Seamus Hartigan reports on the salmon fishing at the Galway Fishery where 137 fish were caught between June 1st – 7th …
Galway Weir was the place to be this week, with the summer grilse run is full swing. With 1 sluice gate open conditions for angling were excellent, especially for fly-fishing. Anglers enjoyed excellent sport, with former Galway Fishery Manager Ned Cusack landing a nice fresh run grilse on the fly weighing 4lbs on his first outing of the season from the high bank. Ned made a bit of history on the day, landing the fish un-aided in his 98th year!! He enjoyed some sport later on with his sons Jim & Eamonn, which turned out to be a very special family day for the Cusack’s on the Weir.
Noel King and son from Co. Meath enjoyed good sport on the Weir catching 5 fish between them, as did Thomas and Robert Falconer from Dublin with 4 fish on the fly and hooking several more during the session. American Golfer Mark O’Meara had some good sport on the fly during his visit, with mainly catch and release the order of the day. John Ryan from Tipperary has a red letter day on the fly, reaching the bag limit within a short time of starting, catching releasing a couple more during his session. Not to be outdone, Northern Ireland long-time regulars Terry McDermott and Billy Campbell had some great fly-fishing during their visit, recording some excellent quality fish to 7lbs on the fly.
A family outing for the Quinlivan family from Co. Limerick Tim and his two daughters Ellie & Shauna saw both girls engage fish on the fly, which unfortunately were not landed. Both girls enjoyed themselves with their father Tim acting as gillie on the day. It was a joy to witness both girls casting a fly wading in the river. Hopefully they will be part of the next generation to take up the sport of angling.
Otis Ferry over for a family wedding in Co. Galway enjoyed some evening sport on the fly catching 3 fish, releasing 2 back to fight another day. Dublin referee David Penny and companion Colm Adams also got on the score sheet, taking 4 fish between them for their trip. Cork pair Jim McEvoy and Tom Beecher kept the flag flying with some great sport on fly, with several of their fish tipping the scales to 6lbs. Catch for the week was 137 fish, mainly grilse, but a few bigger late run spring salmon were also recorded.
