Marcin Kantor was all about salmon last week, but this week he is back to another of his new found passions; Pike on the fly. Join Marcin as he fishes a Midlands venue in November last year…
Marcin’s notes: Fly fishing for pike is my latest fascination, and I am enjoying myself with my Float Tube while pike fishing. Fishing from a Savage Gear High Rider 170 Float Tube, I take my pike lure tackle and fly fishing gear and set off for another trip with the belly boat at the end of November. The goal was to find some big pike on the fly. The day has started amazingly well with a fish over 1 meter hitting my fly. Plenty more pike action during the day coming to both, the fly fishing method and lures, namely the Miuras Mouse. The colour of the Miuras Mouse that did the trick was once again the Spotted Bullhead. It was a super cool session as pike fishing in Ireland can be really good.
17/2/21 Good to see two Currane Brownless boats manipulating this day but with all their efforts we are still waiting for that elusive Salmon ice braker. Knowing the Currane yearly trends as I do, we will not be waiting much longer? so get out there you Brownless and Barbless manipulators and give Covid 19 a Winston Churchill. Just for the record one of the Brownless Tags was a hand me down. Wind SW and veered SE late this afternoon and overcast, followed by heavy rain.
#CPRsavesFish
18/2/21 Professional Barbless and tagless Currane Angler Mr. Dominic McGillicuddy, while fly fishing, caught a cracker of a fresh 9lbs Salmon on a homemade barbless fly, Dominic also reported that he lost another, so Congratulations to Dominic for breaking the Currane ice and if there were any Brown Tag Boats out there today, I can tell you it was not long before they were browned off.
Now for quote of the day, that goes to Dominic, I asked Dominic what he has to say about being tagless, Dominic replied, I let my flies do the talking. Wind WSW light to fresh and overcast.
19/2/21 Lough Currane was at a standstill with a strong wind from the SW with the odd violent gust followed by heavy showers and talking of rain it made a good flood last night going by the Inny this morning.
20/2/21 Again the Currane Anglers were forced to stay on dry land thanks to a strong SSE this morning and veered SSW in the afternoon. Amount of rainfall yesterday was 23.4 mm.
21/2/21 Currane was all quiet on all fronts this day as Lough Currane rises fast after the big flood. Wind SSW fresh with bright sunshine all day.
Lough Currane – 22 February
22/2/21 Again the wild winds of Currane prevented the Brown and Barbless anglers from heading out this day, staying with the forecast it is not looking good with an orange rain warning with 25.9 mm rainfall for Waterville, followed by strong Southerly winds tomorrow.
Wild Lough Currane Photo by Tam
23/2/21 The Currane anglers were at a standstill as the Orange rain and yellow wind warning took control, as you can see by the photo taken by local angler Mr. Tam Hitmiangsong, that sums up today’s action.
Rivery Inny after the big flood
24/2/21 After big floods yesterday there was just one hand me down Brown Tag boat out and by all accounts he was well browned off and Salmonless. Wind West Southwest fresh and overcast. Now we head for the email department on the No Spin No Fly’s just Facts opinion zone. Today’s email is from Susan, so take it away Susan.
The rivers and lakes of Waterville drain a large catchment and are regarded by many as the foremost Salmon and Sea-Trout fishery in the country. The lake system is well developed with access to boats and guides being readily available to the tourist angler. The Sea-Trout caught here are renowned for their size and quantity. For more details see
The River Moy opened for salmon and sea trout angling on 1st February. High water and general poor weather restricted even the hardest of anglers to venture out fishing. Water temperatures ranged between 6 and 6.5 degrees Celsius for the week. Zero fish were recorded caught for the week.
Week ending 14th February 2021
Ongoing poor weather conditions persisted with a few anglers venturing out to fish on the Moy. Water temperatures dipped to 4.5 degrees Celsius towards the end of the week on the River Moy. Zero fish were recorded for the week.
Week ending 21st February 2021
Cold and blustery weather prevailed for most of the week with heavy rainfall. With some intermittent spells of fair-weather anglers jumped at the chance to wet a line. However, on Saturday morning 20th February, the first salmon of the 2021 season was caught on the River Moy. The 11lbs salmon was landed by Peter Mc Hugh on the Verschoyle Fishery part of the Ballina Salmon Anglers’ waters, to a worm. Persistence pays off…. as he said himself – he put in the hours. All other River Moy fisheries reported zero fish for the week.
