The longest days of summer are upon us, with many anglers making the most of the long days and late sunsets to get some fishing in. The weather has been a story of extremes this week, some parts of the country seeing spectacular thunderstorms and torrential rain while nearby rivers haven’t received a drop of rain. Consequently, fishing success has been very much related to local weather for many. More and more anglers have been getting out with travel extended to your own county, with a further relaxation hoped for from the 29th.

Lighter winds this week have facilitated sea anglers on both charters and small boats, with good fishing reported from all around the coast. Many charter boats are now back operating, albeit with reduced passenger numbers. Good charter fishing was reported from Galway, Clare, Sligo, Cork and Wicklow. Small boat anglers also got in on the action, with great pollack, cod and bass fishing reported from Cork.

Salmon fishing picked up in a few rivers that received rain at the weekend. Delphi and the Erriff both had huge thunderstorms that lasted hours on Sunday. Fish ran on the ensuing flood, and both fisheries reported fish caught. The Blackwater also got a lift in water levels, and fish started running, both salmon and sea trout. The Galway Fishery had a great week with fly anglers catching a lot of fish. Other fisheries remained low, but still saw salmon caught, including the Bandon and Laune fisheries.

Sedge hatches are getting underway on many lakes, including on Lough Sheelin. Unseasonably cold weather last week probably saw the end of the mayfly fishing, but the sedge hatches bring a welcome boost from now on.

Pike fishing has also seen some good catches from Corrib, where Tomi Kurman is happy to be back guiding again after so long off the water, with big pike reported from the Midlands. Alan Molloy’s 100cm+ pike is our Catch of the Week.

For all the hopeful salmon anglers out there IFI have made salmon licences available from their online shop. The licences will be sent directly to your phone/computer where they can be printed off. Tags wil follow in the post and anglers can fish C&R  while waiting for the tags to arrive.

We are all still operating under the Covid-19 restrictions which is limiting our movements around the country. We urge anglers to adhere to all government guidelines relating to Covid-19 in the hope that we can continue our path towards recovery. IFI is continuing to review the government advice as it comes out and publishing a roadmap for return to the water which gives guidelines on what anglers can expect at each stage of our recovery.

Many charter boat skippers, angling guides and guesthouses will have gaps in their schedules over the coming months due to cancellations from foreign tourists so this year could be a good year to get out there and take advantage of their angling knowledge and sample some of the best fishing Ireland has to offer. IFI have a list of charter boats and angling guides on their website and, as restrictions relax over the coming weeks, now would be a good time to make an enquiry.

A reminder to sea anglers – as part of the Irish Marine Recreational Angling Survey, IFI in consultation with stakeholders have developed a behaviour and attitude questionnaire to inform about the state of sea angling in Ireland. If you consider yourself a sea angler, regardless of your level of ability or enthusiasm, we would love to hear from you.

And now the weather….

Any rain that fell in the last fe days was mostly concentrated in the eastern half of the country, but that is set to change this weekend. Rain will spread from the west on Saturday, with some heavy bursts, especially in the south. moderate to fresh winds over the weekend will usher in showery weather for Sunday and Monday. The weather looks set to remain changeable thereafter, with low pressure situated to the north and west and higher pressures to the south and east.

Safe fishing to all this weekend and tight lines, especially here in Ireland.

Kevin Crowley
Catch, Photo, Release

If you have an angling story to share with the Irish Angling Update please send it to [email protected].

All the angling news

Sea Fishing Reports

• Re-Opening After Covid 2 – Bluewater Fishing
• Great fishing at Cork Harbour from shore and afloat
• More great fishing for charter boats returning to the Clare coast
• Chasing bass in West Cork
• Great fishing marks anglers return to Courtmacsherry
• Seafishingsligo back in the water and catching plenty
• Wicklow Charters back on the water and plenty to report
• Podcast: Irish Bass and the Call of the Ocean

Salmon Fishing Reports

• A few salmon reported from Carrowmore
• Waterville Angling Report W/E June 9th
• Great news from Delphi
• Galway Fishery sees great fishing after re-opening
• Long awaited flood brings in the fish on the Erriff
• Blackwater gets rain and a few grilse and sea trout run
• 5 salmon last week on Bandon, water very low
• Laune dead low, a few salmon from Lough Lein
• Low water on the Lee, few salmon caught
• Quiet at Currane, low water and thundery conditions

Trout Fishing Reports

• Mayfly all but over, time to Trichoptera on Sheelin

Pike Fishing Reports

• Tomi’s back with a bang after 67 days
• Some big pike coming from the midlands

Other News

• Updated Roadmap for returning to Angling
• Call for Sea Anglers in Ireland to Participate in National Survey
• Appeal to report incidences of red skin disease in salmon
• Re-Opening on a pilot basis of Galway and Moy Fisheries for Angling