Clare angler Eddie Corry got a big surprise recently while fly fishing on Lough Cloon with angling partner Brian King. Situated deep in the Kerry mountains, Cloon is primarily regarded as a salmon lough, however, it also holds a good stock of ‘small’ mountain trout.
While drifting along the western shoreline, he got a powerful ‘take’ with the fish taking off at breathtaking speed. It wasn’t until it surfaced close to the boat that all was revealed. A beautiful brown trout of about 8lb which opted for his homemade wetfly Black Dabbler.
“I thought it was a salmon as it gave me a terrific fight and I was delighted to get it back safely into the water to grow even bigger,” he said.
Eddie is a keen salmon angler. So far this season he has fished Carrowmore Lake, the rivers Feale, Blackwater, Galway Weir and the Moy with great success. He also excels on the trout front and regularly features on the prize board.
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The trout has been entered into the Southside Angling Centre monthly Facebook draw for the best fish across all facets of the sport. The prize consists of a €125 voucher for seniors and €60 for juniors.
Fishing permission for Lough Cloon can be obtained from the fishery manager, Upper Caragh Fishery, Glencar, Co Kerry. Email: uppercaraghmanager@msn.com or 087-2213 835.
Might be a snag
Fishing with four others in a team tournament on Lake Superior in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula last month, Chris VanEvera hooked into a huge lake trout that he initially thought might be a snag.
“It took a few minutes to get the planer board into our boat, and when I did, and could feel the fish directly, I knew it was a good one,” VanEvera told Outdoor Life. After a 35-minute battle, he landed the fish that tipped the scales at 38.15lb.
“Lake trout are generally slow-growing, but long-lived, which means that populations are susceptible to overfishing,” Orvis News reported. “They reach maturity at 6 or 7 years, commonly live in excess of 25 years, and have been recorded up to 60 years old.”
The trout wound up being the biggest caught in the Keweenaw Bay Classic Fishing Tournament and worth $2,400 (€2,400) in prize money. Plans are already afoot to have the fish mounted. .
While VanEvera’s lake trout was no doubt massive, it fell far short of the Michigan record of 61.5lb, also caught in Lake Superior in 1997.
Nutrient pollution
Natural Resources Wales (NRW) has increased its monitoring capacity on the River Wye catchment in a bid to reduce nutrient pollution.
Supported by the Welsh Government, NRW has invested in a suite of automatic monitors to be installed at six key points on the river and its major tributaries.
Known as sondes, the meters will record temperature, oxygen levels, nitrates, algae and pH at 15-minute intervals, providing vital information on the quality of the water.
Gavin Bown of NRW, said: “With the installation of the sondes, we will better understand how nutrient levels affect the Wye both on a catchment and local level and then work together with policy makers, businesses, land managers and residents to protect the rivers.”
Line for Autism
After a two-year lapse, Dorrie Gibbons will again run the popular ‘Cast a Line for Autism’ competition on Loughs Corrib and Mask this Saturday (23rd July), with all proceeds going to the Irish Guide Dogs and St Anthony’s Special School in Castlebar.
Anglers have the choice between the two lakes to dap or wetfly and need to organise boat arrangements and fishing partner.
Registration begins at Lydons Lodge Hotel in Cong from 8.30 to 10.30am with fishing 11am to 6pm and back for 7pm to Lydons for weigh-in. Entry fee is €50 per angler.
There are lots of fantastic prizes on offer and finger food will be available at weigh-in. Please do your best to take part in supporting this worthy cause.
If you have an angling story to share, please send to me at angling@irishtimes.com
