Maura Hughes reports on the coarse fishing around Belturbet…
Mark with bream
Fishing is going well in the Belturbet area. There were some nice bream caught by Paul Jeyes and Mark Hillyard while on holidays at Church View Belturbet.
Paul with Bream
On one good day they caught 22 tench & 4 big bream between 3 of them.
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.
Dan O’Neill reports from Mount Juliet on the River Nore…
Just before the river gained its well needed rain there was some great nymphing and wet fly fishing on the stretch. The trout seem to be in abundance all along the fishery which is a great sign,they are all as well conditioned as each other also,
Most natural pattern nymphs entice trout to take, some non natural nymphs also claiming what tended to be the smaller of the trout.
A few anglers on the fishery pre-flood met some beautiful trout some just over 2 pound and quite a few between 1 pound and 1.5 which gave a great account of themselves in the fast current.
Managing to get down myself for a while on Sunday with fellow angler Patrick we spent 20-30 mins on several different runs,great sport was had and plenty of memorable acrobatics from the beautiful brown trout,
If anyone is interested there is a possibility depending on numbers that a nymphing masterclass will be held on the stretch,anyone who is interested please contact me on 0857652751 or [email protected]
Mount Juliet House is set on a large estate, which offers private fishing on 2.5 miles of the middle to lower reaches of the River Nore. Mount Juliet Estate offers fishing of the highest quality, just a short stroll away from the Manor House. There is a fishing room on site in the Manor House for your convenience i.e. for storage and drying of fishing equipment. Mount Juliet Estate can also provide the necessary equipment on site if needed.
Robert Buick founded the East Belfast Angling Club in 1972 and has played an active role in club administration and on the bank ever since. Recognising the benefits of all Ireland representation in coarse fishing, Robert and the EBCAC played a major part in the enhancement of the National Coarse Fishing Federation of Ireland ,NCFFI to the 32-county federation as we know it today. Bound by the rules of the NCFFI the newly formed Ulster Provincial Council was chaired by Robert for over 30 years and he did a wonderful job in keeping it afloat through some of our most troubled times. A passionate volunteer Robert has dedicated many of his years to our sport serving as both an officer and committee member of the NCFFI.
Robert was an active member on the international scene fishing his first World Championships in 1984 on the River Thielle, Yverdon in Switzerland. It was here that Bobby Smithers became World Champion and these were exciting and proud times for all the team members. Robert continued to fish for Ireland at a number of events where he built a huge amount of international experience and was part of a great team who delivered Ireland’s first World Championship event on the Newry Canal in 1982. He has shared this knowledge from the grass roots of coarse angling sport, mentoring and coaching those on their pathway to the world stage with enthusiasm and pride ever since.
Robert, 2nd from left, on the 1986 Irish team
His love of the canals saw him regularly travel to Enfield, Edenderry and Prosperous to compete and frame in open competition and festivals. He was also a stalwart of the Fermanagh Classic having fished them all, reluctantly only withdrawing from this years’ event on day one. Robert also championed the development of Mid Ulster’s coarse angling facility on the Lower River Bann at Portglenone and supported the Schools Competition on the venue, but sadly will not be with us to celebrate its growth to a world class angling facility when the NCFFI hosts the 25th FIPSed European Championships at the end of the month.
NCFFI Hon. President Oliver McGauley says:- ‘Robert has been key to the federation dedicating his life to our sport. He served as our chair for a number of years and did a wonderful job in keeping the UCFF afloat and to the fore during the most difficult times. It was a privilege to work with Robert on many angling projects, as a member of the international coarse fishing team and most of all as a friend. This is a sad loss to the angling world but we hope that his legacy will live on.’
A recognisable character on the bank with his cap and pipe, Robert Buick was the gentleman of angling and always available to offer help and advice. A huge advocate for coarse angling in Ireland and he will be sadly missed by all.
Robert Buick was the gentleman of angling. He will be sadly missed by all
UK anglers Len and John were over once again for their annual fishing holiday to Melview Fishing Lodge. The guys arrived and prepared all their tackle and that evening it was time to mix up the bait for a good old prebaiting session. We were up at 04:00 and out the door by 04:30 each morning, prebaiting and fishing a couple of venues saw them have some great catches from all of them. The guys always put a lot of time and effort and it always pays off for them.
John has some nice bonus Tench
They have had some great catches of fish, so much that on one occasion they released twenty two Bream as they caught them because they already had enough for a picture and were thinking more for the welfare of the fish.
