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First trout on the fly for Alex

By
IFI Staff
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After more Easter chocolate than I should have eaten, it was time to get to the river and work some of it off, and I did that with a young, very enthusiastic angler called Alex Doody, who was very keen to try fly fishing. After spending the previous day coarse fishing with him, I was very excited to get him onto the river to try for a brown trout, as he reminded me a little of myself at that age. Alex asked a series of questions as we walked towards George’s wall accompanied by his dad, Mark, who also came along to fly fish with us.

After a quick run down of the overhead cast, and the procedure if a trout was caught, it was time to head into the river. The river was running a little lower, reading at .57 on the gauge, with a slight increase to 10°C water temp. We had a slight breeze and the odd light shower throughout the morning, but none of that put the two anglers down and they fished hard. I must say I was impressed with Alex and his enthusiasm to learn, he was fishing with an olive nymph on an indicator rig, fishing within 10ft of the river bank and slowly moving up towards the head of the run where Mark was fishing a wet fly down and across.

After 10-15mins Alex’s indicator shot underneath the water and he lifted into his first brown Trout, and what a joy it was to see the excitement of Alex catching that fish – his first ever brown trout!  Wetting his hands and carefully removing the hook, Alex released the trout back to the river. Some more lively trout did follow for both anglers, each creating more excitement.

It was a wonderful morning and what a joy it was to see a young angler that will no doubt be back to give me some tips on fly fishing at some point, great to see the younger generation showing such enthusiasm and passion for fishing.

Go fishing…

Trout Fishing Ireland

Address Thomastown Kilkenny Ireland Mobile Phone: +353857652751 Website: Trout Fishing Ireland
More information
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River Nore trout fishing

Please fish in a sustainable manner

Huge double figure trout landed at Careysville

By
IFI Staff
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There have been a few reports of some nice trout coming off the River Blackwater recently, but Patrick Devennie, fishery manager at Carysville House reports that a huge fish was landed on their water a couple of weeks ago. Elaine Caffrey was fishing for salmon when she got a good thump on the end of her line. And while a salmon would have been impressive, the fish turned out to be an even more impressive brown trout. All present were eager to get the fish back in the water as soon as possible so no measurements were taken and the fish was released after a quick photo, but the fish was estimated to be between 10lb and 12lb, a cracking fish by any standard.

Late season frost cools catches at coarse events

By
IFI Staff
-

Late-season frost wreaked a bit of havoc at some recent coarse angling matches last weekend. Up on the Newry Canal, the VDP Baggers SAC found that three nights of hard frost at the end of last week had forced fish out of the stretch on the Omeath Road and at the Coalyard. Anglers fishing these areas had a very tough time of it, slogging it out all day for weights of just 500g. Luckily the Basin fished much better, and the lucky anglers who were pegged there caught anything between 100 and 220 fish on whips making it a very busy day for them. Local angler Caolan King was the top whip on the day with just under 11kg and the top 4 were as follows:

1 Caolan King
2 Edgaras Griskaitis
3 Stephen Wright
4 Artur Bojczewski

One of the lucky anglers that pegged well on the Newry Canal

 

 

The Edenderry Coarse Anglers also found that overnight frost impacted their fishing, as a stretch that normally fishes very well at this time of year had anglers struggling for fish. Dara Finnegan came out on top of that one with a catch of 4lb 12oz with the top four places as follows:

1. Dara Finnegan 4lb 12oz
2. Joe McEvoy 3lb 8oz
3. Johnny Connell 2lb
4. Alan Bell 1lb 8oz

Fish were harder to come by in Edenderry

 

Leinster Coarse Anglers fared a bit better as they fished the Town Stretch at Daingean. The canal was in good shape, and there were plenty of tench around, but fish seemed to be concentrated in certain pegs meaning some anglers struggled to catch well. Top three were as follows:

 

1 Pat Bartley……9lb -15oz
2 Bob Hulme…..7lb -02oz
3 Jimmy Kelly….6lb – 12oz

 

Pat Bartley with his winning bag including some welcome tench

 

Please fish in a sustainable manner

 

Ireland on the Fly talks sea trout with Steffan Jones

By
Myles Kelly
-

 

Sea Trout on the Fly with Steffan Jones

While we may be still a few weeks off the summer runs of salmon and sea trout, in advance of that, on the latest Ireland on the Fly podcast, Daire & Tom wanted to find out more about catching sea trout on the fly in both daytime and night time conditions from one of the leading experts, Steffan Jones.

