Home Blog Page 252

Three-way tie for VDE Baggers winter league

By
Shane O'Reilly
-

Last week, we reported that the VDE Baggers winter league was going down to the wire, with the final league match happening over the weekend and 12 anglers in contention to take the title. Creeve Lough was the venue for the shoot-out, and the anglers faced tricky conditions with a gusty wind whipping across the lake.

John Walker was the top weight of the day, as his 4 kg saw him finish the league with 9 points. Artur Bojczewski was second on the day, with Aaron Nabc Hutchman finishing third. Aaron, who had been in first place coming into the final event, came second in his section, which also put him on 9 points, and Grzegorz Bojczewski won his section in the final match, leaving him on 9 points, too; a three-way tie at the top.

So, it went down to weights recorded during the league, and that saw Aaron across the finish line, with a combined weight of just over 30kg. Full listings as follows:

1st place – Aaron Hutchman 9 points, 31.010 kilo
2nd place – John Walker 9 points, 26.310 kilo
3rd place – Grzegorz Bojczewski 9 points, 19.340 kilo
4th place – Eddie G 11 points, 30.585 kilo
5th place – Artur Bojczewski 13 points, 20.595 kilo
6th place – James Wellwood 16 points, 18.560 kilo
Aaron came second in his section with this bag
An exciting end to the league, and the Baggers plan to run plenty more matches over the coming months, and they are open to new members joining, so if you are interested in joining an active club and getting involved, give them a shout.
Please fish in a sustainable manner

Brollies & stew make light of bad weather on the Barrow

By
Shane O'Reilly
-

Dan O’Neill reports on his latest foray to the River Barrow:

Recent weather has been from wet to cold and from cold to wet, so planning trips was made a little more difficult, but we managed. Sitting under the brolly at the edge of the River Barrow, watching the float while searching for a nice roach sounded like just the ticket. Being under a brolly, the weather could do whatever it liked while I had some nice stew and a cup of tea. There is something about float fishing that really excites me. Perhaps it takes me back to childhood watching a waggler as it slowly made its way down a seam and then gently dipped down to indicate someone was home. Lifting into the indication resulting in some flashes of silver and the mighty red eye coming to the net.

Recently, Anthony and I have been fishing canals mostly. Anthony has now become quite the predator hunter. I usually target roach, dace and the odd perch when Anthony is not looking. Practice is also a lot of what I do with the fly rod using just a piece of wool. I am very happy to be a part of nature and just to be out. When I was younger, my Dad would say the same thing to passersby – “I’m just glad to be out in the air”. Sometimes, it made me frown a little as I took this business of fishing very seriously as an 8-year-old fully fledged extreme angler; how innocent! I now spend most of my time looking at how little I know and how much I must learn.

So, the mighty R. Barrow it was for some canal fishing. I was recently sent some of the Cadence range of coarse rods designed by the man who made my first fishing rod, Mr. Des Taylor. Very excited to try these out for some silvers and perhaps some perch. As we packed our equipment for the day, I went to mix some groundbait. The mix I use this time of year is very simple, and remember, in the winter, less is more; just keep them interested.

3 cups full of soaked layers pellets (Available in pet shops, made by red mills)

1 cup of fine soil or sand (added weight and camouflage)

Half a cup of chopped worms (keep them to half a centimetre in length)

This mix can be doubled if you need more; I use this much and very lightly feed the area. I usually roll it into golf ball sized balls and gradually introduce it. The river you fish may require more so its trial and error, see how the fish react. For our younger anglers, please don’t use Mum or Dad’s favourite coffee cup and be careful with the scissors. Even better, get them to chop the worms for you. Of course, for our older anglers, don’t use your husband’s or wife’s favourite cup either; not a good idea (speaking from experience).

When we arrived, a few fish were showing along the canal, so we knew they were there. I began by putting in 4 rounds of ground bait and then setting up the float rod. Anthony, of course, went straight for the fly rod, setting that up for perch today, so I was banned from fishing for them. Feeling the fish may be a little wary and slow to take, I took my worm sections out of the ground bait mix for hookbait. I passed the ground bait 4 or 5 times before I had an enquiry which I missed, typical. I did, however, hit the next enquiry, which was a nice roach about palm size. Anthony went up a little from where I was fishing and began to cast for perch. He was using the Cadence 10ft 5wt with a floating line, 8ft di5 Poly leader and 3ft of fluorocarbon. Of course, we were pretending to be a small fish fry about 4-5cm. I had quite a few roach with some dace, too. Nothing very big, mostly all palm-sized fish, with the odd one a little larger. Anthony hit some nice perch, again nothing huge, mostly 20-25cm. The real reward for him was that it was on the fly which is becoming his newfound love. I recently received his wishlist of species for 2024, which includes a bass and a wrasse; any help would be much appreciated, anybody!!

