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Dale Malpas wins 𝗢𝘁𝘁𝗲𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗧𝗿𝗼𝗽𝗵𝘆 on Inniscarra

By
Myles Kelly
-

The 𝗢𝘁𝘁𝗲𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗧𝗿𝗼𝗽𝗵𝘆 was fished over 3 days on Inniscarra last week, from Wednesday 20 May to Friday 22 May. Inniscarra TDL reports…

With rising water levels overnight, we made a last-minute change to the sections for the first day of the Ottewill Trophy. Once again included the Fountain House section, this time with revised pegging.
A big thank you to the lads who helped out with the adjustments — it certainly made a difference today.

𝗦𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 : 𝗔 – 𝗚𝗮𝗿𝗱𝗲𝗻 𝗖𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗲, 𝗕 – 𝗚𝗿𝗮𝘃𝗲𝘆𝗮𝗿𝗱, 𝗖 – 𝗙𝗼𝘂𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗻 𝗛𝗼𝘂𝘀𝗲

𝗗𝗮𝘆 𝟭 𝗠𝗮𝘁𝗰𝗵 𝗥𝗲𝘀𝘂𝗹𝘁𝘀
  • 1st Dale Malpas – 14.810kg – Garden Centre
  • 2nd Trevor Platt – 14.770kg – Garden Centre
  • 3rd John Fletcher – 13.360kg – Graveyard

We are also delighted to announce an anonymous sponsorship of €100 towards the prize fund — thank you very much for the support. With 16 anglers fishing, this now brings the total prize fund for the festival to €1,700.

Day 2 report

We are still experiencing unusually high water levels for this time of year, conditions rarely seen on Inniscarra in May.

The Graveyard section stole the show today, producing the top three weights — all caught on the pole. In contrast, the feeder came into play at the Garden Centre, while at Fountain House it was more of a mixed approach.

𝗗𝗮𝘆 𝟮 𝗠𝗮𝘁𝗰𝗵 𝗪𝗶𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗿𝘀
  • John Fletcher – 16.490kg
  • Jim Brockie – 12.820kg
  • Henk Roskam – 12.710kg

John Fletcher takes a commanding 7kg lead at the halfway stage of the Ottewill Trophy. Behind him, however, it remains much closer, with plenty still to fish for going into the final day.

Day 3 report

Dale Malpas wins today’s match and takes the overall Ottewill Trophy title with his 12.300kg haul from the Graveyard.

Result

  • 1st Dale Malpas – 12.300kg
  • 2nd John Van Gastel – 12.120kg
  • 3rd Kev Ince – 11.950kg

𝗢𝘁𝘁𝗲𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗧𝗿𝗼𝗽𝗵𝘆 𝗙𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗮𝗹 𝗥𝗲𝘀𝘂𝗹𝘁𝘀

  • Dale Malpas
  • John Fletcher
  • Ken Ince
  • Mike Stone

Congratulations to all the festival winners and thank you to everyone who took part over the three days.

We were presented with unusually high water levels throughout the week, but with some careful section manipulation still managed to produce some good fishing, with some lovely skimmer catches.

Congratulations also to the winners of the earlier events, 𝗝𝗶𝗺 𝗕𝗿𝗼𝗰𝗸𝗶𝗲 – 𝗛𝗼𝗴𝗮𝗻’𝘀 𝗢𝗽𝗲𝗻 and 𝗡𝗶𝗸𝗶𝘁𝗮 𝗞𝘂𝗯𝗿𝗮𝗰𝗸– 𝗢’𝗖𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗮𝗴𝗵𝗮𝗻’𝘀 𝗖𝘂𝗽, well done to everyone who framed throughout.

A special thank you to the generosity of our sponsors Hogans Oaklands and O’Callaghans Bar & Guest House

Finally, thank you to everyone who took part, to Kevin for organising the week’s fishing, and to Eileen & Co. for their warm hospitality at O’Callaghan’s Bar & Guest House.

Irish Angling Update 🎣 22 May 2026

By
IFI staff
-
Last week’s weather across Ireland was generally unsettled, with frequent showers, spells of rain and mainly moderate southwesterly winds. While the rainfall helped maintain water levels on many salmon rivers and encouraged some fish movement, conditions remained variable and catches were generally modest to poor.

