Despite the COVID-19 pandemic anglers fishing in Irish waters in 2020 caught hundreds of large fish according to the just-published Irish Specimen Fish Committee Report.
One new record was set and over 300 exceptionally large fish of different species were caught by anglers from venues throughout Ireland. The main species were shark species like Smooth-hound and Spurdog and, in freshwater, Pike and Brown Trout dominated. All fish were caught, weighed, measured and released.
Details of all these fish and current Irish record fish are in the Irish Specimen Fish Committee Report 2020, which has just been released. The Irish Specimen Fish Committee, which is supported by Inland Fisheries Ireland, is an independent all-Ireland voluntary body which verifies and records the capture of large fish caught on rod by anglers in freshwater and marine waters.
The Irish Specimen Fish Committee report is available on the ISFC website www.specimenfish.ie or from the Inland Fisheries Ireland website http://www.fisheriesireland.ie/. Hard copies of the report will be available in mid-May.
Anglers both at home and abroad will be reading the report carefully to plan future angling trips to catch the big fish in Ireland.
Salmon fishing has picked up throughout the system with some nice fish seen and lost. Reports of a fresh grilse of about 3lbs caught downstream of Fermoy last week as well as some fine salmon in other beats downstream.
At the weekend there was a lovely fish of about 10lb caught and released by Chris Coady at Fortwilliam and on Monday Pete Davis fishing at Blackwater Salmon Fishery had a super fish of about 15lb.
Pete Davis about to release his salmon
The easing of Covid-19 travel restrictions has increased the footfall on some beats with the Cork and Waterford anglers venturing outside of the 5km zone.
As always, IFI encourage anglers to adhere to public health guidelines and follow recommendations in that regard for anglers on our website. Stay safe.
Go fishing…
Blackwater Salmon Fishery
Blackwater Salmon Fishery has 3 beats downstream of the weir and 2 upstream of the weir. Blackwater Salmon Fishery offers fishing on approximately 5 miles of the river Blackwater. The fishing is spread throughout the middle section of the river to offer good sport throughout the fishing season. Due to the location of the beats, fishing can still usually be offered in low or high water. Contact Glenda Powell: Lismore, Co Waterford, Email:info@blackwatersalmonfishery.com Mobile: +353 (0) 872351260 Telephone: +353 (0) 5853929 Web: www.blackwatersalmonfishery.com
Fortwilliam Fishery & Self-Catering Cottages
Fortwilliam Fishery offers two miles of double bank salmon and trout fishing over five beats on the river Blackwater.
Our salmon include – Springers, May Salmon, Grilse, Back End Salmon, and in Summer sea trout.
Our beats provide a wide variety of water, suitable for both beginners and the more experienced fishermen.
Fortwilliam Fishery, Glencairn, Lismore, Co. Waterford, Ireland Web: www.fortwilliamfishing.ieEmail: fishing@fortwilliamireland.com Tel: (00353) 87 8292077 or 058 75299
Blackwater Salmon and Trout Fishery
Blackwater Salmon and Trout Fishery control a number of beats of the Munster Blackwater. The Ballyduff Bridge beat is almost a mile long offering a huge variety of water and is particularly suited to fly fishing. Upstream near the village of Ballyhooley (a few miles outside the town of Fermoy, Cork) we have two beats. The Ballincurrig Beat is one of the most beautiful locations along the river and has an excellent piece of fly water flowing into a deep pool. Just downstream on the opposite bank we have a short but productive beat, called Magners. This beat fishes also well in high water.
Careysville Fishery offers some of the best salmon fly fishing in Ireland and includes 26 named pools. It is considered by many to be one of premier beats for salmon fishing in Ireland. Wading is excellent and among the numerous streams, pools and glides there is a great variety of fly fishing to suit both complete novice and challenge the most competent of fly casters.
We provide Day Tickets for some prime Salmon fishing in Mallow Co. Cork. We have excellent fly water, shrimping worming and spinning also. We also have very competitive Day rates and we have very recently upgraded our fishing.
