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Perch Master League 2023

By
Paul O'Reilly
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On Sunday, October 22nd, the competitors in the Perch Master Ireland 2023 had the seventh and final leg of their league event, followed by a prizegiving ceremony for the top anglers.

While perch are a prized sportfish species in many parts of Europe – like the Netherlands and Scandinavian countries, where fish of 40cm+ are common – perch fishing is a very underdeveloped form of angling in Ireland, where a perch of 40cm is a prize fish.

With that in mind, Inland Fisheries Ireland were proud to sponsor this event to see what sizes of perch the participating anglers could come up with.

Venues across the event included ‘perchy’ locations on some of the better perch producing rivers and their canal systems – such as the Suck, Barrow, Shannon and the Inny system in the midlands. Unfortunately, during the competition days themselves there were no monster perch caught, but during practice sessions, there were plenty of really good fish – giving a good insight into the potential for big perch fishing in Ireland.

To catch big Irish perch on rivers and canals, most anglers will fish with soft plastic lures – like small shads and worms – fished using Carolina or drop shot rigs on light spinning tackle over areas where there is good cover for a hunting perch to ambush prey. Sometimes the key is to find a key colour or trigger movement to provoke the fish to strike! Natural baits will work well too – and many a novice angler will have been introduced to fishing by catching plucky perch on worms and maggots.

Prizes were awarded for the top three positions in the league and longest perch overall – which measured in at 34cm. The organisers are now planning next year’s Perch Master Ireland League 2024 in the same format – dates listed below – but they are also planning a boat event and a one-day event where anglers can fish anywhere they choose in Ireland on the day. Organisers are currently recruiting anglers to take part in all three events – so contact them via the Perch Master Ireland Facebook page. 

Perch Master League 2024 provisional dates are as follows (dates may change depending on weather and water levels) – sign up an get involved!

  • Leg 1- 18th of February
  • Leg 2- 17th of March
  • April – usually Perch are spawning so no fishing this month
  • Leg 3- 19th of May
  • Leg 4- 16th of June
  • Leg 5- 21st of July
  • Leg 6- 18th of August
  • Leg 7- 14th of September

Please fish in a sustainable manner

Wading the only way for Leinster Pike Anglers

By
IFI Staff
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Leinster Pike Anglers – up to their oxters

Like a lot of pike angling clubs, the Leinster Pike Anglers struggled to find fishable water for the latest leg of their winter league. The recent rain meant that the rivers were all blown out and the lakes were all full to the brim, making access tricky to say the least.

So the only viable option was to don the chest waders and get up to their armpits in water, which is exactly what they did. They opted to fish a few lakes close to each other to give themselves a choice of venue on the day. Fishing was pretty good given the high water with the top two anglers managing 11 fish each, with Rodney Gaynor winning out with a weight of just over 31lb

Full report on Leinster Pike Anglers Facebook page.

Full results as follows:
1st Rodney Gaynor 11 fish 31lb 3oz
2nd Luke o Ciaran 11 fish 29lb 10oz
3rd Anto Byrne 8 fish 23lb 7oz
Pools pairs
Luke o Ciaran & Jay Cooke 17 fish 42lb 13.
Heaviest Fish
Damien o Brien 6lb 12oz
Please fish in a sustainable manner

High water hampers Limerick County Pike Anglers

By
IFI Staff
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The Limerick County Pike Anglers were on the scout all week to find a local venue that was fishable after the recent rain had swollen watercourses all around the county. Eventually, they had to admit defeat and head up the country to fish a canal venue which had suffered less from the rise in water.

A foggy start to proceedings…

They were greeted by a typical autumn morning on the water, as fog clung tight to the water, held there by a layer of cold air that took a while to dissipate. But once it did, the day turned out to be fine and sunny, and some of the anglers even had a bit of colour on their faces by the end of the day.

One of the better fish on the day

The fishing was slow enough, as is often the case after a lot of rain, and the fish were biting tentatively and those that stuck were on the small side. Tommy Williams ended up with five fish which was enough to top the rankings on the day.

Full report on the LCPA Facebook page.

Please fish in a sustainable manner

Sun shines on South Shore SAC for their latest Master Angler leg

By
IFI Staff
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South Shore SAC were lucky with the weather on the most recent leg of their Master Angler competition at Roney Point, as they were greeted by a rare fine day amidst the numerous days of wind and rain in recent weeks. So the 37 anglers that turned out for the event were able to fish in near-perfect conditions of weather and water, as a nice tinge in the water coupled with a high tide promised some good fishing.