Len with part of his catch for the day
They are finishing their second week soon and it has all the signs of being another cracking 7 days of fishing for the pair. Check in next week to see how they finish up.
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.
We have just received our first report of a blue shark this year. Fishing with Derek Schwartau, skipper of the Rebecca C out of Ballycotton, Pearse Flynn hooked into a decent blue shark which was landed this morning at about 11:30. After a quick photo the blue, estimated at about 70lb, was safely released.
Ian O’Shea and Pearse Flynn with the first reported blue shark of 2019. PEarse wins Catch of the Week for his achievement.
The crew continued to have a great day’s fishing after they moved on from the shark drift, going on to catch some great ling and pollack and a rarely seen (by anglers) hake.
Hake – we are getting more reports of these fish each year, but they are still rarely caught by anglers
After the day on the water it was back to Pearse’s Ballycotton restaurant Pier 26 to celebrate the catch. Pier 26 has only just started running fishing charters this year, not a bad way to begin your charter service!
Go fishing…
Rebecca C is an 11 Metre Catamaran with Twin 280hp Iveco
Situated by the working pier of Ballycotton, Pier 26 is an eclectic mix of old and new: a welcoming traditional pub, an award-winning restaurant, and a stylish, comfortable B&B. You’ll always find a warm smile, an ear to listen and some of the best craic in Ireland! From 2019, Pearse is running specially chartered fishing vessels straight out of Ballycotton, giving you the chance to catch anything from John Dory to Two Spotted Goby. And blue shark too of course!
This past week has seen more unsettled weather, with very heavy rain in some parts and coldness in a wind that never eased. May was a dry month overall, with persistent easterly winds keeping average rainfall below what could normally be expected. For those of us who believe that the summer begins in June, it may yet begin in June but it won’t be this week coming; indeed, we have already had more rainfall in parts of the south and east in this first week of June than for the whole of June in 2018.
Salmon don’t mind a bit of rain and a badly needed rise in water levels along with some good tides saw a fresh run of fish enter many rivers. The Suir fished well for a brief period in the first few inches of a flood; some good fish in the 10-14lb bracket were reported caught fresh off the tide before the flood took hold. In the west, the fresh flush saw a big increase in both effort from the anglers and catches of fish with over 350 reported on the Moy over the weekend alone. Both the river Erriff and the Bundorragha at Delphi saw an improvement in numbers of fish coming through, while in the south west a small number of sea trout were caught and released on Currane despite difficult conditions.
Micheal Bothwell ready to release a fish on the Ridge Pool
The week’s weather lent itself to good wet fly fishing on some of the trout loughs; Lough Mask anglers reported decent catches while on Corrib some late hatching mayfly produced good sport. Those anglers who burn the candle at both ends reported the first Caenis hatches and catches of the year, though we will need some warm settled weather to really kick things off. You don’t have to set your alarm early to catch fish on Corrib at the moment though, fish have been taken on a variety of different flies, both wet and dry, this last week; mayflies and chironomids accounted for most with some fish also caught on the troll and the dap.
A happy Daragh Browne with a ‘Browne’ trout
Over on Sheelin, the mixed weather hasn’t helped the spent mayfly fishing although the fish are seeking out whatever spent fly are on the water despite the conditions. Sedges are starting to show in numbers now, although the fish are unlikely to turn their attention to them until the spent are all but gone. Conditions had been excellent on many of the rivers also with low, clear water perfect for targeting trout on the dry fly. We have good reports from the Annalee in Cavan and also the north east where visiting anglers had some success with dry fly fishing.
Des Johnston (83) wins our Catch of the Week for showing the younger generation how to catch a Sheelin trout
A number of coarse fishing festivals were held in the last week; the Lanesborough International Coarse Angling Festival was held over three days last weekend and it was incredible to see the festival record weight being broken no fewer than 5 times. Excellent fishing led to weights of 72lb, 79lb, 87lb, 88lb, and 100lb 8oz being recorded – all of which exceeded the festival’s previous best. Over in Ballinamore, 39 anglers competed in difficult conditions in the Ballinamore Angling Festival while 27 and 29 competitors fished the Ottewill Trophy and O’Callaghan’s Cup on Inniscarra respectively. CM Lakelands held their feeder festival in Cavan and on the Grand Canal in the midlands, the Edenderry 3 Day Festival is drawing to a close this Friday, June 7th, with 54 anglers having returned to compete in one of Ireland’s longest running events.