So, it came as little surprise that salmon reports remained scarce over the past week, with only a small number of fish reported from rivers in Cork and Kerry, while anglers on Lough Currane once again drew a blank. Angling conditions on the Moy were also affected by the unsettled weather and, coupled with low fishing effort, resulted in catches remaining below average for this time of year. Cooler temperatures and breezy conditions made trout fishing somewhat challenging at times, although mayfly activity on the Western Lakes was reported to be fair to good. While anglers observed plenty of fly life on the water, surface feeding activity remained somewhat limited. This was also the case on Lough Arrow, where the local club held its annual mayfly competition and, despite difficult conditions, a number of quality trout were still recorded. Lough Conn experienced a similar pattern, with abundant fly life but catches remaining patchy overall. With regard to river trout fishing, we received another informative report from Dan O’Neill covering tactics and fly selection on the River Nore. Dan, an APGAI-qualified instructor, will also be involved in a Women’s Beginner Fly Fishing Day taking place at Southern County Fishing Resort, Co. Carlow on Saturday, 13 June. The course is aimed at beginners and novice anglers aged 18 and over, and all equipment will be provided. This promises to be an excellent opportunity for female anglers looking to take up or develop their fly fishing skills. Further information is available from Maddy Kelly, who has earned 25 caps for the Irish Ladies Fly Fishing Team and has also served as team captain on three occasions.

Over to pike fishing, where some anglers benefited from favourable predator conditions under overcast skies. Newbridge District Pike Anglers were back on the banks for a back-to-back weekend competition, with Ian Murphy the standout performer, taking first place in both events and continuing his excellent recent form on the river. Staying in the east, Chris Barry from Go Fishing Ireland reported excellent pike fishing for his clients, including fish of 112cm and 113cm.

113cm pike for Gaspard Perez fishing with Go Fishing Ireland

We also received a report from Artem Novikov on nearby Lough Derravaragh; Artem, who enjoys making his own lures and now pike flies, had some great sport using one of his own creations.

Meanwhile, Ireland’s Hidden Heartlands continue to deliver quality predator fishing. Bodo Funke of Angling Services Ireland, who specialises in predator fly fishing alongside lure angling, reported a number of outstanding catches for his clients in recent weeks. These included several pike over the magic 1-metre mark, as well as a superb 44cm perch landed on the fly by returning Austrian client Mario. This fine fly-caught specimen undoubtedly earns our “Catch of the Week” award. Well done, Mario!

Our first “Catch of the Week”…a chunky 44cm fly-caught specimen perch for Mario

Last week’s unsettled weather also brought mixed conditions for coarse anglers, with regular rainfall and lower-than-average temperatures affecting many venues across the country. Despite this, we received a number of reports, mainly from visiting anglers, who still enjoyed targeting bream, roach, hybrids and tench.

UK angler Mike Edwards was in touch to share details of his recent trip to Ireland, one of many he has made over the past 30 years. Mike and his group enjoyed a successful fortnight on the Shannon, Boyle and Lung rivers, landing good catches of roach, hybrids and tench.

Dave Warburton and Tim Bradshaw, who stayed in the Killeshandra area, Co. Cavan, also reported on their annual visit. Despite tricky conditions at times, the pair still managed to land quality bream and tench and are already planning their next trip to the Emerald Isle.

Quality bream and tench from Killeshandra

Last but not least, Paul Waghorne, who has spent as many as 40 days fishing in Ireland this year, reports for the final time on his long-running “pilgrimage” to Ireland. Meanwhile, Padraig English of Louth Pike and Trout followed up last week’s carp PB with an excellent PB tench of 6lb 11oz, securing our second “Catch of the Week”. Well done, Padraig!

Our second “Catch of the Week”…Padraig’s 6lb 11oz specimen tench and new PB

The competition scene was also busy recently, with Ronan Minogue and Andrei Pirchio winning the NCFFI Commercial Pairs at Oaklands, while Wayne Swinscoe from Nottingham claimed first prize at the Fermoy Spring Festival. Concluding the competition news, Nikita Kubrack finished top in the O’Callaghan’s Cup, which was fished over three days at Inniscarra.

Sea angling was also affected by fresh winds and unsettled seas along exposed coasts, limiting opportunities for offshore and shore anglers alike. As a result, there were very few reports from charter skippers, although improving weather towards the end of the week brought hopes of better fishing conditions ahead.

Kit Dunne of Wicklow Boat Charters enjoyed a strong start to the season, however. Over the last two weekends, his clients recorded tope along with mackerel, herring, dab, dogfish, pollack and wrasse, providing many first-time catches for both younger and older anglers alike; an excellent start to the season all things considered.

