14 September: At the start of last week we had very good water in the river and while we had a few resident fish we also had two grand fish. We had a salmon 10 lbs caught and a seatrout 5 lbs both with lice.
The water levels have dropped now and with no rain forecast until Wednesday week the fishing will be slack. The wind was too strong to go in the lake but they are to ease off during the week and hopefully we will get some fishing in then.
There are approximately five miles of fly fishing along the main part of the Owenmore River in Kerry, with 33 named pools and an additional 180 acres of lake fishing in this Kerry beauty spot. The salmon, grilse and sea trout begin to run in April. The runs continue through spring and summer into early October.
For this week’s Ireland on the Fly podcast Keith McDonnell joins Daire Whelan to discuss how to approach high rivers…
Although we’re experiencing something of an Indian summer this week in September, the rains in August were anything but seasonal and I wanted to get some more insights and tips on how to approach high rivers at this time of year.
Keith McDonnell, aka Fluffchucker.com, is a recognised expert on streamer fishing in high waters — and the size of the fish he has caught this season is testament to that.
I spoke to Keith back in the Spring but this around Keith explained how you should be approaching high rivers in the summer and when you can be catching them on dry flies despite a flood. With two over 6lbs in the last few weeks, Keith is definitely worth listening to…..
Don’t forget to rate, review and subscribe to the Ireland on the Fly podcast on Apple, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts from and for more information to go to IrelandontheFly.com
“Beginners may ask why one fishes if he is to release his catch. They fail to see that the live trout, sucking in the fly and fighting the rod is the entire point of our sport”
Ernest G.Schwiebert
‘Spotted magic’ A beautiful ‘autumn’ 5lb trout caught by Co. Antrim angler Cathal McNaughton
As autumn pulls its tentacles slowly around us in the form of encroaching darkness, morning mists and evening chills, the colours at Lough Sheelin seemed to reflect the mood of the season – clarets, oranges, yellows and browns for flies, dark moody waters and captures of beautifully clear spotted trout with tremendous fight in them. Chasing trout in autumn here can be one of the best times to capture a Lough Sheelin reputed heavy weight, ‘hand on heart it is strongly recommended to fish this lake now, rarely easy but definitely worth the effort’ – and certainly for this week these words rang true as some beautiful trout were caught but at a cost – lots of time, lots of luck and lots of patience.
This is such a temperamental lake and for the past seven days it surpassed itself, giving the angler perhaps 20 – 30 minutes of ‘lively’ fishing followed by hours of nothing.
In some countries autumn trout fishing is referred to as the season of 10,000 casts and whereas maybe it doesn’t quite get to that number certainly a persistent stamina is required to get fish to move to the proffered flies.
September ushers in some of the best if not the best trout of the fishing season. The explanation is both elemental and monosyllabic – food. The days are getting shorter, water temperatures are dropping, albeit by only a degree or two to start, and trout recognize these changes. Like a black bear packing on the pounds prior to hibernation, trout, too, sense this need to prepare themselves nutritionally for the upcoming months when their larders may be a little thin. But hungry trout are one thing, catching them can certainly be another matter particularly on Sheelin. The need for a trout to feed doesn’t magically transform trout into ravenous beasts. In many waters and in particular here, these piscatorial survivors are seasoned veterans: some have been caught and released, while others have grown notoriously wary of upright bipedal figures and the subsequent surface disturbances wrought by these shapes. All this is worth remembering in order to stave off frustration and disappointment if the going gets tough.
Martin Cruthers, Lisburn with his beautiful autumn trout, September 10th
Back to the week gone by – Undoubtedly the bigger fish and even the not so bigger ones are on the move, it was important to be in the right place and it was all about fishing wets. Water levels are still high and there was some discolouration in areas earlier on in the week. Claret Dabblers, Daddy and Hopper patterns, Bibios, Red tailed Peters, Stimulators and Bumbles all featured strongly and with the much desired South-westerly winds dominating the week it was a question of perseverance and then maybe one or two results. Dry fly fishing is far and away the most exciting and is perhaps what most people are looking for when they get into fly fishing. Seeing a fish strike your carefully tied fly, right in front of you is a pretty exhilarating experience. Presentation and delicacy can matter a lot when fishing dries and except for some of the large terrestrial patterns, splashing dries can spook fish. There was sadly little opportunity for dry fly fishing this week, except perhaps fishing a Daddy or two at the butt of the wind.
While everyone gets excited about fishing dries, most trout (95%) get their food below the surface. Not surprisingly, then wet flies are extremely productive, even if they are less exciting. Wet or dry fly our trout can be amazingly picky about the speed and depth of their food, even if you have got the pattern correct so, everything you do should be to maximize the amount of time your fly is at a depth and speed that doesn’t arouse suspicion.
