Angling Reports
Markus Müller reports
Week ended 31 May, 2009
River Moy
There was a notable increase in the number of anglers fishing the Moy system over the past week, with 243 salmon reported which brings the total catch for the year to date to 958.
On the Ballina Salmon Anglers water, Patrick Flattery had two salmon at 4 lbs. & 6 lbs. on the worm. Dublin angler, Mitch Tunikowski, caught a 9 pounder on the Mount Falcon water fishing a spinner, while visiting Swiss angler, Tirmen Bouchard landed a fine 14.5 lbs. salmon on Gannon’s. The Foxford Fishery produced salmon for Roy Howell, England, (9.25 lbs.) and David Bradley Northern Ireland, (11 lbs.) On The Foxford Salmon Anglers Rinanny stretch, Uwe Kreichauk, Germany had a nice fish of 14.5 lbs. on worm.
Upstream of Foxford on The Cloongee Fishery, Eamon Donnelly, Northern Ireland, caught a 9 lbs. fish on worm and John Hasson, also Northern Ireland, landed a 10 pounder. Harald Neumüller, Germany, scored again catching 4 salmon weighing between 6 lbs. & 10 lbs. Other anglers who had salmon on Cloongee during the week included Andre Rolland, France, (11 lbs. bubble & fly), Francis Higginbottom, Northern Ireland, (9 lbs. & 12 lbs. worm), Raymon Hynes, Offaly, (9.25 lbs. worm) and Declan Byrne, also Offaly (8 lbs. worm).
Anglers also enjoyed good fishing on the East Mayo Association water. Amongst the successful anglers were Mark Fix, UK, with a 12 lbs. salmon (worm), Rene Koenig, Germany, who caught a 9 lbs. salmon on fly and Reto Courtalldes, Switzerland, with a 10 pounder also on fly.
Moy Estuary
Dropping water levels and the fine warm weather brought a lot of anglers out during the week with large numbers of small sea trout caught and released on fly. However, some bigger fish between 1 lbs. and 2 lbs. were taken on sand eel & mackerel strips. With the fine dry weather continuing, prospects for the coming week are good.
Lough Conn & Lough Cullin
This week saw a considerable rise in temperatures from 14 to 20 degrees Celsius, with some mayfly hatches in sheltered bays.
From Pontoon Bridge Hotel, all anglers reported good fishing, releasing most of the trout. Lynn Knight, Bohola, who visited the fishing school, had one trout for just over 1 lbs. to a mayfly. Geoff Cooke, UK, caught 5 trout over 3 days, best at 2 lbs., while Swedish angler, Her Hechford, had 10 trout for his week, all to mayfly patterns. Tim Deacy, Castlebar, had a total of 12 trout over a few days to the Drake, Murragh and Green Mayfly, best just over 2 lbs. Udo Diesburg, Germany, boated 4 trout during his stay, while Patrick Timoney, had 2 fish for 2 lbs. to an Octopus.
Fishing from Healy’s Hotel was also good during the week, with good numbers of trout reported, most of which were released.
Maurice Cahill & David Bourke and a party from Co. Cork had over 30 trout (all released) over 5 days to wet flies. The Wicklow Anglers held their annual competition during the week, with 20 anglers catching 16 trout averaging 1 lb. Results were as follows: 1st Billy Hannon, 2 trout for 0.93 kg, 2nd Kevin Rooney, 2 trout for 0.76 kg, 3rd Mark Garassa 1 trout for 0.65 kg. The previous week, the Castlebar Anglers Association hosted the “Frank Quinn Memorial Cup”. The competition was won by Joe Ferguson with 3 trout for 4.06 kg. Runner up was Jim Ruane with 3 fish for 3.03 kg and third place went to Peter D. Roche who finished with 2 trout for 2.92 kg.
From Murphy’s Boat Hire, Massbrook, Stephen Jones and Brothers Nigel & David, Wales, had 4 trout over 3 days to dry flies, averaging 1 lbs, while releasing a number of smaller trout. Regular visitor to the area, Ronnie Chambers, Northern Ireland, boated 10 trout for the week, all between 1 lbs. and 2 lbs. Ben Danaher, Cork, fishing with his brother had 4 trout, best at 3 lbs., while Paddy Connolly, UK, got 4 fish, averaging 1 lbs. Also from Murphy’s Boat Hire, a group of French anglers headed by Francois Sorissi had 10 trout over a few days. Graham Williams caught 3 trout while fishing with a visiting Belgian angler who also caught 3 trout.
From Cloonamoyne Fishery, Enniscoe, Crossmolina, Gary Crossley had one nice trout at 2.5 lbs. on a dry spent in Flannery’s Bay. Dermot McEleese and partner, Dublin, had 5 trout for 3 days to mayfly patterns, best at 2 lbs, while David Jackson & partner, UK, caught 20 trout for their week, all between 1 lbs. and 1.5 lbs. Canon John Flynn, Knockmore, boated 10 brown trout over 5 days, heaviest at 2 lbs., with the rest averaging 1.5 lbs. He also had a sea trout for just over 1 lbs. to a dry Olive.
