The Romanian Catch & Release Angling Association are seeking new members to join their club, and anglers of all shapes, sizes, ages, abilities and nationalities are welcome. The club, who are affiliated to the National Coarse Fishing Federation of Ireland, are well established over the last 6 years, with lots of events and activities in both coarse and predator fishing.
The club organises many matches and competitions throughout the year in all parts of Ireland, including:
Winter leagues (rivers mainly)
Spring events (lakes and River)
Summer events (lakes and River)
International Friendly (at 4th edition )with over 6 country participating in teams of 8. Romanian Team made from best anglers in the club, only one in this format in Ireland
Mick ‘the fish’ Flanagan has been testing his home waters in the Mullingar area this January. This week, Mick spent a few hours hunting perch with a drop-shot jigging rig and some small paddletail soft plastic lures.
Plump perch
The perch were fairly obliging – as was a midlands pike that had recently had its dinner! When pike are in the mood they will attack a lure even if they have a full belly, as this pike shows.
Still hungry
Mick knows that he is blessed to have such good fishing on his doorstep and he is taking bookings for the 2023 season from anglers who want a share of the midlands fishing action!
Make a booking
Midlands Angling provide a top class Guiding service covering many of the top coarse and game waters across the Midlands. Visiting fly anglers have landed some fine trout while out with Midland Angling Guides, pike anglers also recorded some net bursting catches including many pike over 20lbs. Top waters include Lough Ree, Ennell, Owel, Lene, Mount Dalton, and Glore Lake just to mention a few. Michael Flanagan Midland Angling
Pike and Trout angling guide.
Vincent Appleby is reports from Waterville where anglers are waiting to catch the first salmon of the season…
19/1/2023 Into the third day of the 2023 season and all is quiet on all fronts as you can see by the photos this freezing day as the snow laid on the Kerry Mountains. Just for the record there were 5 boats out. Now we go back to the Bacon and Cabbage in the Lobster Bar Tuesday evening and as I said there was good crack but sadly I missed a cracker of a song about Lough Currane by Currane UK angler Mr. John Young, so take it way John the stage is yours…
20/1/2022 Currane gate reports that there were two boats out and their lines were slack. Wind SE fresh and veered SES light.
21/1/2023 Just two boats out this day and by all accounts their lines were slack. Wind SSE light average wind speed 12 mph and overcast.
22/1/2022 Just two boats out this day, just for the record there were a few Kelts and the odd Brown Trout caught. Wind SW and veered NW light and overcast.
23/1/2023 No reports of the first Salmon caught this day and that includes all Irish fisheries, so come on you Currane anglers and get out there and catch the first Salmon of 2023 In Ireland. Wind SSE light, gusts up to 17 Km/h and overcast.
24/1/2023 Currane angler Mr. Eric Jouen of Waterville boats and at [email protected] reported that he caught 3 Kelts on the troll. Just for the record there was one other boat out, so you don’t have to be a rocket scientist to know there was a total of two boats out. Wind SSW light, gusts up to 22Km/h
The rivers and lakes of Waterville drain a large catchment and are regarded by many as the foremost Salmon and Sea-Trout fishery in the country. The lake system is well developed with access to boats and guides being readily available to the tourist angler. The Sea-Trout caught here are renowned for their size and quantity. For more details see:
Notes: Located at Lakelands House Bed and Breakfast and Self Catering Accommodation, on Ireland’s best sea trout lake, Lough Currane. Frank is a professional angling guide and boatman.
Sea angling can be arranged with local operators.
Boat Hire
Boats for hire. All boats and engines are moored on the farm, 300 metres from the house, with easy access from the road with car park and boat shed.
Notes: Having ghillied on Lough Currane for over 30 years Vincent is a great choice for those looking for a guided service or flyfishing instruction on the Lake. All ages are catered for and even experienced anglers will benefit from the watercraft and fly-lore unique to Lough Currane. All tackle is provided and accommodation can be organised if required.
Munster Coarse Anglers were back again at O’Briensbridge over the weekend, this time to fish Round 6 of their winter series…
Round 6. Back to O’Briensbridge rowing course. Gone was the film set but it was still outstanding achievements for some and tragedy for others my self included.
