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.
Skipper Kit had a fine Specimen Tope while on a tagging exercise with UCC scientists.
Kit Dunne of Wicklow Boat Charters has published his yearly catch summary for 2023. Spurs were one species that kept anglers busy on Kit’s boats, with 365 boated, one for every day in the year!!! Unsurprisingly, tope also featured heavily in catches, with 366 landed during the year. And with a total of 79 specimens recorded in the 2023 ISFC Annual Report, Wicklow was once again the place to go for anglers looking to get their names in the little yellow book!
Go Fishing
Angling Charters are offered on a full-day, half-day and evening trip basis and can be tailored to suit your needs. Two boats are available – Manannan Mac Lir and Castle Maiden. All levels of anglers are catered for. Anglers will benefit from your skipper’s angling experience and local knowledge with advice and guidance on-hand at all times.
SPECIALIST ANGLING CHARTERS
Specialist Angling Charters are offered for those who wish to target specific species, specimen fish or try new angling methods.
ANGLING COACHING
Whether you’re a Club, Individual, School or Junior, you can have an angling coaching session or programme tailored to suit your needs.
Fishery manager David McEvoy was in touch from Delphi with some good news this week, with the first fish of the season and what a fish it was…
On the fishing front, basically conditions have been more or less perfect since opening, with water levels varying from highs of 65 to lows of 35 and temperature pretty normal for this time of year 5.5 to 7.5. fishing pressure has been consistent throughout with 4 rods on the river every day, all return visitors which is normally the case this time of year, all of whom we were delighted to welcome back.
In my own opinion, given the conditions and the experience of the anglers, it has been relatively slow to date, with only a few fish seen. I always try to emphasise to people that here in Delphi you rarely see fish this time of year, unless you know exactly where to look and have good eyes and the one place you want to see them is on the end of the line!
This was the case for Tomas Ryan from Cong who was only here for a morning’s fishing and managed to hook and land a beautiful fish of approx. 15lbs on a Willie Gunn tube in the Duck Run at 12 noon on the 11th when the sun was shining and there was a little kindness and nature in the day. A great fish for Delphi to get off the mark with!
Tomás Ryan with the fiest Delphi fish of 2024, a cracking springer of 85cm and ~15lbs
Conditions have been perfect since, with some excellent anglers here but they’ve had plenty joy but no fish! It my own opinion it’s hard not to enjoy fishing this time of year. Hopefully we’ll see some fish appear in the next few days.
Go fishing…
At Delphi Lodge, with many years of experience with the timing of the best runs of fish, we have in place a price system that offers both great value fishing and lets our anglers know when they have the best chance to catch a fresh run spring salmon or a summer grilse or Delphi sea trout.
Munster Coarse Anglers fished round 7 of their winder league at O’Briensbridge at the weekend. Kevin Leahy reports…
We fished our Munster Winter League Round 7 match at the Rowing Course, O’Briensbridge on Sunday.
We had a full turn out today with all 10 anglers in the league braving a damp February Sunday. As the is winner not yet a forgone conclusion it was all important points for some, and salvaging a disastrous league for others (as in my case) was the order of the day.
With everywhere flooded out it was back to our old faithful section at the rowing course and with the river up and rising a good draw was all important and having a peg that you could fish a pole or whip was definitely an advantage. No last minute hybrids or stamp fish may their present felt, so it was a case of put the head down and put as many small fish together as the swim would allow.
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Results
1st Pawel 10lb 1oz (145 fish)
2nd Kevin 7lb 8oz (130 fish)
3rd Ray 5lb 9oz (caught mostly on the feeder)
Go fishing…
Next week we are fishing the Munster Team of 4 in Inniscarra
Munster Coarse Angling Club are affiliated to the National Coarse Fishing Federation of Ireland, NCFFI the National Governing body for coarse and predator fishing and casting. www.ncffi.ie
Getting close to the Trout season on my home river I am beginning to wind down a little from winter predator fishing. I have the same feeling as I get at the end of the trout season and end up rushing around to spots I promised myself I’d fish this winter with Anthony. In saying that there still is some time before the 17th of March. As a Cadence ambassador I got to fish with some of their coarse rods recently. When choosing I decided to get something for small silvers so I opted for the 10ft pellet waggler. I then needed something with a little bit of backbone so went with the 12ft specimen twin tip in 1 pound test curve which comes with 2 interchangeable tips (2oz,3oz) which I think will be perfect for hybrids later in the season. Of course, my fishing partner Anthony went for one of the Barbell rods for his pike adventures on the Barrow.
