The Limerick County Pike Anglers were out and about last weekend as they continued their winter competitions. The 13 anglers who made it out for the day were faced with high water and plenty of wind which limited them to fishing mostly static deadbaits or sink and draw. It was a tough day in terms of fish size with ‘jacks’ being the order of the day as a 5lb fish won the biggest fish.
The Leinster Coarse Anglers were back on the banks last week for round four of their winter league. This time they headed for the Grand Canal at Daingan, and, unlike the last outing, all anglers managed to catch a few fish.
23/2/2022 The Lough Currane anglers were nowhere to be seen this day and for good reason, there was a strong WSW wind blowing down the lake, come evening it veered WNW fresh to strong with heavy downpours throughout the day.
24/2/2022 There were two Brown tag boats out this day and spygate reports that for all their efforts there were no takers. Wind WNW fresh to strong and followed by wintery showers and as you can imagine it was very cold out there.
25/2/2022 Just two Boats out again this day and their lines stayed slack throughout the day, just for the record both boats were members of the Brown Tag team. Wind SW light to fresh an overcast all day.
26/2/2022 The Brownless, Barbless anglers were left Salmonless this day and for a very good reason, Lough Currane was wild with a strong Southerly wind blowing across the lake.
27/2/2022 All quiet on all fronts except for the wind and for good reason, come lunchtime there was a strong SSW fresh to strong, average speed 30 mph, gusts average speed 40 mph.
28/2/2022 Just 3 boats out this day and for all their efforts just a few Kelts caught. As we all know the second brown tag draw took place today and as far as I know some of the local pro’s missed out again. Wind WNW and veered NNW light with little cloud.
1/3/2022 Just two boats out and spygate reports all quiet on all fronts. Wind light ESE followed by bright sunshine all day.
2/3/2022 Spygate reports that there were two boats out manipulating their skills this day and only contacted a few Kelts. Wind was all over the place today and overcast followed by heavy rain at times.
The third and final draw brown tags on Lough Currane will take place on March 28th to allocate the remaining 20 brown tags.
Applications for this draw may be made from 14/03/22 to 25/03/22.
Any anglers that are interested in entering the January draw are being asked to email their request to Inland Fisheries Ireland at watervillebrowntag2022@fisheriesireland.ie providing their contact details and quoting their 2022 Salmon Licence number.
Anglers must provide intheir email entry:
Name
Contact Address
Telephone Number
2022 Salmon Licence number – including licence letter prefix
This is the only method to apply for a brown tag. Anglers may only fish one brown tag over the full season. Multiple applications will disqualify. Salmon Licences are available to buy online at: https://store.fishinginireland.info
The brown tag regulations came into force on the Waterville catchment from January 17th and will remain in place until midnight on May 12th 2022.
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
Shane O'Reilly of Inland Fisheries Ireland with Irish Fly-tier Peter Kealey at the launch of the publication of the 1902 Cork Fly Collection
Traditional Irish salmon flies, commissioned one hundred and twenty years ago for the Cork International Exhibition in 1902, are set to feature in a new historical picture book to mark ‘World Book Day’.
Fly tying involves the ‘dressing’ of a fishing hook to create an artificial fly, which is then used by anglers at the end of a rod and line to catch fish. It’s a little-known part of Ireland’s heritage but many angling shops in Ireland in the late 1800s and early 1900s employed ‘fly dressers.’ Some were considered masters of their craft, thanks to their skills, creativity and the traditional methods that they used.
In recognition of the cultural importance of this craft and to record examples, a collection of traditional fly dressings was commissioned in 1902, with specific sets of flies collected for each of the twenty fishery districts throughout the country. The current custodians of this important collection, Inland Fisheries Ireland, is publishing the ‘1902 Cork Collection of Salmon Flies’ picture book online this week, making it freely available to new generations around the world.
Shane O’Reilly of Inland Fisheries Ireland with the 1902 Cork Collection of Salmon Flies
Speaking at the launch of the picture book to coincide with World Book Day on March 3rd, the manager of the project, Shane O’Reilly of Inland Fisheries Ireland, said: “This new book offers a unique glimpse into Ireland’s past, showcasing the detail and beauty of traditional Irish salmon flies and the wide range of materials and techniques used by Irish fly dressers at the time. Many of those fly dressers are now revered around the world for the quality of their craft, so this collection is of significant cultural importance too, and is now available for the next generation to discover.”
Over a hundred years after the Cork International Exhibition took place, interest in the collection was re-ignited by angling author, the late E.J. ‘Ted’ Malone, who described the collection as a “long lost treasure of Irish Angling”. Malone worked alongside Peter Kealey and Peter Dunne, all fly tying experts, to meticulously examine, photograph and record the various fly dressings. Sadly, Ted Malone passed away in 2017 and the book is dedicated to his memory.
Over 380 individual salmon flies have been catalogued for this project, representing twenty fishery districts such as Galway, Ballina, Killarney, Dublin, Ballyshannon and Lismore. These flies were often ‘dressed’ for use on specific rivers or lakes, with subtle differences in hue and colour to reflect what was believed to be the best pattern on that fishery, at a particular time of year.
