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Irish Angling Update 13 March 2026

By
IFI Staff
-

Wet, wet, wet… the story of the week. A change in the jet stream steered a few depressions in over Ireland this week, with wet and windy weather dominating the week. Many rivers and lakes are very high, making for difficult fishing conditions, and we don’t have a huge amount of fishing to report on. This weekend traditionally sees angling activity start to pick up, with St. Patrick’s Day on Tuesday, and hopefully the weather starts to improve for everyone.

 

Trout

The big lakes are all open now, and early season sport was reasonably good on Corrib, where trolling produced most fish, but wet fly and streamers also caught trout. The duckfly hatch should get underway in the next week or so, and a lot more anglers will be out for that. Katie Molloy was out with angling guide dad Kevin, and her trout wins our Catch of the Week.

Katie Mpolloy enjoyed her day out with Dad Kevin on Corrib

 

Senan Stanley took himself off to Cavan for his first visit to Lough Sheelin, where he fished lures and landed some cracking trout. Check out the report and video here.

The Irish Ladies Flyfishing Association have issued a call for entries for their first national team qualifier at Emy Lough, Co. Monaghan on April 11th. More details here.

There are also details of a new byelaw governing angling methods and catch-and-release on the lower River Dodder.

Salmon

To salmon fishing now. Many rivers have simply been too high to fish, but David McEvoy reports from Delphi, where a few spring salmon have been caught in the last week, hopefully heralding a good run of fish.

Pike

Pike anglers are enjoying good sport recently, and Florent Zsitko from Pike Pro Ireland sent in a great report of a recent trip on Lough Derg, where the afternoon produced some fantastic sport.

The Dromore Anglers found it much tougher on Lough Erne, but conditions were against them, and a 5lbs fish for Simon McLarnon was enough to take the win.

Coarse

Coarse angling reports are thin on the ground this week, but Lough Muckno is fishing well at the moment. The latest round of the CM Lakelands Winter League saw 17 anglers competing, and a  fine catch of 9.200kg took the win for Piotr Horbiński.

Sea

It’s been a rough week weather wise, but skipper Kit Dunne managed to take advantage of a weather window on Sunday to get out, and his guests had spurdog to 102cm, along with whiting and dogfish. No tope on this trip, but they will be starting to show soon.

Shore clubs are getting into full swing with competitions now, and Richard Dodd provided an entertaining report of a match on South Beach, Arklow for Borough SAC, where a quiet start was followed by a hectic finish and plenty of fish for everyone.

Rinnashark SAC were also out at Cheekpoint Strand, although the fishing was decidedly slow for the nice conditions they enjoyed, and Alan Mulcahy took the win.

More competition dates are being announced, with the Connacht Open Shore on March 29th, and the Irish Kayak Fishing Club have released their calendar of competition dates for the year. And James Raymond of Irish Angling Advenmtures is holding another community meet up at Carrigaholt on the 29th, all welcome.

Other news

Spring has (allegedly) sprung, and a lot of anglers will be going afloat in the coming weeks, on inland lakes and on the sea. Now is a good time to make sure your boat and engine are safe and serviced, that oars, ropes, chains, anchors etc are in good condition. And very importantly, make sure your lifejacket is serviced – it is illegal to go afloat in a small vessel without a lifejacket, and legalities aside, it could save your life!

And while you’re checking your gear, check out these tips for a personal biosecurity kit, that could help stop the risk of spreading invasive species.

And now the weather

Cold today with sunny spells and showers, some wintry, merging to give longer spells of rain or sleet for a time. Brightening up towards evening and showers will become  confined to Atlantic coastal counties. Highest temperatures of 5 to 8C, with moderate to fresh westerly winds.

Saturday will start off mainly dry with bright or sunny spells, best in the east. Scattered showers will extend eastwards through the morning and afternoon, gradually dying out in the evening. Highest temps of 7 to 9C in light to moderate W/SW breezes. Sunday will be a cool, breezy day with sunny spells and scattered blustery showers, some turning wintry with a chance of hail or sleet, mainly in the north. Afternoon highs of 5 to 10 degrees in fresh to strong westerly winds.

Monday and Tuesday look unsettled, with rain, showers and breezy S/SW winds, but the signals are for drier, brighter weather for the latter half of the week.

Don’t forget to double-check the forecast before heading off, and if you’re going to sea, check the tides.

