The NCFFI are looking for coarse anglers to put their names in the hat to compete for Ireland next year:
For over 50 years, the NCFFI has proudly presented teams to compete in international Float fishing championships across Europe and beyond.
The FIPSed Float fishing programme encompasses a series of international team championships, providing opportunities for men, women, youth, veterans, and disabled anglers to compete across different categories and age groups.
There is potential for Ireland to present teams in all disciplines, depending on the level of interest received.
Team Ireland Float Manager, Jason Ward invites passionate Float anglers to put themselves forward for selection to Team Ireland 2026 in the following championships:
Float Disciplines – 2026 FIPSed Championships
Nations – September 5–6, Portugal
Veterans/Disabled – June 5–6, Croatia
Europeans – June 27–28, Ireland
Masters/Women – August 21–22, Spain
With the Europeans and the Celtic Cup taking place at home in 2026, there is sure to be much interest, so if you are ready to step up to international competition, Jason wants to hear from you!
Expressions of interest are open now and close on 31st October.
A super 110cm PB for James wind him this week's COTW
Proud dad, John O’Malley, sent us in this report of his young son, James (11), catching his best ever pike…
My son, James O’Malley, fished from Birchall on Lough Corrib last week with his uncle Damien. James was spinning with an unusual home-made spoon that was crafted by his grandfather, Nicholas Kearns. The duo were on a drift, casting into all of the likely spots when suddenly the line went tight and the rod buckled.
Granddad’s lethal pike spoon
James held tight and played the pike for about 15 minutes. The fish made some long runs, taking plenty of line. Finally, Damien managed to slide the net underneath this mighty fish. After a couple of pictures, the fish was released and swam away strongly, hopefully to be caught again.
The fish was 110cm long and estimated to be over 20lbs! A great catch and a personal best for young James.
Angling Guide and Casting Instructor Dan O’Neill is back for his regular off-season newsletter – The River Whispers Season 2:
Welcome back, everyone to the River Whispers. There is a new, improved layout for all your favourite tips with added consistency throughout the off-season. We will follow angling journeys and events so we can learn more together. The River Whispers zoom classes will be back underway in the next couple of weeks, so be sure to contact me to sign up. These classes are free and streamed in 4k.
So that’s a wrap for the 2025 fishing season. I was lucky enough to meet loads of great people and fish with some old friends, too. I learned a lot of new skills over the season, which we will talk about this off-season.
Storing your fishing equipment over the off-season
It’s important to store our equipment properly over the off-season, as we will, of course, be using it again and expecting it to perform to the same level. I start by wiping the rod down with a damp microfiber cloth and then thoroughly drying it with a dry microfiber cloth. For the rod eyes, I use a cotton bud to rub out any dirt or sediment that may have gathered there, drying them also if I use a damp cotton bud. For the reel seat, I use a soft brush to clean out the threads before rubbing them with a cloth that I sprayed a small bit of WD-40 on. I ensure the cork handles are totally dry before I store the rod in its cloth bag and into the tube.
As for your fly lines, I like to lay them out fully and check them for any damage before cleaning them. I use warm soapy water, and the procedure can be seen on my blog page: Blogs – Trout Fishing Ireland, where I go through the steps to cleaning a fly line and much more.
Fly reels also require a good check over, as grit and dirt can get in around the cage and other parts also. Be very careful and open the spool off the reel, visually checking for any debris. I use a cotton bud again to wipe away any dirt or old grease before regreasing the reel. When storing, make sure the drag is set mid-way, never fully tightened or loosened. Store everything in a dry place and securely, all ready for next season, which won’t be long coming around 😊
Floatant – which one
I have, over the years, tried many flotant on flies. Some have been good, some ok and some just downright not good. When some of them met the Irish sunshine as rare as it is, they would liquify in the tube, and you would get a huge amount almost flow out, which drenches the fly and is just messy. After some looking around at different brands I settled on the Fulling Mill dry sauce. It has a sticky-tacky feel, which assists when applying it as you can be accurate with application. The warmth doesn’t make it lose its texture either, which is a big plus. One application seemed to last much longer than any of the other tried brands.