A nice 1lb trout caught by Gary Binley in Cloghan's Bay on opening day
Kevin O’Boyle reports from Loughs Conn & Cullin
Loughs Conn and Cullin opened on 15th February and Lough Conn saw a few anglers braving the elements on the first day where 15 trout were recorded as being caught. Southwesterly winds got some trout moving and roughly 12 anglers ventured out the lake. Stephen Browne had four trout all keepers, the best weighing 1.2 lbs and lost one more, all off the Brackwansha Shore. Peter Roche had one trout weighing 1.5 lbs in Cloghan’s Bay as had Gary Binley with a keeper over 1 lb. Successful flies on the day included Bibio, Fiery Brown & Dabbler.
It’s been a wild and blustery week as we endured a couple of strong wind warnings and, while writing this, the wind continues to howl and swirl around the house with some heavy showers rattling the windows. But, there have been some intermittent spells of genuinely warm sunshine over the past week where, wrapped up to face the elements, you are pleasantly surprised to feel the heat of the sun penetrate through the layers.
Those patches of warmth are critical for early season trout anglers as they stimulate the fly hatches that finally get things moving after the long winter months. And for those lucky enough to live within 5km, a number of our top trout angling loughs opened up again this week. Unfortunately, the wind probably kept plenty of boats on the shore so we don’t have any reports of the fishing in yet. Still, we do have another fly tying masterclass from Peter Driver where he focuses on that most important early-season trout fly: the buzzer. Peter has drafted in top Corrib angler Basil Sheilds to give a host of tips on how to rig and fish the buzzer, so this one is a must for those of us hoping that we’ll be able to cast a line on the loughs before too long…
Some anglers were able to get out and cast a line within 5km of their house, and Longford angler Daniel Daly was one who made the most of his opportunity. Fishing with his brother and a friend, they managed to get 16 pike over a few different sessions, which led to smiles all round.
Finally, Inland Fisheries Ireland and Blackrock Education Centre are calling on aspiring young poets to put pen to paper in a water-themed poetry competition. Aimed at 5th and 6th class primary students, the task is to write a poem with the first letter of each line spelling the word STREAM. There are some prizes on offer for the top three poems, so that should spark some creativity, and hopefully we’ll be flooded with entries.
And now the weather…
Mostly cloudy and breezy at first this afternoon with outbreaks of rain and a risk of flooding in the south. Brighter conditions with sunny spells and scattered heavy showers will extend from the west this afternoon. Mild, with highs of 10°C to 12°C. Strong southerly winds will moderate this afternoon, but remaining strong to near gale force on eastern coasts. The blustery weather is set to continue for the next few days as a showery weather pattern takes hold over the weekend with gusty winds and temperatures remaining relatively mild. The winds will increase again early next week, bringing some wet weather on Monday night before becoming more settled later in the week.
Andrew McGall shared another salmon fishing video with us, this time lady luck gave a helping hand when Andrew overshot his cast, briefly connecting with the foliage on the far bank.
As Andrew explains: ‘When fishing in general and salmon fishing in particular, its always good to have a little luck on your side. This video was from a memorable day when a lucky cast saw my fly pull free from a tree… and as I fished out the cast a fish took! Now I don’t necessarily recommend this tactic, but sometimes if your luck is in, it’s in!’
It always takes a certain degree of luck to land a salmon, this time it took a chunk of it!
Although, as one saying goes (and we’re sure Andrew will agree), success is very much the intersection of luck and hard work…
Don’t forget to like the video and subscribe to Andrew’s YouTube channel for more excellent content.
Peter Driver of Piscari Fly is back for another episode in his winter fly tying series. this time it’s all about buzzers, just in time for the start of the new trout season…
Peter’s Notes: Buzzer Night and we are joined by the one and only Basil Sheilds from Lough Corrib talking tackle and set ups for buzzer fishing. This is one not to be missed. Apologies – Basil Shields phone number is wrong on video. Should be 091 not 092. So 091 552550. Our guest fly dresser tonight will be Terry Philips from Team England and he will be tying a cracking Spanish emerger pattern. Terry will also be talking about how to store your dries properly and keep them from being damage.
