A Salmons Tale – a story as an audio file for people to enjoy on world book day.
This story is contained within a book called Natures Marvellous Adventures
To celebrate World Book Day, we asked Author Shane Casey if he would share one of his wonderful nature stories with us, he kindly recorded A Salmons Tale.
IFI have supported the production of these books for use in education, these are written in a dyslexic friendly way making the books more accessible. In all our education and outreach programmes we are making sure everyone can enjoy and take part in our moto “access for all”.
For those who can read, this book includes simple techniques in our books to make them more accessible for dyslexic readers.
Iascach Intíre Éireann ag iascaireacht d’fhilí óga sa chomórtas náisiúnta filíochta
Mar chuid de Sheachtain na Gaeilge tá IFI ag lorg dánta i nGaeilge
TáIascach Intíre Éireann agus Ionad Oideachais na Carraige Duibhe ag reáchtáil comórtas náisiúnta filíochta ‘Something Fishy’ atá dírithe ar dhaltaí bunscoile rang 5 agus 6 in Éirinn. Is deis é do dhaltaí a bheith cruthaitheach sa bhaile agus foghlaim faoi iasc. Is í seo an dara bliain a reáchtáladh an comórtas mar bhealach spraíúil do dhaltaí chun níos mó a fhoghlaim faoi éisc agus faoina dtimpeallacht agus, ag an am céanna, tá seans acu roinnt duaiseanna iontacha a bhuachan.
Don chomórtas tá dán acrastaic le scríobh; ina litríonn an chéad litir de gach líne focal amach. Tá gach dalta chun an focal ‘SRUTH’ a litriú chun a dhán acrastaic féin a scríobh. Spreagtar na daltaí freisin chun a gcuid dánta a léiriú lena saothar ealaíne féin. Ní cheadaítear ach iontráil amháin in aghaidh an scoláire agus is obair bhunaidh atá ann. Is é Dé hAoine, 28 ú Bealtaine 2021 an spriocdháta le haghaidh iontrálacha. Iarrtar ar Thuismitheoirí/Chaomhnóirí ríomhphost a sheoladh chuig outreach@fisheriesireland.ie le ainm an dalta, rang (5 ú nó 6ú) agus ainm agus seoladh na scoile. Roinnfear na hiontrálacha i dtrí chatagóir: 5 ú rang í gcatagóir amháin, 6 ú rang í gcatagóir eile agus tá catagóir ann freisin d’iontrálacha i nGaeilge. Roghnóidh painéal moltóirí buaiteoirí na dánta mhaisithe.
Fógrófar buaiteoirí ar an 18 ú Meitheamh 2021 agus is iad seo a leanas na duaiseanna:
Trí Chatagóir- 5ú Rang, 6ú rang agus catagóir Gaeilge
1ú duais- Trealamh iascaireachta (ar luach €100)
2ú duais- Trealamh turas allamuigh (ar luach €50)
3 ú duais- Mála Féiríní (ar luach €30)
Beidh triúr buaiteoirí ar leith ag gach catagóir a gheobhaidh na duaiseanna thuas.
Weather conditions improved as the week went on and air temperatures reached double digits by the weekend. Covid-19 travel restrictions of 5km limited angling to locals only. Water levels on the River Moy dropped slightly during the week and no fish were reported caught for the week.
Loughs Conn and Cullin had little angling activity for the week. Ian Wise from Cloonamoyne Fishery, Crossmolina, had 5 trout over 2 outings on Lough Conn. The best trout weighed 2.5 lbs and was caught on a Fiery Brown.
Gary Binley had 2 decent trout up to 2 lbs in Cloghan’s Bay on a Fiery Brown and a “Humongous” fly pattern. Five more trout were recorded on the Massbrook Shore, the best of which weighed 1.5 lbs. while 2 keepers were caught on a drift off Inishlea on Sunday afternoon 28th February. All trout were released alive to the water.
Three anglers out from Kelly’s of Cloghan’s had a couple of fish all near the limit which were also returned alive to the water. No angling was reported on Lough Cullin for the week.
The Drowes still has very good water levels and there seems to be a good run of fresh salmon.
With the country still under level 5 lockdown and the 5km restriction, there has been little angling as compared to a normal season. Only the nearest locals can fish the river.
Despite this there have been good numbers of salmon caught weighing from 7½ lb to over 20lb!
The big salmon was caught by local angler Seamus O’Neill on a Black Flying ‘C’ on the 22nd February and weighed just over 20lb.
The first fish on the fly was caught by John O’Neill on the 26th February. It weighed 7½lb and was caught on a banana yellow Cascade fly.
The Government has extended the Covid-19 Level 5 restrictions until 05 April 2021. Travel restrictions mean anglers must stay within 5km of their home. Non-essential business is not permitted.
At Level 5, the public health risk means that you will be asked to stay at home, except for travel for essential work, education or other essential purposes, or to take exercise within 5km of home.
Inland Fisheries Ireland offers the following information to anglers as a guideline only. Government advice to stop the spread of coronavirus is BE RESPONSIBLE, BE SAFE.
Observe physical distancing by keeping at least 2 metres apart, if not possible wear a face covering.
Park legally and responsibly if driving to outdoor amenities.
Respect our emergency services and avoid activities that could potentially lead to emergency call outs.
Respect the environment, animals & wildlife and dispose of waste properly.
Travel separately, unless from the same household and visit outdoor areas at off peak times if possible.
