Powell nets first Blackwater salmon

The salmon season on the Blackwater, Munster’s main river, opened on last Wednesday. Despite the best efforts of the hardy anglers who ventured out, no one met a fresh fish.

It would be another two days before the river’s ‘duck’ was broken.

The first springer was taken on the Blackwater Lodge beat on Friday by Ian Powell. Ian caught the 6.2lb fish on spinner at the Jole on Lower Kilmurry. It would have been released, but was deeply hooked. Interestingly, the fish didn’t have sea-lice, so had obviously been in the river for a few days.

The river was already in excellent spinning order with clarity of approx. three to four feet. At 0.78m on the gauge last Friday evening, it would still be high for fly-fishing but it is dropping steadily and should be coming into fly order if the rain holds off.

Many other salmon fisheries opened on the February 1 but conditions were very poor and, with high water levels prevailing, angling was kept to a minimum.

The fourth Irish Winter Shore Angling Festival was fished this year on the beaches at Ballinoulart, Kilgorman and Ballinesker in Wexford attracting a big entry of anglers. There was individual, two man team and four man team competitions including many section wins up for grabs. Dublin anglers David Roe and Ian Knight won most of the main prizes but all anglers enjoyed good sport before the colder weather hit.

In the fly tying world Ciaran Reilly, aged 12, from Loughrea, Co Galway, was adjudged best all-round fly-dresser for 2012 at the Connacht Youth Fly-tying Championships in Loughrea.

Angling guide Michael Flanagan enjoyed good fishing on the Shannon system at Dromod where two anglers took pike to 15lbs on copper spoons. Mick himself, along with well-known angler Barry Darby, fished loughs in the Westmeath and Cavan areas and recorded several high double figure pike.

On the River Suck, near Athleague, Pat Cooper landed pike up to 11lbs mainly on smelt deadbaits. The biggest pike of the week at 26lbs was taken by Jim ‘Red’ McKeever fishing with boatman, Justin Bird on a lough in south Monaghan. The fish was taken on the last cast of the day on a float trolled roach.