Home Blog Page 31

Dominic McGillicuddy catches and releases Lough Currane’s first salmon of the season

By
Myles Kelly
-
First currane salmon of 2026
Currane's firs salmon of the season ready for release by Dominic

Vincent Applbey, our Lough Currane correspondent, reports on the last few days of fishing…

20 February 2026 – Opening Salmon Success on Lough Currane! Renowned Currane angler Dominic McGillicuddy broke the Currane ice in fine style today, landing and safely releasing a superb fresh wild Atlantic salmon weighing over 9 lbs.

Bent into a salmon on Lough Currane
First salmon of the season on

The fish provided an exhilarating battle, taking Mr. McGillicuddy a full 20 minutes to bring his noble opponent to the net. This memorable catch marks the first Currane catch-and-release salmon of the 2026 season — a fitting start to the year. Congratulations to Dominic on this notable achievement.

First currane salmon of 2026
Currane’s firs salmon of the season ready for release by Dominic

There have been a few boats out since but conditions have been wild at times and apart from an odd kelt no further salmon has been caught…

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

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.

One last chance for Fishing with Steve

By
Paul O'Reilly
-

In his latest episode on the Fishing with Steve YouTube channel, Steve McDonagh returns to his favourite Monaghan lough for one last roll of the dice in his final attempt to catch a Monaghan monster. On this particular fishery, the pike season ends as the trout season begins – which will happen on Sunday, March 1st.

As ever, Steve has some good tips and tricks to share throughout the video, but will he get to land that fish he has been searching for…

If you like Steve’s videos, don’t forget to hit the like button and subscribe to the channel.

Pike Fishing around Castleblaney

Mixed tactics work well for Rebel anglers at Monatrae

By
Myles Kelly
-
tic tacs
tactics....

REBEL COUNTY SAC fished their 1st match of 2026 on 21 February at Monatrae Bay, west Waterford. Shane Olden reports…

Saturday 21st February, the REBELS headed for Monatrae Bay after a quick venue change from the Front Strand, Youghal because of high winds and surf which also held a lot of weed. There was a turn out of 25 anglers out of a scheduled 26 on the day which took up the full length of the bay.

On arrival the wind was coming from our right hand side being a westerly which is our favoured wind direction for the venue. The wind along with good tides meant it was shaping up to be an excellent session. Until a very heavy sea faring fog which has a history of dampening or switching fish activity off, if not to a very sparce pace of catch rate was awaiting us.

Not to be deterred the REBELS took to the challenge and the cards that we were dealt and got down to business. First out of the traps and on the fish was BEN HAMMIL with a flounder of 31cm. Close behind him was DAVID DINEEN with a sea trout that if bigger goes well on the pan but unfortunately not a counter for the score cards.

bass

Next inline was myself with a flounder and things slowly but surely started to pick up pace along the line up of 25 anglers. As usual, for those short on tactics we had tic tacs !! TYRONE LOONEY went along to all anglers handing out boxes of tic tacs in multiple flavours to keep lads mouths on the move in case their rod tips weren’t.

flounder

As darkness crept in the activity picked up and size of fish was also improving. There was even the appearance of a few small codling which are like hens teeth these days. As the night pushed on it was clear which pegs were at favour and some lads were heading for double figures on their score cards while the rest were at a foggy pace but it kept us on the move.

codling

 

Lines up at 10pm and a few guys thought they were up with a chance until the cards with and approaching double figures were handed in which is great to see on such a foggy night but it was possible and it was done.

PLACINGS ON THE DAY:

1ST PLACE DANNY O SHEA 15 FISH 414 POINTS
2ND JACOB MURPHY 283 POINTS
3RD BEN HAMMIL 281 POINTS
4TH PLACE JOHN O MAHONY 271 POINTS
5TH PLACE GEORGE O HARA 196 POINTS

JUNIORS :

1ST PLACE CALLUM LOONEY 183 POINTS
BIGGEST ROUND FISH JACOB MURPHY 41CM COALIE
BIGGEST FLAT FISH BEN HAMMIL 31CM FLOUNDER

WINNER OF OUR BONUS BALL DRAW WAS GEORGE O HARA

BAITS USED ON THE DAY :

CRAB, LUG, BLACK LUG, RAG WORM, SANDEEL MACKEREL, RAZOR CLAM AND MUSSEL

SPECIES CAUGHT

  • ROCKLING 16
  • WHITING 14
  • COAL FISH 44
  • CODLING 7
  • DOGFISH 3
  • BASS 3
  • FLOUNDER 11
  • TOTAL CATCH 98 FISH !!