Tickets available from “The Bridge House” and “Vincent Downes Menswear” Mallow.
Located on the Munster Blackwater in the south of Ireland. Situated mid river between the towns of Fermoy and Mallow. A productive left bank beat in stunning surroundings.
For bookings contact Conor Arnold: +353 87 755 4682
For details on availability and conditions of fishing for salmon and trout on the Longueville House waters please contact them at Contact : Longueville House Hotel, William O’Callaghan Address : Mallow, Co. Cork. Telephone : 00 353 22 47156 Email:info@longuevillehouse.ie Website: www.longuevillehouse.ie
Mick Flanagan of Midland Angling and Shooting has been back among the fish lately and a day trolling on Lough Ree for trout saw Mick land a trio of species with pike, perch and trout obliging for the midlands angler. Elsewhere in the midlands, on the stocked lakes Darren Leech of Kinnegad caught his first ever trout on the fly while fishing Lough Owel and Multyfarnham angler Martin Tierney caught a cracking 5.5lbs rainbow while fishing on the White Lake.
In the next webinar we will take a detailed look at barriers to fish migration. Brian Coghlan is a research Officer at Inland Fisheries Ireland and he will give a 30 minute “Lunch & Learn Webinar” on “Barriers to fish migration” as part of #GoFishingWeek2021. Wednesday, 28th of April 2021 at 1.10pm. REGISTER HERE.
The webinar will be a 20 minute presentation followed by a 10 minute Q&A session where people will have the opportunity to get involved. The webinar will give an in depth look at manmade structures such as weirs, culverts and raised bridge floors that impede or prevent access of fish and other stream biota to essential habitats, potentially affecting their distribution, population structures, spawning success and recruitment of many species. The impacts of barriers are often most apparent in migratory fish species, as they move large distances between marine and freshwater environments and may encounter numerous man-made barriers during this migration. An understanding of the types, characteristics and impacts of barriers to fish migration is, therefore, crucial if action is to be taken to address population bottlenecks and improve ecological connectivity.
Brian has worked in Inland Fisheries Ireland for the last 13 years, on projects involving river enhancement, fish population dynamics, water quality, hydromorphology and climate change. He is an avid pike and river trout angler.
Brian with a pike
Tell us if you are joining any of our Go Fishing Week webinars by sharing #GoFishingWeek2021 on social media.
A Happy Orla Walsh on Lough Conn with her 2.81 lbs. beauty
Kevin O’Boyle reports from Lough Conn…
With the 5km travel restrictions eased allowing anglers to travel within their county or within 20km of their home more anglers took to the water. Forty-two trout were reported caught for the week on Lough Conn. Padraig Traynor and Orla Walsh had 10 trout to the boat on Saturday 17th April in Flannery’s Bay. Orla’s best fish weighed 2.81 lbs. and was caught on a size 14 Black Dabbler. All other fish were released. Elsewhere, Brendan Murphy and Jim Kelly, Cloghans had seven trout each to the boat, all of which were released.
Padraic Traynor with another beautiful Lough Conn trout just before releasing
Typical April weather saw rain, cold easterly winds, sleet and sunshine prevail this week. Highest air temperatures recorded were 14 degrees Celsius. Apart from a very slight rise in water levels at the start of the week water levels decreased again incrementally from Tuesday onwards. With the 5km travel restrictions eased allowing anglers to travel within their county or within 20km of their home more anglers availed of their favourite sport.
Ballina Salmon Anglers reported 6 salmon caught for the week. Local brothers Ryan and Simon Leonard’s many hours of fishing finally paid off with 2 salmon caught on the same day, weighing 8lbs. & 10lbs. Both fish were caught on worms.
East Mayo Anglers reported 9 salmon caught for the week, of which 5 were released. The best fish was caught on the fly downstream of Ballylahan bridge by John Mc Hugh, Turlough for 10.5 lbs.
Three salmon were reported caught by Foxford Anglers for the week.
The NCFFI report that fishing couldn’t come soon enough for Munster Coarse Anglers member Kevin Leahy. With no water within 5km, the Tipperary resident was delighted to see the travel restrictions ease so he could get back on the water………
‘’After three months finally, it was time. No more tying of rigs and cleaning gear – I was going fishing!
