Killybegs Mariners fished the 6th leg of their Shore League at the weekend…
26 October: League outing number 6 took place yesterday as a daylight event on Streedagh beach famous as a crash site of the Spanish armada in 1588 and the recent September anniversary saw the freshly erected Spanish flags on the memorial being tested to the limit as a stiff north westerly ripped in from Donegal Bay.
There was a roaring white surf crashing in but thankfully it was weed free and wasn’t pulling tackle to a side so fishing was enjoyable when wrapped up and there was a run of flatties from the start. Some good turbots including 33cm and 27cm for Cara, a 30cm for Stefan, a 28cm for Daragh and a 27 and 26cm for Brendan.
Good flounders of 37cm, 33cm and 32 for Gavin and a 34cm for Darran were the pick of the fish including a few double hauls and even a nice treble of two turbot and a flounder for Stefan (30cm, 22cm and 28cm).
Treble turbot 30cm, 22cm and a flounder 28cm for Stefan Martin
There were 4 species caught on the day by the 14 anglers including turbot, flounder, weever and trout.
We also had a friendly Inland Fisheries Ireland inspector checking for bass and trout along the beach which was good to see the stock being protected.
Longest flattie prize on the day was a 37cm flounder winning €42 for Gavin Dorrian
2nd overall with 218 pts with a good fishing of flounders and turbot winning €42 was Cara Boyle
And in 1st place with 226 pts with 4 species of flounder, turbot, weever and trout winning €85 well done to Daragh McGuinness.
And the lucky peg draw Daragh McGuinness drew his own number out winning another €28 well done.
Join the club
Mariners sea angling club, Killybegs Co Donegal. The club runs a shore league and boat competitions and angling trips around Ireland doing the sport we love. Get in touch at www.facebook.com/mariner.sac
Visiting US angler, Christopher May, was back again in Ireland in search of big pike and perch. Last year, Christopher was on Lough Derg with Damien Culliney of Anglers Paradise Guiding and netted a cracking 114cm pike in May and caught pike to 112cm, trout to 53cm and perch to 33cm in September. Determined to improve his PB perch he was back in Ireland again this month, fishing again with Damian.
A 20cm perch and a 44cm perch in the net
The pair caught perch large and small but the biggest was a very impressive 44cm and so Christopher returned to the US very happy but not before booking his trip with Damian for 2026!
Chris with the 44cm perch
On another trip out for Damian, he was guiding a father/son pair who wanted to up their game as both were novices. To get them started Damian brought them out after perch which were taking well at the time. He set them both up with drop shot rods and they were enjoying themselves getting these eager fish. Unfortunately only a couple of casts in something much bigger than a perch took young Nathan’s lure. The light rod and light line were going to be sorely tested, but also under pressure was the young angler who had to learn on the fly how to adjust drag, keep up with a big fish and play an over sized fish on under sized gear. The little drop shot rod was a very light 5-10g model.
Nathan with his 91cm pike
Luckily Damian was on hand and talked him through the 7 or 8 minutes it took to play the fish to the boat where it was swiftly netted. The pike measured in at 91cm. A new PB for Nathan and a memory both he and his father will have for a long time to come.
Anglers Paradise Ireland is owned and managed by Damien Culliney, a well known angler and chef in the Clare region and a man passionate about the inland waterways and natural history of County Clare. At Angler’s Paradise, we love the thrill of Game fishing and Pike fishing in equal measure and can take our clients to some of Europe’s most unspoilt rivers and lakes in search of trophy predators and the realisation of their angling dreams.
Fishing two-week cycles over the new and full moons these days, grabbing any weather window I can. The last set of tides over the new moon produced some fish but I am noticing it’s not as hectic number wise as previous autumns.
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Still, it’s great to see some of the bigger fish inshore. Why does this happen in Autumn? I’m not 100% sure but my theory is that with the likes of herring, garfish, juvenile mullet showing this time of the year inshore the bass move in to feed. The bigger tides also push everything closer to the shore.
We are fast approaching the end of October, and despite the past few days feeling chilly at times, winter hasn’t quite taken hold yet. Temperatures have been mild for the time of year, and the frost has generally been held at bay. There’s been a bit of rain about, but it’s been spread unevenly, with the east of the country seeing its fair share, while the west escaped the worst of it. Things look set to change over the next few days, though, as temperatures are due to dip by a degree or two towards the end of next week.
