Thirty six anglers fished the seventh match of the Erne Anglers Winter League, on a fast flowing River Erne, with very cold water due to the recent snow melt.
Winner of match 7 was Lee Symonds on Ring 3, taking home the £194 first prize with 5.375Kgs. Runner Up was Colin Moffit with 5.225Kgs on Ring 5 followed by John Potters in third with 4.950Kgs on Ring peg 9.
Other Section winners were Kieran Kelly with 2.875Kgs on Cornagrade Low, Karl Woodhouse with 3.650Kgs on QE Road & Police Jetty, Dave Slater and Mick Schopen on Derrychara High with 2.875Kg, Nick Howell on Derrychara Low 2.650kgs and Ed Rogers 4.725Kgs on Bellanaleck Low.
Yesterday may have been St. Valentine’s Day, but for many anglers in the west of Ireland, it might as well be called Fishmas Eve. Because February 15th is the eagerly-awaited traditional opening day of the season on Lough Corrib. Four and a half months after the last season finished, but it can seem an awful lot longer! Today is the day trout anglers have been looking forward to all winter…
To mark the day, we dug out an old video – Corrib Seasons: Spring (Part 1) tells the story of spring fishing on the lough. Well-known angler and guide Roy Pierce is the main protagonist, and duckfly fishing in March is the main focus.
It’s an old video so of you may notice the lack of lifejackets – in these more enlightened times that’s a much rarer sight, and not a welcome one! If you’re going out on the lough this year, don’t forget yours. It’s the law now!
Conditions this year were relatively benign, a mild overcast day with light to moderate southwest breezes and the odd passing shower. Perfect early spring fishing conditions.
What a start
Angling guide Jasper Mathews was on the lough this morning with friend Ian, and by 11.30 they had probably the fish of the season in the net! Trolling for ferox is particularly productive in early spring, and this cracking fish took a trolled lure after just an houor or so of fishing. Estimated at 15lbs+, just look at that beautiful specimen. No, not you Jasper!
Jasper Mathews with a cracking ferox of 15lbs+ caught and released on opening day of the 2024 season on Lough Corrib
So, we’re off! A new year, a new season, and we wish all anglers good luck and tight lines. Reports and photos are always welcome here at [email protected] so please feel free to send on any good news.
Go Fishing
Wild Atlantic Angling Experiences
Jasper runs Wild Atlantic Angling Experiences, providing bespoke guided fishing for salmon, trout or saltwater species. To book a guiding trip with Jasper you can give him a call on 087 6031975, or check out the new website: wildatlanticangling.com
The Irish Federation of Sea Anglers held their Master Angler 2024 event on various beaches in counties Wicklow and Wexford last weekend. It was a difficult weekend for the organisers as weather and weed forced last-minute changes to venues, which made it a bit of a headache for all involved. But it all came good in the end, and the competitors hit the beaches in droves over three different sessions. And when all the cards were marked and the sums were done after the final session, Fiona Ryan from Tralee Bay SAC and David Farrelly from South Shore SAC were crowned Master Angler 2024. Both Fiona and David will go on to captain the Irish teams at their next world championships. Congratulations to both Fiona and David.
Here’s a steward’s report on the event from Richard Dodd of Borough SAC Angling Club…
The call for volunteers for the IFSA Master Angler Shore 2024 fishing competition was met with some enthusiasm. I was among those who stepped forward to steward the event, and it was a rewarding experience to witness the best anglers in the county in action. The event kicked off at 9am on Curraclore Beach. Upon arrival, it was clear that it would be a challenging day for all anglers due to a strong southeasterly wind and a strong tide. The anglers were split into five sections, one of which was for ladies. Despite their best efforts, it was a tough day for most anglers, with one section only having four anglers returning fish. Our club member Noel Bailey had two fish, while Graham Dungan did not catch any. That Evening Due to weather and weed, the decision was made to change venues in the interest of safety. Anglers were split across four venues: Arklow, Rooney Point, Dodds Rock, and Kilgorman Beach. This proved to be a great decision as the wind dropped and turned northwest, making it more comfortable for fishing. The night saw a fantastic return with over 2000 fish caught and returned. Club member Noel won his section with an amazing haul of 52 fish, while Graham fished well in his section, returning 11 fish. On Sunday, the venues were changed again to Dodds Rock, Rooney Point, and Morriscastle Beach. It was a beautiful summer day on the beach with no wind and sunny conditions. All anglers fished well with all beaches returning lots of fish. Club member Noel had 11 fish, while Graham’s total was not available. Congratulations to David Farrell from South Shore who scored 68 points and Fiona Ryan from Tralee Bay who scored 32 points, taking the honours. A massive thanks to John Marshall for looking after all the stewards over the weekend.
The Federation of Irish Sport has announced the County recipients of the 2023 Volunteers in Sport Awards, proudly supported by the National Network of 29 Local Sports Partnerships.
The awards celebrate the contribution of local sports volunteers nationwide during 2023 and the Lough Ree Lanesborough Angling Hub are thrilled to confirm that their very own Philip Gordon is the County Roscommon winner – so congratulations Philip!
