John Chambers reports for IFPAC on the first qualifying competition of the 2019/20 National Pike Championships…
65 anglers turned up in Legan, County Longford to attend the first qualifying competition of the 2019/20 National Pike Championships. We fished around 6 miles of river on one bank. Fishing was very patchy with some areas only producing a few jacks. That said there were some great bags and 8 doubles to 17lb 15oz.
Ronan’s 17Ib 15oz fish caught at today’s qualifier
One Lithuanian angler was playing a pike of 2lb 04oz when a very large pike attacked it. The big pike didnt want to let go and went up and down the bank hanging onto the unfortunate jack which it eventually released leaving it in a poor state.
The top 7 who qualified to fish in the Final next April were
1st Sean Markey 9 pike 47lb 00oz
2nd Seamus Coffee 5 pike 39lb 09oz
3rd Martin Lynch 6 pike 31lb 11oz
4th John Woods 6 pike 29lb 15oz
5th Pat Behan 4 pike 29lb 02oz
6th Chris Maguire 11 pike 28lb 08oz
7th Ronan Murray 7 pike 26lb 09oz
Pools for heaviest pike
1st Ronan Murray 17lb 15oz
2nd Seamus Coffee 16lb 02oz
3rd Pat Behan 15lb 01oz
The Irish Federation of Pike Angling Clubs (IFPAC) is a body representing pike anglers in Ireland, North and South.The IFPAC was founded on 17th January 1988 at a meeting held at the Ardboyne Hotel, Navan. The membership for that year stood at fifteen clubs representing six hundred anglers, today membership of IFPAC is approaching 100 affiliated clubs representing in excess of seven thousand anglers from all walks of life.
Water conditions were just about perfect for anglers on the River Nore last few weeks and a some nice salmon were reported on the Thomastown Anglers’ Association waters. The improved and milder weather encouraged a few anglers to try their luck. With the water conditions in great shape at the beginning of the month Alan Dunne connected with a lovely fresh fish which was released back to the river after a quick photo.
Further information on Thomastown Anglers Association and the River Nore can be found at the following links.
Over the past week milder weather saw an increase in angling effort with 86 salmon reported caught. Ballina Salmon Anglers reported only one fish with Gerry Seck taking a 9lbs. fish on spinner.
Knockmore Anglers reported their first two fish of season and Attymass their first with Stuart Blair, NI, taking a fish of 7lbs. on worm. On Gannon’s Fishery, Davey McKee, NI, had a fish of 10lbs. on worm. Upstream on the Cloongee Fishery, Thierry Coulm, France, had a fine fish of 10lbs. on spinner, while on East Mayo’s water, Reto Coutalides, Switzerland, caught an eleven pounder on fly. Also on the EMAA water Justin Kilos, France, had an 8lbs. fish , Gerard Portes, France, landed a 10lbs. and Frank Sommer Germany caught and released a ten pounder, all fish were caught on fly.
Frank Sommer from Germany about to release his bar of silver from the Moy
Moy System WE Sunday 5th May 2019.
Broken weather and harsh North Easterly winds made angling conditions very difficult over the past week despite this 63 salmon were reported caught. On the Ballina Salmon Anglers’ water, Peter McHugh had a 7ls.b fish on spinner, on Gannon’s Fishery, John Marshal ,NI, Took a fish of 11.5lbs. on prawn, on Cloongee, Jez Leech, UK, had a 10lbs. salmon on worm and a twelve pounder on spinner, while Clement Polard, France, had a fish of 10lbs. on bubble and fly. On the East Mayo Anglers’ water, Frank Sommer ,Germany, had fine 14lbs. fish on fly. Other successful anglers on East Mayo included Phillippe Fonsica with an 11lbs. fish and Thomas Le Guilchet ,France, with a 7lbs. fish, both on fly.
Moy System WE Sunday 12th May 2019.
Milder weather and dropping water levels combined with an increase in visiting angler numbers saw 97 salmon reported caught across the system. Up to now, most of the fish caught were taken upstream of Foxford but over the past week lower and mid Moy Fisheries were reporting fish. On the Moy Fishery (Ridge/Weir Pools), John McKinley, Athlone, had the first fish of 9.5lbs on fly, followed by Ivor Trimble, NI, with a 7.5lbs. fish also on fly and Paul McGowan, NI, with a 4.75lbs. fish on fly.
