Angling Reports
Markus Müller reports
Week ending 02 August, 2009
River Moy
The Moy had a reported catch of 501 salmon for the week. Angling continued to be difficult due to fluctuating water levels which persisted for most part of the week. However, reasonable numbers of fresh grilse were caught throughout the system.
The Moy Fishery accounted for a total of 58 salmon for the week. On the Ridge Pool, David Marron, Monaghan, had a 5.61 lbs. salmon on spinner, while Edward Kelly, Cavan landed 2 fish also on spinner, best at 6.14 lbs. Peter Boote, UK, also had two grilse on spinner, while Phil Gittins, Wales, had one on fly. On the Cathedral Beat, Joe Wylie, Northern Ireland, and Seamus McEleny, Donegal, had a grilse each, while Peter Boote and David Marron both added one grilse to their account. All fish were caught on spinner. The Spring Wells Beat enjoyed very good fishing during the week, with a total of 16 salmon being caught. Amongst the successful anglers were Donegal anglers: George Heuston (one grilse), Kenny Doyle (3 grilse), Andrew Morrison (2 grilse), Pat Kane (2 grilse) and Chris McLaughlin (one grilse). On the Freshwater Beat, George Britwell, UK, had a small grilse on spinner.
Mount Falcon enjoyed a good week with 60 salmon caught, 18 of which were released. David Hunt, UK, got a fine 12.5 lbs. salmon on worm, while the John Miller party of 4 anglers had 18 salmon for 5 days. On Coolcroonan, UK anglers, Peter Taylor and Annie Taylor had two and one grilse respectively, while Philip Fussell, also UK, had 2 grilse on fly on the Foxford Fishery. Rinanney produced a nice 8 pounder for German lady angler, Caroline Elbas. Caroline was fishing the worm.
Up river, on the Cloongee Fishery, Keith Purvis, UK, had a 6.5 lbs. salmon on spinner. Also on Cloongee, John Mulligan, Damien Quigley and Owen Browne, all Laois, had two salmon each, best at 6 lbs. All six fish were taken on worm. On East Mayo, David & Patrick Corre, France, caught 4 salmon, three of which were released, best at 9 lbs., while Denise Flanaghan, Kildare, landed a fine 14 pounder also on spinner.
Easkey River
A rise in water levels resulted in good salmon fishing on the Easkey River. The Fortland Fishery reported 24 salmon for the week, 8 of which were released. The best fish of the week was caught and released by Henry Smith. Henry’s cracking 15 pounder took a size 6 Orange Flamethrower. Other successful anglers included Gerald Roe, Wicklow with an 11.5 lbs. salmon also on fly and Wayne Oatfield with 3 salmon on worm.
Owenmore River
High water levels and strong winds impacted on the angling during the week. However, the Bangor Erris Angling Club stretch of the Owenmore River produced some fine grilse. Local angler, Gerard Coyle, caught the best fish of the week – a fine 8 lbs. salmon, while Rory Murray had 3 grilse between 5 lbs. and 6.5 lbs. Neville Thomson, Dublin, and James McNulty, Donegal, also did well on the Owenmore River. Both had had 2 grilse each.
Newport River
Angling was somewhat slower on the Newport River with only 3 salmon reported for the week. Anthony Hamilton had one grilse at 5 lbs., while Ray Waters landed two fish at 3.5 lbs. and 9.5 lbs.
Ballin Lough
On the Ballin Lough Fishery, Mark Devereux, France & Ireland, had 4 rainbow trout, best at 2 lbs. Other successful anglers included John Summerville, Galway, and Robbie Williamson, Scotland. Best flies for the week were Green Peter and Zulu. For booking and boat hire, contact Mrs. Gill at the lake (098 26128).
Ballysadare River & other Sligo/Leitrim Fisheries
The run of grilse into the Ballysadare River remained good during the past week. The Ballysadare Fishery reported a total of 68 salmon, thirty of which were released. Alexander Mills, Northern Ireland, had the best fish of the week with a 9 lbs. salmon, while David McCann caught and released a 7 pounder which fell to a Gary Dog.