In Northern Ireland, the National Coarse Fishing Federation of Ireland are proud to announce that the FIPSed 25th European Coarse Angling Championships will be held on the lower River Bann at the end of this month. Over 100 international anglers will descend on the Bann between Monday 24th and Friday 28th for practice while the competition itself will be held over the weekend of Saturday 29th and Sunday 30th. It will be the first time that Northern Ireland will host an event of this calibre since the World Championships were held on the River Erne in 1992 and the Newry Canal in 1982 so congratulations to them. Volunteers are needed to assist with the stewarding of the event, if you are interested please visit www.ncffi.ie/euro25 to apply.
The launch of the FIPSed European Coarse Angling Championships, Lower River Bann
Pike fishing has been slow this week with only one report from Belgian anglers Ivo and Jos in Longford; the pair fished out of Melview Lodge for the week and had some great sport to both lures and dead baits.
Ivo from Belgium
To the salt and we have had some reports of excellent bass fishing around the south coast with some very large fish falling to soft plastics. Good numbers of schoolies have also shown up in other parts which bodes well for the future. On the east coast, some specimen smooth hounds are turning up off the Wicklow coast while further south the Dunmore East Small Boats Festival saw 45 anglers compete in their species hunt which was eventually won by Team Rinnashark with 21 species. Charter boats in the west report good fishing for a variety of species and in Donegal large numbers of mackerel are showing up – more than we’ve seen for a number of years. Fishing for pollack, cod, coalfish has been good around the coast and anglers targeting skate and ray are getting good results.
Dirk with a nice triple from Mulroy Bay
Fishy Fun at the National Museum of Ireland – Natural Historyfor International Year of the Salmon
The fisheries resource will come to life at the National Museum of Ireland – Natural History this summer as a free event called Fishy Fun will bring a range of interactive activities suitable for all the family. Inland Fisheries Ireland and the National Museum of Ireland – Natural History are partnering on a one day event (Saturday, 20th of July) as part of International Year of the Salmon (IYS) which aims to engage the public around the challenges facing salmon today.
And now the weather…
For Friday night, most areas will become dry with clear spells but scattered showers will continue in west Munster and west Connacht, mainly in coastal areas. More persistent rain and drizzle will move in across the northeast and patchy rain and drizzle will occur along the east coast. Minimum temperatures 5°C to 8°C, in light to moderate, west to northwest breezes.
Tomorrow, Saturday, will be dry to start in many areas, with sunny spells. The northeast will be dull, with patchy rain, turning showery during the day with a few bright spells later. Scattered showers in west Munster and west Connacht will become more widespread in the afternoon with some heavy. Cool, especially in Atlantic coastal areas, in moderate westerly breezes. Maximum temperatures 13°C to 16°C.
Sunday will be another cool day with a varied mix of good sunny spells and occasional showers. While the morning will be mostly dry, the showers will be widespread during the afternoon with some isolated heavy showers inland that will die out again in the evening. Highest temperatures 13°C to 16°C, winds light and variable.
Monday will be a similar day, and mix of pleasant sunny breaks but with heavy or even thundery showers. Winds will be from the north and temperatures typically in the mid teens. Tuesday and Wednesday look like being mainly dry days with variable cloud and sunny spells. Any showers will be isolated and light with most areas staying dry. North or northwest breezes will be fresh generally, and staying on the cool side.
The further outlook is uncertain, but most likely staying unsettled.
Inniscarra TDL reports on the Ottewill Trophy, a three day competition fished last weekend…
30 May: It’s still a skimmer frenzy here on Inniscarra all on the feeder with the odd roach caught on the pole. The garden centre continues to dominate the top weights but with third place today coming from the Greenway.
Ian Shepard holds onto his day two lead to take the 2019 trophy! The festival sponsored by local Coachford businesses saw the anglers enjoy good fishing at the Garden Centre, Greenway and Graveyard using a variety of methods.
The sponsors and organisers would like to congratulate the winners and thank all those who attended the latest series of festivals.
31 May: Ian Shepard takes the match on day 2 at the Greenway.
01 June: Ian Shepard holds onto his day two lead to take the 2019 trophy! The festival sponsored by local Coachford businesses saw the anglers enjoy good fishing at the Garden Centre, Greenway and Graveyard using a variety of methods.
Ian Shepard
The sponsors and organisers would like to congratulate the winners and thank all those who attended the latest series of festivals.