Fish stocking
IFI has ceased stocking fish to all locations.
All Anglers
Follow up-to-date Government advice, however changes to Government advice may result in amendments to this information. To stay safe, anglers should follow public health guidelines:
People may meet with people from one other household in outdoor settings when taking exercise.
No indoor or outdoor exercise group activities, including those involving children, should take place.
Individual training only.
No competitions.
No indoor or outdoor gatherings.
Boat Anglers
Max 2 persons in small boats to comply with physical distancing (unless from same household). Remember to maintain physical distancing on board and at slipways and access points.
Guides & Ghillies
During level 5 restrictions, only essential workers can travel to work.
Charter Boat Owners
During level 5 restrictions, only essential workers can travel to work.
BE RESPONSIBLE – BE SAFE
The power to control this pandemic is still in our hands
Inland Fisheries Ireland offers the following information to anglers as a guideline only. Government advice to stop the spread of coronavirus is BE RESPONSIBLE, BE SAFE.
It was a very wet start to the week, with nearly river bank full or in flood now. Thankfully we have a settled spell of weather for a few days, which will help alleviate flooding concerns.
Galway Weir and the River Corrib in full flow this week.
Last week saw the first salmon from Lough Currane, with Dominic McGillicuddy catching and releasing a 9lbs fresh fish on fly. Well done that man. And the River Moy also saw its first salmon of 2021, with local angler Peter McHigh landing an 11lbs salmon on worm at the back of the weir in Ballina.
#CPRsavesFish
Loughs Conn and Cullin opened last week, and the few local anglers close enough to fish it enjoyed some success.
A nice 1lb trout caught by Gary Binley in Cloghan’s Bay on opening day
Sea angling has been quiet around the coast, with the poor weather and Covid restrictions not helping, but the Killybegs Mariners members have enjoyed some good fishing in the harbour.
It was otherwise very quiet on the fishing front, so we had time to browse Youtube for inspiration. For those into pike fishing, Marcin Kantor has produced a nice video showing flyfishing for some big 1m+ pike from last autumn. Marcin was fishing from a bellyboat, a great method that allows the angler to get quite close to fish without spooking them.
And fly anglers who like targeting bass, sea trout and pollack may get some inspiration, and tips, from Ian O’Grady’s excellent instructional videos where he ties a number of popular saltwater patterns.
Finally, congratulations to the Lough Ree Lanesborough Angling Hub whose Access for All boat project along with the voluntary crew have been honoured by the National Lottery for the tremendous work they have done in helping to bring people with disability out on the Shannon.
Lough Ree Angling Hub volunteer crew and the Access for All boat
And now the weather…
Finally a bit of settled weather! High pressure bringing a lot of dry and calm weather. There will be a mix of cloud and some sunny spells, with some light rain or drizzle at times. Cool at night with a risk of frost and fog as winds ease.
Current indications suggest high pressure will remain dominant after midweek, bringing generally settled conditions, although patchy rain and drizzle will occur at times. Daytime temperatures will trend near or slightly above average for early March.
I don’t know about you lot, but without fishing it sure feels a lot like Groundhog Day in my house! Same ****, different day… and dreaming of warm summer days and the freedom to travel beyond 5km. In the meantime, many anglers are indulging in a spot (or a lot!) of flytying to fill the boxes for various species and methods.
Look and Learn
Ian from Irish Angling Adventures has been doing just that, but he has been good enough to film a few step-by-step tying videos for those of us less skilled, or new to flytying. These videos are all showcasing saltwater flies for bass, sea trout and pollack.
The first video features the Clouser Minnow, a simple yet very effective fly that mimics a sandeel very well. Ian makes it look effortless, and following along will be child’s play.
The next video we are sharing features the Deceiver, another easy fly to tie that mimics a bait fish.
The third video that we feature shows Ian tying the Nayat Sandeel, a great low-profile sandeel imitation that can be tied weighted or unweighted, and is excellent for bass and sea trout in shallow water.
Finally, we see Ian tie a Half and Half Clouser, a Clouser pattern with some saddle feathers added to the recipe. This allows for great diversity in colour and also great for movement in the water.
Giveaway
All of the flies Ian ties on camera are given away to one lucky winner – so check out the videos. Subscribe and leave a comment to be in with a chance of winning one of these fantastic creations!
Stefan Martin from the Killybegs Mariners SAC reports…
19 February: Some nice catches of different species within the confines of the harbour for the Mariners angler’s out and about this week including some bizarre catches which included 9 starfish hanging onto the one bait for Gavin, a busy week at Nasa.
A constellation of starfish was reeed in…
Also some fine turbot and flounder doubles along with plenty of good pier fishing for whiting, codling, dabs, dogs, coley, pollack etc and shoals of juvenile herring shimmering in the inlets keeping things busy
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
Lough Ree Angling Hub volunteer crew and the Access for All boat
Congratulations to the Lough Ree Lanesborough Angling Hub whose Access for All boat project anlong the voluntary crew have been honoured by the National Lottery for the tremendous work they have done in helping to bring people with disability out on the Shannon.
National Finalists
The Hub is a national finalist in the National Lottery Good Causes Awards under the ‘Health and Well-being’ category.
The Access For All boat has opened a wonderful new opportunity for people with disabilities, and it also shows that this amazing fishing group truly is a champion of inclusivity.
In the coming year, Lough Ree Lanesborough Angling Hub hope that over 3,000 users will get to enjoy this fabulous experience.