Outstanding award goes to Steve with his second win on the trot on this venue 11lb 2oz
Ray’s long walk was not was in vain as 2nd place 6lb 3oz was his reward.
Richard’s 4lb 9oz was a credible 3rd (no hybrid this week though.)
Finally well done to the rest of the lads who scratched a way bites all day and to myself the wooden spoon – truly hammered on both sides by 1st and 3rd…
Munster Coarse Angling Club are affiliated to the National Coarse Fishing Federation of Ireland, NCFFI the National Governing body for coarse and predator fishing and casting. www.ncffi.ie
The Irish Specimen Fish Committee have announced that the awards ceremony for the 2022 season will be held in the Clayton Hotel Leopardstown on the 11th of March at 14.00. All anglers who caught a specimen fish will be invited to attend to claim their cert and award. Please note that the venue is Leopardstown (not the Airport Clayton where the event has been held in recent years).
Pauric McGearty welcomed regular visitors back to Carafin Lodge for his first angling group of 2023. Water levels were on the rise following heavy rain which fell for two weeks before Josef Ludwig and his fishing group landed at the lodge. And then, on arrival, the temperature dropped dramatically, with hard frost, which remained for most of thể trip. So conditions weren’t exactly encouraging for the week…
Cold weather didn’t stop the fish from taking
But you have to make do with the hand you are dealt and the guys fished hard, and managed to land some nice pike with the biggest being 101cm. There was also the unexpected but welcome bonus of a good trout. All fish were in super condition and are feeding up well. All fish were caught using dead bait under a float including the trout. Smelt was the top bait followed closely by small Roach. All fish quickly photographed and straight back into the water as Carafin is a strictly Catch and Release fishing lodge.
A bonus trout on a deadbait
Good fish = Happy Angler
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Carafin offers self catering accommodation, with top class boats, equipment and bait and a guiding service. We go out of our way to help our customers enjoy their angling holiday.
They currently have some availability for February which is big-fish month, so why not make a booking to bag a big one!
Looking forward to the 23 Season and some notes about fishing in April
2023 started off for me with an email from Fulling Mill to say that my fly patterns have just arrived in the UK and are up on the Fulling Mill website. The range consists of wet Mayfly, Spent, Stimulators and Daddies. The patterns have been working the last number of seasons throughout Ireland, the United States and the UK with great success. I will also be working closely with Fulling Mill on some new products which will be launched soon, so keep an eye on my page for updates.
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Jackie's Green Drake Fly
Jackie's Hot Head Black Stimulator
Jackie's Hot Head Claret Stimulator
Jackie's Hot Head Fiery Brown Stimulator
Jackie's Hot Head Olive Stimulator
Jackie's Hot Head Sooty Olive Stimulator
Jackie's Hot Head Yellow International Stimulator
Jackie's Mask Green Drake Fly
Jackie's Silver & Pearl Daddy
Jackie's Spent Pink Para May
Jackie's Spent White Para May
Jackie's Spent
Jackie's Yellow Mayfly
Jackie's Melvin Daddy
A client recently asked me what are the best months to fish Lough Arrow and I found it hard to answer because I just love every minute I spend on the lake. There is something special about Arrow and it’s hard fighting Browns, so if I had to pick a month it would be April. It’s a great time of year to flyfish on Lough Arrow, it may take bringing extra clothes and layering up but the results are worth the extra effort. In April with bug life starting to appear and hungry Trout starting to feed after a long cold winter, it results in some extraordinary opportunities to flyfish.
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The best news is the Trout have seen little pressure with Arrow only opening on the 1st of April, and the Trout are hungry and eager to grab a fly. A typical day on Arrow involves Buzzers, Dries or Wets depending on how cold the day is. During April hatches of Olives start and offer good dryfly or Buzzer fishing. On the colder days we pull wets in the shallows in that few feet of water for that pull back at you.
When a guide gets a day off the first thing that’s on his mind is to go fishing. Last season, some of the days that I’ve had off I headed back to Arrow in the afternoons for some dry Buzzer fishing into the evening. This fishing consists of some of the bigger resident fish coming out to play and it’s something I love doing in the evenings.
