Gerry Martin Local Angler with a handsome trout. He had fish to 3lb
Jimmy Frazer, Lough Arrow Fish Preservation Association & District Angling Club, reports that it was another busy week on the Lough Arrow where the sport was dominated by the spent gnat fishing.
Gerry Martin Local Angler with a handsome trout. He had fish to 3lb
Guests at Arrow View Farmhouse, Andy Birkett and Brent Vinell averaged three fish per day for six days. The pair caught trout to up to 2.5lb and all released. Best patterns were Grey Wulff and and Spent Gnat.
Andy Brickett was Mayfly fishing on Lough Arrow
Also in the honours roll were Fergus Auld from Ballymena who had 4 fish to 3lb (All released), Donal Whiteman from Derry had 3 fish to 1.5lb all released, Kevin Gallagher from Donegal had 2 fish to 2lb released and James Nolan from Carlow had 2 fish to 2lb released.
Wicklow Bay Sea Angling Clubmember Jack Byrne was out fishing with club secretary Kit Dunne of Wicklow Boat Charters yesterday morning racked up 4 tope, a nice thornie, a Huss and plenty of Hounds.
The club had their first youth coaching session on Friday just gone. Every one of the kids fished their socks off catching a huge array of species including some fine wrasse, dog fish, pollock, codling and even a small ling. Well done to all and thanks to the coaches who helped make it run smoothly.
Their next one will be held on Friday, June 3rd from 5pm to 9pm, so get in touch with via their Facebook page if interested.
This report on the Mick Kearney Open from the South Shore SAC:
79 senior’s and 6 juniors traveled to the glorious strands on the Wexford coast to fish the Michael Kearney Open. Check in was held at the famous Upton Court Hotel home of the match anglers check in venue for many years. It’s great to have such a facility so close to the fishing venues, it ticks all the boxes. With anglers traveling from all over the country its important to have suitable accommodation, bar and a restaurant under the one roof.
We were fishing 1-6 on three different beaches Ballinoulart, Morriscastle and Tinnaberna. Reports from some lads fishing the previous night that there was a load of weed strewn in the surf. The southerly winds of the past few days had dislodged the new weed growth from its grip and lodged on the normally pristine beaches.
First cast confirmed the reports for those casting over the bank. Thankfully, it was easily removed but none the less it made fishing difficult. I was fishing Morriscastle beach which was favorite to claim the winning bag of fish. It lived up to its favorite tag with with bags of double digit numbers along the stretch where the bank was out a little further. With a dropping tide and water flowing out of the channel it was imperative to get as many flounder as possible on the card.
Ballinoulart was hard work with fish hard to come by, Tinnabernna was a little better with some anglers having double digit bags.
Ian Knight had 19 flounders from under his nose on Morriscastle beach to win the 2022 Michael Kearney Open and claim first prize €1,000. It was a great win for Ian given that he’s recently returned to match fishing scene after a bit of a lay off through injury. No doubt that will sweeten things and he’ll be hungry again.
Winner in zone A was Jamie Santry with 7 fish who traveled up from Cork, Jamie claimed €500 for his zone win and went back south a happy chappie. Another traveler from Cork Pete Davis was the best angler in zone C Pete winkled out 15 fish to claim the zone win.
The winner of the junior Micheal Kearney trophy was Liam Davis, Liam had 4 fish in a hotly contested junior section. Liam is on a good run of form winning all before him, well done young lad. We had a monster Raffle with loads of prizes. These were all donated by the anglers for our charity Heart Children Ireland a worthy cause.
Prizewinners
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This year we raised €1,095 for the cause. The Kearney family would like to thank each and every angler for their support. South Shore would like to thank all the anglers for their continued support of our competitions, we endeavor to give out a fair return and spread of prizes for the anglers. We hope to make this a bigger and better Competition in 2023.
Anglers flooded the car park from early in the morning and there was a great feeling of anticipation in the air, with hopes of catching all 3 target species – pike, perch and trout – and bringing home the trophies and prizes.