We had a lovely stew with tea and a brownie for dessert before heading into the evening, which was slightly quieter, with only a few fish to the net with nothing larger than palm size. Superb day and like most journeys a learning curve for us both.

[email protected]

https://m.facebook.com/profile.php/?id=61550989015165

Please fish in a sustainable manner

Irish Angling Update 🎣 2 February 2024

By
Shane O'Reilly
-

The eastern counties saw plenty of wet weather last week, with some heavy showers bringing rainfall that was 175% of the average for the time of year. The rest of the country fared better, with most places remaining dryer than usual. Last week was relatively mild for the time of year, with temperatures a couple of degrees above the norm, and it looks like it’s set to stay that way for most of the coming week. So, as we head into the February bank holiday (celebrating St. Brigid’s Day for our foreign readership), there’s plenty of incentive to spend some time on the water…

We kick off this week’s update with the sea angling scene, and to Wexford, where the 35th Irish Winter Shore Angling Festival took place last week. A total of 106 anglers from Ireland and abroad were registered for the event, which was fished across a range of Wexford beaches. After a tough first day, where lousy weather affected catches, things picked up for the second and third days, and after all the adding up, it was a UK-based angler, Saul Page, who topped the honours for this year’s festival.

Aaron Vambeck from The Netherlands won the best fish of the competition with this bass

Some welcome news for anyone looking to fast-track success at fly fishing for bass is that expert bass angler and ex-fishing guide Jim Hendrick is running a number of bass angling workshops throughout 2024. Jim has seen and done it all when it comes to Irish bass, and so has a wealth of knowledge to pass on to any aspiring saltwater fly fisher. On the club side of things, Galway Bay SAC have just released their competition dates for 2024, and they are welcoming new (and returning) members for anyone interested in joining an active sea angling club. Meanwhile, Galway-based charter skipper John Fleming was in touch to say he plans an early start to the season, with the first trips scheduled for the end of February, and he maps out his plans for the rest of the season for anyone looking to make a booking.

In coarse angling news, we begin our round-up in Northern Ireland where the VDE Baggers faced some stiff winds for the penultimate round of their winter league last weekend. Fished over a couple of venues, it was a test of pole angling skills, with Aaron Nabc Hutchman with 3.6kg pipping the post ahead of Michael Schopen on 3.44kg. Things are super tight at the top of the league ahead of this Sunday’s final match so it’s all to play for!

Aaron Nabc Hutchman with his winning bag

A bit further south now, to Lough Muckno, where 23 anglers lined out to fish the 4th round of the CM Lakelands Winter League last weekend. Fishing was consistent regardless of location on the lake, and the top three weights came from three different sections, with Irish feeder international Johhny McKinley winning with 4kg from Yellow Island. The Munster Coarse Anglers were back at O’Briensbridge for the 6th leg of their winter league to find the river running low and clear. The clarity made the fish a bit spooky, but most anglers caught between 15 and 30 fish. The pegs near the dam were the ones to be on, as they produced the better catches, and Ray, on peg 3, took advantage of this to take first place on the day. We wrap up the coarse angling news at Oaklands Lake, where anglers fished the 6th round of the Oaklands Winter League in relatively pleasant conditions. Marnel Popa made the most of his end peg placing to finish top weight with almost 21kg from peg 15.