Guest angler on Trout fishing in Ireland
As a Trout angler from Colorado, it was always on my list to fish for Trout in Ireland. After some research, I chose the R.Nore for my trip. Dan O’Neill’s name came up on several sites, so after contact with him, my trip was booked and fishing organised. As the trip grew closer, we had a couple of Zoom calls, and Dan showed me the type of setups and flies we would be using. Over here, we use large flies predominantly, so seeing a size 22 jig head nymph was a bit of a shock. Thankfully, Dan has young eyes, so tying was no problem for me!
We fished in an area known as Pebble Beach, a little different from back home. We used a rod that Dan uses quite a lot. It was a little different to what I use in the US, where my rod of choice is a 9ft 6wt, so an 8ft 6in 3wt was for sure a shock to the system. We caught some lovely brown trout, which were mostly around the top of the run where I would have expected them to be. As the day moved on, we moved to the flatter water and lengthened our leaders and sized down tippet and hook size to target the more weary fish. We had a couple about 35cm which fought hard, but their acrobatics and energy sure did spook some nearby trout. Overall, I enjoyed my trip to Ireland, and the fishing was all I hoped it would be. A big thanks to Dan for taking me and giving me some of his secret patterns, which I am confident will work here in Colorado.
Tight Lines,
Leo de Signora.
Pattern of the Month for March 2025
Our patterns of the month will also be put in videos on Facebook, TikTok Tok and Instagram to explain how they are tied. Keep an eye out and follow me on my social media channels for all news and updates.
Hook – Fulling Mill jig force black nickel size 14
Thread – Fulling Mill pro thread brown 70D
Bead – 3mm slotted tungsten bead
Tail – Pheasant tail natural
Body– Natural rabbit dubbing and brown CDC mix
Thorax – Rabbit dubbing
Rib – Gold
What now
Many anglers come to me at the end or near the end of the season and ask, “what will I do for the off-season”. There is quite a lot that can be done during the off-season. Improve our casting, maybe tie some flies or look at new techniques for the new season. I tend to do all the above and fly fish for pike also. Fly fishing for pike does not need to be difficult. I generally use a 9wt or 10wt for pike. I have seen people look at pike flies and say, “how the hell do you cast that”. When using a 9wt or 10wt, our lines are heavier, so it makes casting such a fly much easier. I fish canals quite a lot along the R.Barrow, so I don’t need to cast very far. The same issue arises here as it does during the trout season, people want to cast to the opposite bank, forgetting that there are many features between you and that bank that the fish are hiding in or using. It comes down to River craft yet again. Cast to features that are in your comfort range. Most of the pike I get are along the edge of the bank. I use the Fulling Mill pike traces that have a fly clip on, which makes it handy to change the fly, and there is a nice supple wire that allows my fly to work and doesn’t dictate the flies’ movements. So far, I have found smaller patterns good to start with, roach fry or perch fry. Once I get a little more competent with casting them, I would use a larger fly. I do tend to leave the tying of pike flies to the pros; the fly is designed to drain water quickly, and the movement is a unique factor in a pike fly. The pros have this down to a tee. Stuart Wylie from Fulling Mill and Tomasz Zwierzynski from Pheasant Flies tie some super flies, and the engineering and design that goes into the fly I will never match, so I will leave it to them 😊 . So the most important part of our pike adventure is looking after the pike once we catch one. Get a landing mat and work on the unhooking of the pike while it’s on the mat. Have the proper tools to unhook, making it safer and easier for both you and the pike. These creatures look like they are extremely tough and resilient, which is not the case. Take extreme care when unhooking and make sure the fish is ready to swim away and support itself once released. Many times, I see people slip the fish in, and it goes to the bottom and belly up. We really need to take care with the fish and be responsible. With a search around you will find many reasonably priced landing mats and some proper unhooking kits also. It’s a good idea to get the longer handled unhooking gear as it keeps you away from the pike’s very sharp teeth.
Zoom Classes
Many of you have registered for my free online zoom classes by contacting me on Facebook. There are still some spaces left on the Trout Fishing Ireland Zoom classes. We will also be adding review classes where we will review fishing products and see what may suit us all best. Some fly patterns I used over the season that turned out to be productive will also be shown. In the coming weeks, I will be finalising my list for the classes so to register email [email protected] or contact me on my social media channels.