Competitors got their measuring board, card and hi-viz jacket at check in and proceeded to the start point on the lake ready for the off once the signal was given at 9am, at which point they scattered all over the designated fishing sector in search of fish.
Checking in
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A few minutes after start, the Score Fishing app – which was used to track all of the catches – recorded the first fish of the day and after that they kept coming till 5 pm, the end of the competition. A total of 91 fish were recorded on the app.
Best teams of the day were rewarded with trophies, cash and sponsored prizes.
First place – Disco Team 382cm – Trophy + €800
Second place – Tegie Lufy 258cm – Trophy + €500
Third place – Fishing Pasion Nature 256cm – Trophy + €300
Special thanks to our Sponsors for the confidence in this competition. For full results you can check ScoreFishing app or http://www.scorefishing.com/?locale=en
Steve Gilbey from the UK was over once again for one of his Pike fishing trips to Melview Fishing Lodge, over the week Steve had fish in the 80’s and 90’s cm mark fishing various different methods. Host Kevin told us there no giants this time around (unlike his last visit when he beat his Personal Best) but Steve is going to give it another go in September.
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Peter wants to know where its Mama is
Harry makes a good start
Harry and Brother Peter along with their father Obe were also over for an angling holiday at Melview Fishing Lodge. Lots of Pike in the 80’s and 90’s caught that week but again there were also a lot of smaller fish showing. Kevin was saying he was a little surprised that particular week never produced any fish over the metre for any of the Pike anglers, but that’s fishing and it is what it is. The main thing is everyone enjoyed the week (even Kevin who thanked the guys for a great week and good company and is looking forward to seeing them back soon.)
Kevin has over 30 years experience of fishing in Ireland and is happy to offer a guided tour on your arrival, and to advise where the on-form waters in the area are. We can arrange your bait order so it’s here when you arrive. Melview offers free use of 17ft lake boats with engines to our guests (pay fuel only) and Kevin is happy to assist with any pre-baiting requests. Maps and other information regarding fishing are also available.
Lough Sheelin Angling Report May 9th – May 22nd 2022
‘The lake, once it casts its spell, holds one in its net of wonder forever’
Jacques Yves Cousteau
The best way to epitomize the anticipation of the mayfly season here on Lough Sheelin is to read this extract from A.A. Milne’s Winnie-the-Pooh.
“Well,” said Pooh, “what I like best,” and then he had to stop and think. Because although eating honey was a very good thing to do, there was a moment just before you began to eat it which was better than when you were, but he didn’t know what it was called.”
The expectation from this lake at this time of the year is enormous, the bar is set high long before boats even go out so when things don’t go according to plan then the fall is harder and more painful. This report covers two weeks due to computer issues which nearly stretched this author’s temper to break Hooke’s law of elasticity, all is resolved now and happily a season of writing stretches gloriously ahead.
Hope springs Ephemeral
This is mayfly time, mythically named ‘Duffer’s Fortnight’ an apparent magical time when even a duffer can catch a monster trout. It is known as Duffer’s Fortnight because, for a blessed window of time between mid May and early June, the allegedly ‘educated’ Sheelin trout become so easy even a duffer can catch them. The word ‘duffer’ unattractively comes from the Scots word dowfart, meaning stupid. Time and time again the mayfly season here has proved this old saying irritatingly wrong and although there have been some good mayfly successes, most of the time the trout have been spectacularly difficult to catch.
Spotted dream
The mayflies normally start appearing from the 16th onwards but this year they have made a slightly earlier debut – May 9th. Huge hatches have already occurred with large numbers twirling upwards around the shoreline bushes, like little spinning tops, waiting to go out on the water. The fishing has been capricious, difficult, challenging or whatever similar word you can think of, and this is mostly down to ‘rough winds do shake the darling buds of May’ but also due to the fact that this lake is stuffed with aquatic food and there is only so much a trout can fit in its belly.