Nice Wicklow tope

Along the west coast, poor weather has recently hampered skipper Luke Aston, with many trips restricted to the Shannon Estuary. While the estuary produced smaller shark species, including a number of fine bullhuss, it is the larger specimens for which the “Clare Dragoon” is best known. When conditions briefly allowed offshore fishing, Luke once again delivered, putting a client over another impressive six-gill shark giant.

Another six-gill giant beside the “Clare Dragoon” ready for release

On the shore front, South Shore SAC faced difficult conditions along the North Dublin beaches. However, with the assistance of six visiting anglers from the Ulster Krakens, they still managed to land a range of fish, including decent bass and flounder, making for a successful joint outing despite the challenging conditions.

Other news

Chantel Carr from the National Biodiversity Data Centre has written another guest post for us about young Irish anglers doing their bit to protect our biodiversity: The International Sport Fly Fishing Federation has selected the island of Ireland to host the Youth World Fly Fishing Championship 2026, which will take place across Counties Tyrone and Donegal. The event will bring together some of the most talented young fly anglers to compete on rivers and lakes. As part of their role, the Irish team will act as Biosecurity Champions, promoting awareness of invasive species and encouraging best practice by ensuring all competitors Check, Clean and Dry their gear between fishing locations, helping to protect and preserve Ireland’s waters.

Young Irish anglers promoting biosecurity
  Sport Ireland is delighted to invite children and teenagers with disabilities or additional needs to take part in a fun fishing experience this May. The event will take place at Tibbotstown Reservoir, Carrigtwohill, Co. Cork on Saturday, May 30th, with sessions running from 10am–12pm and 2pm–4pm and open to ages 10–17 years. Further information and booking options are available here.

   

And now the weather

Any lingering showers will clear early tonight, leaving mostly dry and cloudy conditions. Mist and fog may develop in places, particularly across southern and southeastern areas, with overnight temperatures of 9 to 12°C in light southwest or variable breezes. The weekend is expected to bring warm sunny spells and generally dry weather, with top temperatures of 17 to 21°C, although cooler conditions will persist along some coasts. The settled spell looks set to continue into next week, with temperatures possibly reaching 24°C in some areas.

Don’t forget to double-check the forecast before heading off, and if you’re going to sea, check the tides.

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

IFI Staff 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 Angling Reports

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    Other news

    Nikita Kubrack wins O’Callaghan’s Cup at Inniscarra

    By
    Myles Kelly
    -

    Inniscarra TDL report on the 3 Day O’Callaghan’s Cup…

    Day 1

    Ray O’Sullivan is off to a flying start, taking the first day’s match with a superb 20.730kg haul from Fountain House. Ray caught a steady mix of roach and hybrids on the pole, putting together the standout weight of the day.

    At Fountain House, a number of better hybrids were showing on both pole and feeder, while mixed bags were caught across all sections.

    The water levels remain high and are currently unchanged.

    1st: Ray O’Sullivan – 20.730kg
    2nd:Marco Gabriels – 14.940kg
    3rd: Nikita Kubrack – 12.170kg

    A strong opening day with plenty still to play for going into Day 2.

    Day 2

    With Ray O’Sullivan winning Day 1 and Mike Stones’ win today from the Graveyard section, the overall standings are starting to take shape heading into the final day.

    𝗗𝗮𝘆 𝟮 𝗠𝗮𝘁𝗰𝗵 𝗥𝗲𝘀𝘂𝗹𝘁𝘀

    1st Mike Stone – 17.980kg
    2nd Gavin Walsh – 15.880kg
    3rd Nikita Kubrack – 13.400kg

    Overall leaderboard after Day 2:

    1. Mike Stone
    2. Nikita Kubrack
    3. Ray O’Sullivan
    4. Marco Gabriels

    Everything is still to play for heading into tomorrow’s final day of the 𝗢’𝗖𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗮𝗴𝗵𝗮𝗻’𝘀 𝗖𝘂𝗽.

    Day 3

    The festival concluded today with some close weights in a competitive finish. Congratulations to our top four festival winners.

    𝗢𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗙𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗮𝗹 𝗥𝗲𝘀𝘂𝗹𝘁𝘀

    Nikita Kubrack – 36.150kg

    Marco Gabriels – 33.290kg

    John Van Gastel – 31.970kg

    Ray O’Sullivan – 30.460kg

    Nikita Kubrack – proud winner of the O’Callaghan’s Cup

     

    𝗙𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗗𝗮𝘆 𝗠𝗮𝘁𝗰𝗵 𝗥𝗲𝘀𝘂𝗹𝘁𝘀

    1st John Van Gastel – 13.950kg

    2nd Marco Gabriels – 11.640kg

    3rd Nikita Kubrack – 10.580kg

    Interestingly, today’s match results finished in the reverse order of the overall festival standings!