There was also good salmon fishing reported from the River Bonet. Ian Patterson, Northern Ireland, and Kevin McDonnell had two salmon each. Most salmon were caught on worm or on Flying “C”. On the Garavogue River, young Kieran Kennedy had a 6 lbs. salmon at Kelly’s Bridge.
Lough Arrow
The Green Peter fishing remained steady on Lough Arrow. Gerry Martin had 4 fish, heaviest at 3 lbs., David Gray landed 3 trout, best at 3.5 lbs., while Mary Gunning caught a fine 4 pounder. Elsewhere, Paddy Ward boated 5 trout between 1 & 1.75 lbs. on wet flies.
Week ending 26 July, 2009
River Moy
The Moy system produced a reported catch of 670 salmon for the week bringing the yearly total, so far, to 4,181. Again, the fluctuating water levels made fishing rather unpredictable. Most fisheries reported Saturday as the best day.
The continuous high water levels impacted on fly fishing on the Moy Fishery. However, a total of 94 salmon was caught for the week, the bulk of which was landed on the Ridge Pool. Amongst the successful anglers were: Steve Hazeldine, UK, with 3 grilse on spinner, Ian Adamson, also UK, with 2 salmon, best at 5.97 lbs. also on spinner and Belgian fly angler, Roland Capouillez, who did very well catching 5 grilse, 2 of which he released. Also on the Ridge Pool, angling journalist and director of Russia’s leading angling magazine, Elena Chekmareva, caught a fine grilse on spinner. Elena was part of a group of 18 members of the “Royal Fishing Club” from Germany who were fishing on the River Moy over the weekend. NWRFB CEO, Vincent Roche and Board member, Padraic Traynor, also caught a grilse each. On the Weir Pool, Steve Breier, Luxemburg, had a fine 7.31 lbs. salmon on fly, while John Ryan, Tipperary, landed 2 salmon on fly on the Cathedral Beat. Also on the Cathedral Beat, Jim Doody, Dublin, had 3 grilse on worm, best at 5.5 lbs. Fintan Keenan was successful on the Spring Wells where he got two fish on fly, while Steve Hazeldine added another salmon to his account on the Freshwater Beat. Steve’s fish took a spinner and weighed in at 7 lbs.
On the Ballina Salmon Anglers’ water, Christopher Egan had a fine 12 pounder, while the Mount Falcon Fishery noted its third good week in a row. The fishery reported a total of 59 salmon, 25 of which were caught over two days by members of the “Royal Fishing Club”. The best bag of 5 grilse was caught by former German national team ice hockey coach, Hans Zach. Also on Mt. Falcon, Dave Lambert caught his first ever salmon, a fine 9.75 lbs. fish. On Coolcronan, Sean Chadwick and Lewis Holden, both UK, had a grilse each, while Andy Major, also UK, landed one on Gannon’s. The Foxford Fishery also enjoyed good fishing during the week with bags of 10 salmon for Stuart Sumnall and Bill Shenkins, both UK. Most fish were caught on worm and spinner. Mick Tonin, Northern Ireland had a fine 12 pounder on the productive Foxford Salmon Anglers’ Rinanney stretch.
Up river, Cloongee yielded 23 salmon for the week. Brian Cunningham, Monaghan, had 5 fish on worm for two days, best at 9 lbs., while Michael Hughes, also Monaghan, landed three. On East Mayo, good fly fishing was enjoyed during the week. Successful fly anglers included: Tony Peterson, Sweden, John & Clark Little, both Northern Ireland and Jim Ruane, Castlebar.
On Lough Conn, young Christopher Johnston from Enniskillen caught his first ever salmon while trolling on Lough Conn. Christopher’s two grilse weighed in at 4.75 lbs. & 3 lbs.
Christopher Johnston, Northern Ireland, with his first ever brace of grilse caught trolling on Lough Conn
Easkey River
The Easkey Fortland Fishery reported 12 salmon for the week, best at 11.5 lbs.