Going through the week:
Monday was mild and muggy, overcast with patches of drizzle. Fishing was reported as being slow, the Claret Stimulator working well in the waves and a few fish of 3 – 4lbs being caught. Trout were reported to be in lovely condition. Tuesday was humid at 23 degrees with south- westerly’s, trout were caught in Rusheen, Goreport and Derrysheridan using Claret Stimulators, Dabblers, Golden Bumbles and Bibios, heaviest was 3 ½ lbs. Wednesday was dry and overcast with a change of wind direction to Northwest which made it seem cooler. Anglers reported a slow day with little fish showing; nonetheless trout were caught using Claret Dabblers and Black Pennels around Derrysheridan, Goreport and Bog Bay. Trout were refusing to play ball on Thursday despite good fishing conditions of light to moderate south- westerlys. Fish were falling short of taking flies and there was only an odd pitch here and there. Flies that got results were the Stimulators, Silver Daddies, Welshmans Buttons and the Daddies. Friday was wet and overcast in the morning changing to bright non conducive fishing conditions in the afternoon, a number of anglers were out but few catches were recorded. Moderate to fresh west to south- westerly’s graced Saturday and angling numbers increased thanks to the Kilroy Cup competition run by the local angling club. Some lovely fish were recorded and anglers reported lively fighting fish in great condition. Sunday was a slow day with fresh and gusty south west winds, trout of up to 4lbs were caught on teams of wets and on a few Daddy patterns.
The local angling club – The LSTPA ran their Kilroy cup competition last Saturday. Results were encouraging with Monaghan angler Brian McAvinney taking the cup with a hefty 6 pounder.
Angling numbers averaged 8 to 10 boats per day with the preferred fishing times in the early morning, from 10am onwards and the later part of the afternoon.
31 trout were recorded for the week.
The weight of the week was Brian McAvinney’s 6 pounder caught at the Kilroy Cup competition on Saturday September 12th.
The most popular flies were the Red Tailed Peters, Golden Olives Bumbles, Pearly Invictas, the Dabblers (Silver, Sooty, Claret and Peter Ross), the Grey Flags, the Stimulators (Grey, Claret and Bling), the Black Pennells, Welshmans Button, Pheasant Tail Nymph and the Klinkhammer. Some lures were used on sinking lines – di3 and 5.
Pat Magee’s Ramblers
The Green George, Claret George and Detached Daddy were good, these are great teaser flies and were excellent as top droppers. The Muddlers worked well on the lake, these flies push through the water creating a bubble which attracts the feeding trout. Other ‘pusher flies’ used to create a disturbance and used again on the top dropper were the Bibios, Zulus and Sedgehogs. Something sleeker and more imitative on the middle like the Claret & Mallard, Silver Invicta and Wickham’s Fancy and then a flashy attractor on the point like a Dunkeld, Peter Ross or Alexandra. The Bibio is a very versatile fly as it can work both as a top dropper attractor and a tweaked dry, when greased.
Gaudy patterns were good for those targeting the Daphnia feeders out in the open water.
Lures that were successful were Black & Silver Minkies and a black Humungus.
Floating fry patterns worked for some in the shallows and weeded areas.
The best areas for fishing on the lake this week were Lynch’s pt. Chambers Bay, mid lake, at the back of Church Island, Bog Bay, Goreport, Rusheen, Derrysheridan, Corru and Merry Pt.
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The Daddies
The A team
Still waters run deep
'Spotted magic' A beautiful 'autumn' 5lb trout caught by Co. Antrim angler Cathal McNaughton
Small release
Sheelin's Caperer
Pat Magee's Ramblers
Over 2lbs on a Claret Dabbler
Out of the net
Moonlight & Magic, Lough Sheelin September 7th
Model legs - Lough Sheelin's Crane fly
Michael Power with a 54cm trout caught on wets, September 9th
Martin Cruthers, Lisburn with his beautiful autumn trout, September 10th
Lures for Sheelin
Lough Sheelin's Hover fly
Long & lean - September 11th on a Claret Dabbler
Little and large - Orchid Beetle
Heralding in the Fall - a Gold Spangle moth
Fishing a drift
Fiery Brown Bumbles
Dusk fishing
Double gold
Catch & Release
Brian McAvinney, Monaghan with his winning 6lb trout at the Kilroy Cup competition on Saturday September 12th
Blazing a trail
Autumn colours - a Frosted Orange
Arthur MacDonald's Golden Olive Bumble - good as a top dropper
A catch & release policy is actively encouraged on the lake at all times.
