Muckno specialist Brenton Sweeney took first place in the qualifier
Dick Caplice reports from the final qualifier for the for the Irish Feeder Masters fished on Lough Muckno…
6 qualifiers go forward to the Grand Final of our Irish Feeder-masters due to a tie on White Island today when 65 of Ireland’s top feeder anglers slogged it out again on the second qualifier.
Muckno specialist Brenton Sweeney took first place in the qualifier
Venue specialist Brenton Sweeney topping the scales at just under 10kgs took the overall spoils earning himself a final place after an ear bending 5 hours next to his angling pal Paul Leese on fancied Yellow Island.
Darren Fairhurst had his favourite peg on South Lodge drawn for him again and his near 9 kgs secured a strong second place, but most of all a place in the coveted final.
Johnny Keith and Marius Killian could not be separated on White Island and with both on 7.5 kgs both land spots alongside the top feeder anglers already qualified and still to qualify.
Well practiced Peter Walsh with almost 8 kgs made the best of a strong peg on Concra Wood holding off the ever present Piotr Horbinski to edge his way into the final by a slender but vital 200 Grammes margin.
Richard Pratt on 6 kgs prevailed comfortably on tough Black Island and will be another to watch out for in the grand final.
Qualifiers:
Brenton Sweeney
Darren Fairhurst
Richard Pratt
Peter Walsh
Johnny Keith
Marius Killian.
Overall today:
1st Brenton Sweeney
2nd Darren Fairhurst
3rd Joint Paul Leese and Mick O’Connor
5th Peter Walsh.
Sections:
Iarmantas
Adrian Van Der Heever
Larry Parkes
Johnny Keith
Marius Killian
Joe Nolan
Piotr Horbinski
Richard Pratt
Darius K
Shane Dunne
Dave Worsnop
Robertas Zilaitis
With 5 already qualified and not competing today we were left with a very decent entry given an inordinate number of late withdrawals due in the most part to legitimate causes.
A substantial entry is expected for number 3 qualifier in two weeks time; so please now book on again to ensure a spot in the starting lineup which will be strictly limited to 80 anglers.
This is a tough competitive event on a toug( competitive water and the cream of the feeder angler crop are expected to make the now 26 man final.
Some stars still to show their undoubted prowess but with 3 qualifiers to go we expect a star lineup in September on our Irish Feedermasters final.
River Moy at Foxford. Courtesy of Farson Digital Water Cams
Foxford Salmon Anglers report…
Another week of rain has maintained the high water yet again. Still, reports of fish moving through the system which is great to see & hear. The catch report for the week from Foxford Salmon Anglers’ water is a respectable 36 fish and reports of a number of salmon released. It’s a bit of a mixed bag for weather this coming week. So hopefully things will settle on the river and we can look forward to another great week.
Henry Kelly celebrated his 50th birthday by catching 16 blue sharks on the Silver Dawn
David Edwards reports that Henry Kelly celebrated his 50th birthday by catching 16 blue shark on the Silver Dawn. This incredible haul of sharks wins Henry Catch of the Week…
The weather has restricted the number of charters completed this week but inshore has been generally fishing well for Cod and Pollack in particular with mackerel still very much hit and miss.
The highlight this week was Henry Kelly deciding to celebrate his 50th birthday by chartering Silver Dawn on his own for a solo effort on the sharks.
He managed a incredible 16 Blue Sharks on Tuesday with the largest making specimen size.
Henry Kelly celebrated his 50th birthday by catching 16 blue sharks on the Silver Dawn
There can’t be many better ways to celebrate your 50th, well done Henry.
David Edwards, West Cork Charters
Go fishing…
West Cork Charters operates the Silver Dawn, a 41′ Rodman 1250 with twin 430 HP Engines out of Courtmacsherry. The range of fishing found within close range of Courtmacsherry is superb, with trips producing anything between 6 and 15 different species as a norm and in excess of 20 is possible if anglers are prepared to change methods and use different baits and lures throughout their trip. As a rule mackerel, pollock, cod and ling are usually encountered but several species of wrasse along with whiting, pouting, coalfish, bull huss, conger and many more are often added to the catch.