Tipperary is not renowned for its coarse fishing, and with the banks of the Lower Shannon not yet within reach, would I chance a session on one of the small ponds for a tench or rudd? With that cold wind all week I didn’t fancy my chances and wanted to make the most of my fishing freedom. So at silly o clock, I was at the North West of the county and the mighty Lough Derg hoping for a tussle with a shoal of bream, hybrids or roach. Fishing a top and bottom slider float rig in 30 feet of water the roach obliged, with the fishing steady all day producing a catch of 8oz to a 1lb and half fish for an estimated 40lb. The surprise and highlight of the day was a battler of a perch on a grain of sweetcorn, which surprisingly weighed only 2lb. He was up for a quick photo before returning straight back to the water and his vegetarian lifestyle.
No bream or hybrids for me, but who cares I’m back fishing, roll on the summer and the hope of catching up with my club mates for the banter on the bank!’’
Well, there may not have been bream or hybrids for Kevin on that session but he managed to get in amongst them on his next sessions the nice slab in the photo below will testify.
The easing of travel restrictions has made fishing more accessible to our members. Kevin is a member of the Munster Coarse Angling Club.
In Ireland, two households can now meet up with one another to fish. Safe behaviours, social distancing and the use of masks should be observed. With the relaxation of the travel restrictions, members may travel within their own county or within 20km of their residence if crossing county boundaries to fish. Members are urged to familiarise themselves with all available guidance, visit www.ncffi.ie/covid19 for more.
Angling on Lough Melvin started the season fairly slowly as would expected, especially given the fact that very few boats were out all season due to the Covid restrictions. There was a salmon recorded on the 27th March, opening day, however. This was a 7lb 2oz caught by Seamus O’Dare. Seamus was rewarded with Garrison Anglers club trophy and other prizes sponsored by Melvin Tackle and The Riverside Bar. The last few weeks have seen the best of the fishing. To date there has been around 12 salmon caught, mainly from the Garrison area. The trout fishing has picked up in the last couple of weeks. The Gillaroo seem to be slow to start but there have been some fair catches of Sonaghan for this early in the season and they are in a good condition for early fish. Many of the Sonaghan are now to be found over the deep-water drifts so the plankton must be starting to bloom. Probably due to the many, fine sunny days we have seen in the month to date.
Drowes water levels fell steadily over the month to date and the gauge is now reading 0.46m at the Four Masters Bridge. There were a number of fresh salmon caught despite the very low angling effort with most of these released. Hopefully with the latest relaxation in travel distances a few more rods should be able to now fish the river. Anglers can now travel countywide or within a 20km radius of their house.
Evelyn on June 21st 2019 on the Greenland Icesheet….this is melting fast due to global warming.
Our next webinar is all about the weather. Evelyn Cusack the Head of Forecasting at Met Eireann is presenting this 30 minute “Lunch & Learn Webinar” in our #GoFishingWeek2021 webinar series on “How the weather on our inland lakes is forecast and the importance of knowing the weather for angling safety.” Tuesday 27th of April 2021 at 1.10pm. REGISTER HERE.
The webinar will be a 20 minute presentation followed by a 10 minute Q&A session where people will have the opportunity to get involved. Evelyn Cusack is Head of the Forecasting Division in Met Éireann. She joined Met Éireann as a trainee forecaster in 1981 after studying Physics and Maths in UCD and hasn’t changed career yet!
Evelyn will talk to us about how and why National Meteorological Services now name storms and explain the Yellow/Orange/Red warnings codes. As part of the BE SUMMER-READY Safety on the Water campaign Met Éireann has introduced new forecasting services for Irish Coastal Waters and inland Lakes including new 3-day Small Craft and Gale warnings.
Evelyn on June 21st 2019 on the Greenland Icesheet….this is melting fast due to global warming.
Tell us if you are joining any of our Go Fishing Week webinars by sharing #GoFishingWeek2021 on social media.