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

Trout Fishing Reports

Salmon Fishing Reports

    Coarse Angling Reports

    Pike Fishing Reports

    Sea Angling Reports

    Other News

    New regulations for River Dodder this season

    By
    Myles Kelly
    -

    A new byelaw was recently signed which updates the regulations on the River Dodder. The new regulations apply to the part of the river from Clonskeagh Road bridge to the River Liffey at Ringsend. 

    Fly only fishing

    River Dodder Bye-law No. 1021 of 2025 provides for fly fishing only, single barbless hook from Clonskeagh Road bridge to the River Liffey at Ringsend during the period 01 June to 30 September in any year. All legitimate methods are allowed at other times (subject to salmon regulations).

    Catch and release

    River Dodder Bye-law No. 1021 of 2025 provides for catch and release for all fish species downstream of the Clonskeagh Road bridge to the River Liffey at Ringsend during the period 01 June to 30 September in any year.

    No salmon, or seatrout over 40cm

    A person shall not have in his or her possession any wild salmon or sea trout (over 40cm).

    Angling Limitation River Dodder Bye-law No. 1021 of 2025

    View the bye law here: River Dodder bye law

    Muckno in good form for match anglers

    By
    Paul O'Reilly
    -

    Lough Muckno was in good form on Sunday for the last round of the CM Lakelands Muckno Winter League, with 17 anglers competing.

    Piotr Horbiński won this final round from Yellow Island with a fantastic weight of 9.200 kg of roach and hybrids caught at around 30 metres.

    Piotr also won the league outright with an incredible 5 pts, winning 5 sections. This performance was on another level for Lough Muckno, considering the attendance of the matches and the calibre of the anglers fishing the league.

    Irish international feeder boss Brenton Sweeney was 2nd overall, again on Yellow Island, weighing 7.660 kg; Brenton fished at 45 metres to catch a mixture of hybrids and roach.

    3rd overall was Mariusz Kilian, who was on the next peg down from Brenton. Mariusz caught a lot of small hybrids, skimmers and roach to weigh 6.380kg.

    SECTIONS

    • Alan Larkin (Yellow) 6.200kg
    • Yevhen Kuslyvyi (Black) 4.900kg
    • Damian Foltyn (South Lodge) 3.820kg

    TOP 6 OF WINTER LEAGUE (24 anglers took part)

    • 1st Piotr Horbiński 5pts €500
    • 2nd Steven Whyte 7.5pts €350
    • 3rd Rimantas Kondrackas €300
    • 4th Brenton Sweeney 12pts (weight) €250
    • 5th Mariusz Kilian 12pts €200
    • 6th Damien Foltyn 13pts €150

    TOTAL = €1,750

    The club held another match at the same time on Houghton’s Shore, Lough Garadice, with 8 anglers competing.

    1st overall was Irish feeder international and match organiser Charlie Richards with another impressive performance on Houghton’s Shore.

    Charlie caught some nice skimmers and some roach and hybrids to weigh 7.200 kg.

    2nd overall was Irish under-25 feeder international Brian Clark with another good weight of 5.320 kg of skimmers and roach.

    Making up 3rd position was Francis McGoldrick, who had a mixed bag of fish to weigh 4.030 kg.

    Borough SAC at South Beach Arklow – a quiet venue or quite the venue?

    By
    Myles Kelly
    -
    Burough SAC at South Beach, Arklow
    Burough SAC at South Beach, Arklow

    Richard Dodd is back with another entertaining report on Borough SAC’s latest competition…

    South Beach, Arklow – Saturday 7th March
    Where Is Everyone?

    South Beach, Arklow one of the most fished venues on the east coast. A place where, on any given weekend, you’d expect more tripods than tourists and more headlamps than stars.

    So imagine the shock when the Borough SAC crew arrived and found Absolutely nobody. Not a sinner. Not a rod. Not even a dog walker pretending to be interested.

    The whispers began immediately: “This isn’t a good sign. If no one else is fishing it, what do they know that we don’t? Is the beach closed? Cursed? Haunted by undersized whiting?”

    But anglers are eternal optimists or stubborn so with the beach pegged, 11 brave souls took their places, muttering things like “Sure look, you never know” and “It can’t be that bad can it?”

    At 6pm, lines were cast seaward with more hope than conviction. The weather was dry, a bit cloudy, and the easterly breeze added a bite that made everyone question their life choices. The tide was dropping and due to rise again, with full tide around 11pm perfect on paper, but paper doesn’t catch fish.

