The early bird catches the worm. Sunrise is a great time to be on Corrib at this time of year.
Declan Gibbons reports from Corrib on a better week’s fishing.
Larry McCarthy at Corrib View Lodge http://www.corribangling.com reports a much improved week on Corrib with good catches on Mayfly and Caenis. Vaughn Ruckley, a regular visitor from Edinburgh fished for 3 days with Larry and boated 18 trout, some on caenis on Tuesday morning and the others on wet mayfly the other two outings. All fish weighed between 1.5lbs and 3lbs and were sportingly returned. On Friday and Saturday William Daniel of Famous Fishing in the UK experienced his first Caenis fishing on Corrib and boated 10 trout up to 4lbs. On Saturday and Sunday Larry boated Andrew Flitcroft of Trout & Salmon Magazine on early morning Caenis feeders, catching and releasing 16 fish with plenty of the fish in the 2 to 3lbs range and boated a PB, a beauty of 5lbs 4oz.
Andrew Flitcroft of Trout & Salmon with his Corrib PB, a fine trout of 5lbs 4oz
Andrew making sure the fish goes back safely. #CPRsavesfish
In the Cornamona area Tom doc Sullivan http://www.tomdoc.com guided Oliver Campos from France and had two good trout on wet mayfly, best fish 2.75lbs and this was Oliver’s first time fishing the western lakes.
On Sunday the Corrib Federation hosted the Federation Cup out of Greenfields, with 64 anglers participating and catching and releasing 60 fish, with fish being measured from the tip of the nose to the fork of the tail (legal limit of 13 inches/33cms). The average length of the fish caught and released were 38.7cms. Winner on the day was Dan O’Donovan from Cong AC with 3 fish; 2nd was Mick Dunne (Tourmakeady AC) with 5 fish and in 3rd place was Paul Miller (Headford AC) with 3 fish. Longest Fish Winner was presented with the Michael Ryan Cup which went to Dan O’Donovan with an excellent fish of 56cms.
Creeslough & District Angling Association today opened its new angling facility at Lough na Tooey, Co. Donegal. The facility, which was co-funded by Inland Fisheries Ireland through its National Strategy for Angling Development, was officially launched by Sean Canney TD, Minister with responsibility for inland fisheries.
The facility at Creeslough is just one aspect of the development project delivered by the local angling group which manages a number of salmon and trout fisheries in the area. The project saw the improvement of angling access and infrastructure across three sites in the area: Lough na Tooey, Glen Lough and Owencarrow River.
Oisin Cahill (Inland Fisheries Ireland), Cornelius McMullan (Inland Fisheries Ireland), Suzanne Campion (Head of Business Development, Inland Fisheries Ireland) , Paddy Boyle (Secretary, Creeslough & District Angling Association), Minister Sean Canney TD, Niall Gallagher (Chairperson, Creeslough & District Angling Association)
The angling facility at Lough na Tooey includes a new slipway and mooring pontoon, a boatshed, and a car park. At Glen Lough, a new improved roadway over 1.2 kilometres leading to the angling site was constructed while at Owencarrow, 15 stiles and ladders and 33 fishing stands were erected over 300 metres of the river bank. Inland Fisheries Ireland provided funding of over €216,000 with Creeslough & District Angling Association providing match funding of €30,000 to enable the completion of these valuable amenities for the area.
Paddy Boyle (Secretary, Creeslough & District Angling Association) , Sean Canney TD, Minister with responsibility for inland fisheries and Niall Gallagher (Chairperson, Creeslough 7 District Angling Association)
Sean Canney TD, Minister with responsibility for inland fisheries, welcomed the angling amenities: “The new facilities will enable safe and easier access to the fishery for the local community, while also supporting tourism in North Donegal. This is a first class angling site located in a county renowned for its beautiful scenery and superb angling resource. As a result of this project, more local and visiting anglers will be fishing in the area, which in turn will provide both recreational and economic benefits for the community.”