All in all it was a great comp as usual and plenty of banter to be had, even the dodgy backs withstood the 5 hours fishing on the large stones better than we normally do lol. Also a big welcome to our newest members who turned out on the day….. JOHN MARTIN , PAUL FORDE , KENNETH BARRY , CHRISTOPHER WHELAN and NOEL LANE …. WELCOME ABOARD LADS

Thanks to all our sponsors and followers ….. Catch you on the next one …. UP THE REBELS!

Next outing…

Our next comp is scheduled for Ballynamona on the 7th of March and hopefully it’s fruitful in fish and report ,

Join the club

Rebels SAC

Rebels SAC are based in Cork and are are always happy to welcome new members.

The REBEL COUNTY SEA ANGLERS will be open for membership through out the year and we can be contacted on mobile 083 0198017, what’s app, messenger, facebook and Instagram. Catch you on the next one ……… UP THE REBELS

Get in touch via their Facebook page at

https://www.facebook.com/rebelcountyseaanglingclub/

Camlin Anglers fish Blessing of the Boats

By
Paul O'Reilly
-

This report from the Camlin and District Anglers:

22 Feb: We held the Ray Gill / Blessing of the Boats competition in Lanesborough today. We had 13 boats fish the competition on what was a very wet and blustery day. Conditions were tough with the water well high from the past few weeks, and fishing was slow. The results were as follows:

  • 1st – Jacek Gorny – 264cm – €400
  • 2nd – Joe McDermott – 204cm – €300
  • 3rd – Ollie & Matthew Fallon – 150 cm – €200
  • 4th – Shane Gill & Wayne Cheshire – 149.5 cm – €100
Thanks to all who fished today. Our next competition will be a trout competition. Keep an eye on our socials for details.

Pike fishing around Lanesboro Angling Centre

Muckno fishing well for match anglers

By
Paul O'Reilly
-

The CM Lakelands Feeder Club had eighteen anglers fishing the latest round of their highly competitive winter league on what turned out to be a good fishing day on Lough Muckno.

  • 1st overall was Rimantas Kondrackas, who fished a brilliant match to weigh 8.730 kg, made up of 100-plus roach on Yellow Island.
  • 2nd overall with another roach bag was Welsh Michael, who weighed 8.330 kg on Yellow Island.
  • 3rd overall was Steven Whyte, who fished for skimmers and caught 7.380 kg at distance also on Yellow.

A mixed net of 3.650 kg took the section on Black Island, and this was won by Alan Larkin.

Piotr Horbiński won the South Lodge section with 3.345 kg. It was great to see Lough Muckno fishing so well at this time of the year.

Lough Muckno

Jacks active in Enniskillen for Guided Predator Angling

By
Paul O'Reilly
-

Guided Predator Angling, based in Enniskillen, reported some hard days fly fishing for pike recently with guest Robin. Robin, originally from London but based in Kerry, had a long drive to get his pike-fishing fix, and there were plenty of pike to be had, with some of them a decent size, but none of the really big fish they were after.

The guys caught good numbers of eager jacks, but towards the end of the day they started to see pike moving in the shallow, weedy areas – a sure sign that they are starting to spawn – and that brought the session to a premature end!

Go Fishing

Location: Enniskillen, NI
Phone: +44 7756 222271
Email: [email protected]

 

Early season success for Killybegs Mariners

By
IFI staff
-

Killybegs Mariners report…

A beautiful time of year to get on the beaches when wrapped up for the cold as the tail end of winter gives us those amazing skies and a changing of the seasons brings on the fishing.

Gavin had a few nice fish on the first outing with the new Tronix competition rod that he won at the Christmas charity beach competition. A lovely piece of kit and rod now christened.

Check, Clean, Dry – Materials available to Angling Clubs

By
Shane O'Reilly
-
The National Biodiversity Data Centre has a number of initiatives aimed at protecting Ireland’s biodiversity. One programme seeks to tackle the problem of invasive species, something that poses a serious threat to our environment, including all our waterways. Over the next while, we’ll be featuring some content from the NBDC, aimed at engaging and informing anglers about invasive species and what we can do to combat their spread. In the message below they urge clubs to make use of some freely available informative materials.
 