John McKinley in a fish on the Ridge Pool
On the Cathedral Beat, Simon Leonard had the first fish of 8.5lbs. on spinner. On the Ballina Salmon Anglers’ water, David McLoughlin had a nice fish of 9.5lbs. on spinner. On Gannon’s Fishery, William Marshall, NI, had a fish of 14lbs. on prawn. The Foxford Fishery reported their first fish of the season which was taken by John Chambers. Upstream of Foxford, Karl Heinz, Germany, had a 13lbs. fish on the Foxford Salmon Anglers’ water. On Cloongee, Mathew Doyle caught & released a fish of approx 8.5lbs. on Bubble and fly, while Xavier Le Corre, France, had one of 12lbs. on spinner.
Mathew Doyle abut to release a fine Moy salmon on the Cloongee Fishery
Also on Cloongee, a party of French anglers with Thierry Coulm had 14 salmon for the week on Bubble and Fly. On the East Mayo Anglers’ water, John Gerard, UK, had a 5lbs. fish on spinner, Ivor O’Connor ,Kerry, had two at 12lbs. &13lbs. on fly, while Michael O’Kane, NI, had one at 8lbs. also on fly.
After the good weather of late, the water levels on the River Nore have dropped and cleared making it ideal for trout fly fishermen. With temperatures in the high teens to early twenties yesterday accompanied by bright blue skies, most trout were reluctant to take off the surface in the bright sunshine. There was some small black fly on the water with sporadic hatches of olives and there was also some sedge around. Two anglers fishing nymphs on the Thomastown Anglers Association waters had good results with some nice brown trout from 20cm to 32cm.
Gold-head, pheasant tail and hares’ ear nymphs all produced results. The trout were in fine condition and were all released quickly and carefully back to the river. The Association often hosts International and other competitions and welcomes anglers for all over Ireland and abroad. Further information on Thomastown Anglers Association and the River Nore can be found at the following links.
9/5/19 There was good trolling on Lough Currane today so straight to the lure department. First in the striking zone was local angler Mr. Stephen Donnelly, who caught a cracker of an 11 lbs. Salmon while trolling with his good friend Mike and by all accounts he had a mighty battle, which the Cahersiveen and Currane angler won. Staying in the trolling department UK and Currane Angler Mr. Phil Staniforth while trolling with his Gillie Mr. Dominic McGillicuddy of www.fishingwithdom.com caught a fine 11 lbs. Salmon on the troll. In today’s Salmon action you could say it was a draw in the lbs to lbs. department. On a personal note the photos were as good as the fish thanks for that and that goes for yesterdays photos. Wind Light to fresh and very bright. Yesterdays weather, amount of rainfall 2.2 mm. Maximum air temperature 12.2 C.
Great day for Sea Fishing not for Game Fishing a picture tells the story!
10/5/19 There wasn’t any Judgment day this day, as the Wild Atlantic Salmon kept their nose’s down as the Currane anglers looked up to the clear blue skies and bright sunshine blazing down on Lough Currane and you could say the Currane Salmon ruled the Currane Waves today in a fresh wind from the NW. Yesterdays weather, maximum air temperature 11.3C
11/5/19 All the Salmon and Sea Trout headlines come from the Bungalow on the North Shore. Currane and Cork angler Mr. Martin Coveny, while fishing with his Gillie Mr. Neil O’Shea of www.oshealoughcurrane.com caught a cracker of a 10 ½ lbs. Salmon on the troll. Staying at the Bungalow Martins good friend Mr. Dave Homes, caught and released a fine 2 lbs. Sea Trout on the troll while fishing with his Gillie Mr. Bob Priestley. They say bright sunshine and a Northeast wind is a Currane anglers nightmare, well all I can say is a few more nightmares wouldn’t do any harm. Wind NE light and hardly a cloud in site. Yesterdays weather maximum air temperature 12.4C.
12/5/19 Just a few boats out and for good reason, there was a strong SSE wind blowing and going by the Currane Anglers mobiles it was all quiet on all fronts. Wind as already stated and bright sunshine all day. Yesterdays weather, maximum air temperature 13.5C.
13/5/19 The Currane Anglers today had to battle the wild SE wind and by all accounts that’s all they battled, as the Currane waves smashed into their bow’s and to make things worse the Currane Skies were as clear as a magnifying glass. Weather as already stated. Yesterdays weather, maximum air temperature 17. 7C.
Neil releases Paul’s Salmon!