Extra care is needed when playing and releasing trout during periods of high water temperatures as additional stress at these times will decrease the survival rate of hooked and released fish.
BYE-LAW 949 strictly prohibits:
The taking of any brown trout of less than 36 centimetres.
For a person to fish with more than 2 rods at any one time.
To fish with more than 4 rods at any one time when there is more than one person on board the boat concerned.
For a person to take more than 2 trout per day.
All trolling on the lake from March 1st to June 16th (inclusive).
To fish or to attempt to take or to fish for, fish of any kind other than during the period from March 1st to October 12th in any year.
Join the Club…
For anyone interested in joining Lough Sheelin’s Angling Club – The Lough Sheelin Trout Protection Association please contact Thomas Lynch @ 087 9132033.
We would implore anglers and all other users to wear life jackets for their own safety as well as it being the law.
Life jackets are required by law – SI No 921 of 2005 – Pleasure Craft (Personal Flotation Devices and Operation) (Safety) Regulations 2005. Water rarely gives second chances and a life jacket is just that – it saves your life.
Please put on and keep on that life jacket until you are back on dry land.
Please remember All anglers are required to have a Fishery Permit to fish Lough Sheelin which must be purchased BEFORE going out on the lake.
25lb salmon from Ballyhooley Castle fishery on the Munster Blackwater
Ryan O’Hagan enjoyed a great week’s fishing with friends Mark Chidgey, Kieron and Noel Clancy in Ballyhooley Castle. There were a lot of fish showing all week. River conditions were perfect, levels were around 1.34 and it was generally dull and overcast with light winds.
The highlight for Ryan was managing to land, with the help of Mark, a 23-25lb salmon on Beat 2 (Scarriff). Ryan was fishing a size 16 silver stoat with a fast sinking tip. As soon as the line tightened he knew he was into a big fish and shouted shouted at Mark to help!
25lb salmon from Ballyhooley Castle fishery on the Munster Blackwater
After a fight of around 15 minutes with a lot of head shaking and deep long runs the pair worked the huge hen fish into shallow water. There they gently removed the hook and held her in the water till she had recovered, taking photographs to mark the occasion. Once she was strong enough Ryan let her go again and with a big shake of her tail she swam back into the run, held there for 2 minutes and she was gone!
It was an incredible salmon and Ryan tells us he felt genuinely privileged to have caught such a fish of a lifetime and gave his thanks to all at Ballyhooley Castle.
River round up
Eileen Carroll in the Macroom office tells us that conditions remain good on the Munster Blackwater for salmon and trout fishing. Salmon numbers are high throughout the catchment but are being elusive in some stretches and anglers are diversifying to try and outwit them but all in all good reports. Below Lismore fish are taking again and in all the fishing is reported as remaining good.
Last Sunday Gary Reilly and his Son Aaron had a great day’s fishing on the Rinn River, one of the many Shannon tributaries. Aaron (9 years old) caught his first bream and a nice fish it was too. We were using ground bait and maggots which proved very successful.
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In the net!
Aaron and his first bream
The young angler is hooked
In addition to bream, he had a few nice roach, a perch and then when we ran out of ground bait he picked up his spinner rod and caught a small pike on his third cast. An extremely happy boy, definitely well hooked at this stage 😉.
Despite the recent floods in Cavan anglers are still being rewarded with decent catches, reports Padraig Carroll from our office in Corlesmore.
Pike on a Mepps
Kieran Lee took to the water at Lough Gowna in search of some big predators and he wasn’t disappointed. Fishing a variety of lures he caught 2 fabulous double figure pike.
Met Éireann released their summer 2020 weather statement last week and, in case you missed it, summer 2020 was a poor one weather-wise. Rainfall was well above the long-term summer average everywhere in the country (146% of the norm for July) and the amount of sunshine received was below average in every part too; Dublin Airport even recorded its dullest summer on record. Not only that, but we had strong gales, storm-force winds, and there was the very rare occurrence of two named storms during the month of August.
Despite the poor summer, many anglers will be feeling a pang of loss and even impending doom at its passing, as the flurry of wind-whipped leaves in our driveways heralds the end of another angling season. The salmon and trout anglers amongst us will no doubt be making plans to squeeze the most out of the last few weeks in the hope of providing some lasting memories to sustain us through the long winter months. But those that ventured out trout fishing this past week have reported tough going, and any trout that made it to the net was hard got.
