Tommy Lawton reports on the Fermoy Coarse Angling Spring Festival May 2026…
Fermoy Coarse Angling Spring Festival May 2026 held on the River Blackwater with 36 UK anglers competing on the festival.
The river was in good condition with good water levels and we hoped that those competing would have good fishing for the week on the Blackwater.
The new Inland Fisheries Ireland Salmon & Sea Trout catch and release rules on the river Blackwater with the new barbless hook rule did have an impact as there was a lot of fish lost especially the Roach as anglers tried to find a barbless hook suitable so they could land these fish. This was very difficult but all our anglers respected the conservation rules now in place on the river.
Overall winners for Fermoy Spring Festival 2026
1st WAYNE SWINSCOE, Nottingham, 42lbs 1ozs
2nd DAVE LIMBERT, Nottingham, 40lbs 05ozs
3rd NIGEL HIRST, Mirfield, 37lbs 10ozs
Monday 11th day 1, Ken Pace winner on the day with 28lb 12ozs from the Farm down river near the Viaduct, 2nd Dave Limbert had 28lb and 3rd Wayne Swinscoe 25lb 15ozs both on B section on the Meadows.
Wayne Swinscoe
Wednesday 13th day 2, the river was now dropping with the colour running out and extremely windy making the fishing a lot more difficult. Winner today was Tom Donnelly 18lb 4ozs on the farm, 2nd Nigel Hirst with 18lb on the Meadows, 3rd Ant White 12lb 8ozs from the farm.
Friday 15th final day, the river well down and gin clear at this stage, difficult fishing conditions today. Winner Nigel Hirst 12lb 12ozs, 2nd Terry Moroz with 11lb 4ozs both from the farm and 3rd Wayne Swinsceo with 7lb 12ozs from Castlehyde.
The John Whitehouse Pairs Memorial Shield was won by, Wayne Swinscoe and Tom Donnelly with 70lb 10ozs
Ritchie Flynn Avondhu Bar, Dave Limbert, Nigel Hirst, Ken Pacey, Wayne Swinscoe festival winner, Joe Slattery Fermoy CAC
On Tuesday 14th & Thursday 16th the off days from the main festival, 20 anglers fished the river and 17 anglers fished the on Inniscarra.
2 day Overall winners for River Blackwater
1st Simon Heaton, 19lb 13ozs
2nd Dave Limbert, 12lb
3rd Alan Treadwell, 11lb 5ozs
2 day Overall winners for Inniscarra Reservoir
1st Nigel Hirst 27.520kg
2nd Darren Prestland 22.060kg
3rd Neil Richards 20.670kg
Fermoy Coarse Angling Association, would like to thank the land and fishery owners involved, we thank Fermoy Rowing Club for their cooperation during the week, we thank our sponsor the Avondhu Bar and the Cross Bar and Chris O’Donovan (Kipper) for the use of the wheelie boat.
We congratulations to Wayne Swinscoe Festival and all other winners of various events during the week and we especially like to thank the anglers that continue to support our Festival in Fermoy.
We now look forward to 2027 when we will celebrate 70 years.
This post was compiled from angling reports shared on the South Shore SAC. Facebook page:
Good conditions, including big tides, milder weather and favourable winds, raised hopes for an excellent night’s angling for South Shore SAC at Donabate, especially with six visiting anglers from the Ulster Krakens making the trip south. Expectations were high for smoothies and quality bass, but despite plenty of effort with worm, crab and fish baits, the better fish never really appeared.
Fishing started slowly, with only a scattering of smaller fish showing early on across both zones. In Zone A, Niall Carabini, Thomas Keogh and Paul Doyle all managed a few fish, while in Zone B Dave Cottell and Alby Allan found some action after dusk. However, the expected late-evening surge of fish failed to materialise.
As the match progressed, a handful of anglers separated themselves from the field. In Zone A, David Rainey Jnr secured victory with a few good dogfish, narrowly edging out Paul Scanlon, while Daniel Gricius took third place in a close finish. The travelling anglers from Ulster were praised for their sporting attitude and camaraderie throughout the event.
Zone B was dominated by local angler Dave “Donabate Dave” Cottell, who topped the zone with an impressive 12-fish haul. Darius Gricius claimed second place thanks to a last-cast double shot of dogfish and flounder, just ahead of Alby Allan in third.