14/5/19 All Salmon C&R headlines come from the Bungalow on the North Shore, UK Angler Mr. Paul Haynes from Devon, while trolling with his Gillie Mr. Neil O’Shea of www.oshealoughcurrane.com caught and released two Salmon ranging from 9 lbs. up to 14 lbs. and in the words of Neil, wind SE and it was wild out there. Now to Breaking News on the Wild Currane Sea Trout, as from today the Waterville Fishery and Lough Currane becomes a C&R Fishery only! Just click the link and all will be revealed Inland Fisheries Ireland introduces two new Bye-laws in Kerry and Cork. Yesterday’s weather, maximum air temperature 16.9 C.
15/5/19 I’ve had emails all day because anglers were under the impression that the Waterville Fishery was totally C&R, this is incorrect, its only Sea Trout that are totally C&R. Now today’s action there were only two boats out and all was quiet on the SW front. Wind SSE fresh with reasonable cloud cover. Yesterday’s weather, maximum air temperature 17. 6C.
That is your ration from your Gillie and the Waterville Fishery, no spin no fly’s just facts.
The Waterville Lakes & Rivers Trust, formed by concerned volunteers in 2016, is one of the new Rivers Trusts to be set up in Ireland and is currently aspiring to Charitable Status. Its remit is to protect the fresh and coastal waters of the Iveragh Peninsula.
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
There hasn’t been a huge amount of angling activity on either Lough Conn or Cullin until last weekend. Those that have ventured out, however, have found excellent trout angling and the first of the season’s mayfly hatches well underway.
On Lough Conn, Ian Wade, operating out of the Cloonamoyne Fishery at Enniscoe House, had two UK based clients out for three days during the week. After much deliberating and head scratching, they calculated that they had caught 164 trout over the 3 days. Although many of these were small (20 – 30cm) there were some fine fish up to 2.5lbs. among them. All fish were caught on wet flies and all but 4 were returned. Best patterns were , International, Green Dabbler, Golden Olive Bumble and Bibio.
At the Weekend, Dublin based anglers Maurice Dallaghan and Conor Donnelly had a very enjoyable two day trip to Lough Conn. They fished at Castlehill Bay, the Abbey Shore and Flannery’s Bay and had 23 trout up to 1.75lbs. in weight. Only three fish were kept and dry fly patterns accounted for most fish. Royal Wulff, Green Wulff and Mosley patterns in sizes 12 – 14 were the most successful flies.
Just landed! A nice trout of approx. 1.25lbs. (about to go back) caught at the Abbey Shore on a Mosley Mayfly.
There were also a handful of local anglers out over the weekend and all reported good hatches and good catches, mainly in the northern half of the lake. The international and the Royal Wulff appear to be the leading patterns.
Adrian Murphy from Cloghans had his two sons, 13 year old Brendan and 11 year old Cormac, out on Cloghans Bay and they had some lovely trout on a variety of wet mayfly patterns, including a fine 1.5 pounder. All fish were released.
13 year old Brendan Murphy with a nice 1.5 lbs. Lough Conn brownie
Brendan releasing his brown trout
Lough Cullin hosted the two day Albert Berry Cup Competition over the weekend. This is the 27th year in succession that this competition has been fished here, with 42 anglers from both north and south of the border competing for the coveted prize. With challenging conditions on the (catch and release ) Saturday leg, catches were surprisingly good but no big (2lbs.+) fish were landed. However, on the Sunday, the wind shifted to the south and cloud drifted in, making for ideal angling conditions.
The Lower Bann CAA is a member of the Ulster Coarse Fishing Federation, UCFF the provincial council of the National Coarse Fishing Federation of Ireland, NCFFI and the NGB for coarse and predator angling in Ireland. www.ncffi.ie
The 53rd Cobh International Deep Sea Angling Festival will be fished Thursday 5th, Friday 6th, and Saturday 7th September 2019.
Are you fishing? Get your names down, by posting a comment below or email club secretary, Angus Reid, at [email protected].
Fishing should be interesting this year as a couple of species are making a come back in the harbour. Last year saw a number of small tope landed and many boats had catches of smoothhound. This year already 1 boat had 12 spurdog in a single trip. Everything was verified as the catches were part of Cobh SAC Master Angler Competition fished on 12 May.
Cork Harbour spurdog – another species making a comeback in the area?
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. Sean Canney TD, Minister with responsibility for the inland fisheries sector, launched the initiative which is one of a number of activities taking place throughout the summer to promote salmon conservation and the fisheries resource.