On Sheelin, the trout didn’t respond as expected to the milder temperatures and fishing was relatively slow. Anglers that did tempt fish did so on bushy wets or lures. Out west on Corrib, anglers didn’t fare much better, as rising water levels hampered angling and more than a few blanks were recorded. But, when things get tricky on the lough, you can always count on experience to lead the way as was evidenced by John Watson, who at 83 years young, helped bring three fish to the boat while guided by John Somerville Jnr. It is John’s 50th year coming to fish Lough Corrib, during which time he has been guided by three generations of the Somerville family.
John Watson, 83 years young, with a nice catch on his 50th year coming to Corrib
There’s little enough to report from the salmon anglers, but there must be a few fish in the rivers going by our report from Mt Falcon, where visiting angler Tony Mashford had a bumper couple of days. Arriving at the fishery with a lifetime total of one single salmon, he proceeded to add six more to his tally over the following two days, all returned. This contributed to a respectable total of 26 salmon on the fishery during the week. Our only other salmon report comes from Currane where the fishing was slower, but anglers managed to land some sea trout, brown trout and at least one salmon.
Those that enjoy charter boat fishing will also be counting down the days until the change in weather forces many boats out of the water. But charter anglers did fare better than the game anglers during the past week despite windy conditions making fishing difficult. Boats in the north-west of the country have seen plenty of action this season, and we have reports in from Killybegs and Sligo, where catches of good pollock predominate amidst some quality general ground fishing. Sticking in the north-west, but switching up species, we have seen some significant milestones achieved as part of the Tuna CHART project this week, where Adrian Molloy tagged his 100th bluefin of the season and Wildatlanticwayangling managed to notch up 51 bluefin tagged during August. Kiwi Girl also chipped in with a couple of fish, contributing to pretty respectable numbers for a week where wind hampered the fishing.
No 100 for Adrian Molloy
Wind also interfered with fishing plans in other parts of the country as Lady Gwen stayed close to home and fished the Shannon estuary rather than face the high rollers out in the Atlantic. Luckily for them, the pollock also took up residence in the estuary leading to good catches and happy anglers. Finally, there was little enough shelter on the east coast as Wicklow Boat Charters had to contend with a few blustery days. Catches remained steady on the days they did get out, and they even managed to venture out sharking for a day which proved eventful if not prolific.
Amy was back in action again during the week as a day fishing with family yielded some non-stop action with blue shark. Needless to say, Amy more than held her own in the company of adults and her epic day has been recorded on her YouTube channel for all to enjoy.
Amy helps her Dad pose with a specimen sized blue.
Our final story from the saltwater this week tells the tale of a whopper of a bass that was first caught a couple of years ago. The bass was caught in 2018 in Ballinskelligs by a client of local guide John Quinlan, who tagged and released it as part of the National Bass Programme (NBP). Amazingly, the bass was recaptured this year and had piled on a couple of pounds in the meantime. It’s great to see a fish of this size caught in any circumstances, but to see it recaptured as part of a scientific programme is headline news and is a worthy winner of our Catch of the Week this week.
The floy tag used to contact IFI
Moving to freshwater, and we are in the midst of what would typically be prime competition time for our coarse anglers as September usually sees a succession of matches taking place all around the island. These events are vibrant affairs, bringing anglers from all over Europe to pit their skills against each other. Unfortunately, concerns and uncertainty over COVID 19 have forced many of these matches to be cancelled in 2020 with only a handful of events taking place this year, all sticking to government guidelines. We have reports in from Munster, Fermanagh and Oaklands Fishery and we can only but hope for a resumption of normal affairs in 2021. Away from the competition scene, but keeping an element of challenge, young angler Anthony O’Neill set himself the goal of capturing a trout, a gudgeon and a carp in one day. Not only did he manage that with ease, but he also threw a dinky little tench into the mix as well.
Anthony with a fine carp, part three of his challenge
September also sees the resumption of serious pike angling after the summer lull, and we have a few reports in this week suggesting that things are starting to stir. Garreth Maher had a nice pike while deadbaiting up in Cavan while young angler Cian Ryan only took a couple of casts to get into the action on Lough Kinale. Angling guide Damien Culliney was finding it tough going on Derg until a switch-up in tactics brought better fortune and a super 25lb fish to the net. Finally, Ben & Oisin Kirwan, two avid young anglers from Rathfarnham, Dublin had a fine day out on Lough Gowna which resulted in a nice pike and the unexpected bonus of a quality brown trout.
Ben, with his Lough Gowna pike as brother Oisin looks on.
Other news
A new documentary has started on KCLR radio that discusses the salmon and the influence it has had on our heritage. Combining stories from angling and scientific perspectives with examples of how salmon has played an essential role in many different cultures, it’s one not to be missed for anyone who has even a passing interest in this wonderful fish.
