Angling Reports and News
- Coarse fishing
- Trout fishing [10/01/09]
- Sea fishing [19/10/09]
- Pike fishing [27/10/09]
Coarse Angling
Sea Angling
19/10/09
Autumn Herrings and Wicklow Tope
Photo: Gerry Mitchell with a string of feather caught Herring
Targeting sport fish is the way forward for sea anglers in today’s overfished marine environment. Bass, Mullet, Smooth Hound, and Tope are worthy quarry and more importantly available to specimen size and in good numbers. A planned boat session in search of late season Tope produced a couple of nice surprises for Wicklow anglers Gerry and Dermot Mitchell and Ashley Hayden of the ERFB.
Photo: Tope on the run off the Wicklow coastline, Sunday 18th October 2009
First drop down after Mackerel produced strings of Herring fat with roe interspersed with Mackerel. A slick of oil and scales covered the surface of the sea, with the large shoal literally under the boat, a wonderful sight. Having caught just enough for bait and to eat it was off for the big stuff.
Photo: Ashley Hayden, ERFB, with a 40.lb+ Tope caught off the Wicklow coastline
Tides were big, running four metres, so the initial plan was to drift in the strong south run. With a breeze from the south west slowing the boat lines were more or less straight down. Whole Mackerel on 8/0 Cox and Rawle hooks attached to 200.lb mono running ledgers soon produced the first action. A smash and grab take, calls of lines up, numerous runs and bores away from the boat, resulted five minutes later with a specimen 40.lb+ Tope for Ashley Hayden.
Photo: Gerry Mitchell with a north Wicklow caught Tope, Sunday 18th October 2009
A move to anchor as the tide eased produced more runs, one lost fish, and another beauty for Gerry Mitchell, an exciting end to a cracking day afloat. First class end of season sport which is being repeated right around the coast, from Carlingford to south Wexford, and along the Wicklow shoreline. Indian summers and Tope what a combination.
16/10/09
Dream Fishing at Kilmore Quay
Photo: Norman Dunlop lifts into a powerful fish off Kilmore Quay
The sleepy fishing village of Kilmore Quay in south Wexford has long been recognised as a centre of sea angling excellence. In his book “Salt Water Fishing in Ireland”, Herbert Jenkins Ltd, 1966, Clive Gammon regaled stories of large reef Pollack, hard running Tope, and fighting Bass. Come full circle and Kilmore still exudes quality, with over 7000 fish (many caught and released) landed during the recent IFSA master angler event.
Photo: Josie Mahon ERFB with a reef caught Tub Gurnard
The superb inshore reef fishing around the Saltee Islands tends to divert attention away from other forms of angling available in the area. Not much notice is given to deep sea wreck fishing, yet within twenty miles of Kilmore Quay lie some very large vessels within which some very large fish must reside. With this in mind Failte Ireland funded a survey carried out by the Eastern Regional Fisheries Board to establish just what might be out there.
Photo: Gilling techniques lured this wreck Pollack from 200 foot
Skipper Eamonn Hayes and his vessel “Autumn Dream”, with a motley crew comprising amongst others, Mr Sea Angling Norman Dunlop, specimen hunters Ian Mulligan and John Millerick, small boats king Mike Hennessey, and David Gray from the Daily Star, fished hard over three days to unlock some deep water secrets. Red Gills, Shads, Pirks, and heavy ledgering gear were employed, and the results were promising.
Photo: Ashley Hayden ERFB with a 15.lb Kilmore Quay Ling
Fishing a number of wrecks in up to 250 foot of water large concentrations of fish were found to be present with some fine Pollack and Ling landed. A feature on the third day besides the unseasonal fine autumn weather was the capture of eight pack Tope, capped by a 43.lb specimen for Ian Mulligan. All the fish were tagged and released as part of the CFB tagging programme.
Photo: Ian Mulligan with his 43.lb male Tope, tagged and released to fight another day
Twelve species of fish were caught over three exciting and varied days. Denizens of the deep do exist off Kilmore Quay with fish being lifted out of their wreck home, only to dive unstoppably back to their fishy lair. The door has been unlocked though, and with a further survey planned 2010 looks like becoming a very interesting year for the Kilmore fleet.
Charter Boat:
Eamonn Hayes
Autumn Dream
Web: www.kilmoreangling.com
Accommodation:
The Saltees Hotel,
Kilmore Quay,
Co. Wexford, Ireland.
Tel: +353 (0)53 912 9601
Email: info@hotelsaltees.ie Web: www.hotelsaltees.ie.