Steffan is based in Wales but has fished for – and caught – big numbers of sea trout all over the world and he has some great insights and tips on the set-up, tactics and flies for catching the elusive white trout.

Steffan will also be appearing at the Irish Spring Angling Fair at Ardaire Springs on 29th and 30th of April and for more information visit IrishSpringAnglingFair.com

Listen and follow…

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.

https://pod.fo/e/175adc

sea trout Wales

Irish Shore Team Finalised after Fish-Off competition

By
IFI Staff
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Dreadful hat/jacket coordination here but that's a fine late codling for Sean Ivory

Last weekend the Irish Federation of Sea Anglers held the Fish-Offs to qualify for the Irish team at the 2024 World Shore Angling Championships, due to be held in Spain. Captain JP Molloy was already selected as a result of winning the Master Angler competition, and the 5 other places on the team were up for grabs over the weekend in Youghal.

No national competition can run smoothly without a great club organising it, and West Cork & District SAC stepped up to the mark again and ran an excellent event. We’ll let Pete Davis from the club take it from there with his great report.

West Cork and District were the host club for this event which took part over 3 sessions on Saturday and Sunday the 15th and 16th. The Fish Offs as they are more commonly known is a pool of 36 of Irelands top shore anglers with 16 qualifying and 16 dropping out each year. This ensures a pool of talent always remains from which to select the best team possible to head off to a World Championship. Qualification for this event is achieved by finishing in the top 10 (of not already qualified anglers) of the previous Master Angler tournament, the Master Angler pitting the top anglers from each individual clubs league against each other. Winning your Provincial championship (Closed Gold) title will book you a place, as will winning the Jimmy Smith All-Ireland Open Shore title. You can see from all that that actually reaching this event is an achievement in itself and it is the single most important weekend on many match anglers calendars. The top 5 at the end of the weekend would be joining the team captain, JP Molloy who had achieved his place on the plane by winning the Master Angler title in Youghal back in February. There was a lot at stake for participants and with 16 dropping out, staying in the pool against a high class field would be no easy task either.
Irish team captain JP Molloy (right) was keeping an eye on proceedings with the stewards.
Venue selection was the same as for the recent Master Angler, there were to be 2 daytime sessions on the Slob Bank in Youghal with a night session on the beach itself. The Slob Bank is a marmite venue, some love it, some hate it but the fact remains that daytime venues around Cork suitable for hosting large numbers of anglers are few and far between. At this time of year, although the small round fish that make up the bulk of the catches in the winter months would be mostly gone, the flounder should have returned from spawning and made their way back in towards the estuary. On the beach, warming temperatures would mean dogfish and ray should be around, again the return of the flats were expected along perhaps with bass and the odd coalie/whiting/codling if conditions allowed. Fishing on the bank had been reasonable leading up to the event with the beach itself fishing really well in the preceding days.
Friday evening saw the peg draw with a lot of anglers nipping out that night for a quick look at the beach. Reports from that were mixed, some anglers had decent fishing, some had not but with a lovely small surf and reasonably coloured water, there could be no complaints about conditions. The weather forecast for the weekend was decent with storm Noel having passed through a couple of days earlier not making too much of an impact on things.
Saturday morning and the event kicked off proper in bright sunshine and waters clearing from the recent heavy rainfall. The fishing however unfortunately was very tough along the bank. Fish were really hard to come by with the middle zone, zone B, throwing up 5 blanks from 12 anglers. Tiny tides were doing little to move fish through the area unfortunately and it was something of a struggle. The round fish of winter had absconded and the majority of the fish caught were flounder with an odd dogfish. Crab baits at range were the order of the day and the biggest hitters from a casting perspective probably enjoyed a bit of an advantage. At the end of a somewhat underwhelming session it was Timmy O’Sullivan (Connacht) in zone A along with Alby Allen in Zone B and Ciaran Fogarty (Both Leinster) in Zone C that had taken the top spots. A break for a few hours followed before session 2 later that evening.