Fishing out of Kelly’s Boat Hire, Cloghans, anglers also enjoyed good sport. Amongst other anglers to report good fishing during the week were Walter and Susan Byrne, Offaly & Cloghans, with 10 trout over a few evenings, best at 2 lbs., Gerry Sheehan & party of 6, Cork, with 40 trout, best at 3.5 lbs. and Daniel Edwards & partner, Wales, who finished with 8 trout.
From Brackwansha, Michael McNeely, Brackwansha & Mullingar, reported good fishing during the week with plenty trout caught, best at 2 lbs. Also from Brackwansha, Michael McCabe & Liam Gilsenan had 12 trout over 3 days, best at 3 lbs. Elsewhere, John Warren and Ian Wise reported 8 trout between them, best at 2 lbs.
The Lough Conn & Cullin Anglers held their annual Whit Weekend Competition, with 110 anglers taking part in the event and 74 trout recorded averaging 1.56 lbs. The competition was won by Martin McCorian, Dublin, with 4 trout for 3.5 kg. Second place went to Colin Wilson, Northern Ireland, with 3 trout for 3.265 kg and Paul Campbell, Dundalk, came 3rd with 2 trout for 3.16 kg. Paul Campbell also had the heaviest fish, a cracking 6.5 lbs. brownie caught at Glass Island on a dry mayfly.
Carrowmore Lake
The lake continued to fish very well over the week with 13 salmon caught. Declan Dooley, Dublin, did particularly well with 5 salmon, 4 of which he released. Other anglers who enjoyed good fishing on Carrowmore Lake this past week included Rory Harkin, John Donohue, John Long, Matt Shanley, Vincent Lynam all from Dublin, Albert Rogers, Northern Ireland and local anglers Franz Kaiser & Michael Noone.
Lough Beltra & Newport River
The good spring salmon fishing continued on Lough Beltra during the week. On the Glenisland Co-Op/Beltra East side of the lake, a number of fine, double figure, salmon was caught. Jackie Diffley had a fine 12 lbs. salmon while Alan Donohue, Declan Dooley, Kenneth Killeen and Pat Quin, all had a salmon each at 10 lbs. On Beltra West, Ian Conn, UK also had a 10 lbs. salmon, while his son caught a fine 1.5 lbs. brown trout. Also on Beltra West, Eamon Kennedy landed a 5 lbs. fish and Tony Murtagh had a 6 lbs. salmon. Tony Murtagh also caught a 6 pounder on the Newport River.
Ballin Lough
Ballin Lough continued to fish well, with all anglers enjoying good catches. Twenty-three anglers fished during the week, catching a total of 70 rainbow trout, 63 of which were released.
Brent Vinall and Andy Birkett, UK, had 10 rainbows (4 returned), best at 2.5 lbs., while Christy Cox and boat partner caught 6 fish (4 released), heaviest at 3.5 lbs. A fine 4 lbs. rainbow was caught by A. Garvey, Dublin.
Best flies for the week were Dabblers, Damsel, Daiwl Bach and Gold Fritz.
Ballisodare River
The Ballisodare Fishery reported a total of 70 salmon for the week, 36 of which were sportingly released.
Nigel Wilson had the best fish for the week, a fine 10 lbs. salmon to the prawn, while Bob Romer caught an 8 lbs. salmon on fly. Also on the fly, Garreth Ruigank caught and released two salmon which were estimated at 8 lbs. & 6 lbs.
Lough Arrow
Fishing on Lough Arrow has been pretty good for the past week with most of the action taking place in the evenings. Anglers reported a good fall of spent and the buzzer fishing was also productive.
Noel Fairbanks had 5 trout (3 at 3lbs. & 2 at 2.5 lbs.) on the spent and on buzzers. Visiting French angler, Vincent Brault, landed a fine 4.75 lbs. trout also on buzzer, while David Gray got two fish at 2 lbs. Kenneth Murray also had a very good week, with a total of 14 trout (7 released), best at 4.5 lbs.
Two happy anglers: Gareth Norris and Vincent Brault with a 4.75 lbs. brown trout
Week ending 24 May, 2009
The NWRFB would like to alert all lake anglers to the presence of landlocked sea lamprey in Lough Conn. Anglers on Lough Derg and Lough Conn have seen a number of fish hosting this unusual parasite during May. We are asking any anglers lucky enough to boat one of these ancient fish, to retain the lamprey so that a scientific examination can be carried out - more information about lamprey and what we require is available here.
River Moy
The Moy system accounted for a reported catch of 259 salmon for the week. Water levels still fluctuated during the week but didn’t impact on the fishing as much as in previous weeks. As a consequence, there was good fishing throughout the whole system.
