Salmon Fishing Blog
Weather Plays Havoc With Irish Spring Fishing
Conditions haven't been favourable for the springers thus far, and returns have been poor. The prolonged cold weather, coupled with low water conditions makes it very difficult to judge how many spring fish have entered our rivers, and after last year fishermen are keen to see a recovery.
This week there were a few fish taken on Lough Currane, mostly on the troll, including the fine 8lber by Michael O' Sullivan (see photo). On the Feale and Smearlagh there haven't been any recent reports of fish with the water very low for this time of the year. On the Clare River it was a similar story with only kelts being taken and returned.
On the River Moy, Declan Gannon took a nice 12lber on the Ballina Salmon Anglers stretch (on the worm). No fish have been taken on the Ridge Pool so far so fishing is still free there until the first fish of the season is caught. You can book by contacting the Moy Fishery Office on +353 962 1323 or email info@moyfishery.ie. On Lough Gill they've had three salmon thus far (on the troll) with the best of them weighing in at 11lbs.
Blackwater Lodge has just reported its second fish of the season, whilst on the Drowes fishing has been light with just a couple of 10lbers taken on Saturday last. On the River Mourne there were unconfirmed reports on one fish being taken but conditions are very poor and a really good flood is required.
It looks like we're all going to have to sit tight and wait on some precious water!
Google Street View Hits Northern Ireland
A few years ago Google introduced a feature whereby users could view their maps right down to the street level. Its taken a while but since yesterday this feature is now available for Northern Ireland. What it means is you'll be able to see some of the river crossings on our best Salmon rivers!
Ever wondered what the Moyola looks like at Castldawson? What about the Roe at Dungiven or the Faughan at Campsie?
The only downside is that these pictures are static so you wont be able to get an idea of fishing conditions, but still most images give you an idea of the characteristics of the river, and that's really valuable for visiting angers. Roll on the day when Google get their (river) webcams in place :)
Just before I sign off I'll link to a couple more. Here is the Clady at the Waterwall Bar (near the fishing club) and the Mourne at Victoria Bridge. And finally here's one for you to Guess!
River Status Changes For 2010
There have been a few river status changes for 2010, some perhaps more interesting than others. My personal favourite is the re-opening of the River Clady (Letterkenny District), which is now catch & release for 2010, after being closed for this past few years. The Eske has also been re-opened to catch & release for 2010. I'm still looking forward to the re-opening of the Lackagh but we'll have to wait for another year as it remains closed for 2010.
In the Waterford District the Nore is now open after it was catch & release in 2009. The same is true in the Ballinakill District, where the Culfin is now an open fishery. In the Cork District, the Glengarriff has been closed for 2010. In Kerry, the Kerry Blackwater has been closed, whilst the Ferta (previously closed), the Maine (previously c & r) and the Croanshagh (previously c & r), are all now open fisheries.
You can get the full list of river status' from the Central Fisheries Board website.
March Brown On The Decline!
One for all you trout fishermen out there! The March brown (Rhithrogena Germanica) is declining across Europe and the Ephemeroptera Recording Scheme (ERS) is running a survey this year to establish the distribution of this iconic mayfly in the UK and Ireland.
The March brown 'season' is almost upon us and Craig Macadam of the ERS would be grateful if fishermen all over the UK and Ireland could distribute this March Brown Survey Sheet far and wide, so that the ERS receive as many records as possible. Please also have a look for this distinctive species on your local river and feel free to send digital images of specimens if you would like confirmation of your identification.
For further information contact Craig Macadam at the Ephemeroptera Recording Scheme (www.ephemeroptera.org.uk). Tel: +44 7786 631369.
First Springer Of The Season At Blackwater Lodge
The first springer of the season on the Blackwater Lodge beats was bagged on the 6th of March by Newcastle (Co Down) native, Gavin Wishart. It was double glee for Gavin as he celebrated his 40th birthday the same weekend.
The salmon was tempted by a Flying C at Cloonbeg. The fish would have been released but for some bleeding from its gills, so it had to be kept. Gavin had previously connected with a fish before landing his fine springer. Let's hope its a sign of things to come for the season in terms of getting a good run of fish. Conditions throughout February have been harsh in Ireland, which would account for the small numbers of fishermen and of fish.
You can see more fishing reports from the Blackwater Lodge here.
Picture by Ian Powell.
2010 Loughs Agency Fair
The Loughs Agency has announced that the 2010 angling fair will be held at a riverside location in Newtonstewart, County Tyrone. The venue has been selected because of its central location within the Foyle catchment area, and its proximity to the rivers Strule and Owenkillew.
The fair will take place on the 17th and 18th of April and will feature a wide range of trade stands, fly tying demonstrations, casting demonstrations, competitions, and as usual a fantastic collection of fly tiers from all over the world.
This year the international fly tiers include names such as, Marvin Nolte (USA), Johan Put (Holland), Ad Swier (Holland), Riny Sluiter (Holland), Sacha Putz (Germany), and Skuli Kristinsson (Iceland). The Irish fly tiers on display will include, Peter Kealy, Peter Dunne, Declan Tuffy, Andrew McGall, Ryan Houston, Joe McDonald, Stevie Munn, and Roy Christie.
You can keep up to date with the latest news at the Loughs Agency Angling Fair blog.