Whiting, a staple of the east coast competition scene at this time of year

And the promise held up well, as anglers were into fish from the off, with whiting and dabs present in good numbers with a few bass on the move too. The numbers of fish remained pretty consistent throughout the match, and 9 anglers ended up with 20 or more fish by the end of the competition. This meant it was tight at the top as the competition entered its final stages, and Cian Corcoran pipped Eammon Bermingham by a couple of points to win Zone A. Meanwhile Gavin Fogarty had a bit more to spare when winning Zone B ahead of Ciaran Fogerty and Alby Allan. Aaron Willet topped the junior section with a fine total of 9. Full report on the South Shore SAC Facebook Page.

Full results below:

Predator Team Qualifier Round 2 Report

By
IFI Staff
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Lure Team Ireland were back on the water this weekend at the Predator Qualifiers on Lough Erne seeking a place on Team Ireland 2024.

Seven boats took to the water on Saturday & Sunday as Round 2 of the Qualifiers took place on Upper Lough Erne at Watermill Fishing Lodge. The coloured water after the recent rain and sunny calm conditions didn’t make it an easy task but some excellent fish were recorded.

Fresh back from the World Championships, top duo Daniel Nesbitt and Danny Colleran just lost out on a perfect 4-point score coming second to Tomi & Jacek on leg 4 today.

A cracking pike for Daniel

They still hold the top ranking with 5 points after this round followed by fellow 2023 team members Aidan O’Connor & Krzystof Sibiga in second place with 13.

And a fine one for Danny too

Bronze medallists of 2013 Tomek Kurman & Jacek Gorny are still hopeful for a place on the team currently joint third on the qualification table  with Simon Gibson & David Dennis.

A fine perch for Jacek

World Championships

Earlier this month Daniel Nesbitt, Danny Colleran, Aidan O’Connor & Krzystof Sibiga made their debut on the world stage under the watchful eye of David Dennis at the World Championships in Riga.

Lure Team Ireland

The event involved two days of training and three days competition with countable fish sizes of Pike 50cm, Zander 45cm and Perch 25cm. After training it was decided that boat A would concentrate on Zander with B seeking pike and perch. Through changeable weather conditions the lads did well on day one with Daniel & Danny catching an incredible 10 Zander, a species they had never caught before and Aidan & Krzs 7 perch of countable size for 5th place. A tough day three with just 3 fish caught followed by another 6 Zander and 8 perch on the final day fished in rough weather conditions. Team Ireland ranked a respectable 8th position against the 14 competing nations and the world’s best lure anglers.

A zander in Riga for Krys

Round 3 of the qualifiers will be deferred until the venue for the World Championships is announced.  The NCFFI awarded the hosting of the 2024 championships by FIPSed Fédération Internationale de la Pêche Sportive en Eau Douce is hopeful that it will be possible to stage the championships on the Erne.

Piscari-Fly Newsletter October 24th

By
IFI Staff
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How’s the Fishing?

With the autumn days getting colder and darker, it’s the ideal time to chuck some bigger, heavier flies for those enticing takes from Pike. This time of year Pike are on the take much harder, chasing their food and much more aggressive. Meaning a better chance of hook up’s with these fantastic fish. Best choice of rod is a 9 or 10 foot rod for a 8/9 weight along with a matching floating or fast intermediate line. Short 6 to 7 foot shock leader (30lb) down to a 12inch trace attached to your pike fly or fly of choice is a great, but simple setup without making it too complicated. Medium to long strips in a slow fast actioned pace with short pause in between each strip, has been found to best entice a take from these fish for us in past and of late.

 

Pike can be found in most canal ways across the country. Slow sections of rivers close to the bank or near protected lies of islands in middle of rivers. And lakes best fished out from reeds and weed beds, whilst also fishing drop offs from shallows as these pike target their prey fish in this area. Be sure to have long forceps and be care of their sharp mouths if handling them. Enjoy the experience, if need more info feel free to contact us at www.piscari-fly.com or drop me a line piscarifly@gmail.com. We have everything you need to get out fishing after them so give us a call or check out the products online.