Help spread the word, not the invasives!

Invasive species can harm native wildlife, spread diseases that kill fish, and obstruct waterways and banks. Contaminated fishing gear, boats, and equipment can introduce these species to new water bodies. Many invasive plants and animals are tiny, difficult to detect, and capable of surviving for weeks on damp gear and equipment.

Building awareness of the issue and the ways in which we can take action is essential to stopping the spread of invasive species. Anglers can play a key role in this effort by helping to share and follow the Check, Clean, Dry message.

The National Biodiversity Data Centre has provided a range of guidance and awareness-raising materials for anglers and other water users on Invasives.ie. These resources can be printed and shared by your club or at events to provide guidance on how water users can minimise their risk of spreading invasive species to new waterbodies and to raise awareness around the potential impact of these species in Irish aquatic environments.

You can download these free materials for your club, local community and event at the link: https://invasives.ie/resources/check-clean-dry-resources/

If you require high-quality print-ready versions of any of the materials, please email [email protected]

Clashmore SAC win out in their club match with local rivals Ardmore SAC

By
Shane O'Reilly
-

This post was compiled from angling reports shared on the Ardmore SAC Facebook page:

Ardmore SAC and Clashmore SAC came together on Saturday for their annual interclub competition, with a late change of venue required due to strong winds and an unfavourable forecast. The event was moved to Ardmore Beach, where anglers were greeted by a gentle surf and a following wind. Fishing began with most competitors opting to fish at distance, and early returns saw fish coming quickly for several anglers. It soon became clear that the lower pegs were producing best, with Mochara racing into an early lead and landing fish in quick succession, including a notable gilthead bream—an unusual catch for the time of year.

As the match progressed, Aidan O’Halloran found his rhythm and steadily closed the gap, setting up a head-to-head battle with Mochara by the halfway stage. Willie Kett and Joe Muir also fished consistently, applying pressure throughout. By the close of the competition, Aidan O’Halloran secured victory with an impressive 25-fish haul, followed by Mochara in second with 17 fish and Willie Kett in third with 12. Joe Muir claimed the pools, while Clashmore SAC took the overall bragging rights, finishing with 2,328 points to Ardmore SAC’s 1,730. Species landed on the night included dogfish, whiting, bass, dab, gilthead bream, rockling, flounder, and coalfish.

A full report and more photos can be viewed on the Ardmore SAC Facebook Page.

Go Fishing…

Sea Angling in the South East

Ryan McAtee wins on his Ulster Krakens debut

By
Shane O'Reilly
-

This post was compiled from angling reports shared on the Ulster Krakens Facebook page:

The Ulster Krakens Master Angler Qualifying League returned on Saturday, 21st February, after the previous match was cancelled due to unsafe road flooding. Committee members arrived early to inspect the venue at Waterfoot, and it was decided to fish from the play park end as the central car park remained closed. The beach was pegged and the draw held at 17:00, before anglers made their way to their marks for the club’s first zoned-format match, introduced this season due to increased membership. New anglers Paul and Ryan made their debuts and were welcomed into the field as fishing got underway at 18:00, with early action in both zones despite a slow start on the higher pegs.

Fish were spread around patchily at the outset, but as the tide turned, catches improved significantly across the beach, with anglers steadily filling scorecards in both zones. A wide range of species were landed in calm, clear conditions, including flounder, dab, plaice, coalies, codling, whiting, and rockling. Zone A produced 144 fish and Zone B 147, with the biggest fish of the night a 44cm coalie caught by Paul Hill. Ryan McAtee topped Zone A with 34 fish and claimed the overall win on his debut, while Yuki Back secured first place in Zone B following a strong return to competition. The match concluded at 23:00, with thanks extended to members who assisted an injured angler, and congratulations also offered to last year’s award winners as the club looked ahead to the next fixture.

A full report and more photos can be viewed on the Ulster Krakens Facebook Page.

Go Fishing…

Sea Angling on the East Coast

 

1...303132...2,000Page 31 of 2,000
Fishing in Ireland

EVEN MORE NEWS

POPULAR CATEGORY

© Inland Fisheries Ireland