On the Moy Fishery, Paul Maloney, Portlaoise, had one salmon at 7.47 lbs. from the Ridge Pool. Also on the Ridge Pool, James Moffatt from the Isle of Man caught a 5.5 lbs. salmon. Both fish were taken on worm.
On Mount Falcon, Mark Kane, Dublin, caught & released a salmon at 13 lbs. on spinner, while 15-year old Ben Price had one (7 lbs.) on worm. Duncan Monk, UK, was successful on the Coolcronan Fishery where he had 2 fish at 8 lbs (spinner) & 11 lbs. (worm). On Armstrong’s, Tom Murray, Offaly, landed a 12 lbs. salmon also on worm. There were also good reports from the Foxford Salmon Anglers water (Rinnaney), where Jim Martin, Northern Ireland, had a fine 14 lbs. salmon on worm and Gerhard Egelsbock, Austria, caught a 9 lbs. fish also on worm. Upstream from Foxford, K. Blum, H. Blum and F. Eibauer, all from Germany, had a salmon each.
Further up river, the Cloongee Fishery also enjoyed good fishing for the week. Amongst the successful anglers were, Brendan Doyle, Monaghan, with fish at 9 lbs. (worm) & 10 lbs. (spinner), Paul Wymes, Dublin, with 2 salmon averaging 7.5 lbs. on fly (both released) and a third at 9.5 lbs. (worm). Harald Neumüller, Germany, landed a fine 13.5 lbs. salmon.
The East Mayo Anglers Association water also fished well during the week: Peter & Michael Nab, both from Switzerland, had 3 salmon averaging 11 lbs., all on spinner. Brian Goashan, Scotland, had a nice 12 pounder on worm, while German fly angler, Andreas Grossmann, had a 7 lbs. salmon. Also on fly, Jerrard Portes, France, had 2 salmon at 6 lbs. & 9 lbs.
Paul Maloney, Portlaoise, 7.5 lbs salmon, Ridge Pool
Harald Neumüller with his best Cloongee salmon (13.5lbs.)
Carrowmore Lake & Owenmore River
Carrowmore Lake enjoyed very good salmon fishing for the week with a total of 11 fish reported. Mary Harkin, Dublin, had a nice 8.5 lbs. salmon, while Wayne Oldfield & B. Clinton, Australia, caught salmon at 7 lbs. & 8 lbs. Michael Naughton was very successful with 3 salmon between 4 lbs. & 8 lbs. Other successful anglers included: Declan & Pat Foley who had a fish each (6 lbs.), Rory Murray (7 lbs.), Dick Kiernan (6.5 lbs.) and Dennis Summers (6 lbs.).
On the Bangor Angling Club stretch of the Owenmore River a total of 3 salmon was caught for the week. Franz Kaiser caught one at 8 lbs. and Oisin O’Sullivan also landed an 8 pounder.
Lough Beltra & Newport River
Lough Beltra enjoyed another good week with anglers catching fine spring salmon. On the Glenisland Co-Op side of Lough Beltra, Matt Higgins, Castlebar, had a salmon at 7 lbs., David Nevin, Newport, caught one at 8 lbs., while Michael Dolan and Tommy Walsh, both Dublin, had fish at 7 lbs. & 9 lbs. On Lough Beltra West, Sean Dolan, Dublin, landed a 9 lbs. salmon.
On the Newport River, salmon fishing also picked up during the week. Successful anglers included: Adrian Noonan, Westport, with 2 salmon at 7 lbs. & 9 lbs., Tony Murtagh, Louisburg, with a salmon at 8.5 lbs. and Eaton Kennedy, Newport with a 5 lbs. fish. The best fish of the week, a fine 10.5 lbs. salmon, however, was caught by Jimmy Lawlor from Westport.
Ballin Lough
The Lake fished very well for the week with a total of 20 rods catching 69 rainbow trout (41 released). Eugene McGratton and Willie Scully who were fishing with Tony McGratton & Brian Sheen had an excellent week’s fishing with 41 rainbows (26 returned), best at 4 lbs., while David Jackson & Tony Wright caught 10 fish (4 returned), best at 2.5 lbs. Most successful flies were: Daddy Longlegs, Muddlers and nymph patterns.
Lough Conn
Both lakes were busy with lots of anglers reporting good trout fishing, although a high proportion of the trout were small. The mixed weather with temperatures never above 14 degrees Celsius resulted in very sporadic mayfly hatches.
All anglers fishing out of Pontoon Bridge Hotel reported good fishing, with lots of small fish released. Ciaran O’Toole from Westport had 8 trout to the Sooty Olive and Black Pennel, while Don J. Smith, UK, caught 2 fish for 3 lbs. Wendy Lyons, Scotland, had 2 trout over a few days and Stuart Lyons boated 4 trout all over 2 lbs. Stuart also caught an 8 lbs. salmon on the Bibio. Christopher Wathen, UK, had 11 trout for his week to Dabblers and the Green Peter, best at 2 lbs. Eddie Rowe, Dublin, was also successful and caught 3 trout on Royal Wullfs, best at 2.5 lbs.
