Cavan CAC held their fourth league match of 25/26 on a Leitrim lake last weekend. Ten anglers fished, but weights were not great due to horrendous weather – but at least there were no blanks! Anthony Sparrow landed the golden peg, but unfortunately for him, he tied for 1st with Colin Moffitt. That’s the last match for 2025 for the Cavan club; they will resume in February, although there might be a Christmas match before the end of the year if there are enough willing participants.
1st Anthony Sparrow/Colin Moffitt
Section A Gary Rogers
Section B Lee Symonds
Also in Leitrim were the CM Lakelands Club, who held an open feeder match on Houghtons shore, Lough Garadice, on Sunday. Fourteen anglers fished in cold conditions, and only a decent haul of skimmers got into the top 4. Mariusz Kilian won the match from peg 60, catching some nice skimmers and hybrids at distance to weigh 5.800 kg. 2nd overall was Nytro Angler Richard Pratt, who had a mixed bag of skimmers and roach fishing at distance to weigh 4.600 kg from peg 47. 3rd overall was Andy Butterfield, who caught some nice-sized skimmers to weigh 4.150 kg from peg 53. Irish Feeder boss Brenton Sweeney made up the top 4 with a weight of 3.900 kg of skimmers, roach and perch to get in the main frame.
The Dromod/Rooskey Pike Angling Club will be hosting their Darragh Healy Cup Open Boat Competition this weekend. Details of the competition are given below:
IFPAC has announced the return of its Boat Competition this February, building on the success of last year’s event. The upcoming competition is expected to be even stronger, featuring improved organisation, an excellent venue and the same enjoyable atmosphere that made the previous outing so popular. Anglers of all experience levels are invited to take part, test their skills and enjoy a friendly, competitive day on the water with pike anglers from across the country.
Full event details — including date, venue and entry information — are provided on the official poster. Participants will meet afterwards in Murtagh’s Pub in Aughnacliffe.
The final day of the 2025 Leinster League, fished at Kilcoole, opened in bright, calm conditions, with several anglers—Wayne Hamilton, Paul Tyndall, Anto Scanlon, Eric Gasparro and Ciaran Fogarty—still in contention. The junior title race between Phillip Kennedy Ryan and Luke Kinsella was also extremely close. Spirits were high among the 40 competitors at check-in, where Ciaran Fogarty drew the coveted Peg 40.
Fishing began at 1 p.m., but despite the clear sea, anglers faced a strong tide run and heavy grassy weed. Early catches included flats for Ryan Blair and Eric Gasparro, while in Zone B, Ciaran was rumoured to be finding valuable dogfish. Weed caused major issues, even dragging one of Eamonn Bermingham’s rods into the surf—requiring a successful but soaking retrieval.
Fishing remained slow overall. In Zone A, Ryan Blair’s late surge, including a dogfish, secured him the zone win with six fish, followed by Eric Gasparro and James Ryan. In Zone B, Ciaran Fogarty dominated with 11 fish, including several dogs and a standout 35 cm flounder, giving him both the zone and overall win. Alan Mulcahy also had 11 fish for second, with Eamonn taking third.
Junior angler Phillip Kennedy Ryan produced a superb eight-fish performance that would have won an adult zone. Luke and Sean Kinsella also fished strongly. Pool winners included James Ryan (36 cm bass), Stephen Byrne (33 cm flounder), Alan Mulcahy (42 cm coalie) and Ciaran (35 cm flounder).
Once tallied, Eric Gasparro was crowned the 2025 Leinster League champion after an impressively consistent season. Phillip Kennedy Ryan claimed the Junior League title by a narrow margin ahead of Luke Kinsella.
The Leinster Shore and Southshore SAC Committees thanked all anglers for their support throughout the year, noting over 100 participants across events. Dates for the 2026 Leinster League will be announced soon, with more sponsored events and increased prize money planned.
On Saturday, 29 November, the Ulster Krakens Open Competition returned to Waterfoot. Reports from the previous two weeks had been poor, with storms leaving the beach heavily covered in weed. Committee members monitored conditions closely, and a local angler provided updates throughout the week. After inspecting the venue early on the day, the committee confirmed that although part of the beach remained full of weed, the opposite end offered clear and fishable water.
The peg draw began at 1 p.m. in the Mariners Bar, where anglers gathered for some banter before heading to their positions. Fishing commenced at 3 p.m., and early action was slow, with few flatfish being landed. As darkness fell, attention shifted to round fish, and seven bass were caught across the beach. Junior angler Layton Finlay landed the biggest at 37 cm, while Paddy O’Boyle earned the title of “bass bandit” with four bass.