Gary Houston with his mayfly magic
Over the past fortnight the weather has been a disaster, strong and gusty south to south westerlies ripped across the lake on most days with very little respite. Last Wednesday was particularly bad with 8-foot waves focussed on the centre of the lake making a crossing over very dangerous and at times, nigh on impossible. Several boats had to be rescued, some anglers were marooned on Church Island for the night and a few boats broke their moorings and had to be recovered from other areas of the lake. Regardless of the excitement and anxiousness to get out on the water, safety should be of paramount importance. This is a dangerous lake in windy conditions and Sheelin seldom gives second chances.
The surface water temperature hit in at 14.42 degrees with the bottom of 12.5metres reading 14.4 so the wind has given this lake a thorough mixing.
Large trout were caught but they didn’t give themselves up easily and most put up a hard fight. The total catches recorded are over hundred but this, as stated before, covers the two weeks. The heaviest catch for the week was a 9.1 pounder with a few contenders in second place at 8lbs and over. Fishing successes have been mainly down to nymph fishing and wet flies. The choppy water has not been conducive to the dry flies although a smattering of fish have been caught on dry Mays and spent patterns. 95% of the time it has been sub surface feeding. Emerger, nymph patterns and a selection of the wet mays worked well.
John Shevlin’s mayfly
The best day of the week was last Tuesday when there was good movement of fish and some lovely trout were caught at Plunketts Point, Corru, Lynch’s Pt and Gaffney’s Bay. A deluge of rain killed off the fishing for that afternoon but later in the evening, from 7 to 9pm when most boats had disappeared off the lake there were patches of feeding fish in the around Derrysheridan and Bog Bay which were taking balling buzzer and Murrough patterns.
Stephen McKenna with his 71cm trout
In Mayfly season, when supposedly the trout are leaping into the boat, a piece of old carpet might do at the end of your hook, even if that might kill the romance of it all. Conversely, most shop-bought mayflies are massively overdressed, they spin the leader in piggy-tail coils, get soggy and sink. Tying your own if you can do it is the best way to go but alternatively head for the shop, think soft and fuzzy and don’t be tempted by the toy aeroplanes.
Mayfly collection
Flies that worked best were the Bits-type patterns in claret, fiery brown, black, ginger, orange, hare’s ear, olive and grey, the Klinkhammer, Mick Kelly’s Joe Mac, a Griffiths Gnat, Grey Duster, Nymphs – Pheasant Tail, Diawl Bach, Hare’s Ear and Olive in sizes 12 and 14, Mini Muddler as a top dropper, Epoxy Buzzer, Shipmans Buzzer (the scruffier the better), Flashback Buzzers, Black & Peacock Spiders (good snail imitation), CDC Emergers, Greenwell’s Glory, Wickhams Fancy, Bibios and Dabblers (Claret, Olive and Green), French Partridge Mayfly, Golden Olive Bumble, Spent Gnat and Buzzer patterns, sizes 8-12.
Bugs and Critters
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Wood Tiger caterpillar
Sheelin sedge - Plectronemia conspersa
Punk rocker - a Hawthorn fly
Magical mayfly
Landing pad
Hooked up
Heather Beetle
Great diving beetle larva
Going round in circles
Fever fly (Dilophus febrilis)
Femme fatale
Eloquent exhaustion
Belly up - Lough Sheelin's Great Diving Beetle
The best areas for fishing (wind dependent) were the back of Church Island, Corru, Derrysheridan, Inchacup, Stoney Island, Chambers, Lynch’s pt and Plunketts point.
Although time is moving on, with June in sight, it is still early in the mayfly season. It is said that the peak of the mayfly coincides with the peak of the may or whitethorn blossom and although these bushes are cascading with flowers, they are still not quite at their maximum bloom.