Owenmore River
A rise in water levels during the week resulted in improved fishing conditions. As a consequence, a total of 11 salmon were reported from the Bangor Angling Club stretch of the Owenmore River. The best fish of the week, a 13 pounder, was caught by Franz Kaiser, Bangor Erris & Germany. Other notable catches included 3 salmon at 10, 8 & 5.5 lbs. for UK angler, Andrew Thomson, two fish at 9 lbs. and 4 lbs. for local angler Michael Noone and a fine 12.5 lbs. salmon for Larry Mitchell, Belmullet. Other successful anglers were Joe Denny, Northern Ireland, with 2 grilse and David Berry, UK who also had 2 grilse averaging 6 lbs.
Lough Beltra & Newport River
Heavy floods at the weekend impacted on the fishing in the Lough Beltra/Newport river catchment. However, on the Newport River, Hansen Jensen, Denmark, had one salmon at 9 lbs., while local angler, Eamon Kennedy, caught and released two fine sea trout. On Lough Beltra East, Phil Byrne landed 7 lbs. salmon, while Jackie Diffley had a small grilse.
Ballin Lough
The Ballin Lough Fishery had a reported catch of 16 rainbow trout, nine of which were released. Joe Gibbons boated the best fish for the week, a fine 4 lbs. rainbow trout. Other successful anglers included Frank Dempsey & friend, with 4 trout, best fish at 3.5 lbs. and Mark Reilly, with best at 2 lbs. Most successful flies for the week were gold head nymphs, Montana nymphs and Green Peter.
Ballysadare River
There were still plenty of fish showing in the Ballysadare River with a total of 100 salmon caught, 52 of which were released. The heaviest fish of the week was a 9 lbs. salmon and was landed by Mark Kennedy on worm.
Lough Arrow
The excellent “Peter Fishing” continued during the week, with good numbers of 3 lbs. to 5 lbs. trout being caught. David Gray caught & released a total of 12 fish for the week, best at 4.5 lbs.! Peter Dunne also did very well, with 7 fish for his week, heaviest at 5.25 lbs. Other successful anglers were Sean Dunne with 5 trout between 2 lbs. & 4.75 lbs., Noel Fairbanks who also landed 3 fish, best at 4 lbs., Thomas Walsh with two trout, best at 4 lbs. and lady angler, Stella McGriskin who boated a 3.75 lbs. trout.
Week ending 26 July, 2009
River Moy
Yet, another successful week for anglers on the Moy system, with 696 salmon reported. However, varying water levels throughout the week resulted in rather unpredictable fishing conditions. The bulk of the fish was caught midweek, with all mid river fisheries reporting Wednesday as the best day.
The Ridge Pool accounted for 33 salmon, including two on spinner for Walter Norton, UK, and three salmon for Michael Mills also on spinner. On the Weir Pool, John Phelan, Laoise, had 3 grilse (2 released) on worm. John also caught a fine 3.93 lbs. sea trout! Also on the Weir Pool, Garry Perks, UK had a 6.98 lbs. salmon on worm. Fly angler, John Thompson, Laoise, had 2 grilse on the Cathedral Beat, while Sean Kearney, Northern Ireland, caught a fine 11.5 lbs. salmon on spinner. Walter Norton had another two salmon on the Cathedral Beat and Patsy Smyth, Cavan, scored on the Spring Wells with a 5 pounder on fly.
The NWRFB held a juvenile angling day on the Cathedral Beat on Tuesday, 14 July. The turnout was excellent, with over 40 juveniles taking part. Reece Hudson won the event with a 3.5 lbs. grilse, Shane Egan was runner up and joint third place went to Sean Ledden & Colm McGarry.
Peter Hughes, UK and his 13 year old son Jack, both caught their first ever salmon on the Mount Falcon Fishery which enjoyed another successful week, with 46 salmon caught, 15 of which were released. On Coolcronan, Roy Quinn, Northern Ireland, had 2 grilse on worm, while Michael Campbell, also Northern Ireland, had a 6 pounder on prawn. Armstrong’s produced a fine 11 lbs. salmon for Tom Murray, Offaly, and Andy Major, UK, banked a 10 pounder on the Gannon Fishery. Both fish came to the worm. The Howard Bayliss party of three did very well on the Foxford Fishery, with 24 salmon over 4 days, while Tony Furlong, Wexford, landed a cracking 14 lbs. salmon on the Foxford Anglers’ Rinanney stretch.
