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Miserable weather but plenty of species for Carrick Beach Rockers

By
Shane O'Reilly
-

Saturday night marked the first leg of the Carrick Beach Rockers Masters. The venue was Limerick Rover, with boundaries set from Salmon Rock to the rocks at the back of Waterfoot Pier. A total of 15 members attended, along with 2 guests and 2 juniors. Fishing took place for an hour and a half on the ebb tide, with the remainder on the flood. Weather conditions were poor, with constant rain, hailstones, and a strong south-westerly wind. Despite this, a good variety of species were caught, including flounder, dab, cod, whiting, coalie, rockling, dogfish, and plaice.

Full Results as Follows:
1st Noel MaWhinney 13 fish 580pts
2nd Jonny Gilbert 15 fish 453pts
3rd Alan Nelson 10 fish 420 pts
4th George Robinson 11 fish 392pts
5th Stuart Bradley 9 fish 380pts
6th Chris Pritchard 9 fish 301pts
7th Bobby Laughlin 6 fish 240pts
8th Jonah Jones 6 fish 240pts
9th Karen Pritchard 4 fish 200pts
10th Liam Barrett 4 fish 190pts
11th Stuart Sinnamon 4 fish 170pts
12th Karl McCullough 5 fish 150pts
13th Dee 2 fish 90pts
14th Brian Wallace 1 fish 50 pts
Longest fish: Alan Nelson, with a 41cm Coalie

Slow going at Waterville, with the only salmon of note on a 47 year old menu…

By
Shane O'Reilly
-

Vincent Appleby reports on a slow week in West Kerry:

22/1/2026, Currane anglers were all quiet except for the odd C&R Kelt. Now we head for the Currane weather chart. Wind NW moderate followed by reasonable cloud cover and the odd shower. Yesterday’s weather: amount of rainfall 4.4mm, maximum air temperature 10.8°C, amount of sunshine 2 minutes.

On a personal note, it’s hard to believe that my father and Currane angler, Mr E.G. Appleby RIP, passed away 13 years ago today. Always in my thoughts.

23/1/206. My Noble Currane anglers had a rest on this cold day, and just for the record, the air temperature was 6°C so you don’t have to be a rocket scientist to know it would feel like 0°C, mind you that’s no excuse for not going out, I can remember Vincent O’Sullivan RIP fly fishing at the ledge, I and my Father RIP were trolling and the Hardy Perfect reels froze, so headed in to Darby’s Island and the next thing Vincent’s client was in to a 11 lbs. Salmon, and that is a fact, not a fisherman’s story. Wind NE Gentle to Moderate and overcast. Yesterday’s weather: amount of rainfall 1mm, maximum air temperature 9.1°C, amount of sunshine, 3 hours, and 8. Minutes

24/1/2026. Currane angler reports just one boat out and just one kelt for his efforts. Today’s Currane weather chart is as follows: wind NW moderate to gentle, followed by good cloud cover. Yesterday’s weather, the amount of rainfall 0.1mm, maximum air temperature 7.4  °C, amount of sunshine none.

25/1/ 2026. Just two boats out by all accounts, the reels were all quiet. Now the Currane anglers’ weather chart. Wind NW Gentle to Moderate followed bright sunshine, yesterday’s weather amount of rainfall 1.7mm. Maximum air temperature 8.5 °C, amount of  sunshine 3 hours and 3 minutes.

26/1/2026. The Currane anglers were all quiet on this day. Now we head for the Currane anglers weather chart, wind moderate to light, followed by good cloud cover.
As we had slack lines, we will head for the good old Butler Arms Hotel evening dinners, as you can see, I came across a Butler Arms Hotel 1979 menu, you will be amazed,  I will say no more.

Yesterday’s weather: amount of rainfall 1.1mm, maximum air temperature 10°C, amount of sunshine 1 hour and 6 minutes.

27/1/2026, Lough Currane was on the wild side, as you imagine, as storm Chandra took control of the Currane waves and my Noble Currane anglers. Now we head for the Currane weather. Variable winds SE 9am 24km/h, 12pm.NW 41 km/h, 3 pm WNW  67km/h, followed by heavy showers throughout the day. Yesterday’s weather. Amount of rainfall 8.7mm, maximum air temperature 8.5 °C, amount of sunshine 3 hours and 3 minutes.