To salmon fishing news now, and we are happy to report that the Drowes is off the mark for the season, with the first fish landed on Thursday morning from the High Bank. Well-known angler Colin Gardiner was the lucky captor, taking his fish on a yellow Flying C in wet and windy conditions. It’s not the first time Colin has landed the first fish of the season, and having suffered a stroke on the opening day of the season a few years back, it’s fair to say he got his just rewards for his perseverance. In the south of the country, the team from Cadence Fishing held an opening day get-together at the famous Careysville Fishery last week. Dan O’Neill reports the day’s events and some of the characters he met during the day.

casting demo
Glenda Powell giving a demo

In the latest edition of the Ireland on the Fly podcast, Daire and Tom speak to Neil O’Shea, who, like numerous members of his family before him, has been guiding on Lough Currane for many years. They discuss fishing for both salmon and sea trout on this iconic lake, and how you still have a good chance of a springer off the lake in the coming months. Unfortunately, the first salmon of the season is yet to arrive on Currane, as Vincent Appleby reports that wild weather has made fishing tough for most of that past week.

Some housekeeping now: we want to remind all anglers who had a salmon and sea trout licence in 2023 that their logbooks are now overdue for return. If you haven’t already sent them back, it’s time to do so now.

The latest issue of the Piscari-Fly newsletter brought the sad news of the passing of Peter Driver’s mother, so we wish him all the best at this tough time. Mark reported that fishing at Laois Angling Centre was tricky, but that fish were still to be caught if you were prepared to try a mix of tactics to find them. And for anyone looking for a bit of fishing & travel inspiration, Tipperary man John Lawlor has just published a book in which he talks about his angling adventures fishing numerous lakes and rivers, both in Ireland and abroad.

A Bow goes back at Loais Angling Centre

We have only one pike report this week, but it’s a good one! Ger Power brought his young nephews Adam (9) and Jamie (11) up to Belturbet at the weekend for a spot of winter piking. Wrapped up well against the nippy winter weather, things hotted up when Adam’s smelt deadbait was picked up, and when he struck into the run, it was soon apparent that this was no tiddler. Adam quickly got to grips with the fish, and on bringing it to the net, he was delighted to see that it was going to be a memorable day, and the pike was soon weighed in at 20lb. A quick photo was taken before the pike was returned to the water. It took me many years to get my first ’20’, so Adam’s feat of landing one before he reaches double figures himself, deservedly wins him this week’s Catch of the Week.

Adam's 20lb pike from Belturbet
Adam’s 20lb pike from Belturbet

 

And now the weather

It’s looking like the weather this bank holiday weekend will be reasonably good, with a lot of mild weather and not too much rain. Today will be mild and cloudy with highs of between 11 – 13°C. It will be mostly dry, with some scattered patches of rain and drizzle in places. It will be mild overnight and remain dull but mostly dry throughout Saturday. Sunday will also start dull and drizzly, but it will become sunnier as the day develops, with a freshening breeze from the west/southwest. The mild, dull weather pattern is set to continue into the early days of next week before becoming more changeable in midweek, as more persistent rain moves in.

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].

All the angling news

Sea Angling Reports

Coarse Angling Reports

Salmon Fishing Reports

Trout Fishing Reports

    Pike Fishing Reports

      Jump into the boat with Vincent for fishing updates from Lough Currane

      By
      Myles Kelly
      -

      Vincent Appleby reports from the shore of Lough Currane where anglers are still waiting to get the lakes first salmon of the season…

      24/1/2024 Storm Isha thankfully left the emerald Isle this morning, local gillie Mr. Dominic McGillicuddy of www.fishingwithdom.com  reports that there were three boats out manipulating their skills out on Lough Currane today and only a few C&R kelts which is great to see. So as the Currane anglers were slack in the Wild Atlantic Salmon we will head down Appleby stream.

      The year was Spring of 1983, there was nice water coming down the Commeragh river and my Father and I were trolling. Brod O’Sullivan and Vincent O’Sullivan were flyfishing in the Mouth of the Commeragh, come 4 pm they had caught 5 Salmon on the fly and fair play to Brod and Vincent they waved us in because they were heading home. Vincent shouted, “You will get him.”

      Well many a true word spoken in gesture. We rested the current for about twenty minutes and headed out, my father was flyfishing away, the next thing he collapsed and I said, “God no, he’s gone.”

      My father replied, “No not quite, there is a Salmon in the boat.”

      I replied, “Don’t be stupid we haven’t caught one yet”.

      Well the next thing I could hear the tail of the Salmon hitting the floor boards. Well it took my father 10 minutes plus to dispatch the 14 lbs Salmon and I can tell you we headed straight for the Lobster Bar.