Sam Nicholl remained on the end peg after peg 1 went unused, and Sammy on the opposite end peg delivered a strong performance, including a 39 cm coalie. On peg 17, Raymond McCann landed a notable 35 cm flounder. With little information circulating among competitors, results remained uncertain until lines were lifted at 8 p.m. and scorecards were tallied back at the Mariners Bar.
The organisers expressed their thanks to all participants and to Josie McLaughlin of Causeway Bait and Tackle for generously sponsoring prizes.
The fifth and final round of the Royal Enfield Winter League took place last Sunday in freezing conditions along the canal. Fourteen anglers participated in what proved to be a very disappointing match, with only a handful of fish caught. Mark Leonard won the day, followed by Pat Bartley as runner-up. They were, unfortunately, the only two anglers to land any fish.
Leinster extended its congratulations to Mark Leonard as the overall League winner. Enfield expressed its appreciation to all anglers who supported Brian with swim-cleaning throughout the league, including Michael O’Connor, Mark Leonard, Griffin Anderson, and many others. The club also thanked all league participants for their continued support.
Sunday’s Results 1st – Mark Leonard 2nd – Pat Bartley
Overall League Standings 1st – Mark Leonard (4 pts) 2nd – Pat Bartley (5 pts) 3rd – Conor Browne (6 pts) 4th – Jeff Morrison (8 pts)
Mark Leonard receives his trophy
The Leinster Fur & Feather competition is scheduled for Sunday, 14 December, with further details to be announced shortly.
On Saturday evening (29 November) the club held our very first John Cronin memorial competition, held on Ballyquinn beach from 4 till 8pm. Sixteen eager anglers made their way onto the beach with varying tactics in mind. Into fish from the first casts were Mochara Fraher and Jimmy Kelly, but it was a quiet start for most other anglers.
Once darkness fell the fishing picked up with dogs, painted ray and whiting being brought ashore. A nice ray of 79cm was caught by Jimmy Kelly and a bull huss of 65cm for Pat Buckley saw them take the pools. Jordan Muir was picking away steadily on some nice whiting, finishing in 3rd place. After a slow start Pat Maher found the fish late on surging up the table to finish in 2nd place. Some things are just meant to be and a very close friend of John’s no other than JP Molloy bagging up 12 dogs to take the win. A very fitting winner for the night it was.
1st JP Molloy
2nd Pat Maher
3rd Jordan Muir
A special thanks to the Cronin family for presenting the shield on a cold and dark beach car park.
Thank you to all that attended and we will look to build on this year on year making it bigger and better.
It’s not all about the fish, creating a fishing experience. With canals a little murky from rain i look at some tactics I use. Our guest angler this week was Russ from Orlando who usually saltwater fishes, how will he fair our against the southern county rainbows. In the beginner section we look at joining our leader to fly line and a simple float rig for roach. Finishing off with the upcoming events and classes.
As a guide in the hospitality sector most of my clients are new to fishing. Fishing has been special to me for some time and was always there. I have had some great days on the riverbank and just enjoyed the time. It can help with tough days, but you don’t have to have a tough day to go for a cast. Is fishing about the fish? well it can be as strange as that sounds.
A snack on the river
A fishing experience is about adding more, good tea/coffee, traditional food, good conversation and perhaps a not so traditional fancy biscuit of some sort. I watch my clients fish and if I see them getting a little frustrated or perhaps tired we stop and have a cup of tea with a slice of apple tart while speaking about their topic of choice, you get to become good at this and the conversation just flows, people speak about things they normally wouldn’t. I have had people fish for ten mins and talk on the bank for one hour while they have some Lyons gold blend tea and a slice of homemade apple tart or some TK red lemonade with a pulled bacon bap. It makes the “fishing benefit” umbrella larger to show people it’s not all about catching “all the fish”.
Tea break
The reason this can be beneficial is that it involves more people in fishing by creating an experience, they may not be the best angler but are quite good at making a packet of biscuits disappear while sitting on the bank watching their friend or family member fish. Some of course are not beginners and want to fish every minute that is given which is great, with beginners it’s nice to show them a way to ease them into angling, let them see it can be a lovely experience and just a “slow down” one.
