In what was a bumper year for specimen anglers, 2023 saw almost 600 claims received by the Committee, far outstripping the tally for recent years. Notable amongst those are some new Irish records for Gudgeon, Shore Rockling and Corkwing Wrasse.
The weather over the last was a right mixed bag. We had some fairly dry days over the bank holiday weekend, followed by a wet and wintry spell, with sleet and snow in places yesterday. I suppose, at least we didn’t have any new storms to contend with! The days are slowly lengthening, with a noticeable ‘grand stretch’ in the evenings, and thoughts are turning to longer days and better weather ahead.
We start withsea angling, where club competitions are underway again for the new season. West Cork & District SAC held a competition at the Wall in Monkstown, a former renowned cod mark, but now producing mainly whiting. Hectic fishing saw Troy Francis pip JP Molloy to the win with 43 fish in a 4-hour match – that’s some catch rate!
Whiting were also the main quarry just the other side of the channel, where Rebel County SAC held a competition at Cobh, with over 300 fish between 19 anglers providing good practice at speed fishing, and Jim Cotter coming out on top.
The inaugural Micheal Quinn Memorial competition was held by Killala BC at Lacken, where heavy surf made for tough fishing, but former world champion Timmy O’Sullivan included a fine 36cm turbot in his winning catch to show that class is permanent.
Kit Dunne from Wicklow Boat Charters has endured a frustrating start to the year due to weather, but some better conditions at the weekend saw him get out with a crew for a short session. It proved a great decision, with 30 spurdogs landed, including 11 over specimen size. A few lucky anglers reached their 3 specimen quota for the year in jig time, so there were smiles all round when heading back to port.
Pike anglers are also enjoying great sport in some locations, and we have some fine fish to report this week. Peter Sheridan has spent a lifetime chasing, and obsessing over, an elusive river 30, and Bank Holiday Monday proved an auspicious day for him, when he finally achieved that dream with a cracking fish of 31lbs.
Peter with his dream fish
At the other end of the fishing spectrum, young Harry Walsh was a novice on his first pike trip with the Dublin Pike Anglers to the Erne. Fishing under the watchful eyes of some old club hands, Harry stunned the wise old sages by landing his very first pike – the fish of a lifetime, a superb specimen weighing in at over 30lb 13ozs!
To coarse fishing then, where we have a most unusual report this week. Jonathan Andrews was fishing Lough Allen at the wekend for roach and hybrids when he landed a very silvery, herring-like fish that turned out to be a pollan, a native Irish species left over from the last Ice Age. These fish are rare enough, and almost never caught by anglers.
The VDE Baggers finished up their winter league at the weekend, with the leaderboard very tight coming into the match, and even tighter at the finish, with a 3-way tie for the title. It came down to a countback on weight, with Aaron Hutchman pipping John Walker and Grzegorz Bojczewski with a total catch of 31.010 kg.
Aaron came second in his section with this bag
An end peg draw proved useful for Adrian Browne, who won the 7th leg of Oaklands winer league with 75.8kg.
Salmon angling is still fairly quiet, with no fresh fish reported from Lough Currane yet. High winds at times meant little fishing effort, and we must wait at least another week for white smoke here.
Daire and Tom were back talking salmon fishing this week on the Ireland On The Fly podcast. With the opening of the Blackwater on February 1st, Daire & Tom caught up with Conor Arnold, the guide and casting instructor who they spoke to previously on the show, to find out how opening day went on the river and what we can expect over the next few weeks.
Kerry anglers who fish the Roughty are invited to apply for brown tags, with the first draw for tags being held on February 27th.
Catch of the Week
We had two amazing contenders for Catch of the Week this week, both 30lb+ pike that are simply spectacular fish. In the end, we went for the fish caught by first time junior angler Harry Walsh, a fine pike of 30lbs 13oz. It’s all downhill from here, Harry!
Permits for the ESB salmon fishery at Castleconnell on the River Shannon are now available on our permit shop here . Daily, weekly, and season permits can now be purchased online. This adds to the growing list of fisheries where permits can be purchased online, from Cork to Donegal and many points in between, with more being added all the time. Check out the list of permits you can buy online here.
And now the weather
Showers, showers, more showers. Showers today will be followed by showers on Saturday, some heavy, with spot flooding possible! The best of the dry weather tomorrow will be in the north/northwest. Highest temperatures of 7 to 10 degrees in mostly light to moderate variable winds but with a fresher NW wind developing in the southwest.
