Essex boy Sudders steals the show with a magnificent pike taken on Lough Conn

ANGLING reports to hand suggest the improvement in the weather prompted a few hardy souls to venture out, many for their first outing of the season. While pike angling is still at a premium with a huge number of double-figure fish recorded, sea and coarse angling is virtually at a standstill.

On the game angling front, salmon and to a lesser degree trout, are beginning to show at the early-season fisheries around the country. The Blackwater Lodge recorded its first salmon and the Drowes, open since January 1st, now boasts almost 12 springers.

French connection
Blackwater Lodge proprietor Ian Powell brought Charles Quesada from France to the Lower Kilmurry beat below Fermoy last week for his first day salmon fishing. "Conditions weren't great due to the heavy water but at least the clarity was almost three feet," Ian said. On his last cast, Charles landed the first salmon of the season from the Blackwater system, a fresh chunky fish of 2.7kg which was safely released. The spinner had fallen out in the net!

First salmon
On the Drowes it was another wet and windy week and while a number of rods did fish, many await the river to drop from the high water levels of the past six weeks. John Parkinson recorded his first salmon this season at Kelly's on a Rapala lure. Another three were hooked and lost, one at the net.

Last Monday Paul McCausland caught a 3.2kg fish on worm from the Mill Pool and Colin Gardiner landed one of similar size on a Firetiger Rapala from the Sand Hole.

Trolling on the shore
The few boats that ventured out on Lough Melvin between wind and rain allowed Noel Johnston time to catch a salmon while trolling along the Garrison Shore.
Early season brown trout
Lough Conn produced some fine early season brown trout during the past week.

Among the successful anglers were John Burke, Foxford and Ballina angler Joe Quinn who caught a fine 1.5kg trout along Brackwansha Shore on a Fiery Brown, while John’s fish of 1.1kg fell to a Green Peter near Glass Island.

Other successful anglers included Peter Roche, John Walsh, Stephen Brown and Bernard Breslin with trout between 0.5kg and 1.1kg from the Cloghans area.

Essex boys' pike action
Angling guide Kenny Sloan reports some excellent pike action from the Foxford area. Visiting Essex anglers William Sudders and Graham Applegate fished a number of waters including Loughs Conn and Cullin and Levally Lake but heavy showers and squally winds made for difficult angling conditions.

Fishing a range of methods including fly, wobbling, lure casting and trolling paid off. The two anglers caught a total of 15 pike but it was 15-year-old William Sudders who stole the show with fish of 5.4, 6.4, 8.2 and a personal best of 9kg on his Super Shad Rap C.H. and Salmo Sweeper H.P. lures.

Wet Duckfly
The wet Duckfly (below left) is the only duckfly pattern Jimmy Tyrrell ties for his fly box as there is normally a call for it in both wet and dry-style. The pattern can be easily altered to imitate the dry fly by simply changing to a stiffer hackle.

The duckfly hatch starts from mid-March into April and great sport can be had with the right fly on the day. “Local knowledge is important as hatches tend to occur only on certain parts of the lough,” he said. See irishflycraft@ gmail.com or 086-845 1257.

Dundalk agm
At last weekend's annual general meeting of Dundalk Salmon Anglers' Association, it was agreed to reduce this year's membership fee to €80 until May 1st, with €50 added after this date. With five miles of excellent salmon, sea and brown trout fishing on the Fane River from the sea to Knockbridge and with a five-year average of 219 salmon, this is excellent value.

The Tac allowance on the river is 411 salmon and sea trout (over 40cm). Membership details and application forms are available at dundalksalmonanglers.com.

angling@irishtimes.com