THE FRENCH CONNECTION: Last week, Sebastian Traineau and his family from Givrand in France were holidaying across the midlands. I hooked up with Sabastian and his son Jules for a days fishing and we had some wonderful sport catching many perch. It has been a long time since I saw a young angler so excited as he had a few double hook ups on cracking perch. The perch took a shine to orange jigs and small minnow imitations which we dropped down in 40ft of water on Derravaragh. It’s a fantastic way of hooking up with perch and all you need is light spinning gear and a few 4-5oz led bombs to get down on the bed of the lake. Ideally you need calm conditions for perch jigging and it was just right last week for Sabastian and Jules. The Traineau family were staying with Jacinta O’Brien’s Lake Lodge (Self/ Catering) on the shores of Lough Owel and Sabistain is returning to the midlands in the near future with pals for some serious pike fishing.
ENNELL PIKE: Lough Ennell is producing some nice pike as we settle into the winter pike angling. However, it was not easy going last week and the pike were reluctant to grab our lures. Gerry Farrell had a lovely pike of 13lbs on the troll while local angler Bernie Newman also had a nice pike trolling. The day I fished with Gerry Farrell, we did some jerk bait fishing across weed beds but the pike followed up and just turned away at the boat. Although, it should pick up on the pike scene on Ennell, which is also worth a day’s perch fishing. The lakes across the midlands are quite low for this time of year, I reckon the water levels have dropped 2-3ft, so take care if crossing shallow water.
THE IRISH FLY FAIR: The Irish Fly Fair and international angling show takes place on November 12th & 13th in the Galway Bay Hotel in Salthill. Stevie Munn runs this hugely popular event and he tells us that there are 60 of the world’s best fly tyers at this year’s show, along with a huge number of tackle and trade stands that are booked in for the two days. There is also a junior fly dressing competition and fly-casting demonstrations taking place. Doors open on both days from 10am and close at 5pm. For more on this year’s fly fair check out www.irishflyfair.com
MOFFATT CUP: Last Sunday, November 6th, Lough Derravaragh anglers hosted the Philip Moffatt Memorial Cup in chilling conditions. Saying this, it was a lovely bright day and if you were dressed for the weather it was a lovely day to be out and about pike fishing. The competition kicked off at 10:30pm and all boats were due back in at Donore Shore for the 4pm presentation. On the angling scene it was tough going but Liam Gilsenan got his day off to a flying start, landing a pike just minutes into the competition. The competitors dropped into Coolure Shore for the half-time weigh in at 1pm and Liam was in front with a pike of 7lbs 9oz. The wind picked up a little after lunch and boats trolled out in front of Donore, with some venturing into the Roach Hole and spinning shallow water. This proved the winning combination for Jimmy Ledwith Jnr who was fishing with his dad Jimmy Snr. The deadly Multyfarnham duo boated 2 pike with the best being 8lbs 4oz, just piping Liam Gilsenan who took 2nd place and Christy Cox, also from Multyfarnham, who came 3rd with 3lbs 6oz. There was a huge turn out of family friends and relations of the late Philip Moffat, and Tanya Breslin, daughter of the late Philip, presented Jimmy Ledwith with her Dad’s memorial cup.
WEIR CUP & CHRISTMAS PIKE COMPETITION: This Sunday, November 13th, Derravaragh anglers are back in action and up for grabs is the Weir Cup, the club will also run their Christmas competition on the same day. It’s an 11am start with 4pm finish at Donore Shore. These competitions are club events and new members are welcome. Senior membership is set at 25 euro, you will also need an I.F.I. permit, which is 20 Euro per day and the competition entry fee is 10 Euro.
PIKE MANAGEMENT IN WILD BROWN TROUT FISHERIES: We have received a press release from I.F.I. regarding the management of pike in designated wild brown trout fisheries. I don’t get involved in the politics of our angling but here are details from the press release for readers. Naturally this will have a knock on effect on our midland lakes as many are regarded as wild brown trout lakes. “Inland Fisheries Ireland has launched a public consultation on the management of pike in designated wild brown trout fisheries. The Board of Inland Fisheries Ireland has decided to commence a review period of its policies on the management of Wild Brown Trout, Pike and Bass, which were initially developed in 2014. A consultation process will now commence and will focus initially on pike management. Inland Fisheries Ireland recognises the diverse opinions of stakeholders regarding the management of pike in wild brown trout fisheries and welcomes the opportunity to engage on this issue. All interested parties are invited to make submissions which will be comprehensively reviewed and considered by the newly appointed Pike and Wild Brown Trout Policy Review Group. This group comprises of a range of representatives from all disciplines within Inland Fisheries Ireland. Ciaran Byrne, CEO of Inland Fisheries Ireland said: “Over two years ago, we developed policies which have an impact on how we manage the pike species in fisheries which are predominately home to wild brown trout. This review and public consultation period allows us to reflect on those policies and to hear from our stakeholders on their views on this issue. We know there are varied opinions out there and this is the chance for the public to have their say. This public consultation will help inform our future policies and work in this area. Information on the consultation is available at http://www.fisheriesireland.ie/Public-Consultation/public-consultation-national-policy-review-management-of-pike-in-designated-wild-brown-trout-fisheries-3.html or from any Inland Fisheries Ireland office. The public consultation period will run for four weeks until 5pm on Thursday, 1st of December 2016. All submissions must be made in writing and will be published on the Inland Fisheries Ireland website www.fisheriesireland.ie.”
REE INTERNATIONAL PIKE FESTIVAL: Eamon Cunningham from Athlone has sent us the dates for the 2017 Lough Ree Pike Angling Festival. They are the 26th, 27th and 28th April. This has become one of Ireland’s top angling festivals and you are advised to book early. More information, entry forms and rules can be downloaded on www.athloneanglersassociation.ie/pike-festival . Lough Ree has also produced some cracking pike for Trim anglers Larry Kelly and Tommy Rispin in recent weeks, and is worth a trip in November.