Sunday sees early fog/frost clearing to leave a day of sunny spells and scattered showers, some wintry and most frequent over the west. Winds freshening with highest temps of 6-9C. Remaining unsettled for the early days of next week, with further showers, some wintry, rain and drizzle. The longer-term outlook suggests it is likely to remain unsettled, with further spells of rain at times.
The Micheál Quinn Memorial Fishing Competition was held last weekend on Lacken Beach, Killala, hosted by Killala BC. The Quinn family welcomed all the competitors who had travelled to Mayo to honour Micheál’s memory.
Some of the Quinn family with competition organiser Owen Gilvarry
Unfortunately the fishing conditions didn’t play ball, with heavy surf breaking a long way out and a massive surge up the beach. In those conditions it can be very hard to hold bottom, with traces being pulled along the beach, and tangles with neighbours’ lines frustratingly common.
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Winter surf fishing
Even though the fish weren’t there in big numbers, there were big sizes with Timmy O’Sullivan having a 36cm turbot – a rare fish to catch. Species caught included turbot, flounder, coalies, bass, rockling and weaver.
In the end, former world champion Timmy O’Sullivan was a popular winner, proving that class is permanent. Timmy had 6 counting fish on his card.
Overall Winner: Timmy O’Sullivan
Overall 2nd: Mark Robinson
Zone A 1st: Owen Joyce
Zone A 2nd: Ian Daly
Zone B 1st: Sam Sterling
Zone B 2nd: Nathan deKleer
Largest Round: Cormick Bourke
Longest Flat: Billy Gilvarry
Juniors prizes: Sally Gilvarry, Kaitlyn deKleer, Danny Hartley, Ryan McDermott
Timmy receiving the inaugural Micheal Quinn trophy.
Many thanks to the Quinn family for their sponsorship for prizes, their generous goodie bags and their support in what will be an annual competition going forward.
A special word of thanks to Cormac Bourke, who presented a cheque of €250 for Croí on behalf of EFSA.
Many thanks to everyone who supported the raffle and for donating their prize money to Croí. The total amount raised was €1050 which will be presented to Croí in memory of Micheál.
The Acres Pub and guest house hosted the presentation and an evening of stories and lifelong friendships was had by all. Roll on next year
Catch and release, a step towards sustainable angling
Last week we let you know that bass guru and SWFF expert Jim Hendrick would be hosting a series of 10 SWFF workshops that were to be offered between May and October 2024.
Happily but unfortunately at the same time, I was advised midweek that all of the dates were filled over the long weekend. Jim has managed to accommodate one or two extra inquiries into his busy schedule but advises that the courses are now fully subscribed. Jim thanks all those who signed up and looks forward to meeting and seeing you all over the coming weeks and months.
Keep an eye out on Jims’s website and blogs for details of any possible dates for 2025. We will let you know as soon as we have any word on future events.
Jim has hands on experience as a professional guide and is an avid angling writer, blogger and photographer. He also has a BSc degree in Tourism Enterprise Management from WIT.
Fishing for bass from boyhood Jim has worked his way through the ups and downs of bass fishing both personally and professionally. I have been lucky to share many adventures with him during his guiding years roughly 10 to 12 years or so from 2003 to 2015.
On one such outing with a party of French journalists back in 2003/4 Jim delivered an astounding catch of circa fifty bass to 7lbs and 70 pollack to 8lbs for the group. All returned safely to the water. That was then !
Always operating quietly under the radar during this period, Jim put over three hundred bass angler’s form France, Belgium, Germany, Holland, the UK, Denmark and the USA through his hands, delivering angling adventures and experiences that will live in the memories of his clients for the rest of their lives. A good number of Jims guests became repeat clients with some returning annually and even biannually to him.
Jim has recorded some great fish during his saltwater fly fishing expeditions including bass and sea trout to over 10lbs in weight. For SWFF enthusiasts Jim has a wealth of information and advise on his website and blog.
Conor Arnold on the start of the 2024 salmon season on the Blackwater
With the opening of the Blackwater on February 1st, Daire & Tom caught up with Conor Arnold, the guide and casting instructor who they spoke to previously on the show, to find out how opening day went on the river and what we can expect over the next few weeks.
Conor also has some good advice on how to tempt the early season springers, plus he tells them how he fared on his recent trip to Patagonia where double figure sea trout and hundreds of brownies made up his week’s fishing down there.
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Peter Sheridan sent us on a report of his latest trip from Bank Holiday Monday. There weren’t a lot of fish caught. In fact, there was only one fish caught. But, oh boy, what a fish!