Good numbers of trout were also reported by anglers fishing out of Kelly’s Boat Hire, Cloghans. John Jack, Scotland, and Larry Kelly, Dublin, caught and returned 50 keepers, best at 4 lbs. David Thompson and Raymond Kelly had 6 trout for 10 lbs., while Aidan Heffernan, Dublin, & Andrew Howell, UK, boated 20 trout over a few days, best at 3 lbs.
Fishing out of Brackwansha, Stephen Browne & Brendan Breslin had 4 trout for an evening’s fishing, while Padraig Traynor and John Burke landed 5 fish to mayfly patterns for their evening. Michael McNeely & Harry McCafferty had 4 trout, best at 2 lbs.
In Crossmolina, John Warren and Ian Wise had 6 trout for 8 lbs. over two evenings and Alex Corcoran and Joe Moffatt both had 4 trout, averaging 1 lbs. to mayflies.
A couple of competitions were fished out of Murphy’s Boat Hire, Massbrook:
On Saturday, 23 May the Wicklow Anglers Association held a competition on Lough Conn. Thirty anglers participated and the event was won by Billy Hannon with 2 trout for 0.93 kg, runner up was Kevin Rooney with 2 fish for 0.76 kg and third place went to Mark Garassa with 2 trout for 0.655 kg.
The Lakelands Anglers also held a competition on Lough Conn. This was a 3 day event and was fished from Friday, 22 May to Sunday, 24 May. Results were as follows: 1st: Stephen Brown, Cloghans with 4 trout for 4.48 lbs.: 2nd: Andy Boyle with 2 trout for 3.18 lbs: 3rd: Robbie Lynch, Dundalk, with one trout for 3.10 lbs.
The Bilberry & Lough Lannagh Angling Club hosted their annual competition on Lough Conn on Saturday, 23 May. The competition was based on the heaviest fish and a 13 inch size limit. Carol Neal won the event with a trout weighing in at 1.41 lbs., second place went to Peter Bryne and Damian Walsh finished in 3rd place. Competitors caught and released large numbers of smaller fish as well.
Ballysadare River
The Ballysadare Fishery accounted for 73 salmon, (42 returned) for the week. Most fish were in the 8 lbs. range with some smaller 5 pounders also caught. P. McMahon, Eamon Ruddy and Seamus Brogan all had an 8 lbs. salmon each.
River Bonet
The Bonet River continued to produce some fine double figure salmon with Brian McMahon landing a 14 lbs. fish at Cloonlougher, while Tony McGorty had a 2 lbs. brown trout on the same stretch.
Lough Gill
A trout competition was held on Lough Gill during the week. Local angler, Pete Marshall, won the event with 3 fish; Ken Henry was second with two trout, while Noel Reddy won the prize for the heaviest fish.
Lough Doon
Doon continued to produce good numbers of trout to the fly with anglers catching most fish on the Green Peter.
Lough Arrow
There was still some good mayfly fishing on Lough Arrow during the week. Anglers also reported very good spent and buzzer fishing during the evenings.
Gerry Martin had 12 trout between 2 lbs. and 5 lbs. (2 at 5 lbs.) on dry mayflies. Kenneth Murray caught 10 fish for 22.5 lbs. on the spent and the dap, while Michael Gunning boated 8 trout between 2 lbs. and 4 lbs. on buzzers and dry flies. A fine 6.2 lbs. brown was caught by Peter Dunne on a buzzer and Jonathan Frazer had 6 fish averaging 2 lbs. on the dap.
Week Ending 17 May, 2009
River Moy
The Moy system yielded 172 salmon for the week, bringing the total for the year, so far, to 456. The fluctuating water levels still impacted on the fishing on the lower reaches, while good fishing was reported from up river.
On the Moy Fishery, John Howley caught and released the first salmon of the season on the Ridge Pool. The fish took a spinner and was estimated at 3.2 kg (7lbs.). John also caught the first fish on the Cathedral Beat, a 2.7 kg (6 lbs.) salmon which also was released.
The Coolcronan Fishery reported a fine 6.3 kg (14 lbs.) salmon for Hugh McCormack, Co. Louth, while Jack McDonnell, Northern Ireland, had two salmon at 3.6 kg (8 lbs.) and 4.2 kg (9.25 lbs.) on the Foxford Fishery. Also on the Foxford Fishery, Michael Raper, UK, landed two salmon weighing in at 2.7 kg (6 lbs.) and 3.4 kg (7.5 lbs.). All four fish were taken on worm. On Rinanney, Owen Brogan, Tipperary, took a ten pounder also on worm.
