Irish Shore Series Competition on Woodstown Beach this Saturday
The latest round of the Irish Shore Series Open Competition takes place this Saturday, 21st March, on Woodstown Beach, Waterford. Full details of the competition are in the image below:
Slow fishing for Ringsend Irishtown Anglers at Morriscastle
This post was compiled from angling reports shared on the Ringsend Irishtown SAC Facebook page:
The second round of the Ringsend Irishtown SAC Master Angler competition took place on 8th March at Morriscastle, with 21 senior and 4 junior anglers competing from 12–5pm over a full dropping tide. Conditions proved challenging, and anglers adopted a range of tactics, fishing close in, mid-range, and at distance. Despite a promising start with a few early fish, the day turned out to be particularly slow, with only sporadic catches across the field.
Standout moments included Seán Kinsella’s strong performance in the junior section, where he landed a 34cm bass to secure both the junior win and the pool prize. Alby Allen recorded the biggest flatfish of the day with a 33cm flounder, while John Keane provided the highlight of the match after landing and safely releasing a large sea trout estimated at 85–90cm. Although not a scoring species, it was an impressive catch that added excitement to an otherwise quiet day.
Consistent fishing proved key, with John Kinsella steadily building his tally and adding three late fish to secure first place overall, continuing his excellent recent form. Stephen Byrne finished a close second, while Alby Allen took third. In the juniors, Seán Kinsella claimed victory ahead of Luke Kinsella and Scott Andrews. Despite the difficult conditions, the competition was enjoyed by all, highlighting the social side of the sport as much as the results.
A full report and more photos can be viewed on the Ringsend Irishtown SAC Facebook page.
Go Fishing…
New member Ramunas takes the win in Ballybrack SAC competition at Roney Point
This post was compiled from angling reports shared on the Ballybrack SAC Facebook page:
Ballybrack SAC hosted the second leg of their Master Angler competition on 1st March at Roney Point, with 25 anglers taking part. Strong southerly winds created a lumpy, coloured sea under overcast skies, providing ideal conditions for the venue. Fishing started at 11am, with early catches from Peter Taite and Thomas Markey in Zone A, while Ramunas Butkus quickly found fish from an end peg in Zone B. Although some anglers were slow to get started, all eventually recorded catches as the match progressed, but there were plenty of undersized fish amongst the catches.
In Zone A, whiting made up the bulk of the catch, with Peter Taite, Thomas Markey, Joe Cannon, and Dean Forbes all among the fish. John Keane and Stephen Glynn worked their way back into contention after a quiet start, with Keane landing several dogfish and a spurdog. Dean Forbes’ consistent fishing secured him the zone win with 19 fish, followed by Keane in second and Glynn in third in a closely fought section.
Zone B saw Ramunas Butkus dominate throughout, taking the win and best overall result with 26 fish. Paul Tyndall and Eric Gasparro followed in second and third after a tight contest. In the junior section, Donnacha Brock claimed a second consecutive victory, ahead of Sean Keane and Paul Crimmons. The longest round fish was a 45cm spurdog by Lar Mooney, while the longest flat fish (26cm flounder) was shared by Donnacha Brock and Robbie Durning. Species included mainly whiting, along with dogfish, spurdogs, dabs, flounder, and one bass.
A full report and more photos can be viewed on the Ballybrack SAC Facebook
Go Fishing…
Late Ray seals win for Michael Curran at Ardmore SAC Competition
This post was compiled from angling reports shared on the Ardmore SAC Facebook page:
At the latest Ardmore SAC club competition at Ballyquin, anglers arrived to near-perfect conditions, with light southerly winds creating an ideal surf and a mild spring atmosphere. Despite the promising setup, fishing proved challenging early on, with very little activity during the first hour. Only Pat and Willie managed to get on the scoreboard initially, each landing a couple of flounder.
As darkness fell, catches began to improve slightly. Brian and Mochara capitalised on this brief window, landing a mix of coley, flounder, and bass. However, the surge in activity was short-lived, and the fishing quickly slowed again.