      Well I walked in and Vincent said “Did you get him ?”
      “That we did.”
      “I told you that you would.”
      “Ah that you did but what you didn’t  tell us that he would jump into the boat!”

      Well Vincent’s language was poetic and he stormed out of the Lobster to see and check the fish. Well he had one good look at the Salmon to see if there were any hook marks and there were none and he replied, “I will second that.”

      Well the story doesn’t finish there because a few days later I and my Father headed down the Bungalow and Paddy Carey R.I.P was bailing his boat and his client had a Rolls Royce, I said to my Father, “Paddy has a right one.”

      As I said that I was getting out of the car and Paddy shouted out, “There you are Sir, your man doesn’t need rods or lines, the Salmon just jump into the boat.”

      Well his client replied, “Paddy I know I’m in Ireland but that’s effing ridiculous”. So, I can say without any fear of contradiction, No Spin, No Flies, just jumped into the boat.

      25/1/2024 Again Lough Currane was on the wild side with an average speed of 35 km/h followed by gusts up 75 km/h, so you don’t have be a rocket scientist to know where the Currane anglers headed for? So on that note we head down Appleby’s stream and it’s all about you good people who read the blog because in the last few night’s your comments have been very positive and some not so positive but that’s what I Like and yesterday’s comment of the day goes to Jimmy Brandon and I quote, More nonsense from the King of Spin.

      26/1/2024 The Currane anglers were all quiet on the Western front. Wind WSW average speed 35 km/h, gusts up to 45 km/h. Yesterday’s weather amount of rainfall 7.7mm. Now we go down Vincent O’Sullivan’s stream   Well worth watching, an RTE news report from 1987.

      27/1/2024 Lough Currane was on the wild side this day with a strong Southerly wind average speed 38 km/h, followed by strong gusts up to 63km/h and overcast all day followed by light rain at times. Now on a personal note I would like to wish my Sister, Currane fly angler Mrs Marian Coombs a very Happy Birthday and it’s a very special classified day.

      28/1/2024 Again the Currane anglers had to wait patiently until after lunch before the strong South Westerly wind  dropped and veered into the NW and followed by the odd heavy shower. Going by my WhatsApple we are still waiting for that elusive wild Atlantic salmon.

      29/1/2024 The Lough Currane anglers were all quiet in all departments. Wind NNE light to calm followed by bright sunshine all day.

      30/1/2024 The Currane anglers perfect reels were all quiet this day, going by my WhatsApple. Wind light SSW and variable followed by good cloud cover.

      31/1/2024 Another wild day for the Currane anglers as the wind takes control of today’s proceedings, wind SW veered SSW average speed 40 km/h, gusts up to 70 km/h.

      1/2/2024 The Currane anglers were all quiet in all departments this day. Wind S veered SW average speed 25 km/h strongest gust 41 km/h and overcast all day followed by misty rain, amount of rainfall for January was 126.mm.

      I will finish tonight’s notes in Memory of a great fly angler RIP Vincent O’Sullivan.

      Vincent Appleby
      Eureka Lodge, Caherdaniel West, Co. Kerry.
      Telephone: +353 (0) 87 207 4882
      E-mail:[email protected]
      Web: www.salmonandseatrout.com

      Sea Trout – Catch and release only

      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 waters of Ballinskelligs Bay

      FLEKSI

      A new online survey has been developed by IFI for the Currane catchment to gather anglers’ knowledge – the survey method called FLEKSI was developed by IFI to help give an insight into the status of the fishery. Currane Anglers are needed for Citizen Science survey to examine fish stocks

      Go fishing…

      Find out more about Lough Currane…

      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:

      Waterville lakes and river system

      Guides and boat hire

      Fishing with Dom

      Address Spunkane Waterville Kerry Ireland Mobile Phone: +353 87 2051515 Website: https://fishingwithdom.com/
      More information
      Find on Map | Return to top.

      Fly Fishing on Lough Currane

      Address Termons Waterville Kerry Ireland Mobile Phone: +353(0) 87 922 8659 Phone: +353(0) 66 9474146 Website: flyfishingatloughcurrane.com
      More information
      Find on Map | Return to top.

      Lakelands Farm

      Address Lake Road Waterville Kerry Ireland Mobile Phone: +353 87 4160200 Website: lakelandshouse.com
      More information
      Find on Map | Return to top.