Further up river, good fishing was reported from Cloongee and East Mayo. The Cloongee Fishery produced salmon for Jim Murray, Ballina (3.2kg), Paul Wymes, Dublin, (3.4 kg & 4.3 kg), Julien Blanc, France, (5 kg), Jez Leech, UK, (4.3 kg & 4.5 kg) and John Rogerson, UK, who had 2 fish at 3.8 kg and 4.5 kg. Most fish were taken on worm.
The East Mayo Anglers Association water also enjoyed excellent catches during the week including two salmon for Belgian angler, Claude Croscean, at 3.2 kg & 3.6, a 3.2 kg salmon for Marc Jaques, also Belgium, and a 5.0 kg fish for Duncan Whitehead, UK. There was also very good fly fishing reported on East Mayo. John Noad, UK, David Hamill, Galway, and Paddy McDonnel, Swinford, all had salmon on the fly averaging 3.2 kg. The best fish for the week, however, was a cracking 8.2 kg (18 lbs.) salmon for local angler, Liam Hyland, who was fishing the worm.
Lough Conn & Lough Cullin
Despite the cold easterly winds and a rise in water levels during the week, fishing on both Loughs was excellent for the past week with very good mayfly fishing reported by anglers.
Gerry Murphy’s Boat Hire reported good fishing all week, with most of the trout safely returned to the water: A group of anglers from Cork, led by Maurice Cahill and David Bourke, had over 30 trout (all released) averaging 0.45 kg (1lbs.) to wet mayfly patterns. Ian McHugh, Edenderry, and Mick Sweeney, Loughrea, landed 8 tout between them for an evening’s fishing., while a group of 5 anglers, headed by Mark Masterson, Northern Ireland, boated 17 trout also to mayfly patterns. Ronnie Chambers, Northern Ireland, caught and released 6 fish, while Mike Hogan and his boat partner took 3 trout, best at 1.4 kg (3 lbs.) on Lough Cullin.
Fishing from Cloonamoyne Fishery, Enniscoe, Steven Hugo, New York caught 10 trout, heaviest at 1.4 kg (3 lbs.). Gary Crossley and his boat partner scored in Ned’s Bay where they had 3 fine trout to Olive patterns.
From Gortnorabbey harbour, John Griffin and Pat McNulty, both Crossmolina, boated 6 trout for 3.2 kg (7 lbs.). Also from Gortnorabbey, John Warren had 3 trout for 1.8 kg (4 lbs.) to wet mayflies, while Michael Cawley also caught 2 fish totalling 0.9 kg (2 lbs.). John Burke, Toomore, did very well catching 7 trout for 4.0 kg (9 lbs.) over 2 evenings on the “Claret Stimulator”.
Kelly’s Boat Hire, Cloghans, also reported excellent fishing for the week: Rory Harkin, Dublin, had 10 trout over a few days, best at 0.9 kg (2 lbs.), while Hugh Sinclair, Belfast, boated 3 fish. Ian Matchett, Northern Ireland, fishing with a group of 5 anglers, caught 22 trout, with the heaviest 2.3 kg (5 lbs.). Dermot Dunne, Offaly, caught 12 trout over the week averaging 0.45 kg (1 lb.) and Seamus Kelly had 3 fish for an evening’s fishing to dry mayfly patterns.
All anglers from Pontoon Bridge Hotel also encountered good fishing during the week: Kaupo Karelson, Estonia, had one trout for 0.9 kg (2 lbs.) on a “Gorgeous Gorge”, while Michael Trinder, UK, caught 2 fish for 1.4 kg (3 lbs.) on mayfly patterns.
Carrowmore Lake & Owenmore River
Carrowmore Lake produced 7 salmon for the week. Franz Kaizer, Germany & Bangor Erris, enjoyed good sport on the lake catching 2 salmon at 3.6 kg (8 lbs.) each. Other successful anglers included Michael Cunningham (8 lbs. Salmon), Mark Corps (6 lbs. salmon), John Long (5 lbs. salmon) and Ben Baynes (9 lbs. salmon).
A fine13.5 lbs. salmon was also caught on the Owenmore River by local angler, Marvin Conway.
Lough Beltra
Lough Beltra enjoyed excellent fishing during the week. On Lough Beltra West, Michael Dolan had a salmon at 9 lbs. while Jonathan Murray landed one at 10 lbs.
The Glenisland Co-Op Fishery was also very productive with a total of 10 salmon reported. Successful anglers on Lough Beltra East included Martin Hughes, Newport, with an 8 lbs. salmon, Franz Kaizer & boat partner, with 2 fish averaging 8 lbs., Eamon Kennedy, Newport (salmon 10 lbs.), Sean Dolan, Dublin, (salmon 7 lbs.) and Martin McCoy, Northern Ireland with a 5 lbs. salmon.
Ballin Lough
Ballin Lough continued to fish very well this week with all anglers enjoying good catches. Thirty-seven anglers fished for the week, catching a total of 122 rainbow trout (63 released).