In a dramatic finish, Tyrone O’Brien landed a 61cm ray with just five minutes remaining, a catch that looked set to secure both the win and the pools. However, in the final moments, Michael Curran, fishing on the neighbouring peg, landed a larger 71cm ray with only 30 seconds left, claiming the pools prize.
Final results were:
1st: Tyrone O’Brien
2nd: Brian Mansfield
3rd: Mochara
Pools: Michael Curran
Species caught during the competition included dogfish, ray, bass, coley, and flounder.
Go Fishing…
Dodder Anglers ‘Parent & Child’ Open Day this Saturday
The Dodder Anglers are running an open day ‘Parent & Child’ event this Saturday, 21st March. It’s a free event, and all age groups will be catered for, full details are in the graphic below.
No St Patrick’s Day salmon for Currane anglers
Vincent Applbey, our Lough Currane correspondent, reports on the last few days of fishing…
11/3/ 2026. The Currane anglers were all quiet today and on that note, it’s straight to the Currane’s anglers weather chart, wind fresh veered SW followed by good cloud cover and ⁰the odd shower.
Yesterday’s weather amount of rainfall 7.2, maximum air temperature 11.9⁰C,amount of sunshine two minutes.
12/3/2026. A wild Currane left the My Noble Currane anglers heading for the high stool, their beer certainly wouldn’t be flat, but I can say without any fear of contradiction, the average wind speed of 60 km/h followed by gusts up to 93k./h average gusts speeds in the 70s km/h. Yesterday’s weather, the amount of rain fall 0.8mn, maximum air temperature 11.0⁰C, amount of sunshine 4 hours and 1 minutes.
13/3/2026. Just one Currane boat out on this freezing cold day, and by all accounts, just for the record, caught the odd kelt for his efforts. Wind, West fresh to strong West , followed by hailstones and sleety showers throughout the day . Yesterday’s weather, the amount of rainfall 18.4 mm, maximum air temperature 11.9⁰C, amount of sunshine none.
14/3/2026. Just two boats out, all lines were slack this day, so it’s straight to the Currane’s anglers weather chart, wind WNW gentle to moderate followed by good cloud cover. Yesterday’s weather amount of rainfall 2.5mm, maximum air temperature 8.1⁰C, amount of sunshine 4 hours 6 minutes.
15/3/2026. Just one Currane boat reported out on the waters of Lough Currane, and by all accounts, all lines were slack or in the words of one Currane angler, no good. Now, for the Currane weather chart, wind WNW fresh to strong followed by the odd shower. Yesterday’s weather amount of rainfall 1.3mm , maximum air temperature 10.⁰C, amount of sunshine 4 hours 9 minutes.
17/3/2026. The Currane anglers were all quiet today in all departments.
So on that note, we head for the Currane weather chart, wind fresh SSW, and overcast all day followed by misty rain at times. Yesterday’s weather amount of rainfall 3.4mm, maximum air 19.7⁰C, amount of sunshine 3 hours 3 minutes .
17/3/2026. On this St. Patrick’s Day, I can say Currane anglers were all quiet in all departments. You could say that St. Patrick wasn’t amused with the Currane anglers. God only knows what St. Peter would have said. So on that note, we will head for the Currane weather chart,wind strong South, veered moderate SW, followed by heavy showers this morning, come late in the afternoon, the sun breaking through. Yesterday’s weather, the amount of 3.1mm, maximum air temperature 12.4⁰C, amount of sunshine 1 minutes.
For more information on the daily conditions on Lough Currane, all the craic and news be sure to check out Vincent Appleby’s Salmon and Sea Trout blog for regular reports with back dates, petitions, public consultation notices, readers letters and videos and more of what’s happening in Waterville and beyond
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
Go fishing….