Up river, Cloongee also enjoyed good fishing during the week, with Conor & David Hutchinson, Northern Ireland, catching a grilse each. Also on Cloongee, Rene Gehringer, Germany, did very well, with 4 salmon on worm over 2 days, best at 10.5 lbs. Other successful anglers included Lars Friebertshauser, Germany, (4 lbs. salmon) Gabriel McCafferty, Northern Ireland, (9 lbs. salmon) and Bill O’Regan, Dublin (4 lbs. salmon). All three fish came to the worm.
Fishing East Mayo, Roger Stevens, Northern Ireland, had 3 fish averaging 4 lbs. Alan Andrews and David Hutchinson, both Northern Ireland, also fishing the East Mayo Association water had one fish each and Norwegian visitor, Tony Peterson, caught two salmon at 4 lbs. & 9 lbs. on fly.
John Phelan with his 3.93 lbs. sea trout from the Moy Fishery’s Weir Pool
Moy Estuary
Despite the unsettled weather conditions and coloured water, some anglers enjoyed good sea trout fishing during the week. Judd Ruane reported 8 sea trout up to 2 lbs. for Edward Thomas & friends, UK, while the John Hurley party of three landed 9 trout. Most sea trout were taken on mackerel strip.
Carrowmore Lake & Owenmore River
On Carrowmore Lake, the Martin Rouland party had one salmon at 6 lbs. and 8 sea trout, all of which were returned. The Owenmore River produced good bags of sea trout and some salmon during the week. The best fishing was during the early part of the week due to a rise in water levels. Amongst the successful anglers were Martin Gaughan, Alan Pease, Eamon & Padraic Giblin, Dennis Summers, Franz Kaiser and Tom Gallagher. Junior angler, Kieran Doherty, Bangor Erris, was also successful on the Owenmore River where he caught his fist ever salmon weighing 5 lbs!
Newport River & Lough Beltra
A rise in water levels resulted in good salmon fishing on the Newport River. Local angler, Eamon Kennedy, had a 6 lbs. grilse, while Jimmy Lawlor caught a 5 pounder and 3 sea trout, all of which he returned. David McClune landed 2 grilse and Dave tucker had a nice sea trout at 1.5 lbs. However, John Corry, Northern Ireland, had the best bag of the week, with 3 salmon weighing between 4 lbs. & 12 lbs. On Lough Beltra West, Ian Holman had 3 sea trout between 0.75 lbs. & 1.5 lbs. (all returned), while on Lough Beltra East, Jackie Diffley, Glenisland, boated a small grilse. Also on Lough Beltra East, Brian McGowan, Castlebar, landed a fine 11.5 lbs. salmon on a Green Peter. He and his boat partner, Eamon Kennedy, also returned a sea trout and rose several more.
Ballin Lough
Again, a good week for Ballin Lough with 26 rainbow trout (12 released) for 19 rods. Mr. F. McMorrow and friend caught 6 trout (5 released), best at 3.5 lbs., P.J. O’Donnell & friend had 8 rainbows, best at 4 lbs. and Sean Flannelly landed 4 fish, with best also at 4 lbs. Best flies for the week were Muddlers & gold head nymphs.
Ballysadare River
The Ballysadare Fishery is still enjoying a good run of salmon at present with a total of 132 salmon caught, 42 of which were released. A very successful day for juvenile anglers was also held on the Ballysadare Fishery. This was facilitated by Ballysadare Fishing Club Ltd. and assisted by NWRFB staff. A total of 74 children participated in this event. Results were spectacular, reflecting the large run of fish to this prolific fishery. Amongst the successful youngsters was 6 year old Jamie Donovan who caught his first ever salmon. The event was won by Karl Murray who had a 7 lbs. salmon on a Cascade pattern.