      Neil O’Shea

      Address Caherbarna Waterville Kerry Ireland Mobile Phone: +353 87 9942792 Phone: +353 66 9474527 Website: oshealoughcurrane.com
      More information
      Find on Map | Return to top.

      Old Daly’s Supermarket & Filling Station

      Address Murreigh Waterville V23 X459 Ireland Mobile Phone: +353669474842 Website: dalysfoodstore.ie
      Find on Map | Return to top.

      Salmon & Sea Trout Fishing

      Address Eureka Lodge Caherdaniel West Waterville Kerry V23 XD63 Ireland Mobile Phone: +353 87 2074882 Website: salmonandseatrout.com
      More information
      Find on Map | Return to top.

      Waterville Boats

      Address Spunkane Waterville Kerry Ireland Mobile Phone: +353 (0)87 2202355 Phone: +353 (0)66 9474800
      Find on Map | Return to top.

      Tipp man John Lalors new angling book – Fish Scéalta

      By
      Myles Kelly
      -
      book cover

      book cover

      Fish Scéalta
      Game Fishing from Alaska to Lapland and the Swedish Arctic

      Tipperary man, John Lalor was born in Clonmel. On the River Suir he learnt his trade as an angler before moving to America where he honed his skills. John has fished for Ireland on two occasions as part of the Irish Fly Fishing Team that competed in the World Championships in Sweden in 2005 and the Five Nations Championships in Scotland in 2014.

      In Fish Scéalta, John recounts his memoirs of fishing, work and travel. One of the biggest lessons learnt is that money does not have to limit your ability to catch the fish of your dreams. Join John in his angling adventures across America, Canada, Alaska, Sweden, England, Scotland and especially on Ireland’s Loughs; Sheelin, Derg and Conn. There’s even a visit to Ardaire Springs that gets a mention!

      Fish Scéalta is available in bookshops and can be bought online directly from the publishers or at Amazon and other online retailers.

      Éist le fuaim na habhann agus gheobhfaidh tú breac

      Drowes Off The Mark With First Salmon of 2024

      By
      IFI Staff
      -
      Colin with the first Drowes fish of 2024

      Fishery manager Shane Gallagher reports that the first Drowes salmon of the 2024 season was landed shortly after 10am on Thursday morning from the High Bank. Well known angler Colin Gardiner landed the 8lbs fish in very stormy conditions on a yellow Flying C.

      Colin with the first Drowes fish of 2024

      Colin has previously landed the first salmon of the season on numerous occasions. He had suffered a stroke on opening day some years ago so it is fantastic to see him back in full health and fishing ability.

      The last number of weeks have been marked by successive storms and fluctuating water levels. Conditions this morning were stormy with strong winds followed by heavy rain. The water level is currently 0.69 metres and rising, with a water temperature of almost 7 degrees Celsius.

      Go fishing…

      Drowes Fishery Office

      Address Lareen Kinlough Leitrim Ireland Phone: +353 71 9841055 Website: drowessalmonfishery.com
      More information
      Find on Map | Return to top.

      RIVER DROWES & DROWES ESTUARY

      Galway Bay SAC Welcomeing New Members

      By
      IFI Staff
      -
      It’s the time of year when many clubs are finalising their competition and outings dates, and welcoming new members. Galway Bay Sea Angling Club have just announced their fixtures for the year, and are open for new (and returning) membership, all welcome.
      We welcome any other clubs to let us know their plans for the year, and we’re happy to share your club news here.
      Thinking of joining Galway Bay Sea angling club?
      We have the calendar full of outings for all levels and ages.
      Below is a list of all the planned club outings.

      Master Angler 2024

      MA L.1 Black Head – April 27/28
      MA L.2 Fanore – May 11/12
      MA L.3 White Strand – June 15/16
      MA L.4 Russan Rubble – July 20/21
      MA L.5 Kilkee – August 10/11

      Winter League

      WL L.1 Renvyle Stony Beach – February 17/18
      WL L.2 Lettergesh – March 23/24
      WL L.3 Doonbeg – September 14/15
      WL L.4 Enniscrone – October 19/20
      Summer BBQ. Location TBC – 27/28 July
      Club Species Hunt – All year long!
      If you’d like to join the Club just follow this link
      To finish off, here’s a nice ray caught by Gary Miskell recently.