Guides and boat hire
Address Spunkane Waterville Kerry Ireland
Mobile Phone: +353 87 2051515
Email: [email protected]
Website: https://fishingwithdom.com/
Address Termons Waterville Kerry Ireland
Mobile Phone: +353(0) 87 922 8659
Phone: +353(0) 66 9474146
Email: [email protected]
Website: flyfishingatloughcurrane.com
Address Lake Road Waterville Kerry Ireland
Mobile Phone: +353 87 4160200
Email: [email protected]
Website: lakelandshouse.com
Boat Hire
Address Caherbarna Waterville Kerry Ireland
Mobile Phone: +353 87 9942792
Phone: +353 66 9474527
Email: [email protected]
Website: oshealoughcurrane.com
Salmon and Sea-Trout fishing Guide
Address Eureka Lodge Caherdaniel West Waterville Kerry V23 XD63 Ireland
Mobile Phone: +353 87 2074882
Email: [email protected]
Website: salmonandseatrout.com
Address Spunkane Waterville Kerry Ireland
Mobile Phone: +353 (0)87 2202355
Phone: +353 (0)66 9474800
Email: [email protected]
Fine trout on homemade lure for Artem
Artem Novikov was in touch to tell us about a fine trout he landed on one of his custom-made lures. He was fishing on Lough Sheelin last Monday in what looked like were going to be challenging weather conditions, when he set his boat on its first drift around 9.30am.
He was fishing ultralight tackle, with a super-light spinning rod and fine braid, and suddenly his rod bent over as a fish engulfed the lure. Over the next five minutes, he could feel a number of violent head shakes, and the fish took plenty of line before he brought it to the boat. A quick measurement showed the fish was 61cm, and he returned it to the water.
Artem was using a small crayfish pattern he had fashioned himself. The lure was given some weight by using a 1g jig weight and hammering/filing it down to resemble a crayfish tail. It’s a pretty ingenious design, and the trout was obviously fooled by it. Artem has a YouTube channel where he goes into some of his lure-making endeavours.
Gi Fishing…
Sarah Lynch wins Cobh SAC 2025/2026 Light Lines
Cobh SAC report on the final of the Light Lines…
That’s it for the 2025/2026 Light Lines. 5 rounds successfully completed, 45 anglers competed, the average attendance was 30, and a total of 836 hours were fished.
Sarah Lynch took the win in Round 1, with father Dan taking Round 2 leaving them on equal points. Dark horse Jim Mellis won Round 3 with Dan and Sarah still joint first in the Series. Sean Og “Ginger Ninja” McShane was back on form winning Round 4 with Dan taking the lead in the Lynch Clan clash.
It was all to play for going into the final day, with the top 8 fishing on the same boat. In beautiful sunshine, Dan Lynch, Sarah Lynch, Stephen Hurley, Paul O’Callaghan, Tomasz Kujawa, John Dennehy, Sean Og McShane and John Angles launched aboard Osprey to determine the Series winner.
As expected, the time of year, combined with the lack of visibility and freshwater in the harbour, resulted in tough fishing. Deora De stayed inside the forts while Camden Mist, Ospey and Lagosta steamed to the harbour mouth and beyond. Runaway winner of the final round was Jamie Murphy on Deora De with 75 fish, followed by Terry Boyle on Lagosta – 58 fish, Paul O’Callaghan on Ospery – 50 fish, Kevin Roche on Camden Mist – 33 fish.
Back on shore it was the usual scramble to find out the scores from the other boats. Scores on Osprey were so tight that the entire crew finished the round in the top 13 of the 31 who fished.
As with every Light Lines Series, all money collected from entries, less the expense of boat hire, is distributed in the prizes. The prize giving was held at the Commodore Hotel, a regular sponsor of the Series.
Top 3:
- 1st First time winner Sarah Lynch
- 2nd Two time winner Dan Lynch
- 3rd Former winner Paul O’Callaghan.
Under 21 & Under 16:
1st U21 Noah Tahran
1st U16 Tom Cunningham
Other prizes:
Everyone in the top 23 won something. It’s not all about where you finish, loyalty prizes went to Lee Griffin, John Warner and Michael Crudge who fished all 5 rounds and finished outside the main prizes.