Competition pike anglers flocked to Lough Derg recently for the European Pike Challenge, which saw 110 anglers on 55 boats fish the lake over two days. Fishing was lively, with 222 pike over 70cm landed — including 30 topping the 100cm mark. Patrick McManus and Joe Crampton narrowly claimed victory with a three-fish total of 309.5cm.
Young James O’Malley struck gold on Lough Corrib last week. The eleven-year-old was casting a custom-designed spoon crafted by his grandfather when his rod suddenly doubled over. After 15 tense minutes, James landed a magnificent 110cm pike — quickly photographed and released. His super catch earns him this week’s Catch of the Week, and we suspect his grandad might be busy in the shed making a few more of those magic lures over the winter!
A super 110cm PB for James wins him this week’s COTW
Also at Oaklands, the Oaklands Lake Winter League kicked off over the weekend — there were some solid bags for the time of year, with Adrian Browne taking top spot in the seniors (93.53kg) and Michael Urbanski winning the juniors (37.08kg).
Michael Urbanski topped the juniors with a fine 37kg haul
Elsewhere, 12 members of the Munster Coarse Anglers turned out on Silvergrove for the first round of their winter league. Unfortunately, fishing was incredibly slow, and the top spot was shared between Leon and Morgan, each weighing in at 2lb 13oz.
We wrap up the coarse angling section with news that the NCFFI are looking for anglers to compete on their international teams to fish for Ireland in 2026. They are looking for both feeder anglers and float anglers, and are seeking expressions of interest from any angler who would like to give it a go — a great opportunity for anyone ready to step up.
Juniors coming good at Oaklands
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To sea angling now, and Rinnashark SAC held their annual Martin Halley Memorial Open on Woodstown Beach over the weekend. It’s always a well-supported event, drawing anglers from neighbouring clubs, and this year, 53 anglers lined the beach. Luckily, there were plenty of fish to go around, and they managed a very decent total of 524.
With trout season now closed, we won’t have too many reports coming in over the coming months. But to help us through that period, angling guide and instructor Dan O’Neill makes a welcome return with his regular blog, The River Whispers. In this edition, Dan shares advice on storing your gear for winter and offers plenty of insights on all things fly-fishing.
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A quick reminder for all salmon and sea trout anglers — don’t forget to return your 2025 salmon angling logbook and any unused gill tags. These returns are vital for managing and monitoring our wild Atlantic salmon and sea trout stocks. Anglers can submit returns via the business reply envelope provided with their licence, or by posting directly to the IFI office listed on their logbook or licence.
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And now the weather…
Friday will bring a mix of showers and scattered sunny spells. Rain should clear overnight, giving way to a dry start on Saturday, though showers will become more frequent as the day progresses. Saturday night will turn chilly, with temperatures dipping to between 1 and 4°C, leading to a cold start on Sunday morning. Rain will spread more widely by the afternoon as northwesterly breezes freshen.
Monday should begin brighter, with sunny spells and just the odd shower, but cloud will build later in the day ahead of another band of rain moving in from the west. Overall, it looks like the unsettled weather pattern is set to continue through the rest of next week.
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.
The tuna fishing season continues to produce some great sport for anglers, despite inclement weather. Donegal Bay is full of life at the moment, with baitfish, birds, dolphins, whales and tuna all providing a great spectacle. Killybegs Fishing Trips report more tuna caught earlier this week. On Monday Pauric Gavigan enjoyed a quick start, with the first hookup within 5 minutes, the quickest the boat has ever had! The fish estimated at 280lbs was brought to the boat, tagged and released again. Hopes were high after that but alas, despite fish showing well it was a frustrating rest of the day with no more hookups. Such is fishing!
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The following day was much more successful, with a small group of returning clients. Skipper Keith says “We had a slow start but after a couple of hours things got a little busy, with 4 hook ups. We got 3 to the boat, but the first one managed to get away at the side of the boat before the measurements and photographs, the next one spat the hook only meters from the boat but we successfully got the next two fish tagged and released. Still great signs of plenty of fish about”
RINNASHARK SAC held the annual Martin Halley Memorial Open on Woodstown beach at the weekend, with a great turnout and plenty of action. See their report below…
Thanks to all who came out last Sunday for the 14th Martin Halley Memorial Open, this is a special date in the Rinnashark club calendar.It was great again to have members of the Halley family take part. It was great to see so many club members and also members of other clubs who always support this event.Weather improved for the duration of the competition and the competition was fished in bright winter sun. There were plenty of fish on the day with a total bag of 524 fish for 53 anglers.