A decent flounder and a bigger smile. Most of the flats on the Slob Bank were a decent size.
Session 2 was to be fished from 8pm to midnight on the main beach itself in Youghal. Pegging ran from in front of the Leisure centre back towards town. This session was going to be an interesting one. We still had an hour or so of daylight along with an hour of the dropping tide. Those who had a look in the preceding days knew there was likely to be a mixture of fish around, at all ranges. 8pm came around and fish began coming in from the off.
No hanging around for darkness here, Darren Ryan makes a swift start in Zone C.
Anglers electing to fish in short were rewarded with flounders whilst a trickle of dogs and the odd ray became something of a flood as darkness descended. Derek Kenrick managed a triple shot of painted ray at one stage!
Nope, it wasn’t a dream, Dereks treble Ray on the sand. That would have taken a bit of hauling!
Mixing it up with short and long range worked well for some as the runs of dogfish and ray slackened off as the tide made its way up the beach. The fishing for some was superb with 60 odd painted ray being caught amongst dogs, flounder, coalies and an odd codling.
A fine late codling for Sean Ivory
After a welcome improvement in the fishing it was Timmy O’Sullivan again taking top spot in zone A, Aidan O’Halloran in zone B and Pete Davis (both Munster) in zone C.
It was back to the Slob bank again for the final session and it fished similarly to the previous day. A fish in these sessions was worth its weight in gold and had he been able to cash them in, Troy Francis would have been retiring early a happy man taking 10 fish from his peg in zone C.
Troy Francis, a more than deserving qualifier for Team Ireland 2024 with a treble shot.
There were a lot of frantic calculations being made as fish came in with the order of merit changing constantly.
At 3pm, with lines in, it was all over. Timmy O’Sullivan had once again reigned supreme in Zone A finishing with a perfect 36 points from 3 sessions. 2 Kerry lads, Shane McMahon and Troy Francis took Zones B and C respectively. With all the cards counted and checked the group on the plane to Spain was to be as follows.
JP Molloy (Captain)
Timmy O’Sullivan
Troy Francis
Chris O’Sullivan
Aidan O’Halloran
Ciaran Fogarty
The fishing had been extremely tough at times but you know what they say about the cream rising to the top…. This is an extremely strong team to come out of the Fish Offs that will head into battle next year. A massive congratulations to all of them and I am sure they will make waves in Spain next year, of that there is no doubt. Congratulations to those also who managed to fight their way through it and stay in the pool for next year. To those (myself included) who unfortunately dropped out, commiserations, that’s fishing and there’s always next year….. We go again!
A massive thanks to the lads behind the scenes in my own club who have hosted and run both the Master Angler and Fish offs in quick succession flawlessly. Hats off to you folks, there is an incredible amount of organization and preparation that goes into hosting events like this and they deserve great credit. To the stewards who gave up their time to spend their day marching up and down measuring, marking and returning fish, a huge thanks also, events like this can’t go ahead without you guys.

Photos courtesy of West Cork & District SAC, IFSA and Maurice Cronin Photography

Oaklands summer league commences

By
IFI Staff
-

There was a great day on Sunday, April 16th, at Oaklands fishery in New Ross as the first match of this year’s summer league matches took place. The anglers enjoyed good fishing conditions on the day, with fairly mild temperatures and light winds, and top weight on the day came from A section Ronan Minogue bagging 55.860kg from peg 55. B Section winner was James Foley from end peg 38.

Today’s Results

A Section

  • 1st R Minogue 55.860kg
  • 2nd P O’Neill 43.140 kg
  • 3rd P Mansbridge 34.060 kg

B Section

  • 1st J Foley 39.430 kg
  • 2nd A Pirchio 38.360 kg
  • 3rd A Browne 31.820kg.

Go fishing…

Oaklands Lake in New Ross Co. Wexford is a fishing paradise for coarse angling. It offers a wide selection of fish. The lake can be fished by people of every level of experience from beginners to professionals.

Adrian Browne
Oaklands Lake,
Marshmeadows,
New Ross, Co. Wexford.

Telephone: +353 (0)51 445348
Mobile: 0877811042

Web: Oakland Lake Fishery

Irish Spring Angling Fair 2023 just a week away

By
IFI Staff
-
IRISH SPRING ANGLING FAIR 2023

Don’t miss what will undoubtedly become Ireland’s greatest angling event.