Six year old Jamie Donovan with his first salmon caught on the Ballysadare Fishery
Lough Arrow
The “Peter Fishing” on Lough Arrow has been pretty good during the week with fair numbers of fish moving. The northern end of the Lough fished best and anglers are still enjoying the best action between 10:00 pm and midnight. Noel Fairbanks had 5 trout, best at 4.75 lbs., David Gray accounted for 7 fish, best at 3.5 lbs., his father Josie Gray caught two, best at 4 lbs., Dave Cadman had two, heaviest at 4.74 lbs., while Francis White landed the heaviest fish for the week, a cracking 6.16 lbs. trout.
Week endeding 12 July, 2009
River Moy
The Moy system had its best week for the season and produced a reported catch of 711 salmon for the week bringing the total for the season, so far, to 2,815. A slight rise in water levels at the beginning of the week resulted in good fishing throughout the system.
The Moy Fishery accounted for a total of 128 salmon for the week, with the bulk of the catch taken on the Ridge Pool. Garry Perks, UK, caught & released 3 salmon on fly and Jean Pierre Mosimann, Switzerland, had 3 fish on spinner, best at 5.17 lbs. Well known angling journalist, Derek Evans, was also successful on the Ridge Pool. Derek landed a 6.17 lbs fish on the fly. Julio Fernandez, Spain, caught a 6.58 lbs. salmon on the worm, while German lady angler, Anja Lietsch, had a fine 8.47 lbs. salmon on spinner. On the Weir Pool, Julio Fernandez had another two salmon on the worm and Charlton Peters, UK, got a grilse on fly. The Cathedral Beat produced two fine fish at 10.5 lbs. & 12 lbs. for UK angler, James Waterson. James was fishing a spinner. Also on the Cathedral Beat, Gordon Hunter, UK, had 2 salmon (1 released) on spinner, best at 9.5 lbs., while fly angler, Eddie Kelly, Cavan, had one on the Spring Wells Beat.
Ballina Salmon Anglers hosted a junior angling competition in conjunction with Ballina Salmon Festival during the week. Forty-five youngsters took part and the event was won by Shane Egan with a 5 lbs. grilse. Second and third prize went to Reece Moore.
The Mount Falcon Fishery had its best week of the season, so far, and yielded a total of 47 salmon, 29 of which were released. Martin and Maeve Davidson, Northern Ireland, did particularly well with 14 salmon (6 released) over 4 days. Coolcronan also enjoyed a good week, with Jack Charlton adding another fish to his account. Also on Coolcronan, Paul McCartney & David Murphy, Louth, had a grilse each.
Up river, on Armstrong’s, Sean Dunne had a fine 14 pounder on worm, while on Gannon’s, Jürgen Gasser and Patrick Zollinger, both from Switzerland, landed 3 salmon each. On the Foxford Fishery, the Michael Rapier party of 6 anglers continued their success story with 55 salmon (25 released) on fly & spinner. The Foxford Salmon Anglers’ Rinanney stretch also enjoyed excellent fishing during the week. Walter Zeibe, Germany, had an 11 lbs. salmon and David McGuiver, Northern Ireland caught a ten pounder. Both fish were taken on worm.
Cloongee produced 26 fish for the week including 4 salmon for Graham Child, UK, three for Uwe Steffen, Germany, and one fish for Warwick Ivill, UK. Most successful methods were spinner and bubble & fly. Angling was also good on the East Mayo Association Water. Amongst the successful anglers were: Les Wheeler, UK, with 2 salmon at 6 lbs. & 8 lbs. on worm and Lothar Waldeck, Germany, with two fish at 6 lbs. & 7 lbs. on spinner. Fly angler, Tony Windberig, Germany, had one grilse and Michael Child, UK, landed 2 fish also on fly.
Loughs Bilberry & Lannagh
The prestigious 15th McConville Cup was fished on Loughs Bilberry & Lannagh during the week. The three-day event (July 9th – 11th) attracted 122 anglers and a total of 302 trout was caught. The overall winner of the trout angling competition was Basil Shields with 5 fish weighing in at 6.08 lbs. Basil was also Thursday’s heat winner – he was the first angler to achieve this feat in the 15 years history of the McConville Cup! Second place went to Thomas Lynch with 3 fish for 3.88 lbs. and 3rd was Darren McGuire with 3 fish weighing in at 3.77 lbs. The best ladies prize was won by Carmel Kelly, Cloghans, and Alan Brown was best club angler, best Ulster angler and also won Friday’s heat and caught the heaviest fish (2.25 lbs.)!
