arrow seems to have been more reliable, with fish falling to the dap, wets and spent. Meanwhile, on Conn & Cullin, trout were caught on wet fly and gnat, but dry mayflies were the most effective patterns for daytime fishing. The lads from Piscari Fly were up on Corrib fishing with Tom Doc and were treated to some mayfly mayhem with a few prolific hatches and obliging fish. On Lough Owel, a couple of young cousins were out on the lake and met some good fish, including a first-ever trout for Ben McLachlan. It’s not only the loughs that see action at mayfly time, and Paddy Dunworth found plenty of fly up while guiding on the Deel last week. And Dan O’Neill had some early starts on the Nore, as dawn birdsong and mist made for an atmospheric start to a day’s fishing.
To coarse angling now, and the newly formed Kent Stainless Coarse Fishing Society had the first outing of the year at Oaklands fishery at the weekend and enjoyed a day catching bream and carp. Oaklands was also the venue for the Commercial Pairs competition last weekend, where father and son duo Adrian & John Browne finished top of the standings after the two-day match. On the canal at Edenderry, Karl Unwin made the most of his end peg to weigh in an impressive 31lb to win his club match at the weekend. Up on the river Blackwater near Dungannon, bright sunshine and high temperatures didn’t dent the fishing as Mark Alcock netted 30kg of skimmers to win the fourth qualifier of Ireland’s Feeder King. Anglers fishing the Perch Masters on the Barrow were not so lucky, as the bright weather definitely put the perch off the take, and many struggled to catch counters. There was plenty of activity in the Fermoy area last week as anglers fishing the festival found waters rising daily, but the fishing stayed steady throughout. Anglers fishing the Hogan’s Open on Inniscarra also found water levels to be rising daily, but, again, fishing wasn’t affected, and Niall McKitterick won out with 131 hybrids for 27kg.
Tope fishing seems to have clicked up a gear or two in recent weeks, with plenty of catches reported from around the country. Charter skipper Luke Aston had his son David onboard during the week as he took some time out in advance of his upcoming wedding. They let him have first crack at the tope rod and he didn’t waste his opportunity, boating the first of numerous tope on the day. Kit Dunne also reported some good tope fishing, including a couple of specimens as he hosted the Irish Outgoing Pikers on his boat last week. The tope action wasn’t all limited to boats either, as Peter Boland managed to land a super 163cm tope while fishing from the shore in Wexford, and Chris O’Sullivan was also amongst the tope while shore fishing in Co. Kerry. Cormac Walsh spent a busy week chasing feeding gulls up and down the coast, hoping they would help him locate some feeding bass, and the plan paid off as he came across a shoal of bass with some epic results. And wrapping up our sea angling section, anglers fishing onboard the Karen Ann out of Kilmore Quay came across plenty of different species, which kept them busy at their reels.
To pike angling now, and a honeymoon experience to remember… Alex and Adam had travelled all the way from Indiana, USA, to get married at the Cliffs of Moher, and decided to celebrate by taking a day out on Lough Derg with guide Damien Culliney. And, having already bagged the catch of her lifetime by marrying her husband Adam, Alex went on to bag this week’s Catch of the Week by landing a whopping 110cm pike, making an already memorable trip to Ireland extra special. Damien also had a couple of French anglers out during the week, and they, too, fared well on Derg, landing plenty of pike up to 100cm. Kevin Lyons from Melview Lodge hosted some regular guests from The Netherlands last week, and they managed an impressive 131 pike for their week’s fishing.
We wrap up this week’s angling update with salmon angling, and reports were very thin on the ground, with only the Moy reporting in that fishing is steadily improving week on week with greater numbers of anglers and fish being caught. The Ireland on the Fly team discusses the Castleconnell Fishery in this week’s podcast, and Pat O’Connor talks through the fascinating history of the once-prolific fishery. Finally, for anglers planning to fish the River Roughty in Kerry, Inland Fisheries Ireland has opened the third draw for anglers wishing to catch and keep salmon.
Temperatures will remain pretty consistent over the next few days, staying between 12 and 16 °C. It will be mostly dry on Friday with a chance of some light showers in the north of the country. It will remain dry overnight and into tomorrow morning before rain spreads from the south west as the day progresses. The rain will clear overnight on Saturday, but Sunday will see the possibility of some heavier thundery downpours in some places. Monday will be mostly dry, with sunny spells, but Tuesday will see the return of cloud and the chance of some more prolonged rain.
Safe fishing to all and tight lines, especially here in Ireland.
IFI Staff
Catch, Photo, Release
If you have an angling story to share with the Irish Angling Update please send it to [email protected].