If you do choose to head offshore to sample the superb shark fishing available within 10 miles of Courtmacsherry, there is a very strong chance of encountering blue sharks and an increasing chance of bringing a porbeagle shark to the boat.
24/7/20 Well the Waterville Fishery may have reached 1,000,000 hits on the Worldwide Web yesterday; all I can say going by my mobile the Currane Anglers had no hits or strikes in the fishing department today. Wind light West Southwest followed by light misty rain throughout the day. Yesterday’s weather, maximum air temperature 16.9 centigrade.
25/7/20 There were a few boats out manipulating their flies and fair play to them there were a few baskets of Sea Trout caught. Wind West light to fresh with reasonable cloud cover, followed by the odd shower, humidity 86%. Yesterday’s weather, maximum air temperature 17.4 centigrade.
26/7/20 All quiet on the Southwest Front in all departments. Wind SW light to fresh and overcast all day with rain in the afternoon, humidity 95%. Yesterday’s weather, maximum air temperature 17.1 centigrade.
27/7/20 Made a good flood last night so you do not have to be a rocket scientist to know that the Currane anglers put their River Inny hats on and as usual it’s all classified info on the Inny C&R department. Wind Northwest fresh with reasonable cloud cover. Yesterday’s weather, maximum air temperature 16.5 centigrade.
28/7/20 By all accounts the Currane anglers were all quiet on all fronts, to be fair I’m sure again they all had their Inny hats on, staying with the Inny the forecast is good because there is a good flood expected tomorrow with a good Inch plus forecasted and you can be sure the Inny Anglers will be silent but their reels will be bellowing through the Inny Valley? Wind NNW light and variable. Yesterday’s weather, maximum air temperature 16.8 centigrade.
29/7/20 The Weather takes control as the rain lashed down on the Waterville Fishery all day and just for the record there were four boats out on the lake, there were no reports of any rod benders and for the rest of the angling community I’m sure they were manipulating their angling skills on the River Inny. Wind Southeast fresh and veered Southwest this evening and is still raining at 23:20. Yesterday’s weather, maximum air temperature of 16.6 centigrade.
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
Connacht Predator Anglers held a multi-species predator competition on Sunday 26th July on Lough Corrib, to raise funds for Galway Hospice.
Aidan Traynor from the Connacht Predator Anglers reports…
We had a great day on Sunday with lots of fish caught and released. It is not easy to catch 3 different species in a single day but all anglers got among the fish with some lads having great success.
Competitors at the Connacht Predator Anglers’ multi-species competition
Well done to the top 3 boats and congratulations to the winners
3rd place: Aidan Traynor and Evaldas Gusarovas
2nd place: Tomi Kurman and Jacek Gorny
1st place: Hans Schoenmaekers and Bartek Raku
Longest Pike: Hans Schoenmaekers
Longest Perch: Łukasz Znamiec
Longest Trout: Jacek Gorny
Not only did we have a fantastic day doing what we love but we managed to raise a total of €1100 for Galway Hospice, so we’d like to give a big thanks to all anglers that took part and hope ye enjoyed the day.
Basil Shields of Ardnasillagh Lodge (+353 (0091-552550) reports of reasonable angling in the Oughterard area on mayfly patterns. Fishing out of Ardnasillagh, Colin Wright Belfast had 14 fish for 5 days best fish 3 lbs., while Bernard Gosnell had 4 trout.
Elsewhere, Milton Matthews and Lindsey Clarke had 3 fish for 8 lbs on mayfly. Michael & John Shiels Dublin had 12 fish for 2 days on mayfly with the best being 3lbs. Eddie Rowe Dublin caught 2 fish on mayfly best fish 4lbs. Michael Phelan boated 4 trout for 1 day and Peter Boyle had 3 fish on mayfly for his trip.
In the Cornamona area, Peter Walsh and friend had good angling on wet flies and dapped crickets.
A delighted Anna and Bruno with Anna's first ever pike, a 10kg beauty!