Inland Fisheries Ireland is exploring ways of putting the original collection on display once more and members of the public are being encouraged to contact the state agency with any suggestions they may have.
‘The 1902 Cork Collection of Salmon Flies’ is available to view below.
The Irish Specimen Fish Committee would like to update anglers on progress with the 2021 Annual Report and Awards Day. The report is being finalised now with a view to being published in April. The usual Awards Day event held in February every year was postponed due to the COVID-19 situation, but it is planned to have an event at some stage in 2022.
We would like to remind all anglers of the importance of proper fish handling for all species. Excessive handling and time out of water is harmful to fish, and so should always be minimised. This is particularly important for species like shad as they are less hardy than other fish.
Finally, some Specimen fish rules updates for 2022:
Corkwing wrasse length – 2021 was a data collection year for this species in order to set a realistic threshold. Data showed that the guideline length of 20 cm total length (TL) was too low. The new threshold is being set at >24 cm total length. This will apply to all claims received in 2021 and from now onwards.
Twaite Shad – the threshold length from 2022 onwards is 50 cm total length. From 2022 no weight-based claims for shad will be accepted. The only exception is where a record shad is being claimed.
Perch – length-based specimen category added with a threshold of 40 cm fork length
Grey Gurnard – threshold weight reduced to 600g and length based specimen category at 40 cm total length introduced
The ISFC may advise of more changes before the 2021 annual report is published.
Primary school students around the country are being asked to design a poster that encourages greater conservation of Ireland’s native fish.
The national poster competition, organised by Inland Fisheries Ireland in conjunction with Blackrock Education Centre, is part of the ‘Something Fishy’ educational programme and officially kicks off this month.
Open to fifth and sixth class pupils, the winning posters will be used as part of an awareness campaign to promote the ‘catch, photo and release’ (CPR) method of angling in Ireland. Under the ‘CPR’ approach, a fish that is caught with a rod by an angler is quickly photographed and then returned safely back into the same water to swim away. As a result, greater numbers of fish can be conserved in rivers, lakes and around coastlines, putting less pressure on fish populations and boosting biodiversity.
To enter, primary school students are being asked to create a poster with the ‘catch, photo and release’ message, take a photograph of it and then submit it by email before the closing date of Friday, April 15th 2022. The winning students in fifth and sixth class categories will receive a tablet to the value of €500 and will have their work featured in an awareness campaign.
In 2021, Inland Fisheries Ireland and the Blackrock Education Centre ran a national poetry competition, with two young poets from Tipperary and Carlow scooping the top prizes. To enter the 2022 competition, parents, guardians or teachers are asked to email original entries to outreach@fisheriesireland.ie before Friday, April 15th. Only one entry is allowed per student and all winners will be announced in early June.
Free resources with further details about the competition are available from www.somethingfishy.ie
There was a lot of huffing and puffing last week, so much so that it felt a bit like a fairy tale as we faced three separate barrages of wind in the guise of storms Dudly, Eunice and Franklin. Each pounded the country in short succession, bringing high winds and plenty of rain, with 30mm to 60mm falling in most areas, sending most of our waterways into a sustained flood. Overall, the sheer nastiness of the weather will have limited fishing opportunities for many of us this past week, and the knock-on effect is that there are few enough angling reports to highlight in this week’s update.
It’s fair to say that anyone who did venture out in those conditions deserved to be rewarded, and so it was for lucky Newbridge Pike Angler Brendan Jarvis. Braving the winds and sheets of rain to fish a Newbridge Pike Anglers club competition, Brendan ended a 17-year wait to beat his PB, and he did it in style by landing a super pike of 30lb 1oz, which also broke the club record. After waiting that long for a pike that size, it’s only fair to award Brendan this week’s Catch of the Week.
Halleluja – A long wait is rewarded in a cracking PB of 30lb 1oz for Brendan Jarvis.
Another pike angler has had a few memorable moments recently as angling guide Gerard from Borderfishing pulled out some remarkable results for his clients. In the space of a week, he managed to boat 47 pike for his clients, with plenty over the 20lb mark and one tipping 115cm. Meanwhile, in the midlands area, Mick ‘the Fish’ Flanagan ventured out to the Roal canal between storms last week and created his own ‘Yellow Warning’ with one of his favourite pike lures.
The storms didn’t only favour the pike anglers, as Menapia Sea Anglers found out during their competition last weekend. A late change of venue to escape the worst of the blast ended up being quite fortunate, as bumper bags were had by all anglers, with treble-shots of fish being the rule rather than the exception.
A nice treble of flatties – one of many on the day for Menapia SAC.
For any youngsters looking to learn about sea angling, the Irish Federation of Sea Anglers will host a training day on 26th March in Kilmuckerudge, Co. Wexford. The training day will see experienced coaches give the lowdown on sea angling tips, tricks and techniques and will be a great learning experience for any youths, juniors or ladies that might be interested in having a go.