Go fishing…
You can purchase some of my patterns in the new Fulling Mills brochure for 2023 which will be out soon.
Notes: Provides guiding on Lough Arrow, Melvin, Glencar Lake & Lough Gill .
Clients from all over the world from England, Scotland, Wales, Germany, Usa and South Africa. Total C&R on Jackie’s boat while guiding.
Flies for sale
2023 started off for me with an email from Fulling Mill to say that my fly patterns have just arrived in the UK and are up on the Fulling Mill website. The range consists of wet Mayfly, Spent, Stimulators and Daddies. The patterns have been working the last number of seasons throughout Ireland, the United States and the UK with great success. I will also be working closely with Fulling Mill on some new products which will be launched soon, so keep an eye on my page for updates.
Outdoorsman, podcaster and speaker Tommy Serafinski hosted Dr William Roche, Senior Research Officer at Inland Fisheries Ireland on a recent episode of his podcast Tommy’s Outdoors.
The podcast- The Demise and Recover of the Atlantic Bluefin Tuna gives an in depth look into the Atlantic bluefin tuna (Thunnus thynnus), the largest tuna in the world. These special creatures frequent Irish coastal waters to feed during its annual migration through North Atlantic waters. This giant of the sea can reach lengths of 4m and 1500lbs. The bluefin is prized by sea anglers for its power and fighting ability and is a very valuable commercial species.
Tagged Bluefin Tuna Donegal Bay 2019. Copyright Adrian Molloy
William and Tommy discuss the Bluefin Tuna CHART programme and angler-driven fish tagging programmes. The podcast has a particular focus on the Tuna CHART programme whilst also covering the Marine Sportfish Tagging Programme which is aimed at elasmobranch species of fish like sharks, skates and rays and they touch on the bass tagging program.
The Tuna CHART programme is a collaborative scientific programme between Inland Fisheries Ireland and the Marine Institute in partnership with the Sea Fisheries Protection Authority, the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) and the Department of Environment, Climate and Communications (DECC).
Well, the rain of the last while (4 months?!) took a welcome break this week, with temperatures plummeting, hard night frosts, and some areas even saw snow.
Pike angling is popular at this time of year, with fish often feeding up in advance of spawning over the next couple of months. Lough Erne is known for big pike, and young Jamie, who was a guest of uncle Kevin and Steven Powell of www.lureguides.com landed a fantastic 110cm pike over the weekend. Kevin also enjoyed fantastic fishing, with Steven putting them over lots of feeding fish throughout the day, but Jamie wins our Catch of the Week.
Jamie, Kevin and pike
Another angler enjoying his pike fishing was Callum Morss, who managed to land the same big fish twice in a few days. Although on the second occasion a new digital scales took a few pounds off the weight on his old mechanical scales, it still registered a whopping 25lbs 1oz! Further proof, as if it we needed that careful unhooking, handling and releasing can help to preserve our precious fish stocks and ensure a sustainable recreational fishery into the future.
Big fish second time!
Low temperatures and a cold wind made fishing difficult for the third round of the winter league at Oaklands, but John Browne made light of the tricky conditions with a very creditable top weight of 16.14kgs, just clear of Ronan Minogue with 15.00kg.
The CM Lakelands club also held the third round of their L. Muckno Feeder League on Sunday, with the cold weather providing difficult fishing. Irish international James O’Doherty managed to bag enough skimmers from his Yellow Island peg to win the day with over 5kg.
Salmon anglers are still mostly in hibernation, but another salmon fishery opened this week with 9 boats venturing out on Lough Currane on opening day. Fishing proved fruitless except for a few kelts, but the anglers enjoyed getting to wet a line again, and celebrated the start of another new season in style that evening.
Lough Currane opening day 2023
The Ireland on The Fly podcast this week is of interest to salmon and sea trout anglers, as it focusses on the plight of wild salmon in Scotland, where the fish farming industry is a major threat. Tom and Daire interview Rachel Mulrenan of Wild Fish, an NGO and advocacy group that campaigns for greater protection for wild salmon and trout.