French fishing guide Bruno Duboul tells us about some extraordinary fishing and emotions on the River Erne. Bruno says, “three French friends, Laurent, Olivier and his 14 year-old daughter Anna, who came to Ireland for professional reasons, wanted me to accompany them fishing for pike on the Erne river for a few hours. They have been fishing for a few days already, Laurent and Olivier had caught a few pike, small, but Anna had never caught a pike before. So we went fishing in search of ‘Mr Esox’…..
A delighted Anna and Bruno with Anna’s first ever pike, a 10kg beauty!
We got started very early in the morning, and after only a few minutes I caught the first pike, not very big but which I thought was a sign that we would have a good day of fishing. I was impressed with Anna’s tenacity!! She cast her lure constantly, always hoping to catch this mythical Irish fish. She never gave up, telling me how she felt with different lures used. She saw a pike following her lure but it turned at the last second without attacking. She was really unlucky, unlike some beginners who catch a fish after only a few casts.
Following the first pike caught, nothing, dead calm. I decided to take them to the entrance of a canal that I know well, where sometimes the pike are active there because the current is stronger there. When we arrived there, I put the electric motor and went slowly back up the current, we saw a few feeding fish in the distance, one of which is relatively powerful not far from a “waterway” sign post. We moved forward but no bites, a difficult moment for everyone, but Anna still believed in it.
Anna’s first ever pike.
I put on a soft translucent lure with bluish flashes for Anna. She cast her lure at the foot of the post and only two seconds later an explosion occurred in the water, Anna’s lure had just undergone a lightning attack, creating a wave on the surface which surprised me ..
Anna remained calm throughout, her father and Laurent were all excited, and at the first sight of the fish in the water, Olivier exclaimed “it’s a 90 cm!”. After a few seconds the pike soared into the air and seeing the fish at that moment, I realized that Anna had just captured a monster pike. The reel line spooled under powerful runs and lunges, and when the opportunity presented itself, I got the pike into the landing net. At that moment, an explosion of joy for everyone. After all this time spent hoping and persevering, Anna finally obtained her reward, a magnificent female pike 1 meter long and weighing 10 kilos. This moment will remain forever etched in her memory and mine”.
“Magic Ireland” … Bruno Duboul
Go Fishing
If you fancy a day out with Bruno on Lough Erne he can be contacted through his website at www.pecherenirlande.com
Lough Sheelin Angling Report July 13th – July 26th 2020
‘Hello darkness, my old friend,
I’ve come to talk with you again’
Paul Simon
Last week’s absence of an angling report was due to the mysterious disappearance of an internet connection. Disappearing acts were seemingly not confined to the office either as the Sheelin trout have also been keeping a low profile over the past fortnight, showing little evidence of their presence to the anglers who, in general have struggled to rise fish. A continual surge of rain sweeping in from the Atlantic has ensured showers and more persistent spells of the wet stuff on most days. Rain, unless it is extremely heavy doesn’t really affect the fishing, wind and its strength and abrupt changes in direction can be the real enemy.
5 lbs of Sheelin’s finest disappearing into Sheelin’s deeps
Over the past week, Lough Sheelin’s successes have mostly been an after dark affair. A few trout have been caught during the day trolling wets but the quiet winners are those anglers who drift on to the lake in the evening and remain there as the daylight bleeds into darkness. The window of opportunity could be as little as 5 minutes but still the windows did open even if they did shut fairly quickly on some evenings.
The sedge hour
When Sheelin swings into dusk fishing like this I can’t help but be reminded of one elderly gentleman, many years ago at sedge time, happily telling me that the Sheelin fish were like his teeth ‘they only come out at night’ and so is the case now, the only real movement to surface feed is at a time when most of us are thinking of going to bed.
The inconvenience and impracticality of late evening and night fishing means that angling numbers are low and although some lovely ‘sedge’ trout were caught, returns could have been higher if there had been more action from the fish during the day. Another element to factor in is that we are in the middle of sedge time and the hatching of these hairy winged insects is often in the evening and as the light is fading so this is extra encouragement to the trout to surface at a late hour. There have been some excellent hatches of the Green Peter along with plenty of sedges carpeting the surface of the water but again and without sounding a bit vampire like, all this happens at dusk and after dark. There are still plenty of opportunities left here for the peter fishing so if the weather behaves itself it’s an open book to catch a big trout.