Longest Fish:
€100 Longest Ray – John Angles 74cm Thornback
€100 Longest Whiting – John Dennehy 50cm
€50 each, Longest Dab – Kevin Roche and Dave Jolly 32cm
€300 Longest Cod – none caught.
Thank you to:
All who joined us on the water, particularly those who travelled from afar, Josie Barrett, Dave Cherry, Padraig Munnelly, Terry Boyle, Colm & Conan Slater, Brian Whelan and Peter McKeon.
Our skippers, Alan Kennedy of Lagosta, Jim Lenihan of Deora De, Tony Lane of Camden Mist, Dylan Geary (on behalf of John Barry) on Cuan Bawn, and Alan Tracey who has skippered Osprey this season.
Our generous sponsors, the Commodore Hotel Cobh, and Dan Lynch of Halfway Angling Centre and www.TackleDirectIreland.ie
The organisers, Piotrek Nowakowski and John Warner. Without you there would be no event.
What now?
For the 3rd series in a row not a single cod, of any size, has been caught. Including the annual Fundraiser which is held each December, there has been 1 caught in approximately 3,000 hours of fishing and that was caught at a fundraiser, south of Roches Point. For the Light Lines 2026/2027 the longest cod prize won’t be rolled over, it will return to €100 and the existing balance will be put towards other prizes.
Go fishing…
Dates for the 2026/2027 series are 15th November, 13th December, 17th January, 14th February and 14th March (Saturday). The annual fundraiser is 28th December 2026.
The 7 Cobh SAC club competitions will be held monthly on Sundays commencing 26th April and ending 18th October
Cobh SAC is a very active club with a great series of competitions across the year.
The club is very welcoming to new members.
If you are interested in joining the club or fishing any of their competitions contact them via Facebook.
Fine pike from Fergus system for angling duo
Liam Curran and Adrian Rahill had their first pike trip of 2026 on a lake in the River Fergus system in Clare last Saturday. With water temperatures in the Fergus system stuck around the 9°C mark, they had no real expectations of fish, but 20 minutes into the trip, they hooked into the big female in the picture.
The fish took a bright perch imitation paddle tail. An additional five jack pike were caught and all fish were safely released by the duo, making for a very enjoyable day on the water.
Brilliant day trip for Navan juniors in Laois
Navan and District Anglers’ Association held a juniors’ day at Laois Angling Centre on Saturday, March 14th, to encourage young anglers to join the club, and the day turned out to be a huge success.
Armed with an array of blobs, boobies, squirmies, chenille worms, bungs and all kinds of mini lures in a variety of colours (kindly donated by Peter Driver of Piscari-Fly), the fourteen juniors who participated set forth to conquer the freshly stocked trout in the fisheries’ well-managed ponds, and conquer them they did!
While the focus was on fly fishing and helping the youngsters cast a fly rod, there was also the opportunity to fish bubble and fly or even a worm in the bait pond for those who wanted to. By the end of the day, everybody had managed to land a trout, with some fine fish among them.
The organisers, who had a watchful eye on the weather forecast in the build-up to the big day, need not have worried, as the weather stayed mostly dry, apart from the odd shower. Laois Angling Centre has a great range of facilities, and when the only real downpour of the day arrived at lunchtime, the group from Navan were being fed and watered, with a fine spread of soup, sandwiches and tea beside a hot stove in the clubhouse.
Well done to all involved in organising the event and well done to the youngsters who caught all the fish!
The club are always on the lookout to recruit junior anglers, and anybody who is interested should get in touch with them through their website @ navananglers.com.
Laois Angling Centre is located at Coolrain, less than 3 miles from the N7. The venue combines the peace and tranquillity of the Irish countryside with excellent game and coarse fishing. The four large spring-fed lakes are stocked regularly with brown and rainbow trout, carp and tench. Facilities include a large parking area, wheelchair access, tackle hire and light refreshments with picnic and barbecue areas ideal for family and corporate events.
Address: Laois Angling Centre, Clonoghil House, Coolrain, Portlaoise, Co. Laois.
Tel: 087 9962864
Email: [email protected] Web: www.laoisanglingcentre.ie