And now the weather…
Rain in Connacht and west Ulster today will move in a band southeastwards through the country, breaking up as it moves into Leinster with the southeast of the country staying largely dry. A clearance will follow with bright and occasional sunny spells and scattered showers in the north-west, extending southeastwards through the afternoon. Highest temperatures 15 to 18 degrees in a fresh southwest to west wind. A generally dry start over much of the country on Saturday with sunny spells and occasional showers in the north-west. However, cloud will build from the west through the morning with persistent and occasionally heavy rain developing in the north-west by evening. Rain will clear in the west on Sunday and the day will be mainly dry with above-average temperatures. This warm and mostly dry period should extend into the first half of next week.
Safe fishing to all this weekend and tight lines, especially here in Ireland.
A new documentary series called “Make Way for the King” is being broadcast on KCLR (Kilkenny Carlow Local Radio Station). The series is being run over a six week period and is dedicated to salmon and all things to do with salmon. It began last Tuesday, 8th of September and runs once a week until Tuesday, 13th of October. The series is part of NASCO’s Education & Outreach Project for the International Year of the Salmon. The first programme was dedicated to the past, when salmon were plentiful on the River Nore and fishermen and river enthusiasts recalled the days of cot boat fishing, operating ‘The Big Net’ in Inistioge and the huge industry that evolved around the export of salmon to England. The programme also had men from the Kilkenny Anglers Association on to give an account of what it’s like to fish on the Nore these days. Professor Ken Whelan, Research Director with the Atlantic Salmon Trust participates throughout the series and he also features in this programme. He describes his first salmon fishing experience on the Nore; introducing the listeners to the implications that political, environmental and social policies have had on the Wild Atlantic salmon population. If you are interested in listening back to this series then you can follow this link: https://kclr96fm.com/documentary/programme-1-memories-of-salmon-fishing-on-the-river-nore/
The next programme in the “Make Way for the King” series will be broadcast on Tuesday, 15th of September between 4 and 6 pm. It will focus on the life cycle of the salmon, it’s journey to the sea and also links up with the Sami fishing community in Norway whose culture revolves around the salmon.
3/9/20 Well some Currane anglers had a bit of action today, in the salmon department, there was at least one grilse caught on the troll and it was great to see a few nice sea trout caught on the drift. Wind west-southwest fresh with good cloud cover, humidity 77%. Yesterday’s weather, amount of rainfall 8.0mm. Maximum air temperature 17.7°C.
4/9/20 Going by my phone it is all quiet on the southwest front but going by the phones lately it would not surprise me I that I get the texts tomorrow or even next week? Wind west-southwest light and veered Northwest, with reasonable cloud cover, humidity 76%. Yesterday’s weather, maximum air temperature 17.0°C.
5/9/20 The Currane anglers were all quiet on all fronts. Wind northwest fresh with reasonable cloud cover, humidity 78%. Yesterday’s weather, maximum air temperature 16.8°C.
6/9/20 The drifting Currane fly anglers were in reasonable form with a mixture of juniors and brown trout caught. The salmon department all quiet on the western front. Wind northwest light with good cloud cover, humidity 91%. Yesterday’s weather, maximum air temperature 16.6°C.
7/9/20 All quiet on the southwest front in all departments. Wind west fresh and overcast all day, humidity 94%. Yesterday’s weather, maximum air temperature 16.6°C.
8/9/20 I start with the sad news that the Currane anglers and the good people of Waterville have lost a great taxi driver Mr. Anthony McGillicuddy R.I.P., who I might add, took many a Currane angler to their favourite restaurant after their day’s fishing and brought them back to their B&B or hotels and homes after their night out, I can say without any fear of contradiction he will surely missed. So, on behalf of the Currane anglers and the good people of Waterville and Kerry and the good people afar, our sincere sympathies to his good wife Cora and all the family and friends. Well Anthony you may be gone but you certainly will not be forgotten as you make your way on the heavenly highway to heaven. RIP
James Ryan and son Cian were out pike fishing on Lough Kinale in the midlands last week. They had never fished the lake before but had heard good reports so decided to give it a shot. They accessed the lake from Finea, which was not easy due to the reeds reclaiming where the river flows into the lake, but made it through eventually. Conditions weren’t too bad for the day, the lake being quite still with no wind and grey overcast sky.
They were spinning from their Sheelin lake boat when Cian, on only his second cast, caught a pike that they estimated to be between 15 lbs and 20 lbs based on its length of over three feet long – not a bad way to start the day!
Cian did catch a second small jack pike and James had a 5 pounder which, on another day would have been a great result for them, but all failed to match up to the first – needless to say all fish were safely released.