Today we were going to aim for pike and perch at the canal mouth. Looking around we located some baitfish that were moving about so were confident the pike / perch would not be too far away. Setting up nearby we had our perch mix that we had been carefully preparing the night before.
2 cups of layers pellets
1.5 cups of crumbled soil
Half a cup of chopped worms
1 stick of finely chopped pepperami
Discreetly putting the ground bait in we assembled the rods and made a “strat” as Anthony calls it. There was a slight flow which I prefer when fishing canals. It took about 20 minutess before our first inquiry which Anthony lifted into, and it was of course perch number one.
We wanted however to try for a slightly larger perch so went up a couple of hook sizes and increased our bait size. It was quite clear that there were a lot of small perch in the area as the float bounced, bobbed and shot off to one side quite a bit as they played around with it. Feeling that maybe the larger ones were nearer the tail end of the smaller shoal of perch or perhaps hugging nearby we began a little search. Some overhanging trees created nice shelter and a likely looking spot for a predator, a couple of casts still didn’t show up anything bigger.
We kept looking and eventually we came across a spot that seemed a bit deeper, so we plumbed the spot, it was about 7ft. Rebaiting the hooks we both cast in and awaited to see if this spot held a fish for us. After about 2 cups of tea and half a packet of chocolate digestives the float shook and then made its journey to the depths. Anthony struck into what we knew was a better fish. The fish swam around a bit and gave a couple of headshakes before coming to the net. It was larger and had a couple of battle scars. The fish measured 36cm which wasn’t huge but a little better.
As we returned to the original spot we cast in our rods as we prepped lunch. Anthony managed to hit another perch of 37cm this time. Bit of a steward’s inquiry as to who’s rod it was caught on but who cares we landed the fish and returned it safely back.
After lunch we set up the pike rods and I was really hoping to catch one to see how the rod performed. There were a couple of likely looking places along the opposite side of the canal that I wanted to place a bait in. Luckily we had two pike rods today so placed them both in places we liked the look of along the canal. It started off quiet with the odd Kelt throwing itself in the air keeping us entertained.
Watching the floats, one began to make some strange movements. Anthony of course was on the rod straight away and we watched as it slowly moved away from its position and dipped slowly under. Anthony reeled down and struck into our first pike of the day. It was a nice pike, and we were happy to have got to try the rod out. The pike was showing some battle scars but had a big belly which was full of silverfish, I’m sure. We didn’t waste time and got a quick picture and released the pike back to its home.
About 30 minutes later we had another run. This time it was a jack pike and a very welcome fish. Again, the fish had a belly full of something and showed a couple of battle scars also. As the evening went on, we had one more jack pike and a dropped run.
Delighted to get down to the Barrow today and looking forward to a trip again soon.
Go Fishing…
For any information on the Cadence course rod range or fly rod range feel free to contact me.
I am also running fly fishing workshops on the R.Nore from the 17th of March. Each workshop has a maximum of 3 spaces as this way everyone gets the most from the workshop. Contact me for available dates by call, email or messenger.
Growing up in the countryside of Gowran, Co.Kilkenny, I started my fishing journey on the River Barrow with my dad, which is where I caught my first fish, a lovely brown trout. The Gowran River was also a short walk from my homeplace, and on the days my dad couldn’t fish, I would walk through the fields and fish the Gowran River. My love for fishing grew and took me to Mount Juliet Estate, where I began guiding at 13. I went on to become fisheries manager at Mount Juliet Estate and, to this day, enjoy taking out hundreds of clients every year fishing on the River Nore. I enjoy all types of fishing and guide all over Ireland. I am an Apgai Ireland-qualified casting instructor and have Ambassador roles with Cadence and Yeti. I joined Fulling Mill as an endorsed pro guide and am part of the Patagonia pro team. My angling journey has been an exciting one and hopefully will continue to be.
I take out all levels of anglers, from beginner to experienced. I enjoy what I do and count myself very lucky to be able to meet and guide new people to what might be their first Irish fish.
Boat Hire
Salmon and Sea-Trout fishing Guide