Philip has been an angling coach for over 30 years in Ballyleague, Lanesborough and Athlone – and this award recognises his outstanding contribution to the sport – especially in the area of youth coaching.
Philip in action in just some of his many roles
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Inland Fisheries Ireland are proud to have sponsored novice coaching events organised by Philip and the Lough Ree hub over the years and without the volunteers, like Philip, who work tirelessly to promote youth coaching and novice events up and down the country (not to mention open days, competitions, festivals, national teams, club events and all the rest) Irish angling would be in a much worse place today, so thank you all.
Supported by the National Network of 29 Local Sports Partnerships these dedicated volunteers will be celebrated at a national awards ceremony in Dublin on Thursday 29th February 2024. The invited special guest speaker is Minister Thomas Byrne, Minster of State with responsibility for Sport and Physical Education, which is testament to the commitment at government level to supporting and recognising the vital role of volunteers in advancing sports participation and community development.
With a record-breaking number of entries, the 2023 Volunteers in Sport Awards have seen nominations from over 50 different sporting disciplines, highlighting the widespread impact of volunteering ranging from mass participation sports to new and emerging sports. The 32 county awards will be presented, honouring outstanding volunteers from every corner of the country who have demonstrated commitment and dedication, serving as role models within their communities and inspiring others to get involved in sports volunteering.
The economic significance of volunteering in sport cannot be overstated, it has an estimated value of €1.5 billion annually to the Irish economy. This figure underscores the immense social and economic benefits derived from the invaluable contributions of volunteers across the Irish sporting landscape.
In addition to the county individuals being recognised, anticipation will be high as one exceptional individual will be awarded with the overall Outstanding Volunteer Award.
This week we have another episode with Steve McDonagh of the Fishing with Steve YouTube channel. This week, Steve is fishing a lake in Cavan that he had never fished before but chose to fish on the advice of fellow anglers and subscribers to the channel.
A beautiful morning turned in to a cold and wet and cold afternoon for Steve, but that didn’t dampen his spirits or the fishing as he did manage to get some action during the day, including an unexpected run on his Water Wolf camera!
Damian Foltyn continued his great run on Lough Muckno to win the fifth match of the CM Lakelands Winter Leaague with just over 4kg of hybrids and roach from top of Black Island. Another angler in fine form of late is Piotr Horbiński and he had a weight of just over 3kg of small hybrids and roach on Yellow Island. Muckno regular Darren Fairhurst was 3rd overall with just under 3kg of roach and the odd small hybrid from the top of Black Island
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Last round in 2 weeks time and the results of the league so far, will be posted during the week.
The Limerick County Pike Anglers made a trip up to the north midlands area of Roscommon for the latest round of their club competition, and they were glad to be back fishing, having had to cancel their most recent event. There was plenty of action on the day, with the highlight being a fine 18lb 12oz fish landed by Con Collins. All the other fish were on the wrong side of the 10lb mark, but there were enough fish landed to keep everybody interested.
Rebels SAC were back in Monatrae for their first visit of 2024. This was their third outing of the year and everything was set for a good session. Shane Olden reports…
The third outing of the new season and the next destination on the 2024 fixture list saw the rebels head for Monatrae Bay in the hope of keeping on the numbers of fish. True to form and the knowledge we have of the area it was a wise choice once again and all participating members caught fish.
On the night we had 15 anglers in attendance, with the welcome addition of 2 new anglers to the club MARTIN O HARE and EDWINA ANNE. Edwina is our new lady angler and showed some serious heart and determination for the match and was eager to learn. She has an unbelievable mind for the match fishing, as I saw during a small bit of tuition. She is more than capable, coming from a mainly boat fishing background, and she was doing, thinking, and asking all the right things which led to her first outing with the REBELS being fruitful. She’s a definite candidate for the lady’s Irish team in no time , and that can be taken to the bank! Martin, a well experienced angler across the board but new to the match scene, enjoyed his outing, meeting the lads, learning the trade and putting a few fish on the card for his first outing. Welcome to the club guys!!
Back to the fishing. With the everyone eager to make an early impression on this year’s master angler league there was fish from the off. First on the fish with a 32cm coalie was KIERAN RYAN. Next to mark the card, 5 pegs away, was VLADIMIRS NOSOV with a 30cm bass. In the middle section and on towards peg no. 1 lads were also marking fish from the off. JACOB MURPHY got a codling and the biggest flounder of the day at 42cm. COLIN DINEEN and new member MARTIN O HARE also started to put fish on the cards to make it a family affair down that end. Jim Cotter made use of the fresh black lug on offer also putting fish on the cards.
Black lug and razor clams
Back on peg 14 and on the back of a late start (Google maps error) new member EDWINA ANNE was off to a flying start with a first cast fish and was all plans and tactics from there on. At one stage she asked me about the average length of the fish being caught along the line and decided to go for the dog fish to make up points to catch up on the lads, and even questioned her choice of rigs as she thought she was spending to much time getting used to clipping down the clip down rigs and opted for the quicker flapper rigs. Her choice of bait was mackerel as she reckoned it was best for scent out of the baits that she had. On went 3 good sized juicy mackerel baits to draw the dogs scent wise and not long after her newly bought rod nearly doubled over with the biggest round fish of the night, a fine 43cm coalie. Not the dogfish she went after but a welcomed by catch all the same and a great show of promise with the right mind for the match game.