Milton Matthews (Director of the North Western River Basin District at Inland Fisheries Ireland), Kevin O’Connor (Project Manager for fisheries development project), Paddy Boyle (Secretary of Creeslough & District Angling Association), Sean Canney TD, Minister with responsibility for inland fisheries, Fintan Gorman (Chairperson, Inland Fisheries Ireland), Niall Gallagher (Chairperson, Creeslough & District Angling Association) and Bob Seward (Salmon and Sea Trout Recreational Anglers of Ireland).
The project is just one of many fisheries development projects being delivered across the country under the National Strategy for Angling Development, which is the first comprehensive national framework for the development of Ireland’s angling resource. With an overarching emphasis on conservation, the Strategy provides opportunities for habitat improvement along with funding which will ultimately improve angling access and tourism development.
The new facility at Lough na TooeyFishing access at Owencarrow RiverNew walkway and style
Dr Ciaran Byrne, CEO of Inland Fisheries Ireland, said: “Creeslough & District Angling Association initiated and delivered these facilities on the ground by taking a collaborative approach and working across their entire fishery to identify where improvements were needed. Rural communities are engaging around the angling resource and demand for support continues apace. We look forward to partnering with more clubs and associations on the delivery of fisheries projects and will announce those successful in securing funding from our latest funding call over the coming months.”
Paddy Boyle, Creeslough & District Angling Association said: “Fishing as a sport and recreation is dependent on the quality of the natural environment around us. Angling clubs have a role as custodians of this wonderful resource, and we owe it to future generations to look after the fish and their habitat. This development at Creeslough is proof of what angling clubs can achieve in partnership with local development agencies and Inland Fisheries Ireland. We asked for their help and got it because we presented them with a well thought out plan for the conservation and development of our fisheries”.
The Inaugural Irish Smooth Hound Championships takes place on Saturday 22nd in the Kilgorman area of County Wexford.
It will be hosted by Sea Angling Ireland SAC with the support of Henrystackleshop.com and Inland Fisheries Ireland.
The Golden Anchor will host the check-in and prize giving ceremony.
The angler that catches the largest Smooth Hound will receive a perpetual trophy, a large cash prize, and the title of Irish Smooth Hound Champion.
The match will be run on a catch and return basis, with fish measured and returned to the sea as they are caught.
The Smooth Hound, a sleek predator and miniature shark, is common in Irish waters. It can grow > 10 kilos (25 lbs) and is usually found over sand. It offers great sport and lives up to its name with exhilarating and sustained runs… If you want to catch a Smooth Hound (known as a “smut” for short) the beaches of south Wicklow and Wexford are a key mark for fishing from the shore. Smooth Hounds hunt in packs and as a consequence of this, you can go for hours without a bite and then have an hour of frantic activity that then stops in an instant. Peeler crab is the preferred bait. These are crabs that have begun the process of shedding their shells as they grow.
The Irish record is a fish of 11.27 kg caught in South Wexford by Dean Quigley – will it be challenged at the Irish Smooth hound championships
The Irish record is a fish of 11.27 kg caught in South Wexford by Dean Quigley.
There is plenty of practice taking place currently on the River Nore for this year’s Thomastown Anglers Fly-fishing Competition which will be taking place on the 13th and 14th of July. It is reported that the river is in great condition and the clubs looking forward to welcoming Ireland’s top anglers for the weekend which promises to be another superb event. There is great excitement as the countdown to the event continues and all entries are now fully booked. The dates for this years event is the 13th and 14th July and we wish organisers and competitors all the very best and look forward to further updates and the results from this great competition.
Maura Hughes reports on the coarse fishing around Belturbet…
A good tench that weighed in at over 6lb
It’s been a mixed week with a lot of heavy rain early in the week bringing the levels up and fishing conditions hard. But towards the middle of the week some nice perch, roach, tench & bream were caught and released.