What’s upcoming
I was delighted this year to be trusted by Stevie Munn to be part of the Irish fly fair team and take on a joint role as fly casting manager with Ray McKeeman. This was a huge honour for me and an opportunity to work with some of the greats of fly fishing. The Irish fly fair this year has some new segments and a massive 108 fly tyers, as well as the world’s top fishing guides and casting instructors. These people are at this event to share their passion and knowledge with people, which can really help people of all levels to improve or gain an edge. Be sure to stop by where you will have access to demos, fly tyers row, as well as talks all from the world’s greatest in fly fishing.
On the 1st of November, there will be a ladies’ open day in Laois Angling Centre. It will be run by Maddy Kelly and Julie Gerry. I will be there as the lead instructor to assist Maddy and Julie. This is the last ladies’ open day this year. Be sure to check it out.
Dan has been guiding on the River Nore from the age of 14. He holds a wealth of knowledge in many different techniques. Dan provides guiding for Trout, Salmon and coarse fish.
All levels from beginner to experienced are welcome.
Available for guided trout and salmon fishing in the South East
Fly Casting Instruction
Dan is a APGAI Ireland qualified single handed fly casting instructor. All levels from beginner to experienced are welcome.
Dan also holds regular fly fishing classes on the River Nore for groups and individuals.
Paul Gustafson was in touch to let us know that his film Paul Gustafson’s Pike Fishing in Ireland is available to view and download on Fishing T.V. https://www.fishingtv.com
Paul Gustafson’s Pike Fishing in Ireland features Lough Gowna, Lough Oughter, Lough Ramor and Lough Erne.
The film covers deadbait fishing, lure fishing, trolling and fly fishing. It also covers tackle, techniques, bait and location.
Paul has always been a big fan of pike fishing in Ireland, and firmly believes this is one of the world’s leading pike fishing destinations. When you see the fish he catches it’s no mystery why…
Inland Fisheries Ireland is reminding all salmon and sea trout anglers of the importance of returning their 2025 salmon angling logbook and unused gill tags on time. These returns provide vital information regarding the status and management of our wild Atlantic Salmon and Sea Trout stocks for the year ahead.
Anglers are asked to make their return via the business return envelope, which was supplied at the time of license purchase or to the IFI office address that is displayed on their licence or logbook.
e have enjoyed a nice settled spell of Autumn weather since Storm Amy visited our shores two weeks ago. Last week a big swell after the storm took a few days to settle down, but since then we have had nice calm weather, albeit overcast and cool. The flooding from Storm Amy has mostly subsided now, and although many rivers are still high, most venues are now accessible.
We start this week with salmon angling, where we have just one report this week. With all fisheries closed now, we have a round up of the season from Delphi, where fishery manager David McEvoy says that the sea trout fishing was the highlight of the year. The less said about salmon the better – a common theme this year.
Pike angling is usually in full swing at this time of year, and we have several reports from around the country. Chris Barry of Go Fishing Ireland reports that with water temperatures around 12C, pike fishing is really firing now. Chris reports on some recent fantastic trips with clients, where pike to 117cm were landed!
Jack Whelan’s117cm pike
Angling guide Senan Stanley reports from Lough Derg, where he finally got a few hours to himself and smashed it on lures, landing several fish to over a metre, and a good few more just under.
A group of Italian anglers were back for their annual visit to Boyle, and Bodo Funke reports that birthday boy Ron was rewarded with a PB pike – later celebrated with cake and Irish coffee!
Coarse fishing is also in full swing, although there were mixed results from the Cavan/Leitrim area, with Lakelands CM finding it tough fishing for their match on Annaheirin Lake, while Cavan CAC had some great weights on a Co. Leitrim venue, where Mick Mahony won with 10+kg.
In international competition news, Ireland won the Celtic Cup held on the River Weaver in England, a great training outing for the team for major international competitions. They will defend the title on home soil, err, water, next year.
To the sea now, and Storm Amy gave us a right stirring up 2 weeks ago, which impacted on a lot of sea fishing subsequently. I certainly struggled last week in Kerry, but did get to see angling guide James Raymond of Irish Angling Adventures land a specimen painted ray. In west Clare, skipper Sean Maguire reported on some recent shark and general fishing, where his guests had some great sport.
Cormac Walsh found some bigger bass over the big tides last week, and hopes for even better fishing over the new moon tides next week.
In West Cork, David Norman reports on an epic day’s fishing with his client Mike, with 5 species and plenty of fish caught on jigs and lures from the kayaks, taking advantage of the settled weather and calm conditions.