Peter says he has spent his life trying to catch a river 30 (a river pike over 30lbs), to no avail. In fact, he says, it became an obsession. He was fishing alone, after making a 90 minute journey from home to an undisclosed location. Fishing deadbait, he hooked and landed the monster fish on his own.
Peter with his dream fish
Luckily, there was another angler nearby who was able to make his way to Peter, while the fish recovered in a keep sling, verify the weight and take some photos. We’re sure those photos will be adorning the wall in the Sheridan household soon, and will be treasured memories of a great catch!
What a fish!
As Peter says “A day I won’t forget and might never repeat “
Paul Bourke of Irish Fishing Tours arranged some great fishing for guest, Tommy on Lough Derg last week.
Day one saw a new personal best pike for Tommy at 109cm. Plus he had pike of 100cm, 95cm, 94cm, 92cm, 90cm, 90cm and a few more 80cms plus fish!
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The second day saw them mix things up a bit and change tactics. After a few more pike they found a nice shoal of perch and got some handsome fish on a mix of drop shot and jig fishing.
Irish Fishing Tours provides customised fishing holidays based in the picturesque harbour village of Garrykennedy on the shores of Lough Derg. Our comprehensive fishing trips include a guiding service, tackle hire and food and accommodation.
Choose from my list of existing fishing holidays or contact me to tailor one to your specific requirements. Airport transfers can be arranged on request.
Irish Fishing Tours is owned by Paul Bourke. Paul has lived and fished here all his life. As a guide, he will show you the best fishing locations, advise you on baits and methods and then allow you the freedom to explore the lake yourself. He fully understands the needs and interests of the experienced enthusiast.
Shane from the Rebel County SAC reports on a great trip to Cobh…
Saturday 27th of January saw the Rebels head to Cobh in the hopes of good numbers of fish. As usual Cobh always looks after the REBELS. On arrival, and great to see, I must applaud which ever body is in charge of keeping the walk way spotless and in good order. It is a very busy amenity with all sorts from walkers/dog walkers, cyclists, anglers, photographers etc. and one would expect to find some sort of build up of rubbish or sign of neglect with that amount of traffic, but it seems to work beautifully. And as we always do a rubbish walk before and after each comp we could not improve on it on arrival, and with the club fishing a lot of beach venues we always come away with bags of rubbish, especially after a storm but this was a first, well done COBH.
Back to the match. First off the mark with a whiting was KIERAN RYAN who was back with a bang for his first comp in a long while and meant business. Next call can only be mentioned as a flurry as anglers simultaneously brought in single, double and triple shots across the line, all from the go on first cast’s. The first offerings consisted of whiting, dab, dog fish and there were fish if not bites on every cast for most of the night apart from a few certain short windows when some areas switched on and off.
A notable catch from the first cast was to be the biggest whiting of the evening. Up and coming angler NIALL FORREST had a 38cm chunky whiting on a mackerel bait, and new member John mcsweeny had the only conger eel . Just after dusk some anglers cards were in the teens and everybody had caught fish at this stage. And as usual a nicely coloured lobster put in an appearance and we have never fished Cobh with out at least getting one on our comps over the years amongst all sorts of wonders.
Back on the front line of the match as it bottle necked down, we had 5 or 6 guys in the running and on 20 or more fish at this stage. Right in the middle of it was one of our newest members COLIN DINEEN putting in a great performance for his debut with the club and had no problem keeping in with the pace on the day. Battling on for the win were Colin , Jim Cotter, Jacob Murphy, Kieran Ryan, Niall Forrest, Noah TAHRAN, Rad and VJ , but in the end they’re could only be one winner.
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The whistle was blown at 10pm and cards were collected. While scores are being tallied up, 2 members commenced on a final rubbish walk/check to ensure nothing is left behind and the place is as we left it , if not improved. It’s something we think all angler’s should take seriously and do they’re bit as they go along, and not just as a club!
On the day there was well over 300 fish caught and served it’s purpose of putting the lad’s through they’re paces with a bit of speed fishing. There was 19 anglers in attendance on the comp as some guy’s had to drop out last minute, but all enjoyed it immensely, especially our newest members JOHN MCSWEENY, COLIN DINEEN AND MARCIN, WELCOME LAD’S 🎣👍.
Results
The top 7 places on the day were !!