Floating weed, the curse of shore anglers, especially after rough weather, proved a nuisance at South Shore SAC’s first competition of the year on Kilcoole beach. It was no match for Alby Allan though, who continued his recent good form with 30 fish to take the win. Whiting, coalies, dabs and codling provided plenty of sport, as well as the prolific weed!
Tralee Bay SAC also kicked off their competitive season with a match on Fenit Pier, where a massive turnout of anglers defied the cold weather for the John Lacey Memorial competition.
Fenit
The competition was dominated by the McMahon family, with Shane and Paddy McMahon taking the senior and junior prizes on the day. Not to be outdone, Liz McMahon took the longest fish prize with her 41cm coalie.
Best round fish of the day and 3rd place over all on the match was Liz McMahon with this belter of a Coalie of 41cm rounding off the fine family haul of prizes
Skipper John Fleming took a trip down the coast in fine weather to a boatyard in the Shannon estuary for winter maintenance, but he also reminded us of the potential for the season ahead, and that skippers’ diaries are open for bookings! Check out our listing of charter boats around the country and get booking some dates for the year.
We also feature a new podcast from a noted bass lure angler, Cormac Walsh, who has started a podcast to talk all things bass fishing. I know I have a lot to learn about this branch of fishing, so I will be following with interest! In the opening episode, Cormac chats with Michael Kelly from Evobass Lures, an Irish company making soft plastic lures perfect for Irish bass fishing.
Other News
In other news, the IFI Sponsorship Programme remains open for applications, with the closing date extended until Wednesday 25th January. So get your applications in soon!
Thursday 2nd February is World Wetlands Day, and the Local Authorities Water Programme (LAWPRO) is celebrating the day with an online “fireside chat” featuring Stories From The Waterside, a collection of writing from Irish authors sharing the water related local stories and personal connections. You can even choose which stories will be read, by their authors, by visiting the Stories From The Waterside website and voting for your top 5.
Trout anglers will be interested to hear that Inland Fisheries Ireland is holding an online lunchtime seminar about brown trout genetics in Ireland. Dr. Karen Delanty will give a talk on recent studies to examine the patterns and levels of population structuring and genetic diversity amongst brown trout populations in Ireland. The talk is free but registration is required.
And now the weather
Milder today with temperatures of 4 to 9 degrees, cloud spreading from the west but remaining mostly dry apart from some patchy drizzle. Patchy outbreaks of rain tomorrow, becoming more persistent in the west later, and moderate southerly winds bringing highs of 8-10C.
Sunday: Damp or locally wet to begin as overnight rain clears into the Irish Sea. Generally dry in the afternoon with a few sunny spells. Highs of 9 to 12 degrees in mostly light southwest breezes.
The outlook for Monday and Tuesday is for dull and cloudy weather with patchy light rain, amounts remaining small though. Light to moderate SW breezes and highs of 9-12 C.
The Local Authority Waters Programme (LAWPRO) are marking World Wetlands Day on February 2nd by holding an online celebration of Irelan’ds Magical Waters. The online Stories from the Waterside takes the frmat of a “fireside” chat, featuring stories from writers sharing the water related local stories and personal connections.
Stories From The Waterside was a writing competition held during the Covid 19 lockdown. Due to popular demand a dedicated website www.storiesfromthewaterside.ie was created where all of these wonderful stories can be read! Some of these stories will be read by their authors on the online event, and readers can suggest which stories should be considered, by way of a popular vote. All of the stories are published on the website Stories from the waterside, and can be searched by county, folklore, wildlife, waterbody type and other key thematic areas. We invite you, your families and friends to read the selection, and pick out your favorite stories for consideration. We will then approach the authors of the top five stories with a view to reading out their story and, if they are happy to do so or have someone read on their behalf, we will put them on the programme for the night. To Vote Please Click Here before Tuesday 24 Jan 2023
Stories From The Waterside online takes place on Thursday February 2nd from 7.30pm to 8.30pm. It will be held on Zoom, and you can register for the event by visiting www.LAwaters.ie . Alternatively, look up @LAWPROteam on Facebook, or check out @watersprogramme on Twitter.
Boat Hire
Salmon and Sea-Trout fishing Guide