Carrowmore Lake
The good sea trout fishing continued on Carrowmore Lake during the early part of the week, with over 100 sea trout reported, most of which were safely released. Carrowmore also produced a few grilse. Eamon Giblin, Clare, had a 5 lbs. grilse and Peter Casserly & friend, Galway, caught 2 grilse, best at 7 lbs. The lake has settled again (after Sunday’s strong winds) and prospects for the coming week are looking good.
Newport River & Lough Beltra
Fishing picked up on Lough Beltra with a good number of salmon and some sea trout caught. On the Glenisland Co-Op/Beltra East side of the lake, Danny Duncalfe caught a 9 lbs. salmon, while Jackie Diffley had very good sea trout fishing with 11 fish between 0.75 lbs. and 5 lbs.! Beltra West & the Newport River also enjoyed good salmon angling. Successful anglers included: Frieder Hompesch,Switzerland, with a fine 10.5 lbs. salmon, Pat Smyth, Dublin, with 4 salmon between 8.5 lbs. & 3.5 lbs (2 released), Claude Gay, France & Ireland, with 3 grilse averaging 5 lbs., Sharon McGovern, Wicklow, with a 7 pounder and John Corry, Northern Ireland, with a fine 2.5 sea trout.
Ballin Lough
This Board managed fishery fished quite well for the past week with 23 rods catching a total of 45 rainbow trout (23 released).
Amongst the successful anglers were: Jim Wilson, Northern Ireland, with 3 trout (all released), best at 4 lbs., Mr. Maher & friend with 9 trout (2 released) best also at 4 lbs. and Pat Butler & boat partner with 5 fish, best at 3 lbs. Most successful patterns included Peter Ross, Mayfly Nymphs, Green Peter and Moon Dust.
Ballysadare River & other Sligo/Leitrim Fisheries
The Ballysadare Fishery enjoyed one of its best weeks, so far. Ray Simpson, UK caught one of the 150 salmon, 84 of which were released.
A good show of fish was reported from the Garavogue River and the River Bonet continued to fish well, with Michael Leonard catching an 8 pounder on a Flying C. On Glencar Lake, Ricky Ferbozzi, Sligo, scored with a nice 6 lbs. grilse.
Lough Arrow
Angling on Lough Arrow improved considerably over the past week. The “Peter Fishing” is in full swing, with the best of the fishing between 10pm & midnight. Dave Cadman Ballymote, had 4 trout, heaviest at 4.75 lbs. David Gray, Ballindoon, caught and released 5 fish, best at 3.5 lbs, while Jimmy Frazer, had two trout at 3.12 lbs. & 3.76 lbs.
w/e 05 July, 2009
River Moy
Water levels remained low during the early part of the week and angling was difficult due to the bright and thundery conditions. However, the Moy system accounted for a reported catch of 299 salmon for the week. Angling on the Moy Fishery continued to improve with a total of 99 salmon caught by anglers. Forty-one salmon were taken on the Ridge Pool where Jack Charlton had two grilse on fly. Jack was fishing with his friend Ray Bailey who also had two grilse (one released). Ray Bailey also scored on the Cathedral Beat where he landed a further two salmon, best at 6.5 lbs. Other successful anglers on the Ridge Pool included: Gary Perks, UK, with 2 fish (both released), Miguel Diaz Gomes, Spain, with 3 salmon (2 released), best at 6.75 lbs., Brian Lovering, UK, with 2 fish, best at 7.89 lbs. and Leo Casey, Dublin, with an 8.75 lbs. salmon. On the Weir Pool, Gary Perks added another two salmon to his account, while James and William Waterson, Scotland, had 3 fish together. Gabriela Fox, Castlebar was successful on the Cathedral Beat where she landed a fine grilse. All fish on the Moy Fishery were caught on fly.
