So that is Christmas… because the tune goes. Not lengthy now till the large day, and Santa Claus will hopefully be bringing loads of fishing rods and sort out to fortunate anglers, younger and outdated subsequent week. We hope you’ve all been good girls and boys this yr! Tomorrow can also be the shortest day of the yr, and we will stay up for extra daylight and shorter nights to any extent further…
Between the climate and the time of yr, angling studies are a bit skinny on the bottom this week, however we do have some angling tales to report. After which we’ll have a look again at a few of our favorite Catch of the Week studies from throughout 2024, which showcase the standard and number of fishing we have now on our shores. We even have a number of the finest younger rods’ catches of 2024, in addition to a gallery of a number of the finest pictures despatched in to us this yr.
We begin with sea fishing, and the Killybegs Mariners have been having fun with some actually respectable winter seashore fishing of late, with their membership competitors producing loads of flounder and turbot, and different latest outings giving up extra flatties, bass and sea trout.
On the different finish of the nation, Cormac Walsh was fishing with Keith Barry, and the bass have been hypnotised proper out of the water on a nice lure fishing session. Discovering the feeding birds in vary of shore was the important thing, and as soon as they discovered the fish they’d continuous motion for a 40-minute spell. Magic!
There are a few upcoming fundraising angling competitions over the vacations, together with the South Shore SAC charity match, in assist of the Coronary heart Kids Eire charity, whereas Cobh SAC are holding a ship competitors in Cork Harbour to boost funds for the Irish under-21 world boat workforce. Each occasions happen on December twenty eighth.
We have now a unbelievable pike report from Irish Fishing Excursions on Lough Derg, the place a shopper landed a cracking 115cm pike, smashing his PB this week.
To coarse angling now, and perfect circumstances weren’t mirrored within the fishing at Enniskillen, however that didn’t matter to Nick Howell, who had the one bag over 5kgs to win the sixth leg of the Erne Anglers winter league with 7.15kg.
There was respectable fishing at Portumna, the place Munster CAC held the fifth spherical of their winter league, received by Liam with 9lbs 9oz. Elsewhere, Kieran Reevees took the honours at Oaklands within the winter league match there. There have been some good bream and winter tench knocking in regards to the Grand Canal at Enfield, the place Leinster Coarse Fishing Federation held an end-of-year competitors, received by Dean Murry with a very good bag of 15lbs 7oz.
Dan O’Neill is again with the final River Whispers weblog of the yr, and he explores quite a lot of fishing-related matters, together with fly rods for targetng larger species, tying pike flies, and an interview with two younger entrepreneurs with a fledgling bait enterprise. Peter Driver has a spherical up of some stocked trout competitions, and eventually Sean Woods shared an excellent video with most of the highlights from his 2024 salmon season.
Finest Younger Catches
The angling replace this yr featured many younger anglers with their catches, and we wished to characteristic a few of them. A few of these additionally made Catch of the Week, however we’ll characteristic them right here. Beginning with younger Adam, whose uncle Ger Energy introduced him pike fishing again in February, and he landed a superb 20lbs pike.
One other superb pike got here to the rod of Harry Walsh, who landed this superb 30lbs 13oz fish.
Younger Jay O’Halloran was one other junior Catch of the Week winner along with his specimen bull huss whereas fishing with Cobh SAC.
Younger trout angler Jack Reidy additionally featured, profitable the World Youth Lough Open competitors on Lough Melvin, with this unbelievable fish taking him over the road.
Catches of the Week
A glance again at a number of the fish that made Catch of the Week in the course of the yr.
Lough Corrib produced some superb ferox trout within the early a part of the season, on of which was this cracking fish for a visitor of Tomi Kurman.
In April retired professional baseball participant Rick Porcello landed this unbelievable 91cm salmon from Delphi, his first ever salmon too! What a fish, and really sportingly launched once more.
A most uncommon Catch of the Week was made by Gintaras Vosylius, who focused and landed quite a lot of bream as much as 8lbs – on a fly rod! Gintaras was nymphing with mild gear, which makes this catch so distinctive.
Skipper John Fleming had a record-breaking day in July, a day when your correspondent was privileged to be aboard and witness myself. 14 porbeagle sharks to the boat was the headline on an unimaginable day of fishing, with screaming runs and massive sharks slicing by the water throughout the boat at instances.
Newly weds Adam and Alex, from the USA fished with Damien Culliney on Lough Derg, and having already bagged the catch of her lifetime by marrying her husband Adam, Alex went on to bag this week’s Catch of the Week by touchdown a whopping 110cm pike, making an already memorable journey to Eire further particular.
Finest Photographs
A few of our favorite pictures submitted by you over the yr gone previous. With out your contributions we wouldn’t have the ability to share these unbelievable pictures.
Northern Lights Show
And lastly, newbie astronomers, and everybody else who was awake, have been spoiled this yr with two unbelievable shows of the Aurora Borealis, or Northern Lights, in Could and October. This picture from Gavin O’Brien, taken from Inchagoill Island on Lough Corrib, was our absolute fabourite seize from that particular evening in Could.
Stocking Fillers
Lastly, on the run into Christmas, quite a lot of guides, sort out outlets, and so forth, will likely be providing vouchers and reward playing cards that will show to make a helpful stocking filler for the angler in your life. The Irish Specimen Fish Committee Fish Atlas proved a preferred current final yr, and there are nonetheless copies accessible to buy, though .
Skipper Equipment Dunne from Wicklow Boat Charters is providing vouchers that may be tailor-made to your wants. And sort out outlets up and down the nation have vouchers accessible that may make an incredible current for the angler in your life. Store native – assist small companies in your space and make a distinction!
Comfortable Christmas
From all of the workforce right here on the Irish Angling Replace, we wish to give our honest due to all anglers, guides, skippers, mams and dads who despatched us in studies and pictures all year long. With out your content material, these studies can be a lot poorer and we respect your efforts, significantly these bringing younger anglers out and introducing them to our nice sport.
We wish to want all of our readers a really merry Christmas. Keep protected over the vacations, and if the climate permits, we hope you get an opportunity to moist a line!
And Now The Climate
Scattered showers changing into remoted this night, with high temperatures of 8-11C.
Saturday will flip windy, as in a single day ran clears to to the southeast to provide sunny spells and showers, with winds reaching gale power on western and northern coasts and temps of 6-11C. Sunday will begin off windy, with blustery showers, some wintry and winds solely slowly easing. Prime tems of 5-8C.
Christmas week seems to be very gentle for the time of yr, with some rain on Monday adopted by primarily cloudy however dry circumstances for the next few days, and high temperatures of 10-13C. No white Christmas right here so!
Secure fishing to all and tight strains, particularly right here in Eire.
IFI Employees
Catch, Picture, Launch
In case you have an angling story to share with the Irish Angling Replace please ship it to [email protected] and don’t neglect that every one of our fishing studies can be found on our devoted Angling Eire Fb web page.
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