28/1/2026. The Currane anglers were all quiet, and for good reason again, the weather takes control with a strong SE strong wind blowing across the Currane Lake. Wind speeds 9am 37k./h , 12pm 39 km/H, followed by heavy showers.  Yesterday’s weather amount of rainfall 21.8 mm, and the maximum air temperature 8.5°C,amount of sunshine is none.

CM Lakelands run two matches on Garadice

By
Shane O'Reilly
-

The CM Lakelands Feeder Club were on Garadice at the weekend, competing in two separate matches, one on Grassy Bank and the Other on Houghton’s Shore. There was a great turnout with 21 anglers competing over the two events.

The Top 3 on Houghton’s Shore were:

  • 1st Richard Pratt 3.875kg
  • 2nd Charlie Richards 3.725kg jnt 
  • 2nd Robertas Zilaitis 3.725kg jnt
  • 3rd Nigel Houldsworth 2.750kg

Most of the lads had small skimmers with roach and odd hybrids.

The Top 3 on Grassy Bank were:

  • 1st Grzegorz Bojczewski 2.980kg
  • 2nd Sebastian 2.640kg
  • 3rd John Kiddle 1.970kg

The lads fishing on this section caught some skimmers, but most of the lads caught roach, odd perch and Hybrids.

Go Fishing…

Ballinamore coarse angling centre

Camlin & District Anglers to host Ray Gill Memorial Pike Comp on Feb 22nd

By
Shane O'Reilly
-

The Camlin & District Anglers are holding the Ray Gill Memorial / Blessing of the boats pike fishing competition on Sunday, the 22nd of February in Lanesborough. Entry is €50 per boat of 2 or more anglers or €30 per single angler boat. Fishing is from 10:30am to 5pm. This is a members-only competition, but membership can be taken out on the day, at a price of €10 per adult. The prize pot is a minimum of €1000 (DOE), and the competition is for the combined longest 3 pike over 50cm. The rules for the competition, as well as the competition area, can be seen on the Camlin & District Anglers Facebook Page.

Go Fishing…

Pike fishing around Lanesboro Angling Centre

 

Biblical floods make it a tough session for Steve McDonagh

By
Shane O'Reilly
-

Steve McDonagh, of the Fishing with Steve YouTube channel, was out and about trying to find some fishing spots despite all the high water. In his own words…

“Another brutal winter session chasing my first pike of 2026 — flooded lakes, closed pegs, lost fish, and absolute heartbreak on the bank. After heavy rain across Cavan, almost every lake was blown out… but quitting wasn’t an option. This session turned into a proper grind. Five different lakes, flooded fields, matches on venues, submerged platforms — and when I finally got fishing, two solid runs on mackerel… both dropped. Barbless hooks, bad timing, and zero luck. I also break down the full day-session predator setup, bait choices, and why switching to mackerel made all the difference — plus underwater camera footage showing just how close it was. If you’ve ever blanked after doing everything right, this one’s for you.”

If you enjoy Steve’s videos, don’t forget to give them a thumbs up and subscribe to the Fishing With Steve YouTube Channel. 

Steve can be contacted at:

For all your fishing tackle needs checkout Steve’s sponsor https://www.sportfins.ie

Go Fishing...

The Erne catchment – The Great Pike Waters of Ireland

 

2025 Irish Specimen Fish Committee Annual Report Published

By
Shane O'Reilly
-

Click the image to download a copy

Three New Irish Record Fish smash existing records   

Three new Irish record fish were caught by anglers in 2025.

It’s just been confirmed by the Irish Specimen Fish Committee that Sean Bannon, Co. Cork, who caught a Thick Lipped Mullet of 5.24 kg at Cork Harbour in May 2025, has smashed the existing record Thick Lipped Mullet by over 1 kg. Another record breaker is fellow Corkman  Clinton Rachman, who caught a superb 41.5 cm Shore Rockling in the Ballycotton area in February 2025. Slea Head produced a record Corkwing Wrasse of 26.5 cm for Dubliner Ronan Doherty. The just-published Irish Specimen Fish Committee report also celebrates anglers fishing Irish waters who caught hundreds of huge fish in 2025.

Over 500 exceptionally large fish of different species were caught by anglers from venues throughout Ireland in 2024. All fish were caught, weighed, measured and released. The main species were smaller shark species like Spurdog and Tope, large Skate, Thick Lipped Mullet and several species of Wrasse. In freshwater, Tench and River Pike dominated.

