George McGrath interviews David O'Donovan on the Flyfishing Tapes
Fly-tier and angling guide George McGrath’s super Youtube channel Gundog and Fly pays host to a series of interviews with well know anglers. The series was cut short unfortunately by the lockdown, but you can watch the first four online now.
Episode 2. David O’Donovan
George’s notes: Another fascinating chat with one of Irelands top fly anglers. This time I talk to David O’Donovan, a prolific competition angler with many wins both at home and abroad to his credit.
Tying flies
George has a whole host of fly tying how to’s at his channel and he also ties flies to order. You can find out more or get in touch with George at his facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/george.mcgrath.5243
This book – a landmark on the subject – features Ireland again and again. It shows how you can consistently catch specimen pike when fishing rivers, loughs and more.
How to Catch Big Pike
Distinguished pike fisherman Paul Gustafson, an experienced biologist as well as a gifted angler and researcher, shows how you can develop techniques that will catch bigger pike when fishing any location. He describes how to locate the biggest fish in a fishery, the best way of catching it, and how to apply various clever techniques and the most effective tackle to achieve greater success.
His full-colour new edition includes photographs and specially commissioned artwork. It covers the very latest scientific discoveries about how pike detect their prey through dedicated olfactory organs; how they use their specialised sense of smell; and what it is exactly that pike see – with obvious relevance to choice of lures.
The author has also included new material on the fishing of loughs, lakes and rivers in Ireland; on fly fishing for pike; and on how to locate record pike in a chapter written by Fred Buller.
Also available from Amazon. (I.S.B.N. is 9781845286040)
The book is available in Canada and America via Barnes and Noble.
Paul has previously released a DVD that also features Ireland, showcasing venues in Cavan and the Lake Counties, Lough Erne, Lough Ramor, Lough Gowna, Lough Oughter and many more. Fly fishing, dead baiting, lure fishing and trolling are all covered in this lovely film with fish of over 23lb being caught. They’re not available in the shops but you might get lucky on one of the online resellers…
Another look back through our angling heritage and this time it is to River Slaney and the Munster Blackwater we go to see how things were with the 1988 Channel 4 angling documentary series ‘The Angling Experience’, this one posted on the Swelly Dave Youtube channel.
Narrated by another friend of angling recently lost to us, Dick Warner, two intrepid anglers spend a cold spring day on each of the rivers in search of that elusive springer, with some fine fish featuring in the short film. Many of the same flies featured in the documentary over thirty years ago will still work today, flies like the Hairy Mary, Blue Charm and Garry Dog, but we seldom hear of anyone using a yellowbelly Devon Minnow these days – an essential part of the kit for any angler looking to spin for salmon thirty years ago – now wholly replaced by the Flying C.
The picture quality is far from HD and the sound takes a bit of getting used to, but the essence of fishing for spring salmon is captured as nicely as the fish themselves.
Chris O’Sullivan is a fanatic sea angler based in Tralee, Co. Kerry, with access to some of the best sea angling in the country. Chis is well-known on the angling competition scene with many successes to his name. Unlike a lot of serious competition anglers, though, Chris is keen to share his tips and tricks, and has set up a Youtube channel called The Inshore Angler. He has kept himself busy this year creating and uploading videos, many of which feature useful how-tos, as well as showcasing some of the fishing Kerry has to offer. Some of us have been binging on fishing videos to get us through lockdown, and the Inshore Angler has quickly become one of our favourite channels.
This week we are sharing a how-to video, where Chris explains how to tie a 3-hook flapper rig, one of the most common rigs used in shore angling. And if you like the video, feel free to click Subscribe so you can stay up to date with more of Chris’s videos. If you’re on Facebook you can also follow Chris here
A new scientific paper entitled ‘The spawning location of vulnerable ferox trout (Salmo trutta L.) in the Lough Corrib and Lough Mask catchments, Western Ireland’ has been published in the Journal of Fish Biology by scientists from Inland Fisheries Ireland (IFI) in conjunction with the Norwegian Institute for Nature Research.
Ferox trout being released
Ferox trout are large, long-lived, fish eating trout normally found in deep lakes; they are believed to be genetically distinct from normal brown trout, having evolved after the last Ice Age 12,000 years ago. Ferox are highly prized by trophy anglers and Lough Corrib and Lough Mask have recorded the great majority of Irish specimen ferox trout since angling records began in the 1950’s. Little was known about the spawning location of ferox trout compared to normal brown trout, and a radio tracking study was initiated in both catchments in 2005. Local anglers and IFI staff helped catch large ferox trout on both lakes in order to insert radio tags. The fish were released after tagging and then tracked with help from the Irish Air Corps helicopter unit and by walking spawning streams with a radio tracking antenna to determine in which streams ferox spawned.
Ferox trout being released
Results from radio tracking showed that the majority (92%) of ferox trout tagged in Lough Corrib spawned in a single spawning stream, the Cong river, while the majority (76%) of ferox trout tagged in Lough Mask spawned in the Cong canal and Cong river. These results indicate that these streams are most likely the principle spawning locations of ferox trout in both lakes.
Three weeks down, three to go… with most people not having fishing within 5km, and the weather not helping either, angling reports are non-existent at the moment. So once again, we’ve been getting our fishing fix by listening to podcasts, tying flies and traces, and watching fishing videos to get us through lockdown.