Rory Cahill (age 4) and Evelyn Cahill (age 6) from Dunboyne, Co.Meath at the launch of ‘Fishy Fun’.
Come along to the museum to learn more about the fantastic collection of fish on display and how Ireland’s most iconic fish species, salmon, is facing its biggest challenge yet. Fisheries staff will be on hand to help young fisheries enthusiasts examine the creepy crawlies which live in Ireland’s rivers and lakes via microscopes while novice anglers can try their hand at fishing through a virtual fishing simulator! In addition to the collection within the museum, aquariums will also showcase some of the freshwater fish which live in waters across Ireland.
The event is just one of a number of initiatives (outlined below) taking place across the country as part of International Year of the Salmon which is a world-wide initiative of the North Atlantic Salmon Organisation (NASCO) and the North Pacific Anadromous Fish Commission (NPAFC). It is hoped that IYS will create a framework for international outreach and research while also raising awareness of what humans can do to ensure salmon and their habitats are conserved and restored against a backdrop of several environmental factors.
Rory and Evelyn Cahill examine a mesolithic fish trap with Sean Canney TD, Minister with responsibility for inland fisheries.
Minister Canney said: “Salmon are an iconic species in Ireland, and indeed in many other countries along the north-west coast of Europe. International Year of the Salmon offers an opportunity to start an important conversation about salmon and how we can kick start efforts to restore salmon habitats. This event, alongside the many other initiatives, will allow the public to discover more about the fisheries resource and the challenges facing salmon today.
“This is a fun day out aimed especially at families and I would encourage parents and carers in particular to give children the opportunity to learn about our native fish and see how they can contribute to protecting them into the future”, he added.
Dr Ciaran Byrne, CEO of Inland Fisheries Ireland said: “We are looking forward to introducing the public to the mystical aquatic world at this family focused event. Novice anglers, future fisheries biologists or scientists or anyone who has an interest in the natural world will enjoy learning more about the fish and creatures which live in our waters and what we can do to ensure their ongoing conservation for future generations.”
The Director of the National Museum of Ireland, Lynn Scarff said: “National Museum of Ireland is delighted to work in partnership with Inland Fisheries Ireland on this exciting event which will allow visitors of all ages to engage with Ireland’s natural history and in particular discover more about the fascinating and symbolic Irish salmon, it’s habitat and other creatures that live alongside it.”
The Fishy Fun event is free and will take place from 10am-4pm on Saturday, 20th of July in the National Museum of Ireland – Natural History, Merrion Street, Dublin 2. As part of the event, children and schools are also invited to enter a national colouring competition The Salmon of Colour which will be available in the museum and online in the summer months with more information coming soon.
To find out more about International Year of the Salmon or to register an event, visit www.yearofthesalmon.org. To learn more about what is happening in Ireland and how you can get involved, visit www.fisheriesireland.ie/iys .
International Year of the Salmon Programme in Ireland:
Wild Salmon Showcase at Dingle Oceanworld Aquarium and Galway Atlantaquaria(Commencing Summer 2019): See wild salmon in action under the water and learn more their life cycle through dedicated salmon installations.
Salmon Pins Programme (Commencing June 2019): Merit pins will be awarded to anglers who return their salmon to water. Return your catch details to earn a specially commissioned once off International Year of the Salmon pin.
Citizen Science Salmon Project (Ongoing): Anglers who are willing to become citizen scientists are taking part in the National Salmon Scale Project which sees them carefully take scale samples from live fish before returning them to water and submitting the samples to Inland Fisheries Ireland for research purposes.
Young Persons Day on the Blackwater Salmon Fishery (Saturday, 22nd of June): Young novice anglers are invited to Blackwater Salmon Fishery for a free educational and fun filled introduction to fishing. Booking required in advance as spaces are limited.
Salmon’s Wake, The Ilen Project (Monday, 1st of July):The Ilen Project ‘Salmon Wake’ will see a wooden ship ‘Ilen’ launch from Limerick and sail towards West Greenland following the journey which migrating wild Atlantic Salmon take every year.
National Catch & Release Weekend (Saturday 6th & Sunday 7th July): A Catch & Release weekend will take place on Saturday 6th & Sunday 7th July with anglers invited to handle fish safely and return them to water after catch. #cprsavesfish
Fishy Fun at the National Museum of Ireland – Natural History (Saturday, 20th of July): Drop in to the National Museum of Ireland – Natural History Dublin to have some fishy fun and celebrate International Year of the Salmon with a range of interactive activities for all the family.
