Local angler Noel Maloney was out for a cast before going to work this morning, and he landed the first Moy salmon of the 2019 season. The sea- liced fish was taken on the Ballina Salmon Anglers water at the weir in Ballina. The fish weighed 9 lbs and was caught on the worm. This is the second year running that Noel has caught the first fish, taking the first one last year on the 23rd February.
Conditions are good at the moment with low clear water and with some milder weather forcast we should see more rods on the river bank in the coming weeks.
How’s the river doing? Check the Ridge Pool Webcam
Declan Gibbons reports on the opening of the season on Lough Corrib. After a mild winter, anglers were optimistic for early sport, and were well rewarded with plump trout that have wintered well.
Opening day in the Cornamona area saw good angling had by a number of anglers, with Kevin Kerrigan getting his season off to an excellent start landing 5 fish – best 3.25lbs, all on wet fly and all released. Peter Walsh had 3 fish for his day, as well as Cormac Dunleavy and Eamon Gavin landing a fish each, all released with anglers enjoying a customary cook up on one of the islands.
Cornamona Anglers enjoying a good lunch on Opening Day
Connacht Predator Anglers on Sunday hosted “Trout Master” catch-photo-release competition on Lough Corrib out of Greenfields, which you can read about here . In total 16 trout, 4 pike and a bonus salmon were caught and safely released again, including the longest fish, a cracking trout of 61cm.
Membership open to all to join contact Colin Rickard 0861710466/ Frank Carthy 0868656409 or email info@connachtpredatoranglers.ie
Opening day saw Collinamuck & District Anglers host their opening day competition – the Langan Cup – in which 8 boats participated and 35 fish were caught. 1st place went to John & Frank Butler (again!) with 8 fish for 25lbs, 2nd place went to Mike Keady, Martin Walsh & Tommy O’Loughlin with 8 fish for 22lbs and 3rd place went to Noel Carter and Paddy O’Farrell who had 7 fish for 20lbs. Heaviest Fish went to Conor Hynes, a pike of 7.5lbs.
Cong Anglers had their opening day get together, with 11 boats and 20 anglers out for the day. Robbie Conneely had the heaviest fish at 2.9lbs, with members returning to Lydon’s Lodge for their annual opening day get together where members had an enjoyable evening and meal.
Robbie Conneely won the prize for Heaviest Fish in Cong Anglers opening day competition.
Patrick Molloy (http://www.pmacfishing.com 0879828438) enjoyed a good opening day landing 4 fish for 14lbs, and on Sunday Patrick & Padraig Fahy had 6 fish with an average of 2lbs, all on the Bricin.
Galway anglers & brothers Harold and Kenny O’Toole on Friday last & Sunday landed 22 trout with two over 5lbs spinning Rapalas on the lower Corrib, ranging in size from 1.75 to 5.25lbs, all released apart from two fish.
Opening day in Oughterard saw the club there host their opening day competition, with Gareth Little taking 1st place with 4 fish for 9lbs. 2nd place went to Gerry Molloy, Kevin Molloy & Emmett McGloin with 4 fish for just under 9lbs, & 3rd Place went to Mark Colton & Darren Curran with a bag weighing 8lbs.
Kevin Molloy Guiding (tel. 0879604170) reports of Jasper Matthews and Friend Ian enjoying opening day with 5 fish and the best being 5.5lbs.
Overall it has started off very promising, with fish in great condition and coming to all methods. We wish all the anglers on Corrib a very successful season!
Well, it was a week with plenty of wind and rain, although it has been relatively mild, with temperatures up to 14 degrees on some days, so although we don’t have a lot of reports in, there was some very good fishing to be enjoyed.
The Ireland Angling Show took place in the National Show Centre Swords, Co. Dublin over last weekend, and we were delighted to attend yet again at the biggest and best angling event in the country. Our Family Fun Zone proved extremely popular, and our staff were delighted to welcome and chat to so many people. Attendees to the zone tried their hand at virtual fishing with the angling simulator, learnt about the Irish fish species in the aquariums and got their photograph taken with fish on the green screen!
Inland Fisheries Ireland’s staff also gave out information and advice on angling across Ireland at the Angling Ireland stand. There is a great timelapse video here of just what went on.
The victorious Irish Men’s Shore Fishing Team arrived home to a great reception in Dublin Airport on Monday, following their silver medal heroics at the World Championships. Suntanned and no doubt tired after their South African odyssey, they will have many tales to tell this week, and well done to them. Fishing in SA was tough with temperatures up to 40C, and the fishing itself was for species we are certainly not used to at home, but they did Ireland proud. Well done also to the Ladies team, who finished a very creditable 9th in the world.