Details of all of these fish and current Irish record fish are in the Irish Specimen Fish Committee Report 2025, which has just been released. The Irish Specimen Fish Committee, which is supported by Inland Fisheries Ireland, is an independent all-Ireland voluntary body which verifies and records the capture of large fish caught on rod by anglers in freshwater and marine waters.

The report is available as a digital download for the moment, but hard copies will be available free of charge from Inland Fisheries Ireland offices nationally in the coming weeks.

The ISFC Awards Day, when anglers will be presented with their awards and certificates, will be held on 14th February 2026 in Dublin.

Meanwhile, anglers both at home and abroad will be reading the report carefully to plan their angling trips to catch the big fish in Ireland in 2026.

View a copy of the 2025 report by clicking this link.

Piscari Fly Newsletter is back

By
IFI Staff
-
  The Piscari-Fly team discuss all things fly-fishing in their latest newsletter:

Rathdrum Memorial Competition

Rathdrum Trout Anglers held their Pat Denton Memorial Competition over the weekend and Peter was lucky enough to pick up first place with 16 fish. Jamie Conway was second and Mark was 3rd. It was a great days fishing on the Rathdrum stocked pond. It was a wet and wild day but the lads had a brilliant time. Plenty of fabulous trout caught with Peter catching a 54cm which was the biggest fish for the day. A good old day and thanks to Rathdrum for holding the competition and the other winter competitions too. It was lovely to see everyone and an amazing way to spend a winters day

The AWOL Winter League had their fourth round in Ardaire Springs over the weekend. Congratulations to the winners.

1st John Bird,10 fish for 1531 points. 2nd Marius Lincevicius, 7 fish 1107 points. It was a close contest for 3rd spot with four anglers recording 6 fish. 3rd Brian Conway, 6 fish 944 points; 4th Ian Howard, 6 fish 924 points; 5th Nicky Madden, 6 fish 921 points & 6th Roger Fowler, 6 fish 921 points.

It was a tough day’s fishing but plenty of fish were caught. The final of the winter league is coming up on Feb 1st in Laois Angling Centre and we will see who will be crowned Champion for the 2025 League. Your best 4 out of five rounds count. There will be refreshments and a prize giving after the event. Tight lines to all on Sunday.

Irish Spring Angling Fair

The lads have been working hard on the Irish Spring Angling Fair, getting all the tyers in and all the trade stands are booking in fast. It looks like its going to be the biggest Fair so far. They have also added in Lazer Clay Pigeon Shooting this year, just to add another dimension to the day. There will be great craic over the weekend to see who is going to be the top gun at Ardaire Springs. For age 12 and upwards. https://teambuild.ie/laser-clay-shooting/​

Keep an eye on their socials to see who is coming this year and what activities are happening. Of course Piscari-Fly will be there in full belt and we are really looking forward to the show. It’s our busiest event of the year. It’s always great to see so many good friends and customers at the show.

​https://www.facebook.com/irishspringanglingfair/​

​https://irishspringanglingfair.com/​

AGM Updates

A lot of AGMs taking place at the moment all over the place, whether its clubs, provincial or national. As anglers we are all invested in our sport to some extent and we want to see it improve like water quality etc. It is therefore important that we attend the AGMs of our clubs and sports to support and try to keep what fishing we have going forward.

So a couple of dates for the diaries;- Leinster TAFI AGM. The 2026 AGM will be on Thursday the 19th of February 2026. Strictly starting at 7.30pm. We would hope for a great turn out for this years AGM with representatives from each club. To implement plans for this year together ahead of our 2026 Season. We look forward to seeing you on the night.

National TAFI AGM

This will be held on Sunday the 22nd Feb in the Maldron Hotel Portlaoise from 2pm.

Selection Boxes With the season rocketing in, it’s only a few weeks away as we are nearly turning into February; fly orders are getting busy, so if you are looking to get flies tied by Peter or the team here, please get in touch fairly quick to make sure you have your flies in time. Also make sure you check out our selection box range where you can choose a selection at great prices, you can also give a bit of a description of where, what and when you are fishing so the flies can be customised to suit you, your needs and your budget. So get in touch with us today and have yourself all ready for the season ahead. https://piscari-fly.com/product-category/flies/fly-selection-boxes

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 their word of mouth, google reviews are important to our online presence and we sure would appreciate your review. Just head over to this link and give us a quick review.