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Anglers line Woodstow Beach for the Rinnashark
Thanks again to the Halley family and John Hearne for their support at the prize giving in the Saratoga bar were food was kindly provided by the family.
The results are:
Juvenile winners.
1st Philip Kennedy Ryan
2nd Finn Purcell
3rd Alex Murphy
Ladies Winner Paula Dunphy.
Over 60s Winner Joe McEvoy.
Zone 1.
1st David Keating
2nd Peter Ondrejcak
3rd Jim O Brien
4th Jimmy Kelly
5th Willie Kett.
Zone 2.
1st Ricky Duffin
2nd Stephen Watkins
3rd Mochara Fraher
4th Will Dunphy
5th James McCartan.
Longest Flat John Kinsella.
Longest Round, David Keating.
The overall winner with 38 fish was Alan Mulcahy.Well done to all the anglers.
Congratulations to Patrick McManus and Joe Crampton who are the European Pike Angling Challenge champions of 2025. The event was fished on Lough Derg and over 110 anglers on 55 boats took part. There was some great fishing had and over 222 pike over 70cm caught across the 2 days of the competition with 30 100cm plus pike confirmed.
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Patrick Mcmanus and Joe Crampton
Each team’s 3 longest pike combined over the two days were used to determine the rankings. Patrick and Joe had an incredible total length of 309.5cm. They had some fine pike on Day 1 but it was their fish from Day 2 that gave them the win. They collected over €3000 in prize money and were presented with the coveted Christy Pickford Memorial Cup.
1st Patrick Mcmanus / Joe Crampton. 309.5cm
2nd Brian Connaughton / Daniel Nesbitt 308cm
3rd Alan Ryan / Josh Collopy. 304cm
The top 3 teams picked up €6000 between them
In addition to the usual 1st, 2nd, 3rd prizes there were thousands of Euro in cash prizes given out, both nights, for the top 10 longest fish of each day. The longest fish caught overall also won a prize. The longest pike overall measured in at 108cm, and there were two pike measured at this length. Both fish were caught on Day 1 and anglers Damian Culliney and John Taylor split the €1000 purse.
Damien Culliney collects his half of the Longest Pike prize.
For a flavour of the competition have a look at Senan Stanley’s videos of Day 1 and 2…
Anglers Paradise Ireland is owned and managed by Damien Culliney, a well known angler and chef in the Clare region and a man passionate about the inland waterways and natural history of County Clare. At Angler’s Paradise, we love the thrill of Game fishing and Pike fishing in equal measure and can take our clients to some of Europe’s most unspoilt rivers and lakes in search of trophy predators and the realisation of their angling dreams.
Pike fishing on Lough Derg. Boat hire, accommodation, fishing guide. Ferdinand is 3 times winner of the European Pike Challenge fished annually on Lough Derg
Based on the shores of Lough Derg Giblins Angling Services provide everything for the perfect angling holiday from accommodation to boat hire and guiding. Padraig and his brother Eamon (2 fine & experienced anglers), will give you some very good fishing information to help you to catch the best fish.
Boat Hire
Lake boats and 4hp engines available. Life jackets provided
Directions to Fishermens Paradise:
Take the R352 road from Scarriff towards Mountshannon.
After approx. 1 mile there is a statue of a fisherman on the right and signs toour new outdoor centre “Derg Isle”.
Go through the gates to the end of the road to the boat house.
Guided salmon, trout, sea trout, pike and bass fishing
Notes: John Scanlan has been fishing in the Limerick and Kerry region for the past 47 years and has developed an excellent knowledge of the local rivers, lakes and beaches. He provides a fishing guide service for the Limerick, Kerry and Clare regions, offering guided salmon, trout, sea trout, pike and bass fishing; Autumn/Winter pike fishing and salt-water fly-fishing. John also offers fly-casting tuition for beginners and improvers.
Irish Fishing Tours provides customised fishing holidays based in the picturesque harbour village of Garrykennedy on the shores of Lough Derg. Our comprehensive fishing trips include a guiding service, tackle hire and food and accommodation.
Choose from my list of existing fishing holidays or contact me to tailor one to your specific requirements. Airport transfers can be arranged on request.
