Angling Notes: Fresh availability of Wild Atlantic Salmon

Wild Atlantic salmon are now available at fish counters around Ireland. This salmon comes from sustainably-managed traditional net fisheries on estuaries and rivers around Ireland, where the number of returning salmon allows fish to be harvested, while maintaining a healthy stock of spawning fish for future generations.

The total commercial quota for harvest is 11,131 from a total of 58,599 (angling and commercial combined), which makes it a premium product. These salmon can be regarded as truly organic, having lived life in the wild ensuring firm flesh and high levels of healthy Omega-3 oils.

Salmon conservation measures ensure that only recorded wild salmon, commercially caught within the state, may be sold. As part of the regulations, all must have a valid gill-tag or tail-tag (in the case of imported wild salmon), before processing, and only authorised dealers or commercial licensed salmon fishermen may sell them.

It is not permitted to sell rod-caught wild salmon within the state or sell wild salmon without a valid gill or tail tag attached.

Sean Kyne, Minister of State at the Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment, said: "We all have a duty to ensure that conservation measures continue to be effective. Buying or selling illegally caught salmon jeopardises Ireland's potential to have a sustainable salmon fishery into the future."

Lough Swilly festival

The Lough Swilly Sea Angling festival celebrated its 50th anniversary recently as 60 anglers left

Rathmullan

in glorious weather to fish for either tope or whitefish. Catches over the two days reached 15 varieties in the whitefish section and 102 tope were landed, including two specimens of 19.5kg and 23.5kg.

Two unexpected species turned up – a common skate over 45.3kg and a porbeagle shark, estimated at 90.7kg. All were returned to the sea.

Corney Devlin from Letterkenny won the whitefish section and Belfast angler Fred Mills, for the third time, took the tope section with 13 fish.

Congratulations also to Mark McGreechin from Glasgow who finished second in the tope section. Mark was in a party of eight Scottish anglers who have attended the festival for many years.

Good takings at Ballisodare

Luke O’Connell said the Falls at

Ballisodare

continued to fish very well, with 102 salmon caught, 33 of which fell to the fly, while 65 were taken on worm and prawn.

In the low water and higher temperatures, a small plastic tube skated across the water or fished just slightly sub-surface on a floating line with a long leader proved successful along with small Cascades, Stoat Tails and darker/more traditional patterns. (ballisodarefishingclub.ie).

Fly is king at Galway Fishery

At the Galway Fishery,

James Quinn

reported perfect water levels with one gate open and a big run of grilse giving anglers great sport, in spite of high water temperatures which reached 21 degrees. A total of 65 fish were recorded with a huge number hooked and lost. Only 16 were taken on shrimp, with the rest on fly.

Good sea trout on Moy

On the Moy estuary,

Judd Ruane

said there are plenty of good sea trout being caught between 1kg and 1.5kg with a big run of well-conditioned smaller fish also observed. Fishing sand eel and mackerel strip is the most productive method.

Among the successful anglers on Pegasus were Adrian O'Gorman, Dr Danny Delargy and Alan Mansfield from the UK. Norwegian visitor Marie Rangjord also enjoyed her day, catching six fish with her first seven casts.

To book sea trout fishing, visit fishingireland.ie or call 087-6736969.

Cancer research competition

Melvin fished well for trout despite the bright weather and low water with most rods targeting the sonaghan on deep water drifts. Garrison AC hosted the

Ronnie Cox

Cancer Research Competition which attracted 114 anglers (57 boats). The winning pair,

Darren Maguire

and

Gene Harron

, caught six trout.

angling@irishtimes.com