On the east coast, senior anglers fishing the Ballybrack SAC competition at Kilgorman were humbled by the junior duo of Jesse Murphy and Sean Keane, who comfortable outfished them on a day that produced a lot of fish.
The Killybegs Mariners were back in action on the competition scene, having had to cancel the previous week for the red storm warning, but their patience was rewarded with some great fishing, including plenty of flounder to 39cm.
And it’s back to west Clare we go to complete our round up, with some incredible fishing reported by Luke Aston for guest Mark. Mark was up for big fish, and that’s just what he got, with a remarkable hat trick of a bluefin tuna over 300lbs, a Common Skate over 200lbs, and a massive sixgill shark estimated at 1200lbs+. A feat that surely deserves our Catch of the Week.
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In other news
The deadline for submitting specimen claims is approaching fast. If you were lucky enough to catch a specimen fish this year and want to claim it, get your paperwork into the Irish Specimen Fish Committee as soon as possible so that the ISFC can assess it. All specimen claims to be submitted by 31st Oct. Further information on how to claim your specimen award are available here.
Elsewhere, Sharks le Chéile (“sharks together”) — an independent group linking scientists studying sharks, skates, and rays in Ireland with the public — is inviting interested anglers to get involved. Working in partnership with government agencies, the group’s mission is to bring marine science closer to the public and foster collaboration. Anglers who’d like to learn more or participate can visit their website at https://sharkslecheile.org/ for details.
Conservation and Prohibition on Sale of Coarse Fish Bye-Law No. 806, 2006
Transfer of Live Roach Bye-Law No. 561, 1973
Conservation of Pike Bye-Law No. 809, 2006
Click the link above to get more information and find out how to make a submission.
And now the weather…
A big change to our weather from tomorrow!
Saturday will be a dull, breezy day with outbreaks of rain in the west and southwest at first, gradually spreading northeastwards across the country, heaviest and most persistent in Munster. Highest temperatures of 12 to 15 degrees in fresh and gusty southeast winds, stronger near coasts. Sunday will see heavy and persistent rain in the north and east at first, with further thundery falls and spot flooding possible. The rain will clear northeastwards through the morning with sunshine and showers following from the southwest, some of which will be heavy. Fresh to strong and gusty southeasterly winds at first but winds will ease moderate southwesterly behind the rain. Highest temperatures of 14 to 17 degrees.
The early days of next week see some bright spells with scatter showers, and moderate NW/W winds. Current indications suggest that our weather will continue unsettled with temperatures decreasing.
Don’t forget to double-check the forecast before heading off, and if you’re going to sea, check the tides.
If you have an angling story to share with the Irish Angling Update, please send it to [email protected]and don’t forget that all of our fishing reports are available on our dedicated Angling Ireland Facebook page.
Fishery manager David McEvoy is back with a round up of the 2025 season at Delphi.
The 2025 Salmon fishing season will certainly not go down in history as one of the greatest. Having said that it’s a pattern that was reflected in the majority of Fisheries around the country with a few limited exceptions that showed slight increases in numbers returning. This was the general consensus at the Annual Salmon Watch Conference in Athlone at the weekend. It’s well worth checking this out on the Salmon Watch Ireland Newsletter.
On a more positive note our Sea Trout numbers were up with 464 landed, the majority Finnock but all in excellent condition. This is normally a result of favourable conditions at time of migration, so hopefully this year’s salmon smolt run will be reflected in a good Grise Run next year. There were 103 landed for the year, which is the lowest in a long time, but these poor returns were reflected in the majority of fisheries countrywide. One of the main points from the Salmon Watch Conference was that Marine Survival has plummeted in recent years to just 7-8%, which is a decline of over 50% since 2008, with rising sea temperatures and estuarine predation identified as major stressors.
The last fish on my previous update was taken by Cormac Hartnett. Since then 9 salmon have been landed. August rainfall was 261.9mms(10.31”) but 155.5mms of this was in the last 7 days, with the river going to 90 on the 28th. There was 1 salmon taken on the 28th by Heinz and 1 on the 29th by Jurgen of approx. 8lbs and 7lbs respectively, both from the Turn Pool on a Willie Gunn and a Conehead. That brought our total salmon landed for the month to 6. Sea Trout were good to start and then the weather turned dry and warm with water temperatures exceeding 20 degrees and as a result the middle part of the month was difficult and even the great trout men from Corrib spearheaded by John Somerville only managed 3 for the day. With the changing weather towards the end of the month fishing picked up again and Dan O’Donovan and Denis Daly had s red letter day on Glencullin with 21sea trout landed to 4lbs. Best fly of the day was a Reverend Mother!! (Not a Joke). 150 was the total sea trout for August.