​For pike flies click here

 

What’s Hot?

Airflo restock

Perfect for all your bank fishing needs, fly rods, reels, lines and boxes and lots lots more.

Piscari Travels

A trip to Adaire Aprings angling centre. Great turnout on Saturday for the open day and the official launch of the Irish Spring Angling Fair 2024. https://irishspringanglingfair.com/

What’s Coming?

We are nearly there, in the testing phase now. Testing so far is going good. Content being uploaded. App to go with the club is looking good and user friendly. Excited to see how this will evolve.

**STAY TUNED*** www.piscari-fly.com​

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 appricate 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

River Nore end of season report and upcoming courses

By
Myles Kelly
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nore trout fishing
Tom Bie works the rising trout as the sun sets on the Nore

Dan O’Neill writes a review of the 2023 season on the River Nore…

Looking back over the 2023 season has been my main concentration over the last few weeks. As usual with this time of year with most anglers we always say we didn’t get to visit the river, lakes or streams quite often enough. Guiding brings people from all over the world to me, I am lucky enough to have the river Nore nearby which is where I take most of my clients.

Trout

This season threw us many challenges. Mostly floods that were strange for the time of year. Streamer fishing was touched on more often this season than some previous seasons. I did enjoy quite a few evenings dry fly fishing and plenty of wet fly fishing also which are both my favourite methods of fishing for trout. I didn’t manage to get to many other rivers this year but was more than content bringing clients out on the Mount Juliet stretch all season.

Salmon

Salmon fishing this season was disappointing, conditions came right quite a bit over the season and anglers were very surprised that nothing showed up after several hours and days of fishing. Overall numbers of salmon were down for the season on the stretch here compared to past seasons.

Classes

I held some free tuition classes throughout the season also that went very well. I feel it’s great to give back to our sport and fellow anglers at every given chance. Anthony managed to get “hooked” on Tench fishing over the depths of the summer which gave plenty of memories that we now talk about on the way to our winter fishing trips.

Upcoming courses

I will be holding group classes 25th and 26th of November and the 2nd and 3rd of December, places are limited. The aim of the class is to help people who are looking to improve their knowledge on fly-fishing, fly-fishing equipment and casting techniques. Fly fishing can be a minefield and it’s very hard to decide which leader, tippet, floatants etc to choose. If you are interested in a class, contact me through Facebook or on my details below.

Coming up on November the 15th I am running a development day. The day is free to attend but numbers are limited. There will be demonstrations with the Cadence 9ft 5wt, Cadence 10ft 5wt, Cadence 10ft 3wt.I will also have the Cadence range of fly lines and reels with me so come along and try a reel or line on your fly rod. There will be one on one tuition on the day also.

So, another season has passed us by and like mentioned I feel I didn’t do enough. Now me and Anthony are hitting the lakes and River Barrow for our winter trips, the thermos getting dusted off and winter angling acquaintances contacted to see how their summer went. What a wonderful pastime we all share.

Go Fishing…

Trout Fishing Ireland

Address Thomastown Kilkenny Ireland Mobile Phone: +353857652751 Website: Trout Fishing Ireland
More information
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release

Team Ireland attend First European Feeder Cup in England

By
Myles Kelly
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Something different for Team Ireland Feeder this week as they faced some of the world’s best feeder anglers at the inaugural EUROPEAN FEEDER CUP. Teams from ten nations took part in the event at Barston Lakes, a commercial fishery stocked with Carp, F1’s and Skimmers in the midlands, UK.

With six persons on a team, it was an opportunity for Brenton Sweeney to fish alongside squad members Michael Buchwalder, James O’Doherty, Johnny McKinley and Charlie Richards. Joining them it was the first international competition at senior level for the U20 Float Team’s John Browne.

Fishing to FIPSed feeder rules with bait limits including the use of B&J the competition provided additional experience for the squad who get to fish at this level only once a year. Two days of practise was followed by three five hour matches during periods of unruly weather, fluctuating temperatures, and downpours of rain from Storm Babet.

Having finished in 7th position on day 1 with 38 points it was a bad day 2 for the squad who dropped to 8th position with their 44 points.  A change of tactics for day 3 saw much better prospects throughout the match with a nail-biting finish as John Browne, fishing alongside England’s Rob Wootton landed a 7lb carp with just five minutes to go! Finishing 4th with 28 points on the final day saw Team Ireland rank 6th overall.