Another tench that went over 6lb
One of the best catches we had reported to us was of 30 tench and a few bream caught in two days by two of the anglers staying with us. Some specimen tench were caught too – top weight 6 lb 6 ounces.
Church View Guest House is located in the heart of Irish Lakelands in Belturbet, County Cavan. It is a perfect getaway destination and a paradise for anglers as we are recognised as being a top fishing destination for Coarse, Pike and Game Fishing.
Fishing guides available but must be pre booked. Rods and Reels for purchase or hire locally. Fishing equipment storage tackle shed & walk in cold room. Bait available 7 days a week must be pre booked. Flexible any day arrival. Local Car Hire. Airport Transfer if necessary.
Here an abundance of natural history and visitor attraction await discovery. Cavan features picturesque walking and cycling routes, golf courses, equestrian centres, Canoeing , Genealogy centre and Castle Saunderson among loads of other amenities.
John Seeley and friend Len from the UK who we reported on last week continued their second week in fine form. The guys continued with the prebaiting and early morning starts and it paid off for them. The weather on some of the days was quite rough and we decided for the welfare of the fish to return most straight back to the water, but they did manage to get a few photos of their catches. The guys are regular visitors to Melview Fishing Lodge and like me the welfare of the fish is important.
Some great Bream fishing for John
What a great two weeks for them which was well deserved considering the time and effort they put into their fishing holiday, Well done guys and hope to see you again soon.
Kevin has over 30 years experience of fishing in Ireland and is happy to offer a guided tour on your arrival, and to advise where the on-form waters in the area are. We can arrange your bait order so it’s here when you arrive. Melview offers free use of 17ft lake boats with engines to our guests (pay fuel only) and Kevin is happy to assist with any pre-baiting requests. Maps and other information regarding fishing are also available.
Following some difficult fishing earlier in June Pauric McGearty from Carafin Lodge has been in contact to let us know about the brilliant bream fishing that there has been over the last couple of weeks around the Lodge and in the Cavan area. Anglers have been bagging up on bream, with some around specimen size. Among the successful anglers were Peter and Aaron Bagnall from Wrexham who had some really super slab fishing during their stay.
They opened their account on the 12th with some nice bream but each day the catches have gotten better and better both quality and quantity of fish up until their last session on June 14th. Anglers from Liverpool and Manchester also had great fishing and Rachel Murray had some very nice fishing during her session at Carafin. Philip Egan and Colm Kenny also had success.
If you are interested in experiencing some great coarse angling in the Cavan area then why not get in contact with Pauric before your next trip. He will provide all the up to the minute information on catches, swims and the techniques that are producing the fish. For more information on the fishing visit Paurics’ Facebook page HERE
To make a booking
Angling guide Pauric McGearty is based on the shores of Carafin Lough which gives fishermen access to this and a host of other lakes including the beautiful Lough Oughter in Co Cavan. Pauric offers a full range of coarse angling services including a ground baiting service.
In addition, Pauric can provide a guiding service and has a number of boats with outboard motors for hire. His boats include Redfin 5700’s which are equipped with oars, life jackets, anchor and a fish finder. Electric trolling motors are also available for hire and Pauric has a range of fishing tackle for hire that is suitable for all anglers of all levels. So all you have to do is arrive, get your gear on and get fishing. This is a fantastic pike fishing area with many big fish well over 20lb caught each year. The area also produces some spectacular coarse fish catches with bream to specimen size. The lakes in the area also produce some very big trout. For full details of availability, terms and conditions please contact Pauric at
Contact: Pauric Mc Gearty, Carafin Lodge, Innishmore, Butlersbridge, Co Cavan. H12W5C9
Fluctuating water levels and strong winds made for very difficult angling conditions on the Moy last week. However with angling effort increasing week on week 274 salmon were reported caught across the system.