Podcast
This week’s podcast comes from across the Irish Sea, but features Irish fishing. Ceri Jones, a Welsh photographer and angler, interviews Lough Inagh fishery manager and all-round craic merchant Colin Folan. It’s an entertaining chat, and well worth a listen on your daily walk (within 5km!)
Look and Learn
Many trout anglers keep busy at this time of year by tying flies to replenish the box for next season. Peter Driver from Piscari Fly Fishing holds a regular Saturday evening demo live on Facebook, catch it here from 8.30pm on Saturday. Peter is also participating in the Irish Fly Fair, which due to Covid is going virtual this year, so keep an eye on that page also where many fly dressers will be sharing demo videos over the coming weeks.
For coarse anglers, check out the video of Steve Ringer, the world no. 1 ranked feeder angler, as he fishes Lough Erne. Hard-fighting Irish hybrids, bream and skimmers are the target species, that keep Steve on his toes constantly changing tactics showing how to keep fish coming throughout the session.
Feeder fishing in Ireland with Steve Ringer
Sea angling continues throughout the winter, and many sea anglers will be avidly looking forward to the lifting of travel restrictions. In the meantime, tying traces is a productive job that will pay off later, and Chris O’Sulivan and his Inshore Angler youtube channel is an invaluable resource, where he shares tips and tricks from the best. Check out his rig-tying videos that we enjoyed this week.
Tie rigs with Chris O’Sullivan
From the Archives
From the RTE archives comes a video from 1984, where the late, great Derek Davis, who loved his fishing, presented a report on on the first professionally taught fly fishing course in Ireland, hosted by Lal Faherty of Oughterard from his Lakeland Angling Centre and guesthouse overlooking Lough Corrib’s Portacarron Bay, and also featuring the late Peter O’Reilly, game fishing expert and author of books on Ireland’s lakes and rivers, as well as flytying.
News
Salmon anglers, like the trout hunters, may be busy tying flies and looking forward to the 2021 season, which starts in just 7 weeks on some rivers. The draft Wild Salmon and Sea Trout Tagging Scheme (Amendment) Regulations have been published and are available to view here. A public consultation on the regulations is now open, and stakeholders have until December 11 to make any submissions they feel necessary.
Level 5 and angling
Everyone is aware that the lockdown is in place and what it means. But here is a reminder of the measures in place for angling:
Guides and ghillies are not on the list of essential services
Charter boats are not on the list of essential services
It’s a pretty unsettled outlook, with bands of rain and showers over the weekend in blustery winds, and highest temperatures of 10 to 13 degrees. The rest of the week doesn’t show much improvement, with the first half of Monday perhaps providing the best of the conditions before more wet and windy weather follows from the Atlantic. Hopefully we can get the worst of the weather over before travel restrictions are relaxed, and we surely deserve a bit of good weather then!
Safe fishing to all this weekend and tight lines, especially here in Ireland.
Inland Fisheries Ireland Announces 35 “Angling for All” Projects Granted Funding in 2020
Inland Fisheries Ireland has granted funding for 35 angling projects across the country in 2020. The projects, which received financial grants though Inland Fisheries Ireland, supported by the Dormant Account Fund to the tune of €140,000, will benefit initiatives from groups in Ireland that are engaged in novice angling.
Applications were welcomed from any group in Ireland that is engaged in developing novice angling, for expenditure on projects that support governance, education and safety in angling. The “Angling for All” fund is financially supporting 35 such projects across Ireland with a view to increasing numbers of novice anglers. Four national projects are receiving funding along with the 31 regional projects, these include projects by the following:
The National Coarse Fishing Federation of Ireland (NCFFI)
The Salmon and Sea Trout Recreational Anglers of Ireland (SSTRAI)
The Angling Council of Ireland (ACI)
The Irish Federation of Pike Angling Clubs (IFPAC)
Peter’s notes: This coming Saturday Night the 14th at 8.30pm we will be Live from IRISH FLY FAIR Facebook group, for this years Virtual Irish Fly Fair. Make sure and check in with us for a great night and we will be tying this cracking Mayfly pattern among other flies Live. Stop by and say hello have a chat and some tying. Make sure you like their page to see when we are live.
Sarah Healy poses with her salmon before the release #CPRsavesfish
Open for submissions from 12 November 2020
Submissions closed 11 December 2020
Consultation is open
Eamon Ryan TD, Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications, gives statutory notice of his intention to make the Wild Salmon and Sea Trout Tagging Scheme Regulations, 2020 to provide for the management of the wild salmon and sea trout fishery by Inland Fisheries Ireland from 1 January 2021.
Wild Salmon and Sea Trout Tagging Scheme (Amendment) Regulations 2020
Anyone wishing to submit observations on or objections to the draft regulations can do so by email or post. The closing date for submissions is 5.30pm 11 December 2020
Irish Rivers Trusts’ and Catchment Community Groups Annual Seminar 2020
Saturday, 28th of November 2020 09:00 to 12:30
Irish Trusts Seminar
After a successful inaugural event in 2019, this year’s Irish Rivers Trust and Catchment Community Groups Seminar: Communities Caring for Water is going digital. Free and accessible to any Rivers Trust or LAWPRO community group employee or volunteer, this online event will provide important updates, guidance, and inspiration for those working to protect and conserve rivers on the island of Ireland.
The agenda features informative sessions on a range of topics, including:
• Funding for smaller groups and trusts
• Citizen science
• Equity, Diversity & Inclusion
• Communications: cutting through the noise of COVID-19.