Catches
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Weight of the week
Turning the other cheek
Thank you
Rest before release
Prelude to release
Piscatorial pleasure
Holding on to happiness
Holding firm - James Cahill with a 5 pounder
Golden glory - 5lbs 6oz from Colin Cahill
Golden days
Future in the palm
Catch & Release - 5lbs 3oz return
No room for improvement
The lifecycle of the magical mayfly is a fascinating one and worth knowing from an angling point of view. The molting of the nymphs is dedicated by temperature and as the temperature rises the nymphs start molting. Air and gases start collecting under their protective shell (exoskeleton), increasing their buoyancy, which pushes them to the surface. They start fighting the upper pull forces where a large percentage dies in the process, not having enough energy for the transformation. During molting, nymphs don’t breathe. They start coming out of their exoskeleton either while still subsurface or when they float to the surface. Mayflies that are in the molting phase are called emergers. Their exoskeleton splits along the back and they pull themselves out and lift up their wings.
Breaking free
When the nymph emerges as an adult – a dun, it has dull coloured wings, they float on the surface waiting for their wings to fill with fluid and their veins to harden, as opposed to the common belief that they are simply drying out their wings before flight. They are super vulnerable to the trout at this stage, and many become a meal for a cruising fish. They then undergo a second molt which is quite unique in the world of insects. The final transformation is from the dun to a spinner which have clear wings, short antennae and huge eyes. After mating the female returns to the water and drops the eggs while still in flight or dips the back part of the abdomen to deposit them in the water. This is a beautiful and ancient cycle, not to be missed by angler or non angler.
Mayfly is undoubtedly the time when the majority of ‘occasional anglers have a dabble for trout.
Rhithrogena semicolorata
And now back to our survey – Inland Fisheries Ireland is asking anglers to fill in a survey which plans to capture anglers’ knowledge and hands-on experience to help track changes in fish stocks and ecosystems. The new method is called FLEKSI, which stands for Fisher’s Local Ecological Knowledge Surveillance Indicators. The results of this survey could shape future plans for this lake, but we cannot do it without the anglers who fish these waters.
This survey is easy to do, takes a maximum of 10 minutes (unless you want to add extra in on the comments section) and is important. We are asking anglers to have their say by taking the time to complete this survey. The link is included in this report and if contact details are submitted that person will be automatically entered into a draw for angling tackle (one voucher at €200 and two for €100) but this is entirely optional. If anglers are having difficulties with the online version, please contact IFI where the local staff at Sheelin are more than willing to help out.
Sunny side up
Competitions
McDonald Cup 13th of August
LSTPA Stream enhancement competition 2nd of October
Interprovincial Championships 20th of August
Please remember anglers to abide by BYE-LAW 949 which strictly prohibits from June 14th, 2017 onwards:
The taking of any brown trout of less than 36 centimeters.
For a person to fish with more than 2 rods at any one time.
To fish with more than 4 rods at any one time when there is more than one person on board the boat concerned.
For a person to take more than 2 trout per day.
All trolling on the lake from March 1st to June 16th (inclusive).
To fish or to attempt to take or to fish for, fish of any kind other than during the period from March 1st to October 12th in any year.
The pessimist complains about the wind; the optimist expects it to change; the realist adjusts the sails
(William Arthur Ward).
We have to confess to being pessimists over the last week, as windy conditions prevailed for most days. A steady breeze is great for much of our fishing, but strong and gusty winds make fishing difficult inland, and downright impossible off the coast. As a result, deep sea angling took a quieter turn this week, with boats really only getting out on the very odd sheltered day. Last Saturday was one such, and we had reports of great fishing from Galway Bay, West Clare and Killybegs. We have reports of super fishing over the first hald of May from Wicklow, where guests of Wicklow Boat Charters have caught some lovely fish, including some lovely tope and the first black bream of the year.
Black bream
Shore anglers haven’t had it all their own way either, but Jeremy Smith (West Cork Fisher) has enjoyed some great sport, with bass to 6lbs and some lovely gilthead bream too. The Lisdoonvarna Fanore club enjoyed a nice day on the rocks at Ballyreen, with some decent conger and pollack coming ashore.