       

      Go Fishing

      Galway Bay Sea Angling Club is a progressive club based in Galway, but fishing competitions along the west coast. New members are always welcome, and every level of experience is catered for, with social outings right up to competitions held throughout the year. If you’re looking to get into sea angling in the west, check them out here 

      Ireland on the Fly – Early season on Lough Currane with Neil O’Shea

      By
      Shane O'Reilly
      -
      Neil O’Shea, the long-standing ghillie on Lough Currane whose family have been guiding on the lake for nearly 150 years joins Daire & Tom on this week’s Ireland on the Fly and what Neil doesn’t know about Currane probably isn’t worth knowing…..
      They speak to Neil about the opening few weeks on Currane, the good and the bad days for the lough, why you’ve a good chance of a springer in the coming months and how double figure sea trout can still be got – if you time it right…..
      .

      Rate, review and follow the show to keep up to date with all the latest Ireland on the Fly episodes on Apple Podcasts or Spotify at:

      Brazen Hussy fishing plans for 2024

      By
      IFI Staff
      -
      John Fleming, skipper of the Brazen Hussy II,was in touch to let us know his plans for 2024, and that he is now taking bookings for the season.
      We are hoping to start at the end of February for a shot at early spring white fish, pollock, cod, whiting, haddock etc.
      We will be fishing for whitefish all the way through the season.
      We will start at spurs and huss in early April.
      Tope fishing will start around mid May roughly, always good crack and good numbers usually show from then until mid October
      We will be starting our sharking a little earlier this year around the second week in June for an earlier crack at porbeagles as they were certainly there earlier in 23.
      So from mid June until hopefully mid August we will be having a good crack at them.
      Hoping to break our numbers again this year 13 to beat.
      Dates are limited for the beagles.
      We will continue sharking until October mainly targeting blue shark after early to mid August.
      We will also be running squid trips from mid August. We hope to play a better part in the tuna chart program this year and will hopefully be running trips from the start of September to play with the giants.
      So for anyone interested in a trip don’t hesitate in calling or messaging me.

      Go fishing…

      To book fishing with John aboard the Brazen Hussy II, give him a call on 087 7571320

      A regular day is between 9am- 6pm from either Rossaveal, Spiddal or Galway depending on species being sought after. Fishing on the inshore reefs for pollock, cod, ling, wrasse, conger eel and mackerel can be reached in 10 minutes from departure, while our offshore reef marks are within 45 minutes of departure. Our ground fishing for tope, spurdog, ray, bullhuss, turbot, plaice and the giant common skate can all be reached within the hour which ensures the most amount of time is spent fishing.
      The shark season usually starts at the end of June and runs into late October, this is the ultimate angling adrenaline rush with these hard fighting blue and porbeagle sharks all being tagged and released safely.
      Package deals available

      Address: Baile an tSagairt, Spiddal, Co. Galway.
      Telephone: +353 (0)87 7571320
      Facebook: www.facebook.com/BlueSharkAngling

      Blue Shark Angling Galway,
      Phone John Fleming : +353 (0)87 7571320

      Piscari-Fly Newsletter 30 January 2024

      By
      IFI Staff
      -

      Apologies for missing last week as some of you may know Peter’s mother passed away and therefore things have been a bit up in the air and we are in the process of getting back into things and looking forward to the opening of the season and looking forward to the fishing.

      Thanks to all who sent messages during the week your support is greatly appreciated. It hasn’t been the greatest of weeks.

      How’s the Fishing?

      Laois Angling Sunday 28th Jan
      Mark was on Laois Angling Center over the weekend, getting some practice in on the lakes ahead of our National Bank Qualifiers next month on the 24th of February. Mark & Myself are both on the Leinster team to compete on the day. Mark reported some good fishing during his short 4hr session prior to work.
      Bottom lake was clear and somewhat tough but still producing fish pulling olive zonkers on sinking lines. Along with some surface action with dries and subsurface nymphs. Though middle lake was still clouded and dirty from recent works that took place. With little to no fish showing on the surface. Water clarity was only 2 to 3.5feet.
      Mark found top 2 feet and bottom 2 feet was fishing best. Pulling orange, pink and hot beaded lures through this lake to get fishes attention. Along with setting up the bung method to fish off the bottom. Tweaking his flies to entice a take. Which led to some great numbers and good sized fish to the net.