In the pools section, Chris Scanlon and Dave Cottell shared the round pool with bass measuring 37cm, while Darius Gricius won the flatfish pool with a 31cm flounder.
A full report and more photos can be viewed on the South Shore SAC.Facebook Page.
The Newbridge District Pike Anglers were back on the banks for a double-up competition recently, as nineteen members took part in a successful weekend of pike fishing competitions recently, with anglers fishing from 8.30am to 4.30pm on Saturday and from 6am to 3pm on Sunday. Conditions were bright and sunny throughout the weekend, which appeared to slow sport during the afternoons, but there were still plenty of fish caught.
A total of 176 pike were landed and safely released over the two days, with the biggest fish weighing 18lb 4oz. All fish caught had already spawned out and were reported to be in good condition.
One of the highlights of the weekend was a superb performance from junior member Ollie Whiteley, who fishes regularly with the senior members. Ollie recorded his personal best catch with a bag of over 60lb and narrowly missed out on a top three finish on Sunday.
Ian Murphy was the standout angler of the weekend, taking first place in both competitions and continuing his excellent recent form on the river.
After Saturday’s fishing, members gathered together for food before camping overnight ahead of the early Sunday start, with plenty of good humour and well-earned refreshments enjoyed by all.
Saturday Results
1st Ian Murphy – 9 fish – 69lb 12oz (heaviest fish 18lb 4oz)
2nd Dave Murphy – 19 fish – 69lb 2oz (heaviest fish 8lb 11oz)
3rd Brendan Jervis – 14 fish – 62lb 5oz (heaviest fish 9lb 6oz)
Sunday Results
1st Ian Murphy – 3 fish – 24lb 10oz (heaviest fish 15lb 2oz)
2nd Dave Murphy – 20 fish – 66lb 6oz (heaviest fish 4lb 11oz)
3rd Brendan Jervis – 11 fish – 65lb 9oz (heaviest fish 13lb 12oz)
UK angler Mike Edwards was in touch to tell us about his recent trip to Ireland, one of many trips he has taken over the past 30 years:
Just got back from our annual fishing holiday to Ireland, and we had a wonderful fortnight especially the first week when we caught good roach and hybrid’s on the Rivers Shannon (Battle Bridge and Drumsna) Boyle and the Lung at Lough Gara, best bag 41lb 7oz of roach and rybrids in a three hour evening session on the River Boyle with lots of 20lb+ nets of roach.
The second week was a lot harder, they closed the gates at Jamestown weir, which stopped the flow and lowered the level on our fishing spots in the area that seemed to put the larger roach off. Anthony, my son, caught 122 roach for 22lb 10oz at Drumsna, averaging 3oz per fish. I think the wind was also a factor, as it went out to the North and got stronger as the week went on, so we fished a couple of loughs for a few days and had sensible nets of hybrids and tench.
Still, we really enjoyed ourselves as we have done in the past 30-odd years in coming to Ireland for true “wild” fishing and would like to thank the farmers and landowners who allow us to cross their land to fish the waters and Terry at the Jamestown tackle shop for all the bait.
The group have stayed near Jamestown for several years and has already booked their accommodation again for 2027.
Dave Warburton and Tim Bradshaw made their annual trip to Ireland again this May. This was their sixth trip to Ireland to pleasure fish for coarse species in the Cavan lakelands. Dave comes over from Aberdeen, Scotland, while Tim travels all the way from Boston, USA. The pair have been lifelong friends, originally growing up as next-door neighbours in Sheffield, England. They stay at Lake View Cottage on Town Lake, Killeshandra, and do most of their fishing either at Town Lake or at Killykeen.
As we all know, the weather was cold for them this year, but they still managed to catch some decent fish. Here’s Tim’s summary of the trip:
I managed to catch five tench in two weeks. It was hard going, but I enjoyed every minute of it.
The best bream was caught on the first cast on a 7m pole with a light setup for rudd, a single maggot on an 18 fine-wire red hook. We hadn’t even put any bait in! It was very lucky and caught us off guard, really, so we didn’t weigh it, but it was probably 5-6 lb. I had put Dave in the ‘Best Tench Peg’ that day!
Tim’s tench and bream
Dave did manage some bream on one of the days at Killykeen – caught in the feeder at fifty yards. Anyway, we are coming back again next year – we love the place!
Dave and his bream
We at fishinginireland.info look forward to next year’s report!