Thanks for the support it’s greatly appreciated

Piscari Fly

Address Woolengrange Thomastown Kilkenny Ireland Mobile Phone: +353 87 9787040 Website: piscari-fly.com
More information
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Anthony Byrne wins Leinster Pike Anglers’ Winter League

By
IFI staff
-

The report below is summarised from the Leinster Pike Angling Club Facebook Page:

The Leinster Pike Angling Club winter league concluded in dramatic fashion last Sunday. Despite recent poor weather making venue selection difficult, the organisers secured a few lakes that remained just about fishable, resulting in a productive day with plenty of fish caught.

Results on the Day

  • 1st: Marty Lawlor – 4 fish for 24.13
  • 2nd: James O’Callaghan – 3 fish for 21.13
  • 3rd: Donagh O’Connell – 5 fish for 20.13
  • 4th: Rodney Gaynor – 5 fish for 17.6

The heaviest fish of the day went to James O’Callaghan, weighing 9.10.
The pools were won by Marty Lawlor and Donagh O’Connell, with a combined bag weight of 45.10.

Winter League Summary

The league standings tightened significantly at the top this year, with Anto Byrne, Rodney Gaynor, and Jan Rutkowski separated by only a single point. After five legs, both Rodney and Anto finished on 132 points, while Jan finished just behind on 131 points.

Since Rodney and Anto were tied, the overall winner was determined by total fish caught across all legs. This too was extremely close, with Anto narrowly securing the victory by catching 32 fish to Rodney’s 31.

Final Standings

  1. Antony Byrne – 132 points
  2. Rodney Gaynor – 132 points
  3. Jan Polish – 131 points
  4. Fran Crosbie – 119 points
  5. Logan Lennon – 113 points
  6. Donagh O’Connell – 113 points
  7. Jay Cooke – 111 points
  8. Marty Lawlor – 109 points
  9. Damo O’Brien – 95 points
  10. James O’Callaghan – 91 points

Anthony Byrne takes the league title after a close competition

Heaviest Fish of the League

  1. Sean O’Brien – 15.10
  2. Logan Lennon – 14.14
  3. David O’Callaghan – 10.10

Angler of the Year

Although Rodney Gaynor missed out on the winter league title by just one fish, he secured the Angler of the Year award for the second consecutive year, finishing with 311 points overall. His closest competitor was once again Jan, who finished the year on 292 points. Both anglers demonstrated exceptional consistency throughout the season.

Rodney Gaynor takes the Angler of the Year prize

The club now looks forward to the upcoming season, with the first competition taking place in February. New members are welcome, and anyone interested is encouraged to get in touch.

Irish Angling Update 🎣 23 January 2026

By
Myles Kelly
-

It’s been a cold and very wet week, though strangely there were a couple of bright days in the mix. The unsettled conditions have impacted angling, many rivers and lakes are in flood, and the oftentimes poor conditions are no doubt putting off many from getting on the water. That solar eruption and geomagnetic storm probably had little impact, but it’s definitely useful as an excuse…

Thankfully, the solar eruption didn’t hit until a couple of days ago, so the weekend’s sport was largely unaffected, and there were some good results recorded at coarse fishing events up and down the country. The Athy Anglers found themselves back in the Marina after conditions underfoot forced a change of venue. The fishing was busy and David Locke took first place with 19lbs 12 oz. CM Lakelands Feeder Club were on Lough Garadice fishing the Grassy Bank and Houghton’s Shore. Nick Richards put on a brilliant display in challenging conditions to win the match with 4.025kg. The 6th round of the Ger Hennesy Winter League was fished on Sunday at Oaklands. The cold conditions saw the fish lie doggo and Adrian Browne did well to weigh in 5.650 kg for the win.

Nick Richards at Garadice

Brazilian angler Alex Souza enjoyed some fine pike fishing in the midlands at the weekend. Fishing with a friend they caught a good number of fish which were all safely released. Dirk and Florent of Pike Pro Ireland have written a great piece on winter perch fishing. It’s well worth the read, full of tips and hints that could see you catch your own 40cm perch. There’s €800 to be won by the winner of IFPAC’s boat fishing competition on 15th February. The event will be fished on Lough Gowna and there are still places available.

Alex Souza pike
Alex Souza with a good midlands pike

Brian Connaughton and Daniel Nesbitt are Team WildHunter, and they will be representing Ireland in Fly vs Jerk 17. Fly vs Jerk is one of Europe’s most exciting pike fishing challenges, now running for 17 years. It’s a boat-only competition, fly and lure fishing only, and everything is strictly catch-and-release. It’s presented as a series on YouTube with the first episode airing on Friday, 6 February.

