The government have decided that travel outside of your own county will be permitted between 18th December 2020 and 6th January 2021. A lot will depend on the weather but if there is a dry spell I am plotting a couple of short fishing sessions. Initial thoughts are that I might try the Ballinamore canal in Leitrim which could throw up a few roach. The Rinn river, also in Leitrim, might also be worth a try as the roach move up into it seeking warmer water around this time of the year. Failing that, I will try a shore mark in Galway in case some whiting are in. It is all a bit sketchy right now but I need to give myself some hope of getting out with rod and line soon.
I have exhausted all the small tasks of cleaning, lubricating and repairs and badly require some time on the bank now. I will have to figure out where I can get some bait before next Friday though. Nobody around here stocks maggots or worms at this time of the year so I think it will mean me digging around in the garden to see if I can locate a few worms. I have not done that since I was a kid! I have read that bread can be an effective bait for roach but have never tried it. Maybe next weekend will see me slinging bits of loaf into a swim.
If, and this is a very big ‘if’, the weather is very good I might risk the long trip down to Athy in county Kildare to fish the marina there. During periods of high water the marina apparently fills with fish seeking shelter from the fast flowing river Barrow. It would certainly tick off another county from me in my rudely interrupted task of completing all 32 counties, if I could tempt a roach or a perch down there.
Talking about the 32 project, I have spent a fair chunk of the lockdown researching possible venues across the country and I now have a list of places I want to fish in every county. In most cases I have two or more options. During this process I also unearthed a lot of fisheries in counties I have already visited, giving me a useful database to work from even once I have completed all 32. Tapping the keyboard is little compensation for not actually fishing but it has provided me with some comfort knowing all this angling lies ahead of me over the coming years.
Let’s wait and see what the weather does but I am hopeful of managing a few casts soon.
Update- Out of all those ideas I only managed one outing, to Westmeath for some canal fishing. The lockdown was re-introduced early of course and level 5 restrictions are in place at least until the end of January.
Claretbumbler 
There’s is nothing quite like maggots for confidence, but on its day bread will work. The crack anglers will steer you to bread punch on a small hook butt I err to flake and use a 10 or 12 as the bread masks the hook. Personally i think the cheapest most inedible white sliced stuff works best as flake. The best videos I know of for using flake are Graham Pullen’s TA Fishing You Tube videos – he’s as mad as a box of frogs, but nevertheless talks sense. Maybe not ideal in Winter but a couple of grains of pearl barley on a 16 and a few grains as loose feed may work and has the advantage of being cheap, available and clean to use. Soak some pearl barley over night, ideally in a thermos, with boiling water and some turmeric and it will suffice as a back up and no great financial loss if it doesn’t work! If you are interested I can find some precise amounts and directions on a message board.
However, you know how poor my results are so ignore all the above!
I’m pleased to see the Irish Government have reached the same conclusion as the UK’s – that Covid-19 will call a truce for Christmas and arrange a footie match for Christmas Day. Our Government are likely to escalate London in to the strictest tier next week and then relax into a virtual free for all over Christmas. So I’ll see your incompetents and raise you …
Clive
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Ha ha! I must admit I look on in amazement at the Johnson government in the UK and wonder how the hell such incompetent people make it in positions of power. many thanks for the advice on pearl barley, I will give that a try for sure. I have read elsewhere that turmeric is a good additive. Seems the same goes for salt too in the winter. My concern is really going to be finding the roach as all the waterways are interconnected and the fish could be anywhere. A local angler told me the roach shoal up in late autumn and seek out the warmer parts of the systems. I love watching mr. Pullen’s videos, a real character but also some brilliant advice. Nice to see someone who obviously loves his fishing and isn’t pushing the latest expensive tackle. Hope you and yours are keeping well over the Clive.
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