Sheelin’s Peter – Agrypnia varia
Although water levels have gone up, the temperature in the top water column is still too high at 15°C, the trout are still pitching but not as much as in previous weeks. In my last report I pondered the reason for these aerial leaps and I liked angler Richard Hunter’s theory that perhaps the fish leap out of the water because they are attacking the fry from beneath. The trout round up the fry in tight balls and swim at speed from below, slashing their tail to injury as many as possible and because the trout are not equipped with brakes they shoot up into the air. It is similar to whales hunting herring without the team work. Pitching trout can be a reassurance that the trout are actually there particularly when there isn’t much movement to flogging teams of wets hour upon hour. The day time fishing was that poor that there is a joke going round that the trout in Sheelin are abiding by the Covid rules and wearing masks which stops them taking the fly.
A feathered observer
Although many anglers struggled over the past number of weeks, there were some beautiful trout caught ranging in weights from 3 lbs to almost 6 lbs and also in colour from silver to burnished gold. There are plenty of theories about trout colour and there is a correlation between fish darkness and fish age as trout do get darker with age but the safest way to understand and discuss variation in fish colour is to just accept genetic variability within the species.
31 trout catches were recorded with the two weeks with James Casey’s fabulous ‘sedge’ trout of almost 6 lbs taking the top weight over the past 14 days.
Sheelin scenes and selection of catches
1 of 15
The witching hour - a trout of over 5lbs
The sedge hour on Lough Sheelin
Trout with a buzzer eyelash
The mercurial beauty of Lough Sheelin (fish or no fish)
No complaints here - a beautiful 61cm trout (5lbs 11ozs) caught by James Casey on July 13th 2020
Michael Power with his Sheelin trout
Evening sky
Burnished gold - an after dark trout of almost 4lbs
Cloud cover
A July catch
Sedge fish
Gary McKiernan of Lough Sheelin Guiding with a 58cm trout caught on wets
Fine fish
A daylight fish - 4lbs 10ozs caught on an Emerging Peter
Lough Sheelin's magic - a trout of almost 6lbs
Most of the trout that were caught were during the late evening and at dusk and most of them were caught on small dry sedge and emerger patterns.
Day time fishing was poor with the daylight anglers reporting long frustrating hours of constantly casting teams of wets with poor return on effort and few rises of trout.
Sedge pupae imitation
The flies that did secure a salute from the trout were the Murrough, small dark olive patterns, dry sedge (12 -14), Booby on the point, Green Peter, a combination of a small Golden Olive on the pt., Green Peter in the middle and a Claret Bumble on the top, Cock Robin, Shipman’s, Bobs Bits, Hoppers, Claret Bumble, Silver Daddy, International Dabbler, Sedge hogs, Klinkhammers, Stimulators, Sedge pupae, Daddies, Zulu, the Grey Duster and a Red Tailed Peter.
Black CDC hopper
For those anglers after the daphnia feeders, head for the open water using a bright orange fly. When fishing small dry sedges along sheltered areas it is best to use a floating line with a 4 – 6 lb. leader.
The bugs and critters
1 of 14
The weirdly beauty - a Cinnabar
The cream of the crop - Lough Sheelin's sedges
The Common Footman
Sedge on grass
Lough Sheelin's Poplar Hawk-moth
Limnephilus flavicornis
Follow the leader
'Eye contact' Double lobed
A tussle between the real and the real Peter
A newly hatched Limnephilus marmoratus
A spider eating a Silverhorn sedge
A male Molanna albicans
A lake Olive Spinner
A Blue-tailed Damselfly preying on a male Molanna albicans
The places that produced catches were down along the Western shore of the lake, Stony Island, at the back of Church Island, Merry Pt., Wilson’s pt., Inchacup, Chambers Bay and from Kilnahard down to Crover, Crane Island, Bog Bay, Corru and Sailors Garden and into Goreport, Lynch’s Pt., Derrysheridan and Derry Pt.