A credible result for the squad faced with a real learning curve fishing unfamiliar waters in this competition which included three teams from England, world champions Hungary and teams from the Czech Republic, Belgium, Lithuania, Austria, and Germany. The highlight of the week was the experience gained for young anglers John Browne and Charlie Richards who both achieved a second in section finishing 27th and 29th individually overall. Thanks to Captain Roger Baker and Adrian Browne, Deimante Karaliunaite and Nick Richards who travelled to help on the bank. The competition was self-funded with help from Irish Ferries to keep costs down.

John Browne with Englands Rob Wootton
John Browne with Englands Rob Wootton

Congratulations to the winners Team England Aqua, and to the Czech Republic whose great day 3 performance saw them take Silver and Hungary who finished 3rd overall for Bronze.

Thanks to organisers Lee Kerry, who also won the competition overall and Angling Trust competitions for organising the event which will be hosted in Belgium in 2024.

Report courtesy of the NCFFI

Irish Angling Update 🎣 20 October 2023 🌧️🌧️🌧️

By
IFI Staff
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After a difficult and wet week in the south, there will be some respite this weekend before more heavy rain and possible flooding from Sunday night into Monday. Needless to say, much of the country was wetter than average over the last week with the exception of north Ulster. Accumulations largely ranged between 133% and 431% of average. The wettest conditions were in the south, with 133.6mm recorded at Cork Airport over the last seven days. The latest weather alert is an Orange rainfall warning for Dublin and Wicklow and, with many of our rivers already well up in the fields, any fishing for the next few days will have to be done in still or salt water….

The flooded Boyne submerges Blackcastle weir

It is in saltwater and well away from flooded fields we begin this week as, after a slow start to the bluefin tuna season, boats north and south are really catching up with some spectacular fishing. In the south, Irish Deep Sea Charters and Kerry Angling & Tuna Charters have both made it count whenever the weather let them venture out, with some great fish up to 800lbs being tagged for the Tuna CHART tagging project. Reports are that the seas are alive in the south with whales, dolphins and tuna – but it is no different further north, where the Donegal Bay boats have also been able to witness surreal sights of wildlife in between bluefin busts. MV Fiona Tee managed four bluefin earlier this week, but it was Adrian Molloy and tuna.ie who stole the show with a staggering 28 fish caught, tagged and released over four fishing days – his crews win our Catch of the Week this week.

Off the east coast, Kit Dunne thinks that this October has been the best he can remember for big tope – his crew from UCC tagged four such specimens during the week in Wicklow. Further north, the Redmond brothers fishing out of Rush had surprise recapture, as a tope that Shane caught was landed again by Trevor a mile away and a week later! Fishing from the shore, the Killybegs Mariners held the fourth leg of their league on Narin beach and a nice mix of pollack, whiting, turbot, flounder, dogs and coleys kept the scoreboard ticking over for them.

With something different this week, the guys from the Ireland on the Fly podcast take a deep dive into saltwater fly fishing. In their latest episode, they are joined by Jason O’Riordan to review the saltwater season and discuss why more anglers are targeting mullet on the fly.

Pike fishing has been excellent at times across the country in the last week. Indeed, in the Pike Master 2023 competition – where anglers could fish anywhere across the island of Ireland – forty teams battled it out and 149 fish of between 60cm and 114cm were landed. On Lough Ree, the Connacht Predator Anglers held a competition in conditions that were less than ideal – bright and sunny – but the pike didn’t seem to mind and fish up to 116cm were caught there.

Lough Ree pike

In Connacht, with the ferox season over for 2023, top guide Tomi Kurman has been out and about on Lough Corrib with some guests keen on catching big pike. Over in Roscommon, Bodo Funke has welcomed some regular Austrian and German guests and they landed pike on lure and fly to 103cm. In the north, anglers fished the Erne Classic from shore and boat with great success and big fish for both. For pike anglers who prefer lure fishing above all else, Norbert Renaud has some ideas for unusual additions to their tackle boxes.

In County Cork, some seventy-eight wet coarse anglers have been fishing the Feederfest event on Inniscarra reservoir. This five day annual event fishes to a close today (Friday), so we’ll bring you all the results next week. One coarse angling result we do have is from the Celtic Cup event held on the ‘Coalyard’ match stretch of the Newry Canal last weekend – there the Ireland ‘A’ team were supreme.