Up river, on Armstrong’s, Ray Jarvis, Northern Ireland, had 2 salmon on worm, while the Foxford Fishery produced 2 fish for Michael Rapier, UK, on spinner and fly. Also on the Foxford Fishery, fly angler, Peter Walls, UK, landed two salmon. Herbert Zeital enjoyed excellent fishing on the Foxford Anglers Rinanney stretch. The German visitor had 7 salmon for the week, best fish at 7 lbs.
Further up the system, the Cloongee Fishery produced 2 salmon for Michael Dawkins, UK, best at 8 lbs., while John O’Reilly, Dublin, caught a nice grilse on fly. On the East Mayo Association water, Eddie Thornton, Ballyhaunis, caught a fine 14 pounder on spinner. Paul Morgan, Wales, did very well catching 5 salmon over two days, best at 12 lbs. Paul was fishing the worm. However, fly anglers also enjoyed good fishing on East Mayo: Manfred Kauert, Germany got two salmon and Eddie Preston, Northern Ireland, landed three!
Moy Estuary
There was still a good show of sea trout in the lower estuary. Judd Ruane reported good fishing including 5 sea trout for UK angler, John Gilmore and 4 fish for Sean Sutton. Baits were mackerel strips and sand eels. The best fish of the week, a fine 3.5 lbs. sea trout, was caught by local angler, Ryan Leonard, on a sand eel.
Lough Conn
Again a quiet week on Lough Conn and few fish were caught due to the very warm and humid weather. Thunder and lightning also prevented anglers from going out.
At Pontoon Bridge Hotel, Alan Marrable, Tuam, had one trout to a dry Daddy for just over 1.5 lbs., while Hugh Broonan, Killarney, caught one at 1 lbs. also on a Daddy Longlegs. A Grey Wulff did the job for German visitor, Andre Wehrenberg, who caught 2 trout for 3 lbs. From Kelly’s Boat Hire, Cloghans, Brendan Levins, Dublin also had 2 trout for 3 lbs. to dry flies. Elsewhere, John McGrath, Mullingar, had a fine 3 lbs. trout on a Green Peter while fishing for salmon on the River Deel near Richmond Bridge. He also landed a 5 lbs. salmon.
Carrowmore Lake & Owenmore River
There was spectacular sea trout fishing on Carrowmore Lake during the week with bags of 20 to 50 sea trout per boat. Pat Foley and Eamon Giblin enjoyed excellent fishing with 51 sea trout (48 returned) and 3 grilse (2 returned). Other successful anglers included Mervin Wood, Northern Ireland, Ronny Mayock, Dublin, David Lennon, Westport and Ray Rogers, Northern Ireland who all had a grilse each. A flood over the weekend resulted in good fishing conditions on the Owenmore River. On the Bangor Club water, Mervin Corway had an 8 lbs. salmon, while Martin Gaughan, Belmullet, caught a cracking 16 pounder in the Boat Pool.
Ballysadare River & other Sligo/Leitrim Fisheries
The Ballysadare River has a good run of grilse at present. The system produced 95 fish (39 released) for the week. Stuart Marry had a 10 pounder on worm, while Dermot Glennon caught & released an 8 lbs. salmon on prawn.
The Drumcliffe River started to produce some salmon and sea trout, while fishing on the Bonet system picked up big time during the week. Very good salmon fishing was reported from the Manorhamilton area with Kieran Griskin catching 5 fish for the week. Brian McMahon, however, had the best fish for the week, a fine 17 lbs. salmon! Brian was spinning on the Clooneen Anglers water.
Ballin Lough
Thirteen anglers fished during the week, catching a total of 25 rainbow trout, fifteen of which were released. John Summerville, Cong, had 5 trout (4 released) including the heaviest fish for the week, a fine 3.5 lbs. rainbow. Joe Gibbons and Seamus O’Malley had 9 trout together, best at 3 lbs. and visiting English angler, Kevin Hayes boated 4 rainbows (2 returned), best at 2.5 lbs. Most successful flies for the week were: Green Peter, Bibio and buzzer patterns.