This latest report in from Padraig English of Louth Pike and Trout, who followed up last week’s PB carp with another impressive specimen…
Last week I managed to land a new PB carp, and heading into this session I was already feeling confident and excited to get back on the bank. Little did I know, things were about to get even better.
After putting in the time and staying patient, I finally connected with a proper tench — and from the first few moments of the fight, I knew it was a special fish. It hugged the bottom hard, powered off repeatedly, and gave an incredible account of itself all the way to the net.
When I finally got it on the mat and onto the scales, I was absolutely buzzing to see the needle settle at 6lb 11oz — a brand new PB Tench.
For me, tench fishing is hard to beat. Early mornings, quiet water, and that moment when the float disappears or the alarm finally screams into life — it all makes captures like this even more rewarding. To land back-to-back PBs in consecutive weeks feels incredibly special and is something I’ll remember for a long time.
Programme to Encourage Women to Become Successful and Independent Flyfishers
For information about this event and other beginners days please email the PRO Maddy Kelly [email protected].
Exciting opportunities for women interested in learning about flyfishing, will be happening over the summer. The first is at the Southern County Fishing Resort near Garryhill on Saturday 13th June 2026.
This event begins at 11am and will include a short indoor session followed by 4 hours of casting instruction and practice outside.
The course is aimed at beginners or novice anglers aged over 18 and all equipment will be provided.
No experience is necessary but booking is essential. For information about this event and other beginners days please email the PRO Maddy Kelly [email protected].
Women will be travelling from all over Ireland to take part and full joining instructions will be sent to those who book.
Dan O’Neill Lead Instructor
Dan O’Neill from Killkenny who is an APGAI Qualified Fly-Casting Instructor will be the lead instructor. He will be assisted by Maddy Kelly from Co Down.
Maddy Kelly who has 25 Caps for the Irish Ladies FlyfishingTeam and has been Team Captain on 3 occasions said,
‘This is an amazing opportunity for women to learn about flyfishing and getting started can be an enjoyable, relaxing, and rewarding experience. There are very few women in Ireland who fish but attending a beginner’s day for women lets you meet like-minded women.
The benefits of angling have been known for a long time but it’s been a well-kept secret. To be outdoors with nature surrounding you, in beautiful places, really gives a boost to your health and well-being. So even if you don’t catch any fish, the physical exertion from your fishing adventure will leave you feeling rejuvenated. Walking to your fishing spot, carrying your gear, scrambling 5 miles up along a river bank and wading really works your inner core. Fishing also requires concentration, patience, and attention to the surroundings, which are all components of mindfulness, helping to improve focus and distract from worries.
If you catch fish that are suitable for consumption you have an excellent source of lean protein, as fish contains essential nutrients such as omega-3 fatty acids and vitamins. Catching your fish is also an excellent way to help to reduce your carbon footprint since it minimizes the distance that your food has to travel before it arrives on your plate.
I hope that this encourages women to think about trying out flyfishing. All equipment will be provided and participants just need to wear warm clothes and to bring waterproofs.’
For more information about womens flyfishing in Ireland or to take part in this event please email Maddy Kelly PRO at [email protected]
There are a range of events throughout Ireland for women who wish to learn to flyfish or to take part in other angling disciplines including a number at Straid Fishery in Co Antrim being organized by ‘Reel Women’, courses organized by the Ulster Angling Federation throughout NI, beginners days being run by the Irish Ladies Flyfishing Association and events run by the Irish Ladies Shore Anglers.
Information on all events is available from Maddy Kelly at [email protected]
We have reached the midpoint of May, and so far it has been a pretty cool month, with temperatures remaining stubbornly below the norm for the time of year. While sunshine levels have been around average for the week, and there has been plenty of blue sky, as soon as the sun pops behind a cloud, we are reminded that summer is not quite here yet. We have a bit of unsettled weather coming our way over the next few days, but there is a promise of better weather towards the end of next week.
As we head towards summer and sea temperatures begin to rise, we can expect an influx of nomadic species that tend to visit our shores over the summer months, as well as an uptick in activity from our more resident species as they move inshore to feed. One of those resident species, and one of the most popular for sea anglers, is pollack, and we begin this report with the worrying news that a daily bag limit of three pollack is set to come into force from the 1st of June. It’s worrying because it signals that a fish stock that has always been abundant in our waters is now under threat, to the point that intervention is needed to support long-term sustainability.
