JACK Wade, aged 16, of Loughrea in Galway is the winner of the 2025 World Youth Lough Open fly fishing championship on Lough Melvin. Lisa O’Sullivan, aged 17, of Bantry in Cork won the Ladies’ Cup. Josh Parkyn, aged 21, of Manorhamilton in Leitrim was second and Cillian Kelly of Raphoe in Donegal was third.
Winner Jack Wade of Loughrea caught and released eight fish.
Lisa O’Sullivan of Bantry took the Ladies’ Cup.
Fish were showing but many coming short.
A total of 38 anglers caught 46 fish in the catch and release event on Saturday September 6. Conditions were perfect for the 19 boats with a warm and blustery south wind producing useful wind lanes and overcast skies. Trout and salmon were showing in the bays and sonaghan were patrolling deep water. Anglers, guides and visitors enjoyed a productive day and a barbeque at the prize giving.
Go fishing…
The competition was organised by Rossinver Fishery and Foyle River Catchment Outdoor Group and sponsored by Sharpe’s of Aberdeen and PK Motors of Sligo.
Contact: Phil Bowman, Rossinver Fishery, 0044 7968 155703
The summery weather came to what felt like a sudden end last week with cooler conditions and plenty of rain. Our rivers and lakes will benefit from the change but the winds have been a challenge for boat anglers at sea and inland.
Sea anglers made the most of conditions last week with last minute venue changes a feature of some reports. The Ulster Krakens had good fishing at Waterfoot Beach. South Shore SAC had bass in the surf and more at Roney Point. Anglers in Donegal had a good mix of species from the rocks on a mix of methods. In Waterford, Troy Francis won the WCAD match fished at Ardmore. In our first charter boat report of the week, when conditions allowed there was good ground fishing enjoyed out of Courtmacsherry and Dave Edwards narrowly avoided his first shark blank in 3 years. Galway Bay SAC fished a master angler event at Rossanrubble where thornback rays provided good sport. Charter boats on the Clare coast often turn to the Shannon Estuary when the wind is up, as the tope and ray fishing there is a welcome diversion. In competition news the Greystones Ridge Tope Fest has been rescheduled to 13th/14th September and Ringsend Irishtown Angling Club announce their Specimen Hunt 2025-2026 Competition.
In trout fishing news, Inland Fisheries Ireland published reports detailing monitoring and testing in the aftermath of the fish kill on the River Blackwater. The reports include results from Marine Institute diagnostic tests with updated virology results. They also include EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) Lab Tests and site visit / monitoring reports. Angling reports from the Nore say fishing was steady enough last week, even though the rain did not make too much of an impression on river levels. Decent fishing is also being had on the Fane, with dry fly doing well.
And now the weather…
We have a wet and windy weekend ahead of us. The outlook is for the unsettled conditions to continue in to next week with more wet and windy weather to come.
Don’t forget to double-check the forecast before heading off, and if you’re going to sea, check the tides.
Eamonn Conway, of Táin Flyfishing, had a lovely day with his dry fly rod on the Fane recently which he has featured on his YouTube channel. Eamonn was fishing a light set up, with his favourite Táin Rivercraft rod and a small sedge on the end of a 12 foot, 7x leader.
The Fane has excellent stocks of wild trout and day tickets are available using the On the Water website.
If you like Eamonn’s videos, don’t forget to like and subscribe!
Galway Bay SAC held a master angler competition recently at Rossanrubble, Clew Bay, and we have a great report from club PRO Tom Keal.
23rd August, GBSAC held leg 5 of our master angler at Rossanrubble, Co Mayo.
Six anglers travelled up for the day, target species being Thornback ray, bullhuss and dogfish. Pegs were drawn and anglers made their way to their allocated location.
Fishing was busy from the beginning, with Conor Murray on peg six getting things started with a thornback. He soon followed up with another thornback to start him off with a
Conor on the double
decent lead.
Kevin O’Hara and Tom Keal on pegs 5 and 4 joined the action by landing a thornback each. Fionn O’Higgins, a new member of GBSAC, showed his experience and landed two rays on peg 1 for the first hour.
Fionn with a ray
Danny Harty, one of our top Junior anglers, had a significant catch, his first ray from the shore, a fine thornback.
Danny with his first shore thornie
Brian Reidy also landed fish, including some thornbacks and a fine tub gurnard.
Brian’s tub gurnard
Kevin and Brian landed a few whiting to add points to their cards. The lower pegs began to see more action as the tide slackened, with Tom, Danny and Conor landing multiple thornbacks quickly.
Tom with a double shot
The rays became more scarce as the tide turned and began to fill. Danny took this opportunity and capitalised on the abundance of mackerel, ensuring he wouldn’t go home empty-handed. Further up the beach, the rays returned, and Fionn, Brian and Kevin began adding to their total. Soon, Fionn, Conor and Kevin were battling for top spot with often only one fish between them.