Getting fishing in Winter
Coarse fish in the Canals
Roach on the float
Ohhhh here is rain and our rivers look like the chocolate used in the making of rice Krispie buns, what to do. I fish the canals quite a lot with Anthony and mostly the fish push back into these canals during high water. The fish become more reliant on feel as opposed to sight in these conditions, their sense of smell is of course very important too. My approach during these times is simple and quite effective.
A little analogy I use with people is, if I blindfolded a person, usually they either sit down or put their hands out to feel for something sturdy to hold on to or lean against. The fish work similar, they tend to not be able to see so look for structure or banks to hug alongside. I fish the margins mostly and very quietly too, a light float set up with a delicate approach to where i want to fish.
Roach on the float
The fish’s sensitivity to noise and vibration is on hyper mode so we must do everything with extreme caution. I drop the bait over the edge, which is usually a worm or something strong smelling. The reason I use a worm is that they get washed in and fall in during times of rain and higher water. It feels a little strange fishing so close in, however it can be a very successful way of fishing and exciting to. Best of luck out there
Rainbows at Southern County
My guest client this week was Russ who mostly fly fished on the flats for bonefish and other species, as its off season on the river we hit Southern County fishing resort for some rainbows. Let’s see what Russ had to say,
“I was excited to try for Rainbow trout in Ireland, I would have liked to fish the river for Browns but am hoping to return next year during the river season. We used snakes in southern county which are like our articulate streamers back home.
I mostly fish saltwater but have been on a few us rivers. The casting for me was enjoyable, I was able to get out to where Dan wanted me to cast, changing my retrieves was an interesting part of the experience, it is amazing how the fish respond so quickly to changing your retrieve, the pattern of the day was white and orange, Dan showed me how to tie these type of fly so i am looking forward to fishing them back home and tying a few for sure.
We had many fish, and each take as exciting and hard hitting as the next, the biggest fish i caught was about 9 pounds and was great fun on the 6wt rod. The line we used was a sink tip line as Dan mentioned we needed to get down a bit as the water was slightly coloured, it was a sink 5 if i remember correctly, never used a roll cast before to raise the sink tip before the cast but found it very useful and will for sure be using it in the future.
Until my next trip to Ireland which will hopefully be very soon.”
Rainbow in Southern County
Rigs, tips and how tos
Joining our leader to fly line
Perfection loop – can be seen on my tiktok channel
As with most of my tips, it’s the way I tend to find easiest. When joining my leader to fly line I use the perfection loop. There are a couple of reasons I use the perfection loop;
I find the turnover to be a little smoother
it doesn’t cut through the pvc coating of the flyline.
Roach on the canal can be super fun on light gear. I use a light 10ft combo rod by Cadence. I use 3 pound mainline with a 3bb float. I begin fishing with my bait just above the riverbed. I don’t like to ground bait to heavily this time of year, I like to put a mere suggestion of ground bait in the swim. I stick with quite flat scents in the groundbait, nothing too sweet as it can put them off. Hookwise I use a kamasan size 16 barbless with a maggot or worm section on.
Roach can be quite shy and sensitive to resistance to so it’s always good to have your float barely visible so when they take the bait, they feel little or no resistance. If your float sits high, they will feel the resistance and will reject the bait, this is particularly true with the larger roach and can be the cause of many missed bites, so shot that float correctly.
Once you get the roach feeding, they will stay feeding confidently but if there is pike nearby it won’t be long before the activity of the roach attracts them into the swim. Many times, I have had a pike grab my roach on the retrieve. Once the pike has its fill and moves away the roach will begin feeding again.
Guided fishing
Pike and Rainbow trout guiding
I am taking bookings for rainbow trout and pike guiding trips. Can take up to 3 people per trip, Ideal for beginners or improvers. Contact me through [email protected] for more details.
Follow me
Tik – Tok and Instagram live streams
I have begun my live streams over on Tik Tok and Instagram. I jump on Tik Tok first then Instagram immediately afterwards. Follow me on Instagram, Tik Tok or Facebook to get the time schedule for the lives and the topics that will be discussed. The live streams are about different fishing techniques and methods, I also look at fly rods and other bits and pieces, I also answer questions you may have. Lives are recorded and posted on my Instagram page in case you miss the livestream.
I will be attending the Pescare Show in Rimini, Italy on the 13th to 15th of February after receiving an invite from the organisers, very honoured to receive the invite to this fantastic show. Keep an eye on the newsletter for all the latest news on the show.
British fly fair international – I will also be at the BFFI on the 7th and 8th of February, I will be with Cadence at the event casting some of the rod range and answering questions.
