Moy has best week of season

A TALE of two rivers — despite a poor run of grilse to the Irish coast, the River Moy enjoyed its best week of the season with 626 salmon reported for last week bringing the season total, to date, to 3008, which is down 33% on last year catch.

The Munster River Blackwater was always classed as second to the Moy, due to its quality of salmon angling. However, this year has continued as last year, with little or no grilse in the river. Anglers and tourism interests blame the usual main suspect drift nets off the coast intercepting the salmon before they reach their home rivers to spawn.

An added complication on Munster's main river was the closing of the salmon catchery and hatchery some eight years ago on health and safety grounds. It's estimated that it takes approximately four years from fertilised ova to a grilse returning from the sea, therefore two four-year cycles have now been missed.

Unless the catchery and hatchery problems are addressed it seems that this will be another nail in the coffin of Munster's once world-renowned salmon fishery.

About 60 sea trout were reported from the Moy Estuary with most of these coming from the Point Beat of the Moy Fishery and the Black Banks/Ice House area. Further down the estuary, fishing was again disrupted by strong northerly winds.

Strong gales and thunder showers resulted in few anglers being out on the Conn last week, but those that did venture out caught trout, with 31 fish reported.

Fr. Arthur Devine had a 7.5lb salmon on Newport River, while James O'Hora had an 8lb salmon from Lough Beltra East.

Despite an algal bloom which has disrupted angling in recent weeks, Carrowmore Lake produced five grilse for the week.

There was a nice show of grilse on the Ballisodare River last week and 291 fish were recorded for the week with the bulk of these taken on worm. However, some were caught on fly and local angler Sean Maye had a fine 11lb salmon on the fly which he returned. Young local angler Luke O'Connell, had 3 grilse, with the best weighing 5lbs.

Four peel were landed for the week on the Bandon, averaging 3lbs to 5lbs each. Sea trout fishing is poor given the time of year, but this is to be expected because they would have run through the system in the last spate. Brown trout fishing is good.

On the River Lee 15 to 20 salmon/peel were landed for the week, average weight 5lbs. Best angling method was shrimp.

Two salmon were landed for the week on Laune Muckross Fishery Beats 1 & 2. Beat 31 grilse of 5.5lbs landed by a visiting angler on a fly.

Four salmon were landed for the week on Killarney Lakes. Two salmon were landed for the week on the Flesk.

The 1st of July produced a nice rise in water levels on the River Blackwater (Kenmare) and 15 salmon were landed between Friday the 1st and Sunday the 3rd. Best salmon was 10lbs, landed by Dermot O' Connell, Cork, on a worm. Fish are now coming off every tide.

Mostly fishing trout on the Laune salmon and trout anglers, due to water levels.

Salmon anglers on Galway Weir accounted for 80 fish last week, with 42 fish taken on the fly, and shrimp taking most of the rest. Grilse averaged about 5lbs., although there were a number of fish to 7 and 8lbs landed. The best day was last Wednesday, when 24 fish were caught.

A good drop of rain brought the Bunowen and Carrowniskey rivers into perfect fishing order. A good run of grilse has been seen in the Bunowen, and fishery worker Bruce Lennie landed a nice grilse on Monday evening, his first from the river.

Corrib was very quiet over the last week, with very little fly life and very few anglers out. Fishing was quiet enough on the Mask last week, with thundery conditions prevailing. Small hatches of sedge and buzzer were observed, although few fish were moving to these, with trout presumably feeding on fry. A total of 23 rods caught 34 trout for 44lbs in 57 rod-days, with the best fish at 3.5lbs. Fishing picked up towards the weekend, with a fair movement of fish to the fly at the southern end of the lake, and some had reasonably good fishing.

Carra was very quiet last week, with small sedge hatches of sedge at times. Only seven anglers made returns, with just one trout reported in seven rod-days. With sedge hatches appearing, fishing can only improve in the coming weeks, with evening time the best.