The Salmon of Colour (June – October 2019): Pick up a copy of The Salmon of Colour Children’s Colouring Competition in the National Museum of Ireland – Natural History during the summer months or download for free online at www.fisheriesireland.ie/iys to be in with a chance of winning a €100 voucher and private tour of the museum!
International Marine Biology Symposium with focus on Salmon (25th – 29th August): The 54th European Marine Biology Symposiumwill be hosted by University College Dublinand will attract marine biologists from all over the world.
IYS at the National Ploughing Championships (17th – 19th September): A family friendly fun zone focused on salmon will be at Ireland’s largest agricultural show, the National Ploughing Championships.
Salmon Schools Workshop at the National Museum of Ireland – Natural History (October 2019): School workshops will be hosted by experienced education staff from Inland Fisheries Ireland and the National Museum of Ireland – Natural History.
Declan Gibbons, IFI Galway, reports from the shore of Lough Corrib where trout anglers have had some stunning catches…
Jim McEvoy @ Corrib View Lodge
Larry McCarthy of Corrib View Lodge http://www.corribangling.com reports of fantastic fishing over the last 10 days. Gareth Jones, Kieran Jenkins, Tony Cartwright and Matthew Griffiths boated 75 trout over 6 days most of which were caught on buzzer.
Tony Ling @ Corrib View strikes again
On one day alone Gareth and Kieran guided by Larry caught and released 15 trout for over 50lbs a huge average weight.
Tony Ling, Corrib View Lodge
Tony Ling fished with Larry and on one day they caught and released 14 fish with a 4lbs average. Most Clients staying at the lodge have reported great buzzer fishing with lots of big trout returned.
Another for Tony Ling @ Corrib View Lodge
Mayfly has also produced on windy days with great bags caught in the Annaghkeen and Kilbeg areas. Larry reports that the catches have been excellent and the vast majority of the fish sportingly returned to Lough Corrib.
Tom Doc Sullivan #CPRsavesfish
In the Cornamona area Tom doc Sullivan http://www.tomdoc.com reports of regular visiting English anglers from Tunbridge Wells in Kent enjoying excellent sport with 6 rods for 6 days landing 63 fish over 13 inches all returned and mainly caught on mayfly and some on buzzer. Two of the group Keith Nicholson and Mick Priest are 29 years coming to Lough Corrib on the trot and were rewarded with excellent fishing.
Mick Priest with a very unusually spotted Corrib trout
Tom also guided visiting German anglers Florian Franke and George for one day and had 6 fish on dry mayflies all sportingly released with the best fish measuring 50cms. Daniel Harris from France was guided by John Walsh and they had 5 fish to the boat with the best fish being 3lbs on wet mayfly patterns.
Keith Nicholson 29 years coming to Corrib
On Saturday next Cornamona & District Anglers host their youths annual mayfly competition and on Sunday next host their Annual Mayfly Competition for further details contact club secretary Eamon Gavin on 087-7785713.
Mayfly Time on Corrib courtsey of Rynes Walker
In the Oughterard area Basil Shields of Ardnasillagh Lodge 091-552550 reports of excellent fishing on Corrib with guest at the lodge having excellent sport which follows as, David Wilson and Gary McGuire Enniskillen had 16 fish best fish 5.5lbs for their trip to Corrib, Paul Mooney and Trevor Ferguson had 33 fish for 2 days on mayfly best fish 2.25lbs, Jack Kingcade for 1 day had 11 fish all on buzzer best fish 4lbs, Mark Patterson of Loop tackle for 1 day had 6 fish best fish 4lbs, Robin Boyd and Steve Siggers England had 4 fish on wet mayflies with the best fish 3.75lbs, Pat Collins and John Byrd from Cork had 9 fish for their day on Corrib with the best fish being 5.5lbs all on buzzer, Andrew Clay and Colman Couinahan for 1 day had 9 fish best fish 5lbs on buzzer, Stuart Robinson had 7 fish for his trip to Corrib best fish 5lbs and James Lyness had 8 fish for his trip best fish 6lbs 4oz.
Kevin Hehir #CPRsavesfish
Clare anglers Brian Madden and Kevin Hehir enjoyed two excellent days fishing on Corrib last week with numerous fish landed and all sportingly released.
Going Afloat in the International Mayfly Competition Oughterard courtsey of Rynes Walker
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