Ultimately, Kevin came out in the top spot with 10 fish and 484 points. A mix of whiting and thornbacks earned him 1st place and 100 points in the master angler league. Conor and Fionn were even on seven fish, with only centimetres separating them. Conor narrowly beat Fionn with 6 points, with 467 points for the day, leaving Fionn in 3rd place.
Results
1st – Kevin O’Hara – 10 Fish (484 points)
2nd – Conor Murray – 7 Fish (467 points)
3rd – Fionn O’Higgins – 7 Fish (461 points)
Master angler table
1st – Conor Murray – 472 points
2nd – Tom Keal – 430 points
3rd – Brian Reidy – 372 points
Go Fishing
Galway Bay Sea Angling Club is a progressive club based in Galway, but fishing competitions along the west coast. New members are always welcome, and every level of experience is catered for, with social outings right up to competitions held throughout the year. If you’re looking to get into sea angling in the west, check them out here
The weather over the past week has been tough on charter skippers, windy conditions making it difficult to get out. Skipper Luke Aston has been restricted to the shelter of the Shannon Estuary on a few days, but they have had good sport with tope and thornback ray, with plenty of lively tope to 30lbs. The big females that normally come in around now are yet to arrive and should provide some good sport in the coming weeks.
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Chances to get further offshore have been very limited, but Tuesday was such an opportunity, and with enough mackerel caught at the Loop, they headed west for a long drift over some reefs that produced plenty of good-sized pollack. Although they tried the rubby dubby and a couple of shark traces, there was no sign of any blues.
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Go fishing…
Clare Dragoon
Clare Dragoon is a LOCHIN 366 powered by 650HP engine, skippered by Luke Aston and operating out of Carrigaholt Co. Clare…
I have some offers up on my web site www.fishandstay.com and if anybody is interested in putting a trip together please do get in touch. Also I Twitter from the boat on @fishandstay and try to update my face book page www.facebook.com/CarrigaholtSeaAngling fairly often!To experience some of the best deep sea fishing available in Ireland contact Luke. Telephone: +353 65 9058209 or +353 87 6367544 Email:lukeaston@eircom.netWeb:www.fishandstay.com
9 year old first timer gets in on the act with some Bream, Roach and a Tench.
Kevin Lyons reports on a visit by from UK anglers to Melview Lodge:
Gordon, Clive, Will and son Jacob were over from the UK for a spot of course fishing. Gordon and Will have been to Melview Fishing Lodge a few times, but have missed a couple of years due to other commitments. For young Jacob, it was his first trip fishing to Ireland to fish with dad Will and friend Clive. Some days were better than others, but the highlights of the trip were some great catches of Bream and Tench for Clive, who managed over 120lb of Bream along with 17 Tench on one of the days.
Clive with a cracking catch of Bream and Tench to over the 120lb.9 year old first timer gets in on the act with some Bream, Roach and a Tench.
Kevin said, it is great when you see young anglers of the future like 9-year-old Jacob get in on the act and experience catching a few Bream, Roach and Tech, so well done to him. Thanks again guys and see you next May.
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.
Kevin Lyons reports on the fishing for some guests from Belgium:
Melview view Fishing Lodge regulars from Belgium Jean-Pierre son Nick and family friend Alain were over once again for another of their three trips a year for a spot of fishing. J.P was doing some Pike fishing from the boat on his own so no Pike pictures this time around but Nick and Alain managed a few very good days that see some great Hybrids, Tench, Rudd and big Roach caught during their time here.
Nick with a nice catch of Tench Roach and Rudd.
All smiles for Alain and Nick with a cracking catch of nice Hybrids and Roach.
Kevin said, prebaiting and using feeder tactics proved to be the way to go for the lads and we are already looking for to welcoming them back in November when they come again for a Pike fishing trip this time.
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.
The Ringsend Irishtown SAC have announced they will be running a specimen hunt competition over the next 12 months, open to any member of Leinster-based IFSA-affiliated clubs.
The competition will be SHORE only and will run from October 1st 2025, until October 1st 2026. Competitors will target 16 species that have been selected by us, and scoring will be a percentage-based system based on the specimen length of each species (Similar to Diawa Pairs Specimen Hunt), with the winners having the highest accumulated percentage of all species combined come October 1st 2026. Anyone interested in entering should log onto the Ringsend Irishtown SAC Facebook Page.
The original Greystones Ridge Tope Fest was scheduled for last weekend, but strong winds meant that they have had to postpone the competition until the weekend of 13th/14th September. And that might just work in their favour, as reports are that the tope fishing has picked up there this week, despite the poor weather. There are still a few slots available for anyone interested.
The NCFFI is delighted to invite you to take part in the 2025 All-Ireland Youth Feeder Fishing Championship, returning to Oaklands Lake on Saturday, 18th October (please note the change from the previously published date).
If feeder fishing is your passion, don’t miss this chance to enjoy a fantastic day on the lake, make new friends, and be part of something special. It’s also a great opportunity to showcase your skills—Feeder Team Manager Brenton Sweeney will be on the lookout for emerging talent!