1ST PLACE : JIM COTTER 699 POINTS🏆
2ND PLACE : NIALL FORREST 673 POINTS🏆
3RD PLACE : JACOB MURPHY 649 POINTS 🏆
4TH PLACE : NOAH TAHRAN 608 POINTS 🎣
5TH PLACE : COLIN DINEEN 566 POINTS 🎣
6TH PLACE : VJ BRONC 338 POINTS 🎣
7TH PLACE : KIERAN RYAN 321 POINTS 🎣
WELL DONE LAD’S , AND ALL WHO TOOK PART
BAITS ON THE DAY WERE MACKEREL , LUG , SANDEEL , RAZOR CLAM , RAG WORM AND BLACK LUG !!
Thanks again to all who took part , it was an enjoyable , very well ran competition , producing well over 300 fish , and COBH once again looked after her own. UP THE REBEL’S CATCH YE ON THE NEXT ONE
Go fishing…
Our next comp is in 2 weeks time bringing us back to the Youghal area to make the most of the few different migratory winter species in the area before they push off shore after spring, and hopefully get to introduce you to some more of our new members on the list due to start out. Thanks to all who follow and support us on our journey through the match scene as we try to keep you up to date with comp reports, and the odd catch report across each season including our species hunt.
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 , fbook , and Instagram. Catch you on the next one ……… UP THE REBELS
Tralee Bay Sea Angling Club reports on their first monthly specimen competition…
Join the Club…
Congratulations to Alan Horgan on being the first winner of our monthly Specimen competition. In a month dominated by icy conditions and dire storms Alan hit the jackpot on his 3rd visit to Youghal racking up fine sized Whiting and being unlucky to lose a Cod estimated at 7lb right on the edge. Alan wins himself a €50 tackle voucher.
Next up…
Don’t forget February’s Specimen hunt is now live and only 5eur to enter. Target specimens are Bull Huss and Spurdog this month and the code word is BALTIC.
Tralee Bay SAC is a thriving community of enthusiastic anglers – young and old, experienced and newcomers – with new members joining all of the time. We have a busy schedule of shore and boat competitions and lots of social events planned throughout the year. Tralee Bay is a family friendly, welcoming club with a reputation for promoting angling and encouraging newcomers to the sport.
Joining could not be easier – simply get in touch with us via our Contact us page leave your address and we will send you out an application form. Please also let us have your email address – especially if you have any queries for us. We are especially eager to hear from junior anglers who want to take advantage of club membership. For more information on joining see here – Joining Tralee Bay Sea Angling Club.
Pete Davis of West Cork and District SAC on the club’s 2nd match of the year, where the fished the Wall at Monkstown…
The Monkstown Wall was the venue for our second club match of the year on Sunday evening. Although it’s not the great venue it once was, it still throws up decent numbers of good size Whiting.
5pm – 9pm was the match time and fish made an appearance from the first cast. The first hour was frantic. Sean Healy and Troy Francis were the early leader’s both had 15+ fish on their match cards.
Low tide came into play in the second hour and the fishing slowed up but as soon as it turned the fish came back on. Better quality 30cm+ Whiting now started coming over the wall. Jason Convery had a fine 38cm Whiting which would eventually go on and win the round fish pool, pipping Tom Collins’ 37cm pipe fish. David Kennedy was very unlucky not to win the pools unfortunately for him he lost a big conger at the edge of the wall.
The third and fourth hour of the match was like the first. JP Molloy after a slow first 3 hour piled the pressure on the leaders and had an impressive 19 fish in the last hour to take second place. Troy Francis was the winner with 43 fish.
Results
Well done Troy on the win and well done on your third place finish at the winter beach festival. An excellent result.
Alan O Dowling finished in third place with 30 fish. Well done Alan. The flat fish pool was won by Mark O Sullivan in his last cast with a 27cm Dab.
1st Troy Francis 43 fish 1321pts
2nd JP Molloy 39 fish 993pts
3rd Alan O Dowling 30 fish 935pts
4th Sean Healy 31 fish 881 pts
5th Stephen O Donovan 31 fish 870pts
Flat fish pool
Mark O’Sullivan 27cm Dab
Round fish pool
Jason Convery 38cm Whiting
Thank you to Barry O Rourke for walking the venue after the match checking for any litter and a big thank you to the angler’s leaving the venue spotless as usual. Species on the night consisted of whiting, dabs, poor cod, pouting, Lsd, pipefish,goby and rockling.
Go fishing…
Next up for us is something new we are going to try out , it’s a bait supplied midweek league, this is an open competition to all IFSA members, more information is available on the WCAD Midweek League Facebook group , contact us on messenger if you would like to join up.
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:https://www.facebook.com/pages/West-Cork-and-District-SAC/201776589958897
Rebels SAC are based in Cork and are are always happy to welcome new members.
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, 