A catch & release policy is actively encouraged on the lake at all times
Catch & Release
Catch & Release
Please remember anglers to abide by BYE-LAW 949 which strictly prohibits from June 14th 2017 onwards:
The taking of any brown trout of less than 36 centimeters.
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.
Last week’s weather in Ireland was pretty average as rainfall mixed with bright sunshine, warm mingled with cool and winds veered from gusty to flat calm, sometimes all in 24hrs… After so many weeks of rain it’s been good to see the sun peek out from between the clouds and with much talk this week of children returning to school we can no doubt look forward to the sunny weather which invariably accompanies that event.
While the weather may have been average, the sea fishing certainly wasn’t as the seas around the Irish coast seem to have exploded into life over the past week. Reports of top quality sea angling came in from all quarters and they dominate this week’s Angling Update. Many of those reports contained the welcome news that mackerel shoals had turned up in good numbers and it’s likely that this has stimulated much of the good angling. These fish have become notoriously patchy in recent years and, as they are an important part of the food chain for our predatory fish, it can have a negative effect on fishing when they are scarce. So it’s great to hear reports of their return to our shores in decent numbers and let’s hope it bodes well for the weeks to come.
Treble shots of mackerel.
Beginning with the charter fleet, there were some mighty hauls of fish from the wrecks in Cork where specimen Ling were a prominent feature. We don’t see a lot of specimen sized Ling in our reports these days and there were none reported in the ISFC Specimen Report from last year so this catch deservedly wins this week’s Catch of the Week.
Haul of Ling on Silver Dawn wins Catch of the Week
Blues & specimen Skate also put in an appearance in Cork along with plenty of other species as charter boats all over the county experienced good fishing. Up along the west coast there was some great general reef fishing in Clare and further north, there were good reports from two of our Galway Bay skippers with steady general fishing and some great sharking. In Sligo, specimen Smooth-Hounds put smiles on angler’s faces and in Donegal, Killybegs Mariners SAC broke their all-time species record for a day by boating 25 species. Not to be outdone, the east coast produced its usual crop of specimen hounds during the week for a group of seasoned specimen hunters. So, with fishing as good as that and with many of our top boats having spare days due to the Covid-19 international travel restrictions, now is a great time to get out and spend a day afloat. See a list of our charter skippers here.
It wasn’t all charter boats that featured this week as a number of smaller boats got in on the action too. The Shock-Waves small boat crew had a bumper day out targeting specimen tope off the Wexford coast. Things started slowly for them but as soon as they dropped anchor the tope switched on and it was pretty frantic fishing for the next few hours. This resulted in a couple of nice specimens to the boat and a few others just shy of the mark. Meanwhile, back in in Cork, bass angling guide David Norman managed to get that magic first Irish bass for a couple of his clients which sent them home with smiles on their faces. And, in another first, young angler Amy O’Brien continued her extraordinary angling year as she managed to add another species to her list by catching her first ever Megrim.
A first Irish bass aways brings a smile.
While the saltwater was alive with fish of all species during the week it seems to have been pike that were most active on the freshwater scene with reports of good pike angling from a number of spots. Newbridge pike anglers held their first post lockdown competition and decided to make up for lost time by running back to back competitions. In a marathon double session they finished one competition at 12 midnight and started the next one straight away. 21 hardy anglers took part and a total of 154 pike were landed. Simon Gibson of Guided Predator Angling Enniskillen also had a good day out with some clients as they boated 24 pike to 18lb in one session. Meanwhile, further east, Aaron Maughan of A.M. Angling has had a lot of success targeting perch and pike on lure and fly with a nice 112cm pike featuring in their catches. And last, but definitely not least, Garreth Maher had an epic battle with a pike that very nearly got the better of him in Lanesboro but pike, angler (and rod) managed to survive to tell the tale.
One that nearly got away
On the trout front there are reports of sedge beginning to stir on many of our loughs as hatches of Peter and Murrough are starting to tempt fish. These big flies which hatch out in late evening are known to bring the bigger fish up from the depths and Midland Angling guide Mick Flanagan is predicting some great evening fishing in the weeks ahead. Lough Arrow anglers are also seeing some good fish caught on sedge while the Western Lakes are still throwing up a fish or two as late Mayfly hatches continue to produce some good fishing on Conn & Corrib. The sedges are active on the rivers too as Dan O’Neill of Mount Juliet reports on some good fishing on the River Nore.