These new measures will certainly affect some anglers who like to keep a few fish ‘for the pot’, but they could also have serious implications for our charter boat fleet. For many skippers, the tradition of groups booking a ‘once a year’ trip and returning home with a box of fish remains an important part of their business mix. At a time when those skippers are already facing rising costs and increasing pressures, continued support from anglers will be more important than ever, as they are a hugely important part of our sea angling mix.
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To our more regular reporting now, and we start with the sea anglers, who seem to have been the most active cohort this week. Well-known sea angler James Raymond was in touch with an update on the species hunt competition he is running, where anglers compete to catch the greatest variety of species over the course of the year. With the seasons beginning to change, summer species such as gilthead bream and mullet are now starting to appear in catches, adding extra excitement to the competition. On a similar theme, but on a shorter timescale, a 24-hour species hunt was held last weekend, with all proceeds going to Pieta House. Despite some very adverse weather conditions, the participants managed to land 36 different species over the course of the competition, with JP Molloy storming the field to take the top prize with 22 species. Well done to all involved 👏
Gilthead Bream, a summer visitor to our shores
On the club scene, Ballybrack SAC fished the third leg of their Master Angler competition on Wicklow North Beach on Sunday. A combination of slack tides, calm weather and time of year meant that fish were in very short supply, and it only took 3 scoring fish for Peadar Taite to take the win. Meanwhile, in charter boat fishing, there has been some decent fishing in the Donegal area over the past week, with anglers catching a good range of species, including a run of cod and some nice pollack. In bass angling, an early start proved to be just the tonic for bass angler David Galvin on the Clare coast. Fishing at dawn, he managed to land a fine 63cm bass on an imitation sand eel lure, while bathed in the warm glow of the early morning light.
Good cod fishing reported in Donegal
The IMREC team has produced its quarterly report on sea angling for the first three months of the year. Whiting were the most common species encountered by some margin, with dogfish, bass, coalfish and spurdog making up the rest of the top 5. And we wrap up the sea angling section with news of a couple of upcoming open competitions: South Shore SAC will be hosting the Mick Kearney Open Competition on Morriscastle Beach on Saturday, 23rd May, from 12.00 – 17.00. While the following weekend, New Ross & District SAC will be hosting their annual three-day open competition on Hook Head. It’s a shore competition, fished over rough ground with all baits allowed.
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We move to trout fishing now, and mayfly hatches are on the increase on most of our fisheries, not least on Lough Arrow, where mayfly fishing is said to be well underway, with strong hatches reported across the lake throughout the week, and while cold northerly winds made conditions challenging at times, anglers still enjoyed some productive fishing. Staying on the lakes, the Lough O’Flynn & District Anglers held the Malone Cup competition on the lake over the weekend, and were welcomed to the lake by a grim north wind that put a chill in the air… Expectations were adjusted downwards accordingly, but the fish proved surprisingly cooperative as the hours unfolded, with many anglers filling their quota and most boats wetting their nets by the end of the day.
Fly are up on Arrow
Next to the rivers, and thirteen members of the North Kildare anglers were on the banks of the Liffey at the weekend for their latest C&R club competition, where 44 trout were caught, photographed and released as Gary Reville finished the day on top with a combined length of 120.8cm in a very close run competition. In the south east, angling guide Dan O’Neill has been out and about on the River Nore, where his clients have had some great dry fly fishing, with the peak of the hatch usually between 11.30am and 3.30pm. Fly patterns needed to be small in order to tempt the trout to take. We wrap up the trout reports with some reading material. Angling guide, instructor, and blogger Keith McDonnell usually has some interesting takes on fly fishing, and he recently put together a piece on dry fly fishing for the Guide Flyfishing website.
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To coarse angling now, and we begin with a regular visitor, Paul Waghorne, who has been travelling to Ireland for over 35 years, and he reckons this is the coldest May he has ever experienced. He has been fishing some reed-fringed lakes in the Midlands with a couple of friends this week, and they have caught some fabulous tench, with a couple of 7lb+ beauties the pick of the bunch. Paul and his buddies win this week’s Catch of the Week for their impressive tench haul.