    The first hour was slow. Painfully slow. Watching paint dry but the paint is also ignoring you. Eventually, a few tiny whiting appeared, all undersized, all smug about it. Anglers began to suspect the empty beach was no coincidence.

    As night settled in, the fishing continued in the same heroic-but-hopeless fashion .More small fish. More undersized whiting. More muttering about how “the other clubs definitely knew something.”

    But then in the last two hours the sea finally woke up. Whiting got bigger (well less small).The biggest of the night hit a mighty 25cm, which technically counts as “bigger” if you squint. And suddenly the beach came alive: Whiting, Flounder, Dabs, Rockling, Dogfish, Small spurdog and, yes, smooth hound. In March.  Because why not? The sea likes to keep things interesting.

    By the end, rods were bending, anglers were busy, and the earlier doom-and-gloom was replaced with the sweet sound of fish being measured and released .Against all expectations, the night turned into a cracker: Total fish caught & released: 133. Not bad for a session that started like a funeral for optimism.

    The Moral of the Story – Never trust an empty beach. Never underestimate undersized whiting. And never, ever assume a quiet venue means a quiet night.

    South Beach delivered in the end and the Borough SAC anglers proved once again that hope, persistence, and a bit of madness are all part of the sport.

    Peg
    Angler
    Fish
    Points
    1
    John Coyle
    7
    162
    2
    Michael Nea
    12
    295
    3
    Tom Butler
    14
    309
    4
    Jim McDonald
    11
    288
    5
    Robbie Reynolds
    3
    70
    6
    Donal Mullen
    17
    279
    7
    Richie Dodd
    26
    616
    8
    Martin Davidson
    2
    71
    9
    Martin Corr
    16
    333
    10
    Ronan O’Brien (only junior on the night)
    7
    73
    11
    Willie Roche
    18
    318

    Opportunity for Women to be part of the 2027 Ireland Ladies Flyfishing Team

    By
    Myles Kelly
    -

    The Irish Ladies Flyfishing Association (ILFA) will be hosting the 1st trial of their 2026 League at Emy Lough in Co Monaghan on Saturday 11th April 2026.

    This annual league is an important fixture for members of the ILFA as it determines the team to represent Ireland the following year at the International Ladies Flyfishing Championships fished against teams from England, Scotland and Wales.

    ILFA at Holy Lake, 2025
    ILFA trials at Holy Lake, 2025

    The 2026 League will be used to select the team to represent Ireland in Scotland in 2027. Over the year there will be a trial in each of the 4 provinces.

    The trial at Emy Lough will begin at 11am but all entrants must have registered by 10.15am on the shore. Further information and a booking form can be obtained from Maddy Kelly, PRO, ILFA on [email protected]

    Linda Straghan, ILFA, Chair said

    ‘It’s fantastic to see the warm weather finally arriving and it will be great to meet up with members and friends from all over Ireland. Representing Ireland is a wonderful experience and I would urge all women flyfishers to consider trying out for the team.

    If you are new to flyfishing, or have never fished before but would like to find out what is involved, there is a program of Introductory days for women planned for 2026. More information can be found on our website www.irishladiesflyfishing.com or by contacting Maddy Kelly [email protected]

    ILFA at Lough Lene, 2024
    ILFA trials at Lough Lene, 2024

    Emy Lough, covering 136 acres (55ha) is located just outside Emyville which is on the N2 between Monaghan and Aughnacloy. It is a very scenic water with tree-lined banks, surrounded by gentle slopes and fed by Bragan Mountain stream. The lough itself is primarily a trout fishery with stocked rainbows but there are wild browns from the Bragan river some of which are a good size and stunning in colour. For more information about Emy Lough visit https://fishinginireland.info/emy-lough/

    For more information about the Irish Ladies Flyfishing Association or to take part in this event please email Maddy Kelly PRO at [email protected]

     

    Rinnashark SAC Hold Second Club Match of the Year at Cheekpoint Strand

    By
    IFI staff
    -

    Last weekend, Rinnashark SAC held their second club event of the year on Cheekpoint Strand, with fishing taking place from 13:30 to 17:30. While the weather was favourable, the fishing itself proved quite slow, with several anglers blanking and most catches limited to one or two fish. In total, 23 anglers took part, landing 40 fish between them, including dab, flounder, rockling, pollack and sea bass. Well done to all winners!