Kai Pucher, Upper Moy #CPRsavesfish
Among the successful anglers were, Martin Glacken 8 lbs on spinner – Ballina Salmon Anglers, Shane Maloney 5.5 lbs on worm – Mount Falcon Fishery, Raymond Massey NI. 9 lbs on prawn – Coolcronan Fishery, Anthony Murphy Dublin 13 lbs on worm – Armstrongs Fishery, Pat Murphy 16.25 lbs on worm – Gannons Fishery, Thomas Keller Germany 12 lbs on spinner – Gannons Fishery, Trevor Holoway 11 lbs on spinner – Foxford Fishery, Gary McNamara Offaly 5+7+8 lbs on worm – Cloongee Fishery, J.P. Blin France 13 lbs on spinner – Cloongee Fishery, Joe Brown NI. 6 lbs on Spinner – Cloongee Fishery, Thomas Murtauch Germany 10+11 lbs on spinner – East Mayo Anglers, Lothar Deeg Germany 8 lbs on fly – EMA, Michael O’Kane NI. 8 + 17 lbs on fly – EMA, Claud Landate France 3 lbs on spinner – EMA.
While the bulk of the fish over the past number of weeks have being caught just downstream and upstream of Foxford , fish are now starting to show on all the mid river fisheries.
It’s been pretty wet and cooler than we’d expect for the time of year. Plenty of homes have the heating on again or are lighting a fire to keep the cold out. Most of the rain has fallen in the north and north west, but Cork has had a fair bit of rain too. The rain was often accompanied by blustery conditions and while for the most part fishing on the rivers and lakes was good enough, it wasn’t always so easy for anglers hoping to get to sea…
Kai Pucher, Upper Moy #CPRsavesfish
The much anticipated rain saw salmon fishing improve at a number of fisheries, particularly those in the west. There were good catches reported at Ballinahinch, Delphi and on the Erriff in the Connemara area. Unfortunately the wind and rain was a bit much on the Moy and the blustery conditions and fluctuating water levels made for a tough week of fishing there. Further south, Lough Currane had another week of widely welcomed seatrout fishing where fish to 10lb were caught and released. The Munster Blackwater also saw catches improve as the rain brought on a run of fish and stirred up those that were already in the system.
Nore trout
The wet and windy weather saw less anglers out on Lough Corrib. There is still a bit late Mayfly fishing to be had and Caenis are also producing the goods, but the cooler conditions are making for localised hatches. The rivers are also fishing well enough, and anglers on the Nore, Suir and elsewhere are reporting good fishing as the various hatches come off, particularly in the evenings.
Mark with a Belturbet area bream
There are plenty of coarse angling festivals taking place this year. We have reports in from Edenderry, Inniscarra and Arvagh; canal, reservoir and lakes. Catches have been pretty good, no doubt the overcast conditions have helped there. Recreational anglers are also getting some good fishing and it’s great to see so many good bream and tench in the reports.
Ian O’Shea and Pearse Flynn with the first reported blue shark of 2019
The big news this week came from our sea anglers. Catch of the Week goes to Pearse Flynn, fishing from Ballycotton, who had what we believe to be the first blue shark of 2019. It’s certainly the first reported to us at the Irish Angling Update. The shark was caught and released on Friday morning. There was another shark caught on Friday at Courtmacsherry and fishing there seems to be going quite well. It won’t be long until we hear of shark catches at Galway Bay (and further north), but in the meantime it looks like there is plenty of good reef fishing to keep anglers busy while they wait in that part of the world.
We don’t have much to report on for pike anglers this week. There has been some great fishing on the River Shannon in the midlands but apart from that one report we don’t have much news there.
And now the weather…
Do you have to ask? Unsurprisingly this current period of cool, unsettled and changeable weather is set to continue. The outlook is for weather that is often showery with some heavy rain at times. There may well be sunny spells too, but don’t get too excited as temperatures are set to be below normal for mid June through the weekend. Early next week might see things improve a bit, but I don’t know if you’d call it Summer.