September, was the wettest month of the calendar year so far with 362.1mms(14.26”). Salmon fishing was difficult with 7 landed, all of which were off Finlough. Toby Gibbons had one of 5 and one of 4.5 on the 8th and 12th respectively on a Collie Dog and a Non Descript, both at Butlers Point. On the 13th Leo Settele from Germany landed his first ever, a fish of approx. 6lbs on a Delphi Collie from Sligo Bay. Barry Farrell had one of 4lbs12ozs from the Stream on the 19th and later in the day Liam Dunne landed his first fish of the year of approx. 4lbs. Finally on the 30th, we had a relatively quiet day with a few staff and some local children. Much to the dismay of her older brother Daniel, Nina Langan landed her first ever, a fish of approx. 6lbs from Salmon City. Nina is the 4th generation of the Heneghan family to fish at Delphi; her Great Grandfather Jimmy used to sell the day tickets on the river and her Grandfather Sheamus was as good an angler that ever graced the Bundorragha. The second of the day and last for the season was caught by local teenager Iarla Gavin ( whose father Liam also worked here and now for IFI), a fish of approx. 6lbs from Sligo Bay. September was a bit quieter for Sea Trout with 139 landed. Again, it was patchy, with some days good and some very slow. Bob Hadden and David Walmsley had 14 off Doolough on the 9th and Chris Meadows had a good day on the 21st with 10 to 2.5lbs off Doolough. Toby Gibbons finished off the year with 8 off Glencullin on the 30th. That brought our Sea trout total for the year to 464.
That’s the end of another season and I can only hope that next year we will all be fit and here again to try our luck. I’m not making predictions any more as I’d probably have a better chance of winning the Lotto. But thanks to everyone for their help, custom and support throughout what was a difficult season and all we can do is look forward to a better one next year.
Our thanks to David for his regular updates and communication throughout the season!
Go fishing…
At Delphi Lodge, with many years of experience with the timing of the best runs of fish, we have in place a price system that offers both great value fishing and lets our anglers know when they have the best chance to catch a fresh run spring salmon or a summer grilse or Delphi sea trout.
The CM Lakelands club ran a match las weekend on an out-of-sorts Annaheirin lake.
Fifteen club members fished the match and although the fishing was tough, there were still plenty of bites to be had on most pegs.
1st overall was Piotr Horbiński with a mixed bag of skimmers, roach and perch caught at distance to weigh 4.320kg. 2nd overall was Darren Fairhurst who caught 57 roach and perch to weigh 3.690kg. 3rd Overall was Irish feeder boss Brenton Sweeney with a weight of 3.560kg which consisted of 31 small skimmers and perch.
Section winners
5 to 11 Philip Reynolds 2.330kg
12 to 19 Mariusz Kilian 3.410kg.
CM Lakelands fish Annaheirin
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Cavan CAC held their first winter league match of 25/26 on a Leitrim lake. Nine anglers fished with some great weights caught for the time of year. Their next match is on Saturday 25th October, venue TBD.
Well done to the Mick Mahoney with his 10+ kilo winning weight.
I found a few more fish over the last big tides, mostly on the shallow divers but with some on the Irish made EVOBASS LURES Sabre. Not as many fish as usual around for this time of the year for me, although I have high hopes for the next big tide over the new moon.
Andrew Callan of onthewater.ie was back in touch once again with more good news. They have added another private fishery to their online permit shop. The website is now selling rainbow trout fishing at Q Lake in Movilla, their first fishery in Northern Ireland. Day passes and entries for competitions are available.
Q Lake is substantial, covering 6 acres, and set in mature woodland surrounded by picturesque open countryside.
The lake is well stocked with top-quality hard-fighting rainbows, some of which are very large. The lake is suitable for anglers of all skill levels — and all are welcome, from complete beginners to seasoned fly fishers looking for a challenge.
All competition entries for TAFI Leinster will now be going through the website also, to help simplify the process for both TAFI Leinster and anglers alike.