Anglers on the Greenway

On the stocked trout fisheries, the first match in the Annamoe Trout Fisheries Fly Fishing Winter League took place where 18 anglers landed 45 fish and the Irish Ladies Flyfishing Association has organised a special day where any woman interested in learning to fly fish can show up at Laois Angling Centre on Saturday 11th November 2023 to learn how.

And finally, with the wild brown trout season stumbling to a close in the midlands on October 12th, we have a final round up of the season gone courtesy of our Lough Sheelin correspondent, Brenda Montgomery. Following the exodus of boats from the lake on or before October 12th, Brenda prays that all those Sheelin anglers will return safely to the lake next year. We hope that her wonderful reports return too.

Sheelin gold

In other news…

Inland Fisheries Ireland (IFI) is encouraging salmon and sea trout anglers to return angling logbooks (setting out their fishing and catch record) and any unused gill tags from 2023 as the season has now closed. These returns provide vital information regarding the status and management of our wild Atlantic Salmon and Sea Trout stocks into the future.

Please email salmonlogbookreturn@fisheriesireland.ie if you have any queries and we will respond as quickly as possible.

And now the weather

*There is a Status Orange Rain warning in place for Dublin and Wicklow until Saturday morning with a Yellow Rain Warning in place elsewhere on the east coast and in the north. Small Craft warning until 6am Saturday from Erris Head to Howth Head to Loop Head with Cyclonic variable winds that will reach force 6 or higher at times*

Rain will gradually clear south overnight on Friday with drier and cooler conditions spreading from the north. Lows overnight of 4°C to 8°C in a moderate to fresh north to northeasterly breeze. Saturday will be a day of bright spells and scattered showers. Max of 10°C to 12°C in a moderate northwesterly breeze.

Dry for many on Sunday, with plenty of autumnal sunshine and just the odd passing shower. Highs of 11°C to 14°C in light to moderate southeasterly winds. Sunday night will bring longer spells of rain, possibly thundery in parts, to Munster, and parts of Connacht and Leinster, with the chance of localised flooding. Drier elsewhere with showers. Winds will be light.

Further pulses of heavy, possibly thundery, rain are expected on Monday, with more flooding possible. Highs of 10°C to 13°C.

Safe fishing to all and tight lines, especially here in Ireland. If fishing in the sea, don’t forget to check the tides.

IFI Staff
Catch, Photo, Release

If you have an angling story to share with the Irish Angling Update please send it to reports@fisheriesireland.ie and don’t forget that all of our fishing reports are available on our dedicated Angling Ireland Facebook page.

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2023 Salmon & Sea Trout Angling logbooks for return

By
IFI Staff
-

Salmon and Sea Trout Anglers who fished during the 2023 season are being reminded to please return their logbooks and any unused gill tags at the end of the season.

Inland Fisheries Ireland (IFI) is encouraging salmon and sea trout anglers to return angling logbooks (setting out their fishing and catch record) and any unused gill tags from 2023 as the season has now closed.

Under the Wild Salmon and Sea Trout Tagging Scheme, anglers can return these in one of three ways:

  1. Using the postage pre-paid business return envelope that was supplied at the time of licence purchase (preferred option).
  2. Posting the logbook and unused gill tags to the IFI office address that is displayed on their licence or logbook.
  3. Scanning and emailing logbook and licence documents to salmonlogbookreturn@fisheriesireland.ie (please scan all sides of documents, including continuation pages, to ensure that the licence names and number can be correctly linked to the logbook).

These returns provide vital information regarding the status and management of our wild Atlantic Salmon and Sea Trout stocks into the future.

sea trout

Reminder

In accordance with the Wild Salmon and Sea Trout Tagging Scheme, anglers in Ireland are required by law to return their completed logbook (setting out their fishing and catch record) and all unused tags to the issuing office of Inland Fisheries Ireland within 7 days of licence expiry and no later than the 19th of October.

As part of the Scheme, an angler must attach a valid gill tag to a salmon (any size) or sea trout (over 40cm) harvested, immediately on landing.  They must enter details of their catch and/or gill-tag used into their logbook.

Any questions or queries?

Please email salmonlogbookreturn@fisheriesireland.ie and we will respond to your query as quickly as possible.

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