Ardaire springs – Irish spring angling show – I will be attending the Irish angling spring show on the 2nd and 3rd of May with Cadence, Fulling Mill and APGAI IRE. Showcasing the Cadence rod range with maybe even a surprise new range to try.
Irish Fly Fair – the iconic Irish fly fair is back on the 14th and 15th of November, I will be there with Cadence, Fulling Mill and APGAI IRE. Super to be included in the Irish Fly fair team and work with some of the greats.
Tuition classes – I hold tuition classes all year round on many different fly-fishing applications, for a full list contact me at [email protected]
Growing up in the countryside of Gowran, Co.Kilkenny, I started my fishing journey on the River Barrow with my dad, which is where I caught my first fish, a lovely brown trout. The Gowran River was also a short walk from my homeplace, and on the days my dad couldn’t fish, I would walk through the fields and fish the Gowran River. My love for fishing grew and took me to Mount Juliet Estate, where I began guiding at 13. I went on to become fisheries manager at Mount Juliet Estate and, to this day, enjoy taking out hundreds of clients every year fishing on the River Nore. I enjoy all types of fishing and guide all over Ireland. I am an Apgai Ireland-qualified casting instructor and have Ambassador roles with Cadence and Yeti. I joined Fulling Mill as an endorsed pro guide and am part of the Patagonia pro team. My angling journey has been an exciting one and hopefully will continue to be.
I take out all levels of anglers, from beginner to experienced. I enjoy what I do and count myself very lucky to be able to meet and guide new people to what might be their first Irish fish.
Munster Coarse Anglers fished the fourth match of their winter series on the Lower Shannon at the weekend. Kevin Leahy reports…
Again nine seams to be the magic number with another nine soul’s braving the biting cold wind and flooded fields to fish the 4th round of our winter series. To be honest all was looking good for the first hour or so with bites coming regularly from small roach but as the wind got colder and the flow increased the bites got fewer and fewer until the all out was greeted with cheer along the bank.
1 of 5
Morgan with a nice Skimmer and hybrid in his net
Steve Grogan wrapped up against the cold
Richard Bedford
Ian Kelsey
Kevin Leahy with a nice perch
Congratulations to the on form Morgan Lewis for a another win.
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 sport. www.ncffi.ie
We’ve had all seasons of weather this week, with the mildest daytime highs up to 15°C and the bitterest overnight lows down to -3°C. The sun has made an appearance, but never for long and the occasional short, calm spells have been overpowered by strong winds and all kinds of rain. Not a great week for fishing, with low angling effort reflected in this week’s reports, but not bad weather for spawning trout, and thankfully there are plenty of redds being dug around the country as you read…
To the coast, where James Raymond from Irish Angling Adventures is organising a series of monthly meet-ups to allow people to socialise and learn from other anglers in a no-pressure environment. James is a sea angling guide who just wants to see more people fishing, whether it be for pleasure or competition, so if you want to tag along, make sure and get in touch.
Every year we share a few Christmas gift ideas – for those looking for a little stocking filler for the angler in their life. Even better if it’s a guaranteed Irish product and you can support small Irish businesses along the way. Well, if the angler in your life is a sea angler, look no further! Ben Kinsella of www.tidecalendar.ie has produced a range of superb calendars with local tide times and heights for every day of the year. The tides are beautifully presented in an easy-to-understand graphic, along with beautiful photos of the local region that the tide table covers.
Salmon regs 2026
The Department of Climate, Energy and the Environment has opened a public consultation on the Wild Salmon and Sea Trout Tagging Scheme (Amendment) Regulations 2025 and Conservation Measures for 2026. Details of the proposed regulations and information on how to make a submission are available here: Wild Salmon and Sea Trout Regs and Conservation Measures for the 2026 Season announced.
And now the weather
Scattered showers for most areas tonight, with possible hail and thunder. More persistent rain later in the north and west. Cold, with lows of 0°C to 4°C.
A cloudy start on Saturday, with scattered heavy showers from the north, possibly with hail or isolated thunderstorms. Brighter spells later in the day before more showers move in. Cold, with highs of 5°C to 9°C in northerly winds.
Cold and mostly dry overnight and into Sunday, bringing frost and ice. Lows of -2°C to +2°C and daytime highs of 4°C to 8°C as cloud and patchy rain move in from the west later. Beyond this, the outlook is for cold, changeable and unsettled weather with plenty of rain.
Don’t forget to double-check the forecast before heading off, and if you’re going to sea, check the tides.
Anyone who would like to fish the Munster Coarse Anglers Winter League can contact us by 