After the success of the first Irish Spring Angling Fair in 2022 Ned Maher of Ardaire Springs Angling Centre, Mooncoin  County Kilkenny is once again hosting the IRISH SPRING ANGLING FAIR.

Taking place on the May Bank Holiday Weekend, the Fair will open to angling enthusiasts on Saturday 29th April and Sunday the 30th of April 2023 over the bank holiday weekend.

It is without doubt a must attend event, throughout the 2 days a host of world renowned celebrity names such as Scott Mackenzie, Glenda Powell, Peter Driver, Henry Gilbey Jim Clohessy Craig Barr, Steffan Jones, Jason 0 Riordan, Maurice Cahill, Stuart Wylie, Ronan Murray, Cormac Walsh and more  will provide talks on angling related topics and give free demonstrations to attendees

Fly tiers row proved a big hit last year with salmon, trout, saltwater and pike flies being tied by some of the best in the business. Attending this year are John Maduro, Stefan Jones, Kevin Sheridan, Kevin Oates and George Burdess among others.

Game, sea and pike angling will be the hot topics throughout the weekend and the event guarantees to offer something for everyone.

Ardaire Spring Angling Centre covers over 4 acres of lakes, stocked with rainbow and brown trout ranging from 2lb to 20lb.

The venue provides a unique opportunity for both world renowned celebrity anglers to showcase their skills and indeed leading tackle manufactures to demonstrate and promote their fishing tackle and boats on the lakes.

With ample room for exhibitors it offers a fantastic opportunity to add to your tackle collection and indeed find out the latest tips and techniques. There will be stands  from all types of angling  including tackle suppliers and promotional stands  from fisheries and even some international companies promoting angling holidays  ,

Not forgetting the younger generation we will have an abundance of activities for kids to include fly casting, lessons and much more. Onsite catering will also be available throughout the weekend.

Don’t miss out on an amazing weekend, meet with celebrity anglers and fellow angler enthusiasts, join us and support the fair at Ardaire Spring Angling Centre and see it develop in to the greatest Irish Fair of future years.

IRISH SPRING ANGLING FAIR 2023

Arrow update from Jackie Mahon

By
IFI Staff
-
Lough Arrow

Jackie Mahon reports that the last couple of weeks on Lough Arrow have been slow enough due winds and cool temperatures. He’s still getting the odd fish though. A visiting angler, Mark Molde from Minnesota USA, enjoyed his time on the lake catching wild Irish trout in one of Ireland’s most beautiful lakes.

Lough arrow
Mark Molde with a Lough Arrow brown trout that was safely returned caught on a Fulling Mill hot head black stimulator from Jackie’s own range of flies.

Go fishing…

You can purchase some of my patterns in the new Fulling Mills brochure for 2023.

For guided fishing please do not hesitate to contact me as there are still some dates available for 2023.

Jackie Mahon Flies and Guiding

Address Barnadearg Grange Sligo F91HW68 Ireland Mobile Phone: +353 87 9222458 Website: jackiemahonguiding.com
More information
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Trout fly fishing on Lough Arrow

 

IFPAC final sees over 50 anglers compete for a place on the international team

By
IFI Staff
-

The Irish Federation of Pike Angling Clubs held their season final last week as over 50 pike anglers battled it out to make the international team to face the UK later this year. There were 141 fish caught on the day, with the heaviest weighing in at 14lb 15oz.

For the second year running, Jody Kiernan came out on top and will captain the Irish team, made up of the following anglers:

Please fish in a sustainable manner

Good pollack fishing in Galway Bay

By
IFI Staff
-

Guests on the Brazen Hussy II endured a dirty and cold southerly wind on Saturday, with fishing slow at times, but some nice pollack came over the rails to keep everyone happy, according to skipper John Fleming.

The Sunday trip was much more pleasant, giving a lovely day on the water. Fish were solid on the ground, but the take was slow. Average size over the weekend was small, but some nice pollack and coalies came aboard, and they also had the first few mackerel of the season.

Modern electronics are a vital tool for finding the fish
Pollack

Go Fishing

Brazen Hussy II

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

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