Thomas Coyle took up fishing as a pastime at the beginning of the lockdowns but since then it has become something he knows will be a lifelong hobby…
Any chance I get, I grab the rods and head fishing. On an overcast and dry afternoon last weekend I headed to the water. It was exceptionally quiet with no other angler’s to be seen except for the herons that stalked shoals of fish on the canal banks. The fishing was slow until I moved to a different spot. And it didn’t take long until I had the first fish of the day. It was a pike weighing about 2-3 lbs.
Thomas Coyle with his Grand Canal pike
Roughly 3 minutes after the first fish I had another pike (the one shown in the picture), again caught on a small roach deadbait fished under a float. Both pike were safely returned.
Before I left I noticed the float went under yet again. I lifted the rod up but didn’t manage to set the hook. I did manage to get a quick glance at the sizable pike that I just missed!
Over past weeks sea angling has been badly affected by the first winter storms hitting our coasts. However, Killybegs Fishing Trips found a gap in between storms and despite a massive swell which made it difficult to get to some of the good marks experienced anglers onboard Fiona Tee managed to catch a few nice fish. Amongst them this pollack which wins Catch of the Week.
Go fishing…
Fiona Tee
33′ Interceptor. 300HP Caterpillar Skipper: Michael McGettigan Licence: 961 Base: Mullaghmore Operational area: Donegal Bay. Within 30 miles of land.
Notes: With over 40 years experience in Sea Angling in Donegal Bay, we bring you to the best locations and guarantee the best that angling in Donegal Bay has to offer. The MV Fiona Tee is equipped with all the latest technology ensuring all our fishing charters are monitored and offer real time tracking. We are also fully equipped with the latest in onboard safety equipment.
Very high water today, but the fishing wasn’t bad at all, with lots of anglers catching 50 plus fish. Seamus Winters topped the 28 anglers that fished today with a weight of 4.520kg from White Island. The 3 next best weights came from the deep water on South Lodge.
OVERALL TODAY
1ST Seamus Winters 4.520kg
2nd Robertas Ziltias 4.480kg
3rd Darren Fairhurst 4.080kg
4th poitier Horbinski 4.000kg
SECTIONS x 4
Alan Larkin/Irmantas Scriupa 3.640kg each
Rimantas Kondrackas 3.980kg
Damien Folytn 3.560kg
Andy Chapman 3.730kg
We are now at the halfway point of the league and there is a break of a month. The top 6 is very tight at the moment and the results will be printed up during the week. 37 anglers have entered the league.
Merry Christmas and a happy new year to all our fellow anglers.
The Erne Anglers continued their winter league last weekend and this report comes from their Facebook page:
29 Anglers fished the sixth round of the Winter League on a fast-running, flooded River Erne in mild weather conditions on Sunday.
Winner of the match Mick Mahoney fishing the feeder on Derrychara catching 10.280 of Bream on peg 16. Runner up was Jack Tisdall on the QE Road peg 3 catching 62 fish on the pole for 6.750Kgs. In third place was Karl Woodhouse with a mainly pole catch of 6.050Kgs in the backchannel at the Forum.
Haunted by Waters - available online and in book shops now
There’s nothing like a well timed angling book, and Haunted by Waters hits the spot. This lively and evocative book is the perfect antidote to long winter nights spent aimlessly channel hopping or video surfing on Youtube.
Immerse yourself in Daire’s year of living a fly anglers dream on this green and many watered Island, and make plans for your own fishing adventures in 2022.
Haunted by Waters is available in all good book shops and online.
Award-winning producer and journalist Daire Whelan had reached the end of another busy week and couldn’t shake the feeling that life was passing him by too quickly. Vowing to make a change, he decided to commit to a year of fly fishing and set about planning his route through the wild and rugged landscape of Ireland.
Here, in Haunted by Waters: A Journey into the Irish Countryside we travel with Daire throughout a season of fly fishing. But as he searches for a sense of meaning, meeting kindred spirits as he explores the rivers and lakes, Daire finds himself rediscovering the majestic beauty of his native country.