The Kent Stainless Coarse Fishing Society embraced the Oaklands Fishery in New Ross last Saturday for its first outing of the year. Work colleagues from Germany, Turkey, and India enjoyed a great day of fishing in warm conditions.
Carp and Bream were the fish of the day with sweetcorn the preferred bait using feeder and float methods.
David Lehnardt was delighted with his Bream, while Suha Cakmak and Conor Boylan bagged some beautiful Carp. It was also Dipanjan Saha’s first time with the group, and he really enjoyed himself and was always on hand to help out.
Paddy Dunworth of Celtic Angling reports on some good fishing to mayfly on the River Deel. Co. Limerick. Take it away Paddy…
Skipper Luke Aston has been busy over the past week, with some decent weather helping no doubt. Luke’s son David was getting married this week, and in advance of the big day he joined the crew for a day afloat with Dad. There were lots of mackerel about, providing plenty of bait, so they had their first go at the tope for this season.
In honour of David’s nuoptials, the crew let him take the first run, and he landed a nice tope.
The rest of the crew had some good action too, and everyone had takes with some nice fish to the boat. All fish were males with the best around 35lbs.
Luke also spent a day drifting the reefs, a slow drift in foggy conditions but the day brightened up as it went on. Fishing was good with lots of coalfish and some steady pollack catches. There were also spurdogs to specimen size about.
Clare Dragoon is a LOCHIN 366 powered by 650HP engine, skippered by Luke Aston and operating out of Carrigaholt Co. Clare…
I have some offers up on my web site www.fishandstay.com and if anybody is interested in putting a trip together please do get in touch. Also I Twitter from the boat on @fishandstay and try to update my face book page www.facebook.com/CarrigaholtSeaAngling fairly often!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
Damien Culliney of Angler’s Paradise Ireland reports…
Had Alex and Adam out for a day on Lough Derg lately. The couple came from Westville Indiana, US. They were here to get married on the Cliffs of Moher and decided to visit Lough Derg the day after their wedding to do a bit of fishing.
Fishing started off good with a few smaller pike averaging 75cm to 85cm and some nice perch 30 in the 30cm+ range.
With some rain coming, fishing got quiet so we stopped for lunch. As the weather cleared up and bellies full we went back at it.
Shortly after Alex hooked in to the second best catch of her lifetime (after her newly wed husband Adam) Her beautiful 110cm fin-perfect pike was in fantastic condition and swam back beautifully after a few quick photographs. They are now hooked for life on beautiful Lough Derg and the fishing and are already planning there next visit to Ireland.
Trout and Pike Guide
Anglers Paradise Ireland is owned and managed by Damien Culliney, a well known angler and chef in the Clare region and a man passionate about the inland waterways and natural history of County Clare. At Angler’s Paradise, we love the thrill of Game fishing and Pike fishing in equal measure and can take our clients to some of Europe’s most unspoilt rivers and lakes in search of trophy predators and the realisation of their angling dreams.
Tel Mobile: +353 86 060 2718
Web: www.anglersparadise.ie
Web: facebook.com/Anglersparadiseireland/
Email [email protected]
Just like people, fish like consistency, I think. Referred to me recenty as the Goldilocks effect, probably optimum conditions for trout fishing, the temperatures ought to have been not too hot, not too cold but just right. Wind, not too strong, not too light but just right. You get the idea!
A little bit of luck and you got a fish, but in saying that some extremely talented anglers just looked the adverse conditions in the eye and still caught fish. A fish of 9lbs 2ozs was recorded on nymph by an angler from the west and another bigger trout was also landed. I suppose quality over quantity was the best description.
The buzzer fishing had tapered off with only sporadic catches. The difference in a few boat lengths was the difference between catching or getting a chance to catch fish and getting nothing.
There were good hatches of greens and good falls of spent and fish were caught on both. Nymph fishing also proved effective and produced fish when the conditions were right.
The last few days saw even more changable weather including thunder storms with lightening and torrential rain which nearly half filled boats in a couple of hours.
Please remember anglers to abide by BYE-LAW 949 which strictly prohibits from June 14th, 2017 onwards:
If you fancy giving Lough Sheelin a go please visit the following link https://fishinginireland.info/trout/shannon/sheelin/
Kevin Lyons of Melview Fishing Lodge reports…
Regular pike anglers Thomas, Joop, Nick and first timer Benji from Holland were over once again for their annual week’s pike fishing holiday.
Kevin said, these guys have been a number of times now and know the waters well. With them it’s not only about the fishing but having fun while here in Ireland. The guys managed 131 Pike to 97 cm with some bigger pike lost at the boat.