Amongst the successful anglers were Gary Canning & friend with 15 trout (11 released), best at 3.25 lbs., Mr. Magmillan & Mr. Tomlison, Scotland, with 14 trout (8 returned), best at 4 lbs. and Tony McGrattan & Willie Scully, Athlone, who boated 10 fish (7 returned), best at 2 lbs.
Best flies for the week were Buzzers, Damsels, Bumbles and Olive patterns.
Ballysadare River
The Ballysadare Fishery had an excellent week, with 105 salmon caught, 57 of which were released. The biggest fish for the week fell to Josie Trotter who landed a fine 7.5 kg (16.5 lbs.) salmon on the Ally’s Shrimp, while Seanie Maye caught and returned a 4 kg (9 lbs.) salmon which took a “Willie Gunn”. Other notable catches included a 6.3 kg (4 lbs.) salmon for John Connolly (worm) and an 11 lbs. salmon for Jimmy Cuffe also on an Ally’s Shrimp.
River Bonet
Angling activity increased on the Bonet River during the week, with some fine salmon being caught. Melvyn Scorefield and John Parkinson had a 5.4kg (12 lbs.) salmon each, both on worm. John also landed a fine 2 lbs. brown trout.
Lough Arrow
Anglers who ventured out on Lough Arrow during the week were rewarded with some excellent catches. There are prolific mayfly hatches on the lake and the outlook for the spent fishing is good. Ken Murray had a total of 11 trout on the dap, best at 5.1 lbs. Damien Mallon boated 13 trout for 25.25 lbs, best at 5 lbs. also on the dap. Noel Fairbanks caught 6 trout for 19.75 lbs, best at 4.75 lbs. on dry mayfly patterns, while Jonathan Frazer had 12 trout for 26 lbs, best at 2.5 lbs. Jimmy Frazer landed 11 fish, heaviest at 5.75 lbs.
The Lough Arrow Fish Preservation Association & District Anglers held their Annual Mayfly Competition on Sunday, 17 May. The event was won by Hillary Mitchell with 4 trout for 12.45 lbs. Damian Mallon was runner up with 4 fish for 7.8 lbs. and Rory Hughes finished in third place with a total of 3 trout weighing in at 6.5 lbs. Best junior angler was Mark Hughes who landed a 1.69 lbs. trout.
w/e 10 May, 2009
River Moy
The Moy system accounted for a total of 72 salmon for the week. Water levels were favourable for most of the week with a moderate rise and subsequent discolouration towards the weekend.
On the Mount Falcon Fishery, Mitch Tunikowski, Dublin, had a 4.4 kg (9.8 lbs.) salmon on spinner, while fishery manager, Stewart Price, landed a 3.6 kg (8 lbs.) fish on worm. Armstrong’s produced a fine 6.3 kg (14 lbs.) salmon for Tom Murray, while Trevor Stewart, Northern Ireland, was successful on Gannon’s where he caught a 3.8 kg (8.5 lbs.) salmon also on worm. Two salmon were reported for the Foxford Fishery: Brian Fozard, UK, had a 3.6 kg (8 lbs.) salmon and Colin Foster, Northern Ireland, caught a ten pounder. Both fish took the worm.
Up river, the Cloongee Fishery produced four salmon for the week, including a 2.7 kg (6 lbs.) fish for Pat Campbell, Ballinasloe, on the worm.
The best of the fishing, however, was again on the East Mayo Anglers Association water. Amongst the successful anglers were Manfred Hartmann, Germany, who had three salmon, on three consecutive days, at 3.5 kg (7.7lbs.), 5 kg (11 lbs.) and 6 kg (13 lbs), all on worm. John Chambers, Northern Ireland, had a 4.9 kg (11 lbs.) salmon on worm. Also on East Mayo, visiting French angler, Vincent Prior, had a 2.7 kg (6lbs) salmon on fly, while local angler, Paul McGrath, Swinford, caught and released a fine 4.5 kg (10 lbs.) fish also on fly.
Lough Conn & Lough Cullin
Very poor weather conditions for most of the week prevented most anglers from venturing out. Only sporadic hatches of mayflies were noticed on Lough Cullin and on some sheltered bays of Lough Conn.
Despite the difficult conditions, some anglers enjoyed reasonably good sport during the week. John Müller, Germany, had a successful week averaging two trout a day, best at 0.9 kg (2 lbs.). All his fish came to Olive imitations and were safely returned to the water. Michael Moore had 2 trout for 0.9 kg (2 lbs.) in Flannery’s Bay and Alex Corcoran, Crossmolina & Galway, caught a salmon at 3.6 kg (8 lbs.) while trolling a Silver Toby near Longford Island. John Warren, Crossmolina, boated 3 trout over a few evenings on the Bibio in Castlhill Bay.