      For more information and details about where to fish drop me a line [email protected].

       

      ​What’s New?

      Trabucco XPS Special Hi-Viz

      This line is superb for making Euro-nymphing leaders that we use in the construction of all our leaders. Very high elasticity, strong, straight and easy to work with. Easy to apply dyes and indicator waxes to for better visibility on the water for leader construction. Extremely popular all over the world by anglers for nymphing leaders.

      Check it out: https://piscari-fly.com/collections/trabucco-xps-special-hi-viz/

      Top Tips for this coming season

      It wont be too long now till the months of February and March when we begin to see the return of the nymphing anglers back on the water after a long winter. But the enthusiasm of the angler can be quickly dampened as the cold waters prove it quite difficult to entice a trout to take. At this time of the year brown trout’s metabolism is low and they are still lying in their winter protective lies. So, fishing the typical runs and spring/ summer lies will often lead to disappointment and poor catch rates.
      ​
      However, searching through the waters you can discover the more protective places that there could be a chance of a fish or two. These are usually along the margins, in deeper pockets, or places where the fish would remain safe from the winter high waters and cold weather. It is often the case also that you will come across pods of trout in these places, moving from pod to pod will result in a productive day during early spring for the fly angler.
      So once you find the fish the next question is what you are going to throw at them to get them to open there mouths.
      Here are a few nymphs that I have found to be attractive enough to hook up some early season trout.

      Hare’s Ear Grub

      Hook: Dohiku 644 or 622
      ​Bead: Copper 3mm-4mm
      ​Thread: Olive tying Thread
      ​Rib: Flat Copper Tinsel
      ​Body: Natural Hares Ear dubbing
      ​Thorax: Mixed Hot Red Dubbing and UV Ice DubbingThis is a great fly for early season nymphing but will also produce fish throughout the season. I find it best on the point and you could also add some flat lead in the under body to give it that extra weight to get down to the deeper fish.

      Hare’s Ear

       

      Leggy Caddis

      Hook: Dohiku 18-16 Jig
      ​Bead: Slotted Gold or Copper 3mm-4mm
      ​Thread: Olive Tying Thread
      ​Tag: Glo Brite No 12
      ​Tail: Natural Partridge Fibres
      ​Rib: Gold or Copper Wire
      ​Body: Natural Hares Ear Dubbing
      ​Thorax: Hends Peacock Dubbing
      ​Legs: Speckled Rubber legs
      Great Jig nymph and aa great attractor pattern for getting fish to open there mouths. This nymph can be successful on either the point fly or on a dropper. By jigging the rod tip up and down you get those legs moving and they can be a real trigger point.

      Leggy Caddia

      Black and Orange

      Hook: Dohiku 18-16 Jig
      ​Bead: Slotted Gold or Copper 3mm-4mm
      ​Thread: Black Tying Thread
      ​Tail: Glo Brite No 9
      ​Rib: Copper Wire
      ​Body: Root Beer flat tinsel
      ​Hackle: Black CDC Spun and Brushed Back
      ​Thorax: Hends Peacock Dubbing.

      Another favourite for early season, black can be a good colour if the waters are a bit mucky at this time of the year. The CDC has lovely movement in it when it’s swimming through the runs and the little orange tail peeping through is just enough to entice the fish to have a taste. This fly is one of my go to fly’s no matter where I go.

      Black & Orange

      About us

      Based on the River Nore just outside Thomastown, Co Kilkenny, Ireland. Piscari-Fly is a growing Fly Tying and Fly-Fishing business with a vast amount of experience and knowledge. If there is ever anything I can do to make my service better for you please feel free to suggest it to me and I’ll gladly try my best to accommodate your requests. Thanks again. Peter Driver.

      As a small business we depend on the satisfaction of our customers and there word of mouth reference, google reviews are important to our online presence and we sure would appreciate your review. Just head over to this link and give us a quick review.

      Thanks for the support its greatly appreciated

      Peter Driver.

      Piscari-Fly, Woolengrange, Thomastown, Co. Kilkenny, R95 Y860, Ireland, 0879787040

      1...251252253...1,999Page 252 of 1,999
      Fishing in Ireland

      EVEN MORE NEWS

      POPULAR CATEGORY

      © Inland Fisheries Ireland