01/10/09
01/09/09
Tope run the Co. Wicklow Shoreline
For the dedicated few shore tope are a real prospect off the Co. Wicklow coastline from September through to November if the weather stays settled. Neap tides, a calm sea, darkness, all increase the chances. They do not come easy, but if the time is put in, one night that run will come, and it could be a biggie as fish to 60.lb+ have been landed in recent years.
Photo: Shore caught Co. Wicklow tope. Image courtesy of Sea Angling Ireland website.
Pulley rigs and wire traces, allied to long rubbing leaders are essential. Bait can be whole Mackerel, but equally a fresh caught Whiting, Flounder, or Coalfish will suffice. Casts do not need to be long. 40 – 50 metres could put you amongst the fish. Be prepared for a waiting game. However when that fish hits the memories will last a lifetime.
The image above shows the stamp of tope available off the north Wicklow shoreline. These beaches, a shadow of what they were twenty years ago due to overfishing, are coming into their own now when it comes to targeting tope. The above fish was caught within the last night or two. With a bit of planning and focus a few more reels could be screaming this autumn and early winter.
Trout Angling
12/10/09
Ladies Day at Annamoe
Photo: Glenda Powell demonstrating fly casting techniques at Annamoe Trout Fishery
Annamoe Trout Fishery near Glendalough in Co. Wicklow hosted the second Ladies Fly Casting Day of 2009 in aid of Action Breast Cancer. A fine mild October Day, saw 15 enthusiastic women put through their paces by Glenda Powell of Blackwater Lodge, Co. Waterford. The day consisted of a morning theory and practical session explaining the rudiments of fly casting, followed after lunch by an afternoon fishing for the hard fighting Annamoe Rainbows.
Photo: Glenda Powell and Emma Fortune returning a Rainbow to fight another day
As has been the form at previous events the participants excelled themselves when let loose on the fishery. Within minutes Jo Doran from Co. Wicklow was connected to her first fly caught Rainbow Trout. Four more participants landed fish before close of play, amid many laughs and banter, on what was again a successful and fun day out.
Photo: Ciara Dwyer shows off her catch
All participants have to be congratulated on their generosity with €815.00 raised for Action Breast Cancer. The ERFB would like to thank all the ladies who signed up for the event, and hope that the seeds of a worthwhile pursuit have been sown. Mark Corps of the Central Fisheries Board and Glenda are central parts of the whole day and again kept the interest levels high with their easy going professionalism. Brian Nally and his staff provided a fine lunch and copious amounts of tea, coffee, and biscuits throughout the day. The fishery looked fantastic and the trout fought like demons when hooked. The ERFB is looking forward to next year when it will run at least two more of these worthwhile events.
Pike Angling
27/10/09
Birthday Boy Dean gets 10 out of 10
Birthday boy Dean Singleton had a day to remember when he was treated to a guided Pike angling trip with Mal McLeod of Gate Lodge Angling. On a lake close to Carrickmacross, Co. Monaghan, ten year old Dean caught his first ever Pike, a jack of about 2.lbs. Having crossed that milestone young Dean then proceeded to better his dad by landing a 10.lb+ Pike later in the day. Ten out of ten for that young man.
Photo: Dean, pictured with Mal McLeod, holding up his 10.lb birthday Pike
Should you fancy a day of guided Pike or Coarse angling contact Mal McLeod, Gate Lodge Angling, Carrickmacross, Co. Monaghan, Ireland.
Gate Lodge Angling
Carrickmacross
Co. Monaghan
Ireland
Phone: +353 (0)42 966 1833 Mobile: +353 (0)86 605 0425
Email: info@gatelodgeangling.com
Web: www.gatelodgeangling.com/
20/10/09
The Lure of Pike
Photo: Dutch angler Ben Zayderduijin with an early morning Monaghan Pike
Tourist anglers have been enjoying the anti-cyclonic weather of late. Ben Zayderduijin from Holland spent a few days Pike fishing based in Carrickmacross, Co. Monaghan. Fishing some local lakes with Peadar O’Brien, Ben caught a lot of Pike on lures in the eight to twelve pound bracket.
Photo: Martin from France with a fly caught Monaghan Pike
Martin (no surname supplied) from France fished the fly to great effect while on holiday in Ireland. Targeting Pike, Martin had great sport with fish of the stamp pictured above.
Peadar O’Brien from Carrickmacross guided both gentlemen during their stay.
Contact Peadar
phone: +353 (0)87 926 5867
email: obrienmariapeadar@oceanfree.net