Fishing out of Cloghans, Bernie Scott, Sligo, and Denis Michael, Ballina, had 2 trout for 0.9 kg (2 lbs.), while Dermot Dunne, Offaly and Brendan Levins, Dublin, caught 8 fish averaging 0.45 kg (1 lbs.) over 4 days on the Green Peter.
Pontoon Bridge Hotel had some anglers on the Lake with reports of good numbers of small trout caught and released. Fishing out of Pontoon, James Walker, Claremorris, had one trout at 0.9 kg (2 lbs.) to the Claret Dabbler, while resident Ghillie, Jack Mellet, landed a 0.9 kg (1 lbs.) fish.
Carrowmore Lake & Owenmore River
Conditions were less than favourable for angling on Carrowmore Lake this week. The lake was still discoloured with the result that no fishing took place. However, visiting Swedish angler, Rasmus Lauridsen, UK, caught a fine 5.2 kg (11.5 lbs.) salmon on the Bangor Angling Club water of the Owenmore River.
Lough Beltra & Newport River
On the Glenisland Co-Op side of Lough Beltra, Ben Baynes had a salmon at 3.1 kg (7 lbs.) while Pat Smyth, Dublin, caught one at 4.3 kg (9.5 lbs.) on Lough Beltra West. Both fish were released in accordance with the bye-law which required release of all fish on this system up until 11 May following which the normal regulations apply.
The first salmon of the season was caught on the Newport River by well known angling journalist, Derek Evans. Derek’s bar of silver was estimated at 3.4 kg (7.5 lbs.) and carefully released.
Ballin Lough
The Ballin Lough Fishery produced 18 Rainbow Trout (7 released) for the week. Amongst the successful anglers were: Joe Gibbons & Dermot Berry with 7 trout (6 released), best at 0.68 kg (1.5 lbs.), Robbie Walsh and boat partner with 5 trout, best at 1.3 kg (3 lbs.) and David McAvoy who caught 2 fish, best also at 1.3 kg (3 lbs.). Best flies for the week included Whiskey Fly, Cat’s Whiskers, Muddlers, Black & Peacock Spider and Olive patterns.
Ballysadare River
The Ballysadare system had a reported catch of 32 salmon (15 released) for the week. Water levels remained high for the best part of the week which impacted on the angling activity. However, some fine salmon were landed including a nice 5.4 kg (12lbs.) fish for fly angler, Andrew Pierson and one for Nigel Wilson weighing in at 4.5 kg (10 lbs.). Also on Ballysadare, Geoff Wilson caught and released a ten pounder which fell to the prawn, while Peter Noone released a fish at 4.0 kg (9 lbs.).
Lough Arrow
Fishing picked up on Lough Arrow during the week with prolific mayfly hatches on most days. Good catches of trout were reported by anglers with Ivan, David & Jonathan Frazer catching 12 fish on the dap (8 returned) averaging 0.9 kg (2 lbs.). Also on the dap, Noel Clinton & Peter Lynch had a fish each at 0.9 kg (2 lbs.)
Elsewhere, Gerry Martin landed a nice 1.1 kg (2.5 lbs.) trout, while Joe Gray caught a 1.0 kg (2.25 lbs.) fish. Both fish were taken on dry mayfly patterns.
Week Ending 03 May, 2009
River Moy
The Moy had its best week of the season, so far, with a reported catch of 91 salmon.
The Ballina Salmon Anglers water produced 13 salmon for the week, including a 3.6 kg (8 lbs.) fish for Jimmy Conlon. On Mount Falcon, young John Meade had a very memorable day. The twelve year old youngster caught his first ever salmon on the famous Wall Pool. The fish took a worm and weighed in at 4 kg (9 lbs.). This was the first fish of the season for the Mount Falcon Fishery!
The Foxford Fishery produced 7 salmon for the week, including a 3.6 kg (8 lbs.) fish for Seamus Darby, Westmeath, a 3.7 kg (8.25 lbs.) salmon for Dermott Lavery, Monaghan and a ten pounder for Jim Martin, Northern Ireland. All three fish were taken on worm. Patrick Finnegan, Monaghan, who fished on Gannon’s landed a fine salmon at 4.9 kg (11lbs.) also on the worm.
Further up river, the Cloongee Fishery accounted for 7 salmon for the week. Amongst the successful anglers were Andrew Reilly, Northern Ireland with a 4.0 kg (9 lbs.) salmon on worm and Jez Leech, UK, who landed two fish (4.9 kg & 2 kg) also on the worm. Also on Cloongee, Bruno Harne, Bernard Merzic and Joel Le Beuze, all from France, enjoyed great sport catching salmon weighing between 3.6 kg and 4.9 kg.
The best of the fishing, however, was on the East Mayo Anglers Association water. A total of 23 salmon were reported for the week, including a fine 4.9 kg (11 lbs.) fish for Jimmy Kilcoyne on spinner.