Joop lost a big fish when the trace he was using gave way only to be caught again the following day by two anglers from Italy staying with Kevin and the trace and hooks were removed which was great and was returned happily to the water again. They used all different methods of fishing including some float fished dead baits. Well done guys and thanks for the company and good laughs we had and hope to see you again soon!#
Kevin Lyons – Melview LodgeDrumlish Road, Clonrollagh, Longford, Co. Longford
Tel:+353(0)43-33-45061 Mobile:+353(0)87-268-7441
E-mail: [email protected] Web: www.melviewlodge.com
Kevin has over 30 years experience of fishing in Ireland and is happy to offer a guided tour on your arrival, and to advise where the on-form waters in the area are. We can arrange your bait order so it’s here when you arrive. Melview offers free use of 17ft lake boats with engines to our guests (pay fuel only) and Kevin is happy to assist with any pre-baiting requests. Maps and other information regarding fishing are also available.
Dan O’Neill reports from the River Nore…
Recently the fishing on the Nore has been quite good. Mostly picking up trout on wet flies with some on dry dropper. Fish are beginning to rise also more frequently so i couldn’t resist throwing to them in the evenings.
I had quite a few guests out the past week, it was a delight to fish with them and hear their angling stories. I also held some classes / casting clinics meeting people at the beginning of their fly-fishing journey. The classes can be quite beneficial as fly fishing can be a minefield, going through your chosen application with an instructor or guide can help to make sure you get the right equipment. Many times, i have had clients come to me frustrated as the equipment they have just doesn’t suit their application making it difficult to enjoy it fully.
The water is just coming to a nice height now so i find myself exploring a little bit along the river.I have seen some nice trout resting up in different areas so plan to tackle them in the coming weeks.
I got to take some clients from the Caribbean out early on two occasions, They wanted to experience one of Irelands early mornings. We met up at 4.45am and listened to the birds as they greeted daybreak. Walking down along the bank the fog was quite thick but picturesque. Funny how fog along the river in the mornings is considered beautiful and picturesque yet if its late evening or early night its considered eerie. We decided to swing wet flies for the morning and had many trout which the guys were delighted with, admiring the trout’s golden colours and eagerness to evade capture when hooked.
A green wells glory seemed to be the favorite during the morning. Just as we were leaving the fog had lifted a bit and a hatch took place. I saw quite a lot of mayflies along the Nore this season. I watched a wagtail dance around one in the air before grabbing it and heading to the cover of a horse chestnut to feast on its catch.
I did find this week fishing a single wet fly was best, I did try using a dropper but it was quite noticeably less effective. Greenwells patterns tied by my good friend Kevin O Neill were order of the day. A little dry dropper fishing in the evening probably produced our larger fish, Olive nymphs and flash back pheasant tails worked very well.
Taking a look around at the end of the day while sitting on the bank i counted my blessings and thanked my Dad who started my fishing journey. Many of us have days we wish never happened or look upon something and realize a different approach may have been better. Being out on the river your mind goes into auto pilot and sheds light upon these days. While the fishing part of your brain is engaged and busy the other part of your brain unknown to you is working through the knots of life, untangling them and spooling them back more evenly. What a wonderful sport we have.
For information on day tickets or memberships please call Dan on 0857652751 or email [email protected]
Dan O’Neill
Mount Juliet Estate.
Mount Juliet House is set on a large estate, which offers private fishing on 2.5 miles of the middle to lower reaches of the River Nore. Mount Juliet Estate offers fishing of the highest quality, just a short stroll away from the Manor House. There is a fishing room on site in the Manor House for your convenience i.e. for storage and drying of fishing equipment. Mount Juliet Estate can also provide the necessary equipment on site if needed.
This week’s episode is a fascinating look at the famous Castleconnell Fishery on the River Shannon in Limerick with Pat O’Connor who is chair of the Castleconnell River Association.
It’s a fishery steeped in history when it was internationally renowned for its huge salmon in the 1800s to the early 1900s and it became a thriving centre for tackle development including the Castleconnell rod.
But since the Ardnacrusha development dammed the lower part of the Shannon in 1929 to provide power for the nascent Irish Free State, the fishery became a shadow of itself, and coupled with modern day issues around salmon numbers, it’s reckoned that they’re now at just 3% of their historic levels.
But, the Castleconnell River Association is trying to do its part in helping to save the existing broodstock and increase the numbers through conservation measures and ambitious projects.
Pat O’Connor takes Tom & Daire through the incredible history of the fishery as well as the work they are doing with some hope for the future.
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Notes: Based near the picturesque village of Adare (Ireland’s Prettiest Village)