To the salmon scene now, and after a long winter, we can finally report that the Galway Weir has produced its first salmon of the season. James Carney hooked a springer on the spinner, and he landed a lovely fresh fish of just over 10lbs. Well done, James! In the south-west, the River Bandon saw a few more salmon caught last week. Conditions on the river were described as good for the week, and 5 salmon were reported caught on a spinner and a shrimp, the best of which was a 10lb fish. Meanwhile, in Co. Mayo, angling pressure on the River Moy was down this week, as low water and cold winds meant that many anglers stayed away, waiting for more favourable conditions. There was a smattering of catches throughout the system, with a few fish around the 13lb mark, most of which fell to the prawn. Finally, to Kerry, where Vincent Appleby reports that salmon fishing remains very slow on Lough Currane, but at least he has one fish to report this week, as a salmon was landed on 6th May, before the lake reverted to the sluggish state we have unfortunately become used to.
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The pike anglers have been quiet this week, but we do have a couple of reports for you. Firstly, angling guide Kevin Lyons welcomed some Dutch visitors to the Midlands for their annual pike fishing trip. Being regular visitors to the area, they know the local waters really well, and they proved this with some smashing pike – the best of them at 112cm and 103cm.
Pouring rain, but Dutch visitor Thomas isn’t complaining with his super Midlands pike
Lastly, thirty-two members of the Irish Federation of Pike Angling Clubs headed to a river venue over the weekend to fish the first qualifier of 2026. It was a venue that they had not fished in a few years, so who knew what was in store… but the river fished well on the day, and 169 pike were caught and released, with Sean Marky winning on the day, with 14 pike for 54lb+.
And now the weather
After a mainly dry start to Friday with some sunny spells, conditions are set to become increasingly unsettled over the coming days, with rain, showers and breezier weather expected across much of the country. Eastern areas will see the best of the brighter conditions initially, while cloudier weather in the west and southwest will gradually spread nationwide. Temperatures will remain coolish throughout the period, generally ranging from 9°C to 16°C.
Friday night will turn cloudier as light rain and drizzle spread eastwards overnight. Saturday will start dull and damp, with outbreaks of rain becoming more persistent as they move across the country through the morning and afternoon. Brighter conditions with sunny spells and scattered showers will follow later from the west.
The unsettled weather will continue through Sunday and Monday, with widespread rain and drizzle, turning heavy at times, particularly later on Sunday and again on Monday afternoon and evening. Some thunderstorms are also possible on Sunday. Conditions will gradually become milder, especially overnight, with Monday night expected to be noticeably warmer than recent nights.
By Tuesday, showery rain should ease gradually, with drier weather and some sunny spells extending from the south later in the day.
Don’t forget to double-check the forecast before heading off, and if you’re going to sea, check the tides.
Water levels continue to drop slowly at Ballylahan from 0.59 m on Sun 3rd May to 0.41 m on Sun 10th of May with recent rainfall amounts well below average locally for the past week. However more unsettled weather is expected as the week progresses with a possible 30 mm of rain to come in the west. Angling pressure remains low in the catchment for the time of year as anglers wait for more favourable conditions, with the cold winds playing their part in keeping people off the water.
Armstrong Fishery
George reports of two salmon caught on the prawn with the best coming in at 13 lbs.
Gannon’s Fishery
Pat reports of three salmon caught for the week of which two were released with the prawn working best.
Foxford Fishery
Granville reports of six salmon caught mostly on the prawn of which three were released.
Foxford Salmon Anglers
Harry reports of one salmon caught and released for the week.
Cloongee Fishery
Three salmon were reported caught for the week of which two were released with the best weighing 13.5 lbs caught on the bubble & fly.
East Mayo Anglers Association
Kathleen reports of three salmon caught for the week of which two were released with the best being 13 lbs which was caught spinning.
Dutch anglers Thomas, Joop, Nick and Benji were over for their annual pike fishing trip to Ireland, where they stayed once again at Melview Fishing Lodge in Longford. Being regular visitors to the area, they know the local waters really well, and they proved this with some smashing pike – the best of them at 112cm and 103cm, with one or two others shaking the hooks.
Pouring rain but Thomas still keeps going.
They mixed it up during their stay depending on conditions, with both lures and dead baits proving productive for them. It wasn’t all easy fishing, though, as they experienced the whole range of different weather conditions during their stay, with sunburn some days and soaking-wet clothes the other days!
A happy Joop with his Pike taken on dead bait.
Host Kevin said, ‘The guys never worry about the weather conditions; they just get on with their fishing. A great week was had with lots of fun and laughs along the way. Thanks, guys, and see you next year!’
Nick is all smiles with this lovely Pike.
As ever at Melview, all fish were released unharmed.
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.