Twelve year old John Meade with his fist ever salmon caught on the famous Wall Pool.
Ballisodare
Ballisodare enjoyed another good week with 53 salmon caught of which 26 were released. The average weight was around 3.6 kg (8 lbs.) but a number of fish over 4.5 kg (10 lbs.) were recorded. Visiting angler, Terry McSweeney releases a 5.4 kg (12 lbs.) fish which took his “Willie Gunn” fly and local angler Josie Trotter had a fine 4.5 kg (10 lbs.) salmon on an Ally’s Shrimp.
Glencar Lough and Drumcliffe river
Glencar produced 8 salmon for the week but there were no fish reported from the outflowing Drumcliffe River.
Carrowmore Lake & Owenmore River
Despite the breezy conditions and a discolouration during the week, Carrowmore Lake produced 4 salmon for the week: Denis Summers, Dublin, caught two salmon at 3.1 kg and 3.6 kg, one of which he returned. The lake also produced salmon for Edward Reeper and Ronnie Mayock
The first salmon of the season was landed on the Bangor Angling Club stretch of the Owenmore River by local angler, Martin Rouland. The fish was caught in the Pound Pool and weighed in at 3.6 kg.
Lough Beltra
On the Glenisland Co-Op side of Lough Beltra, Ben Barnes caught and released 2 salmon at 3.6 kg and 4.0 kg. Anglers should note that Lough Beltra and the Newport River are fished on a “Catch & Release” basis until May 11.
Lough Conn & Lough Cullin
The strong cold winds and high water levels impacted on the angling for most part of the week. As a consequence, only a few anglers ventured out and braved the conditions. The Loughs saw just sporadic hatches of olives and some mayflies in sheltered bays.
Fishing from Gerry Murphy’s Boat Hire, Massbrook, Paddy Hickey, Cork, landed two trout for 1.3 kg (3 lbs.), while John Müller, Germany, had one fish for 0.45 kg (1 lbs.) on a Dabbler. Gary Crossley, Enniscoe - Crossmolina, who was fishing with his brother, had 5 trout over 3 days averaging 0.45 kg (1 lbs.); all to dry mayfly patterns. Fishing out of Cloghans, Susan and Walter Byrne, Cloghans and Offaly, boated 6 trout and Seamus Kelly landed 3 trout for an evenings fishing. Pontoon Bridge Hotel reported 4 trout for the Gerry McDonnell party, Northern Ireland, while Brian Clarke, also Northern Ireland, had one fish for 0.9 kg (2 lbs.) to a Bibio.
The Lough Conn & Cullin Anglers held two competitions over the Bank Holiday weekend. They were fishing against the Dublin Trout Anglers and results for the Dublin Bowl Competition (Saturday, 2 May) were as follows:
1st Padraig Traynor with 2 trout for 2.02 kg
2nd Michael O’Toole with 2 trout for 1.40 kg
3rd John Walsh with 2 trout for 1.34 kg
The Pratt Cup which was fished on Sunday, 3 May was won by Sean Creane with 3 trout for 1.9 kg. Karl Murrin was runner up with 2 trout for 1.47 kg and Joe Moffatt finished in 3rd place with 1 trout at 0.91 kg.
The Foxford Anglers are holding a junior day on Thursday, 14 May for the Foxford Lodge Cup on Loughs Conn and Cullin. Registration is at Brown’s Bay at 5 pm.
Ballin Lough
Ballin Lough enjoyed very good fishing for the week with 25 rods reporting a total of 79 trout, 35 of which were released.
Tommy Brennan and friend had 11 trout (6 released), best at 1.3 kg (3 lbs.) while Vincent Roche, Alan McGurdy and Harry Lloyd caught 12 trout, average .6 kg (1.25 lbs.), of which they released six. Most successful flies included Olive patterns, Cat’s Whiskers, Muddlers and Black & Peacock Spider.
Lough Arrow
Angling on Lough Arrow was rather slow this past week. However, anglers who ventured out reported good hatches of olives with the first mayflies to appear as well.
Karl Murrin enjoyed good sport with 2 trout for 1 kg (2.25 lbs.) and 1.2 kg (2.75 lbs.). Both fish came to dry Olive patterns.
Please note that the Lough Arrow Fish Preservation & District Anglers annual Mayfly competition will be held on Sunday, 17 May. Entries are taken at Brick Pier between 10am and 11am.
Lough Bo
A party of five French anglers had 12 trout, heaviest at 0.5 kg, while the Elliot family, Sligo, landed a total of 4 fish, best at 0.9 kg. John Ferris, Scotland & Boyle caught 1 fish for 0.45 kg. on wet fly and Jim Armstrong, Roscommon, landed 4 trout, best at 0.68 kg also on wet flies.
Doon Lough
Doon continued to produce good numbers of trout to the fly with most anglers catching between four and eight fish for an afternoon of fishing on this productive lake in Co. Leitrim (near Dromahair).