    Well done to everyone who took part over the three days!

    Pike to 113cms in Boyne Valley Region

    By
    IFI staff
    -
    112cm pike for Jamie Hawsworth

    Chris Barry from Go Fishing Ireland reports on the pike fishing in the Boyne Valley…

    The pike fishing has been in full swing lately with nice fish coming to cast and trolled lures. Despite some challenging weather conditions, visiting anglers have enjoyed good sport.

    Jamie Hawsworth and his pals travelled over from Jersey for a long weekend with a bit of pike fishing. They weren’t disappointed as they managed to land some great fish during their day on the water. Topped of with Jamie’s fish of 112cms. They hit Temple Bar that night to celebrate in style. Well done lads!

    Gaspard Perez and his dad Franck arrived in Ireland to celebrate his birthday and to topple his previous PB pike of 96cms. He managed to beat this twice in one day with fish of 102cms and, to top it off,  a fin-perfect specimen of 113cms. Congratulations Gaspard, and Happy Birthday (Again!)

    113cm pike for Gaspard Perez

    Since spawning, the pike are active and spreading out over the waterways. We met with big fish in both shallow and deep water across a number of venues in Meath and Cavan. Jerkbaits performed well, as did various shad patterns.

    Although targeting pike , it’s impossible to ignore the hatches of Mayfly on some the lakes and soon our attention will turn to trout and hopefully a good season ahead for all.  Tight Lines!

    Go fishing…

    Join us for guided fishing trips on the lakes and rivers of the Boyne Valley region in Meath, Cavan, and Westmeath. Chris is an APGAI qualified fly-casting instructor and fly fishing for pike is a speciality, but we also enjoy lure fishing, trolling and other methods. All equipment can be supplied. Newcomers to fishing are welcome and we can provide instruction and tuition in all methods.  Contact:  [email protected] Web:  www.gofishingireland.ie

    Go Fishing Ireland

    Address Macetown Navan Meath Ireland Mobile Phone: +353 86 8055337 Website: Go Fishing Ireland
    More information
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    Successful mayfly competition held on Lough Arrow

    By
    IFI staff
    -
    Lough Arrow

    Lough Arrow Anglers held their annual mayfly competition last Sunday. Check out their report below…

    We held our annual mayfly competition on Sunday 17th last, with 50 anglers taking part, who were all hoping to win the Des McDonagh Perpetual Cup.

    The day started off with a light wind, which dropped to flat calm conditions at lunchtime. However, it picked up again after an hour, much to the delight of the dappers.  There were great hatches of greens throughout the day,  but as it was bitterly cold very few spent went out.

    Ken Murray being presented with the Des McDonagh Perpetual Cup by Mary McDonagh

    Well done to all the anglers who took part, in particular, of course, to those who caught fish.  Results are as follows:

    1. Ken Murray – 3 fish
    2. Paul Colreavy – 2 fish
    3. Graham Brown – 1 fish
    4. Mata Ferguson – 1 fish
    5. Gerry Kelly- 1 fish
    6. Emmett Mc Williams – 1 fish
    7. Paul Casey – 1 fish
    8. Paddy Carr – 1 fish
    9. Gerry Martin – 2 fish
    10. 10 Paul Mc Tiernan – 1 fish

    The prize for the best fish was won by Graham Brown and the top lady angler was Sarah Maxwell.

    Thanks to Mary McDonagh for presenting the cup, to Philip and Ellie for hosting the prize-giving, not forgetting Sally behind the bar. Thanks also to everyone who supported our competition.

    Finally, after very cold temperatures so far into the month, we can look forward to the warmer weather which has been forecast for the coming week.  This should result in good spent fishing from the continued excellent hatches of greens.

    Tight lines, bent rods and keep casting!

    Big pike and quality perch for returning Austrian fly angler in Boyle

    By
    IFI staff
    -

    Angling Services Ireland reports continued success for visiting fly anglers in the Boyle area, with Austrian angler Mario returning for his annual trip and enjoying productive sessions, landing several impressive pike over the 1 metre mark along with an impressive 44cm perch taken on the fly.