The Irish Ladies Shore Fishing Team in South Africa
This blue ray is certainly a fish we don’t see in Ireland, caught by JP Molloy, with Joe Carley also in photo
Back home, more spring salmon have been reported from the River Drowes over the last week, as well as the first fish off Lough Melvin. The windy conditions made for difficult fishing on Currane, but hopefully more moderate conditions will prevail and we will see some more fish from here soon.
The Killybegs Mariners club are a most active crew, and they organised their first boat trip of the year out of Killybegs last weekend. Mackerel for bait were plentiful, but they surely could not have expected the quality of pollack fishing they experienced on inshore reefs, with a 16lbs specimen the pick of a great day afloat, and our Catch of the Week.
The Western Shore League gets underway this weekend with Galway Bay SAC hosting an open competition at Renvyle, Co. Galway on Saturday evening.
Catch of the Week – a cracking 16lbs specimen pollack for Kieran fishing out of Killybegs.
Kevin Lyons from Melview Lodge reports on super pike fishing from the Shannon in Co. Longford, with fish to 25lbs for his guests. It was quiet otherwise, with few reports of pike or coarse fishing.
Super pike fishing in Longford
The trout angling season got underway on many lakes last Friday, and early reports from Corrib were of trout feeding hard and being in superb condition for the time of year. The Connacht Predator Anglers held a catch-and-release trout competition on Sunday, with every boat catching decent size fish, and the winner having a fine trout of 61cm.
A fine trout in great condition so early in the season
Inland Fisheries Ireland is currently recruiting 5 Education and Outreach Coordinators for roles around the country. These jobs will involve developing youth angling projects, working with stakeholders and community groups, delivering education programmes and much more. Visit www.fisheriesireland.ie/careers to find out more.
Young anglers in action.
And now the weather…
The next couple of days are set to be breezy and showery, but winds are to moderate by Sunday and the weather overall looks set to stay pretty mild for this time of year, with temperatures up to 15 degrees. Water levels are fairly high, but water temps are up for this time of year and fish will probably be more active. There is a gale warning in operation for today and tonight on Atlantic coastal waters but after this it looks much more benign. As ever, if you’re going on the water, take all precautions and stay safe!
RIVER DROWES – Monday 11th to Sunday 17th January 2019.
There were nice water levels on the Drowes all week. On Monday the Gauge at the Four Masters Bridge read 0.86m. The river fell steadily over the week due to the mainly dry and mild, spring weather. By the end of Sunday the gauge had dropped to 0.68m. The salmon run is now definitely underway and there were 4 salmon recorded over the week. On Thursday, Ritchie Evans reported an 8½ lb salmon caught on a Flying ‘C’ lure from the Blackwater and 2 further salmon were caught and released of which we are awaiting the exact details. On Saturday, Ian Lowthe accounted for a 6lb salmon caught on a Cascade Variant fly from the Eel Weir. There was a couple of other fresh salmon hooked and lost over the week.
LOUGH MELVIN – Monday 11th to Sunday 17th January 2019.
Lough Melvin has been fairly quiet since the Salmon opening day (1st February) but on Saturday the first Melvin salmon of the season was caught once again by local angler John Flanagan. This weighed 8lb 10oz and was caught trolling in Flanagan’s Bay. There were also a number of reports of salmon showing elsewhere on the lough.
Make a booking
River Drowes
The Drowes Fishery is one of Ireland’s premier spring salmon and grilse fisheries. The river is some 5 miles in length, with over 70 named pools, flowing from Lough Melvin at Lareen Bay and entering the sea at Tullaghan, just outside Bundoran. The Drowes has a wide variety of water suitable for all fishing methods, including several miles of good fly water and deeper slower moving pools suitable for spinning and bait fishing.
For information and bookings on the Drowes Fishery & Lough Melvin see http://www.drowessalmonfishery.com Tel: 071 9841055 (8am to 12 noon). Mob: +353 (0) 87 8050806
Stefan Martin reports on the first boat trip for club members last weekend, which produced some exceptional fishing. They were fishing with Killybegs Fishing Charters –
A club trip out for a few hours on the boat this morning just to see what was about on the first trip of the new year proved very eventful with a whopping specimen pollack of 16lbs for Kieran and some big fish also for Declan and Michael. Stopping the boat for a drift in the harbour before going out provided full strings of fresh mackerel for bait, and the drifts over the Roguey bank outside was full of rod-arching reef pollack with full bellies, with the biggest tipping the scales at 16lbs.
A cracking 16lbs specimen pollack for Kieran
Interesting reading the specimen book report for last year with no specimen pollack (12lb) recorded and yet Kieran gets a 16 pounder on the first trip out! Fantastic stuff , great fishing and great to be back at it 🎣🐟
Look at the belly on that fish! Another well-fed pollack from Donegal Bay
Inland Fisheries Ireland attended the Ireland Angling Expo in Dublin on the 16th & 17th of February with a Family Fun Zone for all ages.
Attendees to the zone tried their hand at virtual fishing with the angling simulator, learnt about the Irish fish species in the aquariums and got their photograph taken with fish on the green screen!