On to sea angling now. There was steady fishing at Cobh SAC’s Light Lines competition at the weekend, where over 2,000 fish were caught and released. Jim Mellis, fishing on Deora De, was the winner. In Wexford, a favourable forecast and building tides set the scene for a highly successful Eddie Bermingham Open, which also marked the opening leg of the 2026 Leinster League on Kilgorman Strand. Noel Fogarty secured both a zone and overall win with a decisive final-cast double of dogfish and spurdog. Last Saturday night saw Northern Ireland’s Carrick Beach & Rockers SAC contest the first leg of their Masters competition at the Limerick Rover venue in Antrim. Despite the harsh weather, fishing proved productive with a wide variety of species landed.

Deora De
The Deora De coming to shore to collect her anglers on a foggy morning

Galway Bay Sea Angling Club, an active club running competitions and social angling session both in Galway and further afield, are looking to recruit interested anglers into their club. Find out more at Galway Bay SAC calling all anglers; both novice and experienced

We received our first salmon angling report of 2026 this week. The No Spin No Fly’s just Facts Department on Lough Currane reports that there have been no springers caught to date.

Charlie at Southern County Fishery
Charlie McGee at Southern County Fishing Resort

Trout anglers waiting for the season to open always have the option to fish through the closed season at one of the many rainbow trout fisheries around the country. Junior angler Charlie McGee enjoyed a great day out at Southern County Fishing Resort at the weekend, catching 8 fish on a selection of nymphs.

And now the weather

Saturday will be another dull and damp day with outbreaks of rain and drizzle. These will be heaviest and most persistent over the southern half of the country with the best of any dry spells further north. Moderate to fresh easterly winds, stronger near eastern and southeastern coasts, but easing and becoming variable in the southwest through the day. Highest temperatures of 5 to 9ºC. Sunday morning will be generally cloudy with widespread outbreaks of rain and drizzle. These outbreaks will become less frequent and widespread through the day with some sunny spells developing in places. Highest temperatures of 5 to 9ºC, with moderate to fresh cyclonic variable winds becoming mostly easterly and easing. Next week starts cloudy, breezy, and wet with rain, heavy at times, spreading northeastwards across the country. Highest temperatures of 5 to 9ºC, with moderate to fresh southeasterly winds, stronger on eastern and southeastern coasts. Low pressure continuing to dominate the week, bringing further unsettled and mixed conditions.

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]. 

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Nick Richards wins CM Lakelands match on Garadice

By
Myles Kelly
-
Garadice

CM Lakelands Feeder Club reports on their latest match, fished on Lough Muckno…

Charlie Richards ran a match on Sunday on Lough Garadice for the Club.
Eighteen anglers turned up and both the Grassy Bank and Houghtons Shore was used.

The top 3 weights came from Houghtons Shore. First overall was Nick Richards who put in a brilliant display in challenging conditions to easily win the match with 4.025kg. Nick caught a Bream, 2 skimmers and some roach at distance on Houghtons Shore. Second overall was Brenton Sweeney who caught 27 fish which included 3 small skimmers to weigh 2.575kg from Houghtons shore. In third place was Rimantas Kondrackas who caught roach, rudd and an odd hybrid to weigh 2.250kg.

Charlie Richards won the Grassy bank with a couple of small skimmers and roach to weigh 2.130kg. Irmantas Sriupsa was 2nd on Grassy Bank with 1 skimmer and other bits to weigh 1.510kg.

Other Section winners were Robertas Zilaitis, 2.225kg, and Richard pratt with 2.125kg.

Thanks to Charlie for running the match, he did a very good job.

Go fishing…

Charlie Richards is running a match this Sunday 25th of January on Houghtons Shore and Grassy Bank on garadice.

Meet at 8.45am Houghtons Shore carpark.

Fishing 10.30 to 3.30pm
Entry €20

To book on contact Charlie directly or comment on the CM Lakelands Feeder Club Facebook page.

cm lakelands logoCM Lakelands Feeder Club Feeder Only Fishing Club in the Lakelands of County Cavan and Monaghan, Ireland. The club is open to new members contact the club via their Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/CMFeederClub

 

Ballinamore coarse angling centre

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