The mayfly is well up on all the lakes now, but the windy conditions has made fishing difficult, particularly for those seeking dry fly and spent gnat action. Lough Conn saw localised hatches, with fishing to match, many anglers meeting lots of fish while others are seeing none. Good hatches were reported on Lough Arrow, with trout to 4lbs caught.
On the rivers, fly hatches are really in full swing, with great hatches and fishing reported from the River Nore in particular.
We also with the Irish Ladies Flyfishing Team good luck as they compete in the Ladies International Flyfishing Championship next week in Scotland. We also feature a great podcast from Ireland On The Fly about the mayfly season in Ireland.
The early part of the week was relatively dry, with rivers falling slowly, but rain over the last couple of days has seen a rise, and many rivers will be in good order for salmon fishing this weekend. There were 99 salmon reported from the Moy this week. Low water saw few salmon reported from the Bandon, which will benefit from the rain, while good fishing and the first grilse were reported from Lough Currane.
Coarse angling festivals are in full swing, with a busy week ahead on Inniscarra Reservoir. Tommy Burke fished well in tough bright conditions to win the Edenderry Anglers competition at Killeen.
Belmont Anglers fished their Open at Shannon Harbour on Sunday 15th May. By all accounts a great day was had by all the anglers. There were some great fish weighed in including some really handsome tench and bream.
With the summer coming in, a lot of new anglers are taking up the sport, or dusting off old rods and giving it a go again. See our reminder about how to make sure you are fishing legally and looking after the fish.
Other News
Anglers are asked to keep an eye out for tagged shad in the Barrow or Suir rivers in particular. shad were tagged by Inland Fisheries Ireland in 2019 and while some have been recaptured, anglers may have missed the tag on other fish. Check the link above to see how to identify tagged fish.
Two young artists from Cork and Dublin have scooped the winning prizes in the 2022 ‘Something Fishy’ national poster competition, with a third student from Laois being awarded the ‘Special Judges Category’ prize. The competition which is organised by Inland Fisheries Ireland (IFI) in conjunction with Blackrock Education Centre received artistic entries from across the country. We love this one promoting Catch-Photo-Release.
Emma Kilmurry, 5th class winner, Sacred Heart School, Clondalkin, Dublin.
And now the weather
Breezy conditions look set to continue, with a good deal of showery weather coming in off the Atlantic. Saturday looks a nice day, with lighjt to moderate winds and good cloud cover, winds strongest along Atlantic coasts. A showery day follows on Sunday, brightening up later in moderate southwesterlies. Monday looks to be the wettest day, with heavy showers turning heavy, and cooling down. The outlook is for more of the same, showery and breezy, although temperatures recovering later in the week.
The Lisdoonvarna Fanore club held a competition at Ballyreen last weekend, on a beautiful sunny day with a lovely calm sea. Good fishing was enjoyed by all, with the venerable Sean Furlong taking top prize. Experience always tells! In second was Aidan O’Halloran, with James Linnane taking third spot.
A nice mix of species was caught, including pollack, dab, wrasse and conger eel. Well done to all!
Sean Furlong with a nice congerAidan O’Halloran with a fine shore-caught pollackA conger eel for James LinnaneThe top rods receiving their prizes
Go Fishing
Lisdoonvarna Fanore SAC is an active sea angling based in north Clare. They hold regular competitions and outings throughout the year, with the highlight being the International Week around the August bank holiday weekend. New members are always welcome. Check them out here to get in touch.
A relatively tough week on the lakes. Fishing was patchy, with some anglers meeting a lot of trout while others seeing nothing. Shallow waters are fishing best, by all reports, with some good rises and splashing at the fly but still not taking. Still some cool north easterly winds and cool air temperatures are slowing down the fly life on the Lakes. Saying that, some good hatches of mayfly were noted in some areas around Lough Conn when the winds changed to westerly direction during the week.
Best flies for the week were mayfly patterns and dry Olives, Wulff’s and Bumbles.