Inland Fisheries Ireland’s staff also gave out information and advice on angling across Ireland at the Angling Ireland stand.
This video gives a quick insight into Inland Fisheries Ireland’s presence at the event:
Inland Fisheries Ireland is currently recruiting Education and Outreach Co-Ordinators across Ireland as part of its National Strategy for Angling Development. The deadline for applications has been extended until 5pm on Monday, 25th of February 2019.
The role of Education and Outreach Coordinator will have five main areas of responsibility:
Supporting the uptake of angling
Developing strong community and stakeholder ties
Assisting in the development and delivery of education programmes
Assist in capacity building within the sector
Supporting the IFI sponsorship programme delivery
Visit www.fisheriesireland.ie/careers to find out more.
Here’s a snapshot of just one aspect of the job…
Inland Fisheries Ireland attended the Ireland Angling Expo in Dublin on the 16th & 17th of February with a Family Fun Zone for all ages.
Our staff were on hand to engage visitors on all aspects of the fisheries resource. Attendees to the zone tried their hand at virtual fishing with our angling simulator, learnt about the Irish fish species in the aquariums and got their photograph taken with fish on our green screen!
Inland Fisheries Ireland’s staff also gave out information and advice on angling across Ireland at the Angling Ireland stand.
This video gives a quick insight our presence at the event.
David Tantrum from Waterford has been in touch to report on the new season at Carrigavantry and Knockaderry reservoirs.
The photo shows the three new 18ft hire boats and the security fence co-funded by Inland Fisheries Ireland.
Boats ready for action
Knockaderry and Carrigavantry have had their first stocking with one kilo rainbows; both lakes also hold a large population of over-wintered fish that have fed hard due to the mild weather, as the stomach contents of this 2 kilo fish show!
This 2kg rainbow had been feeding hard on freshwater shrimp.
If you don’t fancy rowing you can use an electric engine or fish from the shore at Carrigavantry All are welcome check out our facebook and web site www.waterfordflyfishing.ie
Waterford City and County Trout Angling Association
Carrigavantry – This 30 acre reservoir is hidden in the hills behind Tramore. The lake can be fished from the dam and road and the rest of the lake shore needs waders. The deepest part is the island at 10 feet.Prolific hatches of lake olives and damsels occur. Stocking is with both browns and rainbows. You could loose your catch here to a 20lb Pike!
Knockaderry – The deepest part of the lake is 24 feet at the dam tower, the average depth is 6ft and this results in good weed growth. Trout fatten fast in this fertile water on caddis, snails and stickle backs, while lake olives,buzzers sedges and damsels bring on prolific rises. This 80 acre reservoir is a traditional top of the water drift fishery.
New members are welcome and an active programme of fly tuition is pursued to encourage beginners and get our youth out into the countryside.
Kevin from Melview Fishing Lodge in Longford welcomed Sean and friend Bill from Dublin through the doors after a little lay off for Kevin due to a back operation and refurbishments to the lodge. Sean and Bill, who are no strangers to Melview were straight off to do some fishing. The weather was unpredictable at times and high winds out on the water made it difficult at times for the guys, but the lads braved the weather conditions and produced a good number of Pike to 25lbs using various dead baits. Bill hopes to be back within a couple of weeks and Kevin himself hopes to be back in action in a week or so, thanks again lads 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.
Aidan Traynor from the Connacht Predator Club was in touch with a report on their catch-and-release trout competition at the weekend.
Here is a quick report on our “Trout Master” competition: 8am Sunday morning we arrived at Greenfields, the weather wasn’t great but the atmosphere was electric. 15 predator anglers all excited about getting out for our first Trout comp of the new season. After anglers cleaned their boots, clothing and equipment at the disinfection station we had a quick briefing on the rules and how anglers are to measure their fish correctly and safely before releasing them.
Ready for the off
We took off at 9:30 and fished until 3pm. Anglers had good success and every boat managed to land a fish of the minimum 35cm required length. 3rd place went to Colin Rickard, Frank Carty and Niall Gelston. 2nd place went to Krzysztof Michonski and Łukasz Znamiec, and in 1st place Sławek Preis and Robert Gizycki, Sławek also had the longest fish of the day with a trout of 61cm. Over 20 fish were caught, measured and released on the day.
1st place Sławek and Robert
2nd place Krzysztof and Łukasz
3rd place Colin Niall and Frank
We also raised a total of €461 for Corrib/Mask Search and Rescue. Big thanks to our sponsors, everyone who donated to the search and rescue fund and IFI for their help with biosecurity.
Frank presenting Niall with the money raised for Corrib Mask search and rescue
A fine trout in great condition so early in the season
A nice trout from Corrib on opening weekend during the Troutmaster competition
Another nice trout from Corrib in theTroutmaster competition