Tie a fly…
Peter’s fly shop is at www.piscari-fly.com for all your fly tying and fly fishing needs.
Stefan Martin from the Killybegs Mariners SAC reports…
1 of 6
Pollack
Mackerel
Flounder
Herring
Dab
Coalfish
06 February: 5km limits but still some good fishing to be had on the local piers. A fine mix of species for the Mariners crew landing 7 species including coley, pollack, dab, flounder, poor cod, mackerel and herring which kept the rods busy. Lots of herring and small mackerel in the shallows of the bay now providing a bounty for the gulls and the boats
1 of 8
Cod
Coalfish
Conger
Dab
Herring
Pollack
Poor cod
Whiting
13 February: A nice mix of species for Johnny venturing to the harbour mark and finding plenty of fish in the cold weather as the inner bays become spawning grounds for herring and attract plenty of fish doing likewise and finding handy food sources. Herring and coleys on the jigs and lures along with dabs, poor cod, codling, dogs, whiting, conger etc on the baits
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
10/2/21 Kelts were the order of the day in the Barbless and Brownless department, just for the record there were a total of four boats out on this freezing cold day, two Brownless Tags of which 1 was a hand me down Brown Tag, followed by two Barbless boats. Wind E and veered SE at times. On the temperature front 3C felt like -3C.
11/2/21 Currane Brown Tag and Barbless Anglers were left stranded on the Currane shoreline today as a strong ESE closed the Salmon and Sea Trout stations on both sides of Lough Currane. In the words of one Currane Angler it was dangerous out there.
12/2/21 Southeast wind takes control of the Brown tag and Barbless Boats are left docked. Wind SE strong and overcast followed by mist rain all day and staying with the weather, Kerry is on a yellow warning with strong SE Gails and flooding is expected.
13/2/21 Lough Currane today was Brownless and Tagless as the Currane Anglers again were left standing as the weather dictates today’s proceedings as the fresh to strong SSE wind takes control of Lough Currane.
14/2/21 Lough Currane was a no go this morning with wind gusts up to 63 MPH come afternoon wind gust dropped to about 42 MPH and to the best of my Knowledge and over 50 years’ experience on Lough Currane, the Big Lake was still a no go? Wind SSW fresh to strong in the afternoon.
15/2/21 The Currane Brown and Barbless anglers were prohibited from manipulating their flie and trolling skills this day, thanks again to a strong SW gale come afternoon veered S late this afternoon. Now to all our save our Game Fishing Community click the link.
16/2/21 Sorry to report that the Brownless and Tagless Currane anglers were not out, in other words Lough Currane was boatless to the best of my Knowledge. Wind SSW fresh with reasonable cloud cover.
The rivers and lakes of Waterville drain a large catchment and are regarded by many as the foremost Salmon and Sea-Trout fishery in the country. The lake system is well developed with access to boats and guides being readily available to the tourist angler. The Sea-Trout caught here are renowned for their size and quantity. For more details see
Inland Fisheries Ireland and the Blackrock Education Centre are running the national ‘Something Fishy’ poetry competition aimed at 5th and 6th class primary school students in Ireland. It is an opportunity for students to get creative at home and learn about fish. This is the second year the competition has been run as a fun way for students to learn more about fish and their environment while also being in with a chance to win some great prizes.
The competition is to write an acrostic poem; in which the first letter of each line spells out a word. Each student is to spell out the word ‘STREAM’ to write their own acrostic poem. Students are also encouraged to illustrate their poems with their own artwork. Only one entry is permitted per student and it is to be original work. The closing date for entries is Friday, 28th of May 2021. Parents/ Guardians are being asked to email the entry to outreach@fisheriesireland.ie and to include the student’s name, class (5th or 6th) and school name and address. The entries will be divided into three categories: 5th class in one category, 6th class in another and there is also a category for entries in Irish. The winning illustrated poems will be chosen by a panel of judges.
Winners will be announced on the 18th of June 2021 and prizes are as follows:
Three Categories- 5th and 6th class and Irish language category
1st prize- Fishing kit (to the value of €100)
2nd prize- Outdoor field trip kit (to the value of €50)
3rd prize- Goody Bag (to the value of €30)
Each category will have three separate prize-winners who will receive the above prizes.