    Results were as follows:

    Master Angler:
    1st – Alan Mulcahy
    2nd – Bradley Kirwan
    3rd – Adam O’Neill

    Short Weather Window Produces Spurdog and Whiting for Wicklow Boat Charters

    By
    IFI staff
    -
    Wicklow Boat Charters skipper Kit Dunne managed to get back out on the water, taking advantage of a short break in the weather. Check out his short report below…
    Sunday felt like a summer’s day, and we finally managed to get out for a trip. The best catch was a spurdog measuring 102 cm, with plenty of smaller ones around, along with a few whiting and dogfish. We tried fishing with a fresh whiting for about an hour but had no takers from the tope this time…hopefully better luck on the next trip. Individual seats for March have now been released, with a few spaces still available on the 14th, 15th, 26th, 28th, and 29th.

    Go fishing…

    Wicklow Boat Charters

    Address No.1 South Quay Wicklow Wicklow Ireland Mobile Phone: +353 87 6832179 Mobile Phone: +353 404 67031 Website: wicklowboatcharters.ie
    More information
    Find on Map | Return to top.

    Big trout and pike on lures from Lough Sheelin – Video

    By
    IFI Staff
    -

    Lough Sheelin may be best known for the mayfly fishing, and synonymous with fly fishing the spent gnat for big trout, but did you know that lure fishing with small hard lures can also be very productive, especially in early season? Senan Stanley shares some of his trout lure fishing secrets in his latest video, as he pays his first visit to the mighty Sheelin, and manages to tame some of it’s hard-fighting wild brown trout.

    He also demonstrates impeccable fish handling and release skills, showing viewers how to handle and release fish safely.

    Senan and buddy Vincent also catch a good few pike, so pike anglers will also enjoy the video.

    Check out the video below, and give him a follow while you’re at it.

     

    Go fishing…

    Senan Stanley Fishing

    Address Garrykennedy Tipperary Ireland
    More information
    Find on Map | Return to top.

    A few more springers reported at Delphi

    By
    IFI Staff
    -
    The Delphi Fishery opened on the 1st of February, with good water conditions for much of the month. Fisahing has been slow enough, with the first salmon falling to the rod of well-known Westport angler Toby Gibbons on the 12th. The lovely fresh fish took a Posh Tosh tube fly in the Waterfall Pool and was approx. 9lbs. Toby said he “got a great batlle from it, but thankfully it was well hooked”. Our congratulations to Toby on his achievement.
    A second fish followed on the 4th of March, a nice fish of approx. 9lbs, caught in the Meadow Pool on a Night Star by Werner, and a third to the same rod on Sunday the 8th, just shy of 8lbs from the Rock Pool, again on a Night Star.
    And on Wednesday morning this week, Alan Molly landed a fine fish of approx. 10,5lbs from the Waterfall Pool on a Tosh.
    Fishery manager David McEvoy reports lovely water at the time of writing, and hopefully fishing picks up further now.

     

    Go fishing…

    At Delphi Lodge, with many years of experience with the timing of the best runs of fish, we have in place a price system that offers both great value fishing and lets our anglers know when they have the best chance to catch a fresh run spring salmon or a summer grilse or Delphi sea trout.

    Delphi Fishery
    Delphi Lodge, Leenane, Co. Galway.
    Tel: +353 (0)95-42222 Email: [email protected]
    Web: www.delphilodge.ie

    Delphi

     

    All welcome- sea anglers meet up in Carrigaholt

    By
    IFI Staff
    -

    The Irish Angling Adventure Community is a new group set up by James Raymond of Irish Angling Adventures, with the aim of organising friendly meetups at various fishing venues around the south and west coasts. These are a great opportunity for new, or returning anglers, to meet fellow enthusiasts, pick up some tips and enjoy a few hours fishing in the company of new friends.

    The next meetup has now been scheduled for Sunday 29th March, at Carrigaholt beach, Co. Clare. Meeting between 10 and 11am, with fishing from 11-3.30 or so.
    If you have any friends or know anyone that would be interested in joining don’t forget to share the page with them so that they can stay up to date.

    Join In

    If you fancy joining the community, and fishing a new venue, learning a few new tricks, or just meeting some likeminded anglers, check out the Facebook page here, or for those not on Facebook, check out Irish Angling Adventures, where you can sign up for email updates from James.
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