July 2021 – Claretbumbler

Tinca time

Awake in the early morning I twitch the curtains open a fraction to check the weather. Bright and calm, well that’s no use! I turn over and close my eyes again for another hour of fitful sleep. The alarm jolts me out of slumber and I pull on some clothes before opening the curtains. LoContinueContinue reading “Tinca time”

32 – