Bank holiday blues

Bank holiday Sunday came around again so quickly. This year is flying by, each successive month whizzing  past faster than the last one. The decision where to fish yesterday was taken on the back of reports there were salmon sneaking up the river Moy and that the first of the grilse were being caught alongside the springers. Surely some of these fish would swim into the lough!

Throwing back the bedroom curtains early on Sunday I was not a little surprised to find a dull, breezy day. The forecast had promised wall-to-wall sunshine and our plans had centred on a day trolling, not fly fishing. To cover all the bases some fly rods were tossed into the car and we rolled out of town.

It has been dry lately so the boat did not require much baling but we took an age to load it up with all manner of gear and tackle. Eventually we pushed off and started the engine. Three lines streamed out behind us as we swung south, hugging the shoreline.

We stuck to our guns and trolled the lies along the western shore. If the fishing was good we would expect to be jostling for position with upwards of twenty other boats but only two others were out. Clearly the salmon were not there in any numbers.

With no signs of life by the time we reached Mary Robinson’s we switched to the fly, working the bob fly over the excellent lies close to the shore there. Ben had a small trout which somewhat ambitiously grabbed a size 6 shrimp fly. Otherwise it graveyard quiet.

The extensive shallows were then trolled again. Another boat joined us but they were blank too.

By now it had become very bright and we decided to head for the shore and a welcome cuppa. I had a pleasant walk along the shore to stretch my legs.

At this time of the year the trees should be home to a wide variety to flies but everything is so late due to the cold spring that there were no olives or sedges to be seen when I shook the branches of the birch and whitethorns.

The low scrub at the very edges of the water are hardy plants. Covered by water in winter then dried out in summer, they cope with everything nature throws at them.

I spotted an old float and some line tangled up in the scrub and a few minutes work had it freed, along with a small piece of lead and a sharp bait hook.

I just went as far as the small river which flows into the lough mid-way along the bay. It doesn’t look much but salmon spawn in this tiny tributary.

The shore was littered with the bleached shells of Zebra Mussels. This small invasive species are present in their millions on the bottom of the lough. Who knows what the long term effects will be on the eco system.

With poor conditions and no sign of salmon we lazed in the sunshine. I spent some time rooting through my reels, checking/changing leaders. This is a chore I had been putting off so it felt good getting it out of the way, perched on a rock in the brilliant sunshine.

Time to get back in the boat and we opted to troll our way back up the lake. Toby spoons were replaced with Rapalas and we slowly motored out across the Massbrook shallows, passing one lonely boat with a pair of flyfishers methodically casting into the shore.

All our efforts came to nothing and we came back fishless. What is more worrying is that we did not see a single fish jump all day. Usually, salmon and grilse show frequently when they arrive in Lough Conn, so it looks like they are not in the lough in any numbers yet.