    Chunky 44cm fly-caught perch for Mario

    The fly was working well for Mario

    Earlier, Swiss guest Remo also experienced excellent sport, recording a number of quality pike on fly, highlighting the strong predator fishing available in the region.

    Remo with a fine Esox

    Go Fishing

    Bodo Funke, Angling Services, Ireland

    Pike, Game and Coarse fishing Guide

    Notes: Angling Services Ireland are based in Boyle, Co. Roscommon, in the North-West of Ireland, an area with many superb angling opportunities.

    The Proprietor Bodo Funke holds the Marine and Countryside Guiding Certificate (achieved with distinction) and his expertise and local knowledge will be to your avail when you go on a guided angling trip or angling holiday with Angling Services Ireland. Pike fishing, Fly-fishing for Pike, Game fishing for wild Brown Trout, Float- tubing, Coarse fishing. Salmon fishing and Sea-angling can be organised.

    Address: Angling Services Ireland, 3 Canal View, Deerpark, Boyle, Co. Roscommon
    Telephone/Fax::+353 71 9663580 or +353 86 6011878

    Email: [email protected]

    Website: www.anglingservicesireland.com

    Salmon fishing quiet in Cork despite some notable fish on Lee and Bandon

    By
    IFI staff
    -
    The River Lee in Cork.

    Salmon fishing effort remained relatively low across the County Cork rivers for the week ending Sunday, 17th May 2026, although some fish were reported.

    On the River Lee and at Inniscarra Dam, anglers reported 6 salmon landed, with the best fish weighing 7.5lb taken by a visiting tourist angler on a spinner. Water levels were reported to be good.

    The River Bandon also produced 6 salmon for the week, including a fine fish of 10lb taken by a club angler fishing shrimp. Water conditions remained favourable.

    Meanwhile, on the Munster Blackwater, very few fish were reported moving through the system, which is considered normal for this stage of the season.

    Quiet week on River Laune

    By
    IFI staff
    -

    On the River Laune/Killarney Lakes system, one salmon was reported from Beat 2 on the Laune Fishery, taken on a spinner. Water levels were low for the period, with conditions remaining generally quiet.

    Mayfly hatch underway on Lough Conn, but surface feeding remains slow

    By
    IFI staff
    -

    Michael Murphy reports from Lough Conn…

    Peter Roche wet a line on Lough Conn recently and had a 2 lbs trout to a dry mayfly, with the main mayfly hatch showing between noon and 4 pm. Wet fly is recommended in the morning and swapping to dry fly towards evening. Fish do not appear to be feeding on the surface much just in the sheltered bays like Cloghans Bay and Castlehill.

    Peter’s fellow angler had two good trout measuring 39 cm and 42cm with a Johnson’s Muddler and dry mayfly working well.

    Also, on Lough Cullin last weekend Foxford Angling Club held their Presidents Cup Competition. Nineteen anglers had good fishing particularly in the northern half of the lough with a good hatch of mayfly and olives and fishing coming to both wet and dry flies.

    The results were as follows:

    1st place Martin Kenny

    2nd place Dominic Mc Gowan

    3rd place Brian Gallagher

    Martin Kenny being presented with First Prize from Michael Tiernan

    Cold winds and low temperatures keep angling quiet on the Moy

    By
    IFI staff
    -
    The River Moy in Foxford
    Tough conditions on the Moy

    Michael Murphy reports from the River Moy…

    River Moy Angling Report – week ending 17-05-2026

    Above average rainfall amounts this past week with 17.6mm recorded locally causing levels to rise again at Ballylahan from 0.41 m on Sun 10th to 0.45 m on Sun 17th of May. Angling pressure remains low for the time of year with the low temperatures and cold winds continuing to keep anglers off the water.

    Ballina Salmon Anglers

    Peter reports of one salmon caught for the week, caught spinning using a red Flying C.

    Gannon’s Fishery

    Pat reports of five salmon caught for the week of which three were released with the prawn working best.

    Foxford Fishery

    Granville reports of five salmon caught, mostly on the prawn of which two were released with the best being 12.5 lbs.

    Foxford Salmon Anglers

    Harry reports of two salmon caught for the week with the best being 14 lbs.

    Cloongee Fishery

    Two salmon were reported caught for the week and subsequently released. Both fish were caught on the fly with the best weighing 11 lbs.

    East Mayo Anglers Association

    Kathleen reports of six salmon caught for the week of which two were released with the best being 9 lbs. with all methods working.

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