Later than normal, we dropped my boat off at Pike Bay on lough Conn this morning. It is usually some time in late March or early April that my old grey boat is unearthed from the depths of the shed and dragged up to the Conn, but this year the gods conspired against me and here we are in the month of May before the boat got launched. I was away last weekend so the planned date had to be pushed back and as a further complication there is a big charity race on in Castlebar today. That meant a reasonably early start was required so we did all our bits before the roads were closed off.
A beautiful morning with only high, thin clouds in an otherwise azure sky meant there would be no fishing today. I have spent too many long, fishless hours under a blazing sun to want to repeat that exercise, so this morning was confined to the launch only. The road up through the green countryside was a pleasure. Ireland is looking well in the late spring sunshine. We turned off at Healy’s, taking the road to Crossmolina. This piece of road badly needs some attention from the local council, potholes and bumps abound, making the driving unpleasant and tricky, especially when towing a boat trailer. The boreen down to the lake was even worse but we arrived safely and took in our surroundings before beginning the task in hand. With no rain lately the level of the lough has dropped back. The water is still cold though.
The place I tie up the boat was still vacant and there are only a handful of other boats in the bay yet. It will fill quickly now that the first mayfly are hatching though as anglers gather from around the globe to try their luck. Here’s hoping this season will be more productive than last year!
There is a gently sloping gravel bank where it is easy to slip the boat into the water only a few yards from the place she would be berthed, so we set about our jobs and got the boat ready for the water. I donned a pair of chest waders and once the boat was in the lough I hopped in and rowed her around. It felt good just to be back on the oars again.
A shiny new chain was used to secure the boat to a thick tree trunk and she was safely tied up. Gone are the days when a a boat and engine could simply be left on the shore, safe in the knowledge that nobody would touch them. Now there are criminal gangs who target fishing boats and do huge damage to boats to remove any engine which has been left attached. There are stories of the gangs using chain saws to chop the end off a boat to get the engine.
Soon it was time to head back home but there is great comfort knowing the boat is in a safe place and ready for use at any time. With work taking so much of my time these days I only have short sessions available to me. Now the boat is on the lake I can pop up there after work and spend a couple of hours with rod and line.
Conn has produced a couple of salmon so far this season and I hear the trout fishing, while not spectacular, has yielded some nice fish. I’m itching to get out and try it for myself.
Claretbumbler 