We had another fishery register its first salmon of the year last week; this time, it was the Upper Caragh fishery in Kerry. Mike O’Shea, the fishery manager, landed a lovely fresh salmon of 6lb, which was quickly released back to the water. The next five weeks will see the best of the spring fishing on the system, so anybody interested should give Mike a call. And there was another first of the season down in Kerry during the week as Lough Currane registered its first fly-caught salmon of the year. With boats confined to harbours for most of the week, local angler Dominic McGillicuddy slipped out between storms Eunice and Frankilin to land a beauty of 12lb, which was also returned to the water.
Mike with the first salmon of the season from the Upper Caragh
One thing that many of us have missed over the past two years is meeting up with like-minded anglers at the various expos, shows and fairs that are usually on our calendar. It’s great to see a few of them making a post-restriction comeback, and one that has recently been announced is the free demo weekend at Clonanav Fly Fishing. Taking place on the 2/3 of April, there will be an impressive roster of fly angling related demonstrations by well-known angling personalities.
Clonanav free demo day 2&3rd April 2022
While we have no coarse angling reports in this week, we do have news of a few festivals you might want to pencil into your calendar. Both Clones Coarse Angling Club and the Cootehill Angling Festival have announced details of their events taking place later in 2022.
And now the weather
Showers of rain, hail and sleet will continue through Thursday in blustery winds that will turn strong in the west and north-west. It will turn cold overnight with temperatures around freezing and frost and ice are a possibility. Friday will be mostly dry and bright, with milder temperatures from 7 to 10 degrees. This milder weather will continue into the weekend with a band of rain crossing the country on Saturday night accompanied by gusty winds. The unsettled spell will continue through Sunday and into the early part of next week.
16/2/2022 Storm Dudley took control of the Brown Tags and Barbless Currane Anglers this day so as you can imagine the high stool was the next port of call as they look forward to their pint and to discuss storm Dudley. Well, that sums up today’s lack of action or you could say all wind, no action. Wind WSW strong.
17/2/2022 Both Brown Tags and Barbless Currane Anglers were as elusive as could be this day. Wind WNW and veered WSW and veered this evening SE Fresh to strong in the morning and light to fresh in the afternoon. As you all know Storm Eunice hits the SW of Ireland early tomorrow morning and if predictions are correct the chances are I will have no internet tomorrow evening? So, on that note to all you good people of Ireland stay safe.
18/2/2022 Storm Eunice brought South Kerry to a halt, and I can say without any fear of contradiction Storm Eunice had no mercy on technology as I predicted the internet would be down and out as were the Currane Anglers this Eunice day.
19/2/2022 Storm Eunice may have controlled the Currane Anglers yesterday and there is no argument to that, today with Storm Eunice well gone, there was no stopping the Flyman taking control of the waters this day and for good reason, as the Flyman went out the trolling man went home and for all his efforts just caught a few kelts, well the same couldn’t be said for the Flyman because within a few casts the Flyman was into a cracker of a 12 lbs. salmon. It was a fine catch and release and just for the record that’s the first salmon caught on the fly 2022. For those who do not know who the Flyman is, it’s the one and only Mr. Dominic McGillicuddy of www.fishingwithdom.com. Wind WNW light to fresh and overcast with heavy showers.
20/2/22 It was splendid work by the Flyman to catch the first salmon on the fly yesterday after Storm Eunice because Storm Franklin took control of the whole of Ireland today and sadly that includes the Currane Anglers and going by the forecast, tomorrow isn’t looking good. Wind WSW and veered W and again veered WNW, NW. Wind gusts speed 63 mph/ 100kmh average speed 40 mph/64kmh
21/2/2022 There were two brown tag boats and one barbless boat out manipulating this day and by all accounts for all their efforts sadly they weren’t rewarded with a wild Atlantic Salmon. Wind NW and veered WSW light to fresh and overcast.
22/2/2022 Currane spygate reports that there was just one brown tag boat out today. Wind WNW light to fresh followed by a few showers.
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
A nice treble of flatties - one of many on the day for Menapia SAC.
Menapia Sea Anglers were back in action last week as they resumed their club competition calendar. And the wind almost put an end to things before they started, as the planned venue was unfishable, forcing a move to more sheltered waters at Rooney Point. But it proved a fortuitous move, as the venue, known to be a ‘big bag’ venue, lived up to its reputation and delivered some cracking fishing over the 4-hour competition. The winning bag was a super 70 fish, but with an average bag of 47 and triple shots everywhere, it’s safe to say that all competitors enjoyed the evening.
25 members of the Newbridge & District Pike Anglers faced some brutal weather last Sunday to fish their ‘Dubs Cup’ competition. The horrendous wind and rain did not stop all day and, unsurprisingly, it hampered the fishing badly as only 7 anglers caught fish on the day. A day to forget for most…
But for one member it will be a day to remember as Brendan Jervis ended a 17 year weight to break his PB and, at the same time, broke the club record in landing a whopping 30lb 1oz pike. Looks like every cloud does have a silver lining…
Halleluja -A long wait is finally rewarded with a cracking 30!A smile can speak a thousand words…
Nobody topped Brendan’s weight and he ran away with the Dubs cup. Full results:
We had another fishery register its first salmon of the year last week; this time, it was the Upper Caragh fishery in Kerry. Mike O’Shea, the fishery manager,