From fishing on our most secluded bays and wildest loughs in Connemara and Kerry, to casting a line on the rippling waters of the Suir in Tipperary, catching salmon on the Blackwater in Waterford, and the serenity of the Dodder in Dublin on a workday afternoon, Haunted by Waters is an evocative and stunning love letter to Ireland through a sport rich in tradition and storytelling.
Well, for once the weather really needs no introduction as the country is slowly waving goodbye to storm Barra, which has raged over most of the country in the past 48 hours. Leaving wind damage, flooding and widespread power cuts in its wake, it’s no surprise to find that rainfall over the past week was well above average for this time of year. The inclement weather forced anglers to stay at home for the last few days, and that is evidenced by the limited number of reports we have this week, with any angling action confined to last weekend when the weather was far more pleasant.
One angler who made his mark at the weekend was Artur ‘Pike Seeker’ who ventured out on the River Barrow to cast a new lure for some river pike. The going was slow initially, but things picked up around mid-day when a long cast into the margins produced a strong take. Using gear well matched to the task, Artur brought the pike to the bank quickly and it turned out to be a whopper! Measuring in at 11kg and 113cm, it is a great pike for a river, a well-earned PB for Artur and this week’s Catch of the Week.
Artur with his new PB 113cm river pike
In other pike angling news, the Leinster Pike Anglers held the fourth round of their winter league last weekend and the pike were plentiful on the day. The winning rod was Mark Kiernan with an impressive 53 pike. Almost as impressive was that two other Kiernans made it into the top 3 making it a clean sweep for the Kiernan family.
Midlands Angling Guide Mick Flanagan took a break from a busy shooting schedule to target some perch on Lough Ennell last week. Fishing with jelly worms, which he affectionately calls ‘wine gums’, himself and his brother had a bumper a few hours as the perch went hard on the feed.
Another one on the wine gums!
It was pretty quiet on the coarse angling front last week and we have a single report in, from CM Lakelands Feeder club who fished Lough Garadice at the weekend. There was a hard frost and the lake was a flat calm, which seemed to put the fish off as catches were poorer than expected.
In other news, Pauric from Carafin Lodge has been in touch about a great Christmas Giveaway competition he is running at the moment. The winner will win a 7 day angling holiday in his super self-catering accommodation on the shores of Lough Oughter. Finally, in a slow news week, we thought we’d share this interesting video on Catch and Release by fisheries scientist Dr Steve Cook from Canada. As an angler himself, he takes a no-nonsense approach to investigating the ins and outs of C&R and busts a few myths along the way!
And now the weather
Outbreaks of rain will continue over the country, today, Thursday and there will be some heavier showers overnight, with the possibility of thunderstorms and hail in places. Friday will be cold with scattered showers of rain or hail, particularly in the north and west. Saturday will be slightly drier and will become noticeably milder, with temperatures reaching 13 degrees in places and this mild weather should remain for Sunday.
In a slow news week, we thought we’d share this interesting video on C&R by fisheries scientist Dr Steve Cook from Canada. As an angler himself, he takes a no-nonsense approach to investigating the ins and outs of C&R and busts a few myths along the way!
Well-known angler and guide Mick Flanagan of Midland Angling & Shooting took a back seat last week as he went out in his brother’s boat in search of perch on L. Ennell. The first few hours were tough going, but then the lake came alive as bite after bite resulted in a fish landed. Mick was fishing a jelly lure, or as he calls it a wine gum… Looks like the perch are as partial to then as I am!
7 anglers fished the open match at Haughton’s shore on beautiful Lough Garadice last Saturday. Fishing was relatively hard, but there were odd big skimmers caught. The lake was flat calm and a cold frost didn’t help the fishing today.
We fished the 4th leg of our Winter League yesterday. Anglers had a choice of 3 lakes to fish. The Kiernan family dominated proceedings taking the Top 3 rods. Mark Kiernan his son Alex and Mark’s brother Jody had great fishing. Sean O’Brien had a nice double to claim the heaviest fish.
We would like to thank our club sponsor SOUTHSIDE ANGLING for their ongoing support of the club, it is greatly appreciated.