Irish Fishing Tours is owned by Paul Bourke. Paul has lived and fished here all his life. As a guide, he will show you the best fishing locations, advise you on baits and methods and then allow you the freedom to explore the lake yourself. He fully understands the needs and interests of the experienced enthusiast.
A Holiday park set in a unique natural location on the shores of Lough Derg in Mountshannon, Co. Clare. We specialise in Caravan & camping, Watersports and boat hire, with the added attraction of viewing Cribby Island, home of the ‘white tailed sea eagles’ from our lakefront pitches or discover Holy Island by boat. Our Red squirrels will enhance your experience at the park, but they won’t share their nuts!!
Our houses are located directly on the shores of Lough Derg. You will only have to walk to the end of the garden to start fishing. We have a private pier and also supply bait fridges and tackle storage on site for anyone interested in fishing. We have several Anglers Fancy 19ft lake boats build by John Meaghar, Borrisokane, Co. Tipperary. The heavy gauge of fiberglass used in their construction makes them safe and stable.
When two friends with the same passion join forces – then you can expect only the best! Ireland – the land of pike, trout and amazingly beautiful scenery, the prime destination for the big pikes trout and perch. Our main waters are the Lough Derg and the river Shanon in Ireland. – two Pro Fishing Guides, ONE PASSION!
Our goal with guiding is to offer our guests an unforgettable fishing experience! Ideally also with the dream fish. It is possible to break your record on these waters. Of course there is no guarantee. Fishing for big pike, perch and trout is always hard work and luck has to be right. But fishing for predatory fish is pure adrenaline. The hammer-hard bites from nowhere, the fantastic drills. That’s what you have to experience!
We take care of the fishing licenses, the holiday home and have safe, fast and comfortable guiding boats to take you to the best places. You can fully concentrate on fishing. So that at the end of the day hopefully also your dream fish was caught.
Boat Hire
Do you want to explore the wide open spaces of Lough Derg by yourself? Now it’ s possible with our top equipped rental boat. From day trips to week-long stays, it’s all possible. For groups of up to 3 anglers.
Guided fishing for pike, trout and perch on Lough Derg. Fishing from a custom fitted Sheelin boat with all modern electronics including live scope, gps electric trolling motor etc
For enquiries and bookings get in touch via Facebook or Instagram.
Members of South Shore SAC were delighted to find the stormy weather at the start of last weekend had blown through by the time they fished their latest match last Sunday. Tactics played a role at the start of the match, as some opted for smaller baits at distance, while others went for larger baits close to the drop-off. It was the latter that proved more successful, as those anglers found that coalies were on the prowl and they managed to get among them, with fish up to 48cm, rare on east coast waters these days.
As the tide began to flood halfway through the match, some anglers began to pick up a few more fish, none more so than Dave Cottell, who put in a late spurt to take Zone A and the overall win. On Zone B, it was Jim O’Brien who took the honours, with a nice bass featuring amongst his catch.
This information from the Lough Muckno Festival group:
Repair works to restore access to Black Island on Lough Muckno have now been completed. The works under the direction of owners Monaghan Co Council have been finished to the highest and most impressive standard throughout.
The reconstruction of the old bridge is an absolute credit to all involved, with a fantastic finish creating a brilliantly aesthetic approach, to a beautifully revamped island. The signage is modern, muted and totally in keeping with this peaceful place. Anglers should note that “our pursuit is mentioned there in a positive and complimentary way” with reference on signage, to access only being available to anglers.
This arrangement has been arrived at following much interaction with the owners Monaghan Co Council and landowners at Coillte, and carries with it, significant responsibility on our part as anglers with the sole managed vehicle access.
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We have committed to and signed up to health, safety and management protocols that ensure the safe and enjoyable use by angling and public alike, on this premier amenity and angling facility.
A huge thank you to Monaghan County Council, Coillte the excellent contractor S Wilkins and finally to the Council staff on the ground for their support and commitment.
We are now in a position to continue with the work of angling access management as before, on the fantastically enhanced public amenity and dedicated angling area of this fantastic Lough Muckno park.
The first event to take place since the restoration works will be the Halloween Festival – 25th and 26th October 2025. Fishing is all methods and all entries paid out. Registration from 8:15am at Old Coach carpark. Draw at 9am Fishing 11-4 each day.
Mariners sea angling club, Killybegs Co Donegal. The club runs a shore league and boat competitions and angling trips around Ireland doing the sport we love. Get in touch at www.facebook.com/mariner.sac