29 May: Returning angler Stuart Pinder steals the O’Callaghans Cup on the final day! Stuart’s 26kg catch at the Garden Centre catapulted him from 22nd place to win the top prize sponsored by O’Callaghans Bar & Guest House. Leader from day one Mike Barlow finished up runner-up followed by Kevin Golightly in third position.
Just two of the 29 participating anglers are local with everyone else making the long journey across the water to take part. The camaraderie on the bank has been great, the food and hospitality fantastic added to some good fishing makes for a great angling holiday.
Find out more…
For details of the venues, a downloadable copy of the calendar, 2018 festival results and a directory of angler friendly accommodation in the local area please visit www.ncffi.ie/inniscarra-angling.
CM Lakelands report on their 3 Day Feeder Festival which was fished over the bank holiday weekend…
Day 1
1st day of the 3 day feeder festival today on A Skeagh,B Barnagove and C Corraneary. Fishing was good on 2 of the lakes with mostly hybrids/Roach and skimmers been caught. The top 7 will be payed out overall with significant sponsorship been added by Cavan County Council and Eamon Rogers.
22 are fishing the festival and the top 7 so far are
1. Darren Fairhurst B 7.660kg.
2. Darius Kar C 7.620kg.
3. Rimantas C 7.200kg.
4. Steve Whyte C 6.640kg.
5. Shamie Winters B 6.200kg.
6. Brenton Sweeney C 5.820kg 7. Adrian Van de veer C 5.800kg .
Section winners today are, Paul lesse A, karlo A, shamie winters B, Darren fairhurst B, darius Kar C and rimantas Kondrackas C.
Day 2
Corraneary lake fished the best with Bob Gibbard having a very impressive day with 14.540kg of mostly big hybrids which puts him into 2nd place overall, Darren fairhurst was 2nd today, again on Corraneary lake with 8.440 kg which moves him to the top of the leader board and the 3rd biggest weight today was Eamon Rogers with 7.840kg again on Corraneary which moves him to 4th overall. Rimantas is in 3rd place, Darius Kar is in 5th and Piotir Horbinski and Brenton Sweeney are 6th and 7th respectively.
Section winners today are
Brenton Sweeney A
Rimantas k A
Mark Leonard B
Rory Dunne B
Darren Fairhurst C
Bob Gibbard C
All to play for tomorrow as no one knows what lake will produce tomorrow.
The top 7 will be paid out. Thanks again to our sponsors Cavan County Council and Eamon Rogers.
Day 3
Eamon Rogers presents Darren Fairhurst with the top prize
Final day of the C/M 3 day feeder festival today. Corraneary produced the best weight with 9.890 kg, Barnagove best weight was 9.560kg and the best weight at Skeagh was 5.120 kg.
Section winners today were
A Darren Fairhurst.
A Bob Gibbard.
B Brenton Sweeney.
B Stevie Whyte.
C Artur Czarnocki.
C Robertas Zilaitis.
The top 7 was paid out overall.
1st Darren Fairhurst 21.220kg.
2nd Bob Gibbard 20.440kg.
3rd Brenton Sweeney 19.299kg
4th Rimantas Kondrackas 17.549kg.
5th Darius Kar 16.640kg
6th Stevie Whyte 16.060kg
7th Eamon Rogers 15.980.
Well done to all, fishing was reasonable with some good weights and there was great camaraderie between all the anglers.
Thanks to our sponsors Cavan County Council and Eamon Rogers.
Next year’s 3 day feeder festival will be held again on June bank holiday weekend 30/31st of may and 1st of June 2020.
Join the club…
Membership open to all is €30, €15 for OAP’s/Juniors.
To join contact Brenton Sweeney on 087 2510260 or mail [email protected]
Fishing has been hectic on the recently and it’s been great to see so many fish about. We’ve also had some great pollack fishing on light gear too.
Pollack
Loads of fish about today! Great to see big shoals of the big pollack back from spawning. June is always great fun when they arrive back hungrier than ever. Thanks to The Driftwood for running the catch n cook afterwards! The ling and pollack were fantastic!
Sea Star is based in Rosses Point, Sligo (10 mins from Sligo town on local bus route). Services available include deep sea angling, reef fishing, shark fishing (August-October) and eco tourism cruises. Trips can be tailor made to suit anglers and include modest half day, full day and evening trip rates for groups, individuals, and children. Rods and tackle are available for hire on board and skipper can arrange accommodation if contacted in time. Gift vouchers are also available. Sight seeing tours for non anglers.