Lough Lene trout.
While the word from the riverbanks over the past few weeks has indicated much improved grilse runs on our salmon fisheries this year, actual reports and photos have been hard to come by. We can only conclude that everyone is out making the most of this welcome news and they don’t have time to put pen to paper and let us know about it… We have some brief reports in from the Bandon and the Moy but one man who rarely fails to submit an angling report is erstwhile Lough Currane correspondent Vincent Appleby who’s popular angling blog reached 1,000,000 views this week. Well done to Vincent.
Finally, lest we forget, we are all still living in the shadow of Covid-19 and while we have done well to keep the levels of the virus low over the past few months we should maintain vigilance in all that we do to ensure we don’t take any backward steps. IFI have published updated guidance for anglers which is available online or for download here.
And now the weather
There is a band of rain due to cross the country from west to east on Friday afternoon as the weather remains quite humid for the evening. The rain will pass overnight and Saturday will be a bit brighter but with a threat of showers. That changeable pattern will continue for the rest of the weekend and into early next week as rain and sunshine intermix in below average temperatures.
Safe fishing to all this weekend and tight lines, especially here in Ireland.
23/7/20 Breaking News the Salmon and Seatrout Blog made history today by hitting 1,000,000 views and its all down to you the readers, the Currane Anglers, all the Gillies and of course all the Hotels and all the Bed and Breakfasts of Waterville and South Kerry and not forgetting the Inland Fisheries Ireland, Mr. Paul Bourke of the Salmon and Sea Trout Magazine. All I can say is thanks a Million.
Now back today’s facts, the Currane Anglers were all quiet on all fronts. Wind NW light with light cloud cover, humidity 93%. Yesterday’s weather, maximum air temperature 18.5 centigrade.
22/7/20 There were a few boats out manipulating, no reports of Salmon but great to report that there were a few nice baskets of Sea Trout caught on the drift. Wind Southwest light and overcast, humidity 94%. Yesterday’s weather, maximum air temperature 18.1 centigrade.
21/7/20 All quiet on the Southwest front. Wind SSW light with reasonable cloud cover, humidity 88%. Yesterday’s weather, maximum air temperature 17.5 centigrade.
20/7/20 Bright sunshine was the order of the day as Currane anglers were silent in all departments. Wind Northwest light, humidity 74%. Yesterday’s weather, maximum air temperature 17.7 centigrade.
19/7/20 Well the light wind may have been all over the place but at least there were a few baskets of Seatrout caught on the drift and a fine Grilse caught on the troll, staying in the Grilse department we head for Vincent Appleby’s speculation department, just for the record I would say there is a good chance there were a few more Grilse caught ? Wind as already stated, bright sunshine all day, humidity 76%. Yesterday’s weather, maximum air temperature 16.7 centigrade.
18/7/20 There were two rebel boats out from the Southside manipulating their flies or their lures, but going by their mobiles I take it their lines were slack, but that is only speculation on my part and the same goes for the rest of the Currane Anglers. Now we head for the upper Lakes and Lough Derriana, in the past week there has been a few nice Brown trout caught on the drift, plus there was a fine 4 lbs. Seatrout caught on the drift. Today’s weather, Wind Northeast light with bright sunshine all day, humidity 82%. Yesterday’s weather, maximum air temperature 16.8 centigrade.
17/7/20 Today was Overcast, humidity 95%. Wind Southwest light to fresh, followed by rain at times. Now for the Currane Anglers view, again the least said the soonest mended! Yesterday’s weather, maximum air temperature 18.6 centigrade.
3rd place: Aidan Traynor and Evaldas Gusarovas
Longest Pike: Hans Schoenmaekers
Not only did we have a fantastic day doing what we love but we managed to raise a total of €1100 for Galway Hospice, so we’d like to give a big thanks to all anglers that took part and hope ye enjoyed the day.