Peter Roche, Cloghans, with a nice trout from Cloghans Bay, released
At Cloonamoyne Fishery in Enniscoe, at the Northern end of Lough Conn, Ian Wise had a few parties of anglers on the Lake. While he said it was challenging, anglers still had some good sport. A group from Cork met a lot of small fish to bumbles and mayflies with all released, best fish was 1.5 lbs.
2 anglers from Westport had 4 keepers between them on brown wullfs, best 1.75 lbs., all released. A party of anglers from Scotland met a lot of small fish, with some splashing at the fly but not taking, still they had 3 good trout to the boat, best almost 2 lbs., and all were released.
Cloonamoyne Fishery in North Conn with Bog Bay in the background.
Gary Binley and Peter Roche fished Castlehill Bay on Wednesday last with very few mayflies to be seen and had 1 small trout each to the boat. They moved to Cloghans Bay where there was a big hatch of mayfly being blown across the bay in a Westerly breeze. They had several fish to measure, each fish was approximately 1.5 lbs. and all were released.
From Murphy’s Boat Hire, a party of 4 in 2 boats had some patchy fishing around Coleman Shallows and Massbrook Bay. They saw plenty of mayfly on the water but found it difficult to find fish rising to them. They had 3 keepers all released with a few smaller fish to the boat also.
May fly dance at Tolans bay at the weekend
2 Anglers fishing from Murphy’s had 5 trout between them and encountered a lot of smaller trout too, all released, best fish 1.5 lbs., around Massbrook point and Cullinakillew Bay.
Michael Noone, Lahardane, had 3 trout for an evening’s fishing outside Phuilwokhouse Bay and Fir Tree Shore on a Red Tag Green Peter and Bumble Olive.
Crossmolina angling Club held their annual fly competition, the Aidan Connor Cup for heaviest bag and Michael Benson Shield for heaviest fish. 34 Anglers weighed in 18 trout. Eamon Kelly, Dublin and Lahardane, won the overall cup with 4 trout, and Colm McAndrew won the Shield for heaviest trout, at almost 2 lbs.
There were 99 salmon caught during the week ending 15 May in the Moy catchment. 82 of these salmon were reported from the river Moy and 6 of these were released.
13 salmon were reported from Lough Conn, 2 of which came from Pontoon Bridge and 11 from around the lake. Most of these salmon were caught on various spoons. 4 salmon were reported from the river Deel.
Water levels recorded at Ballylahan Bridge were 0.481m on the Monday morning and after heavy rain on Monday night rose quiet quickly to 0.908m and dropped slowly during the week to 0.458m by Sunday night.
Water temperatures averaged 9.9˚celsius throughout the system.
David Mc Loughlin, Ballina, with a salmon of just under 13 lbs caught on worm
The Ridge Pool recorded 3 salmon for the week, best 10.5 lbs. on fly.
Ballina Salmon Anglers reported 4 salmon for the week, best 13lbs. on a worm.
Byrnes Fishery recorded their first Salmon of the season which weighed 13 lbs. and then in the following days had 2 more salmon of 11 lbs. and 9 lbs. respectively.
Armstrong Fishery reported 5 salmon on worm, shrimp and spinner, best of which weighed 13lbs.
Gannon’s Fishery had 2 salmon, best 9 lbs. on prawn and 2 more were lost.
Foxford Fishery produced 3 salmon, best 10 lbs. on a spoon.
Foxford Salmon Anglers had 9 salmon, 5 came from Rinnaney Fishery and 4 came from Bakers waters.
At least 1 salmon was reported from Foxford Town.
Clongee Fishery reported 1 salmon for 10 lbs. on a bubble and fly.
Frank Sommer on East Mayo stretch of Moy.
East Mayo Anglers had 51 salmon for the week with 6 of these released. Jen Jansen from Wicklow had a salmon of 16 lbs. on the fly the biggest recorded for the season so far. 2 more of 14lbs. salmon and a 13 lb salmon were recorded, while the rest averaged 7/8 lbs.
