Salmon Fishing Blog
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 Connie Corcoran.
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.