Edwina Anne with her coalfish of 43cm
As the lads battled away to keep within reach of each other’s fish count we were expecting better numbers and speedier fishing once darkness fell and the bay paid it’s dues and served us well. Better numbers of whiting and codling moved in and made it a nice speedy affair for those hammering away around the top. Nearing the end and in no particular order Jim Cotter, Vlad NOSOV, Jacob Murphy, Noah TAHRAN, Kieran Ryan and Colin Dineen were at the front of the battle and keeping busy. The final whistle was blown and the usual rubbish walk was done while scores were being tallied up, and with previous to present high winds there was plenty of plastic debris to be gathered as expected.
Results
1ST PLACE JACOB MURPHY 804 POINTS🏆
2ND PLACE KIERAN RYAN 605 POINTS 🏆
3RD PLACE JIM COTTER 526 POINTS 🏆
4TH PLACE NOAH TAHRAN 517 POINTS🏆T/B
5TH PLACE COLIN DINEEN 5I7 POINTS 🏆T/B
6TH PLACE VLAD NOSOV 192 POINTS 🏆
7TH PLACE PETAR MANDIC 188 POINTS 🏆
TOTAL NUMBER OF FISH CAUGHT 181
SPECIES CAUGHT :
FLOUNDER, CODLING , COALFISH, BASS , WHITING , DOGFISH AND ROCKLING 🎣💥
Rebels bait of choice on the day
FRESH/LIVE
Black lug, lug, peelers crab, razor clam, white rag/snakes
A big well done to Jacob Murphy on his win and a great show of pace and concentration on the day with great points. It just goes to show how far Jacob has come along since his short time with the club and the match scene. Also the other contenders for keeping it lit right up to the end, as the conditions were far from comfortable with high winds and rain persistent and a true test for our new members which was passed with flying colours.
Go fishing…
Our next comp is on the 24th of February in the west west Waterford area, which brings us back to a bit of beach sport and out of the estuary to keep the lads entertained and on the fish Also some new members again for our next comp which is a great sign for the club and the match scene in general.
Join the club
Rebels SAC are based in Cork and are are always happy to welcome new members.
The REBEL COUNTY SEA ANGLERS will be open for membership through out the year and we can be contacted on mobile 083 0198017, what’s app, messenger, facebook and Instagram. Catch you on the next one ……… UP THE REBELS
The Newbridge District Pike Anglers were back on the banks for the first time in 2024 recently, and they struggled to find a day for their outing that wasn’t hampered by bad weather. Having changed venues multiple times, they finally fixed on a spot, and 19 anglers made the journey but were faced with 50mph gusts, which made the fishing somewhat challenging!
Only nine pike were caught, but at least they were well spread about amongst the anglers, as eight of them managed to catch a fish. But the disappointment with the lack of fish was offset by the craic of meeting up for the first time this year and all the riverside banter.
Fogarty's Centra Waterville. Sponsor of the Ernest Appleby Cup for the Biggest Salmon Caught this season. Plus €100 Voucher
Vincent Appleby reports from the shore of Lough Currane where anglers are still waiting to get the lakes first salmon of the season…
8/2/2024 All quiet on the SW front this day, so on that note we will head for the weather department, the amount of rainfall on Tuesday was 14.8 mm, now back to the present, wind SW fresh and variable from the SW to the SE and overcast followed by heavy rain at times.
9/2/2027 Just 3 boats out and all lines were slack, same goes for my digital WhatsApple. Wind SW and variable followed by the odd shower.
10/2/2024 Lough Currane anglers were all quiet this day in all departments. Wind NNE light veered N, come late afternoon veered again into NNW light to fresh followed by heavy showers.
11/2/2024 The Currane anglers caught a few Kelts for their efforts plus a few Brown Trout this day. Well, it’s that time of the month, why do I say this, well going by Lough Currane Salmon history the perfect reels will begin to sing the Hardy Salmon national anthem this week? Just for the record there were 3 boats out today. Wind WNW fresh followed by a few showers.
12/2/2024 The Currane anglers are still waiting for that elusive wild Atlantic Salmon. Wind West fresh, followed by reasonable cloud cover.
13/2/2024 Lough Currane was all quiet on all fronts. Wind SE veered SW fresh and overcast, followed by showers. Amount of rainfall so far this month 54 mm but that doesn’t include mountainous rainfall.
14/2/2024 Just the lonesome boatman of www.fishingwithdom.com fishing out by himself and sadly he reported that his reels were all quiet today. Wind fresh and variable SSW and overcast all day, followed by the odd heavy shower. Amount of rainfall yesterday 6.2 mm.
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.
Boat Hire
Salmon and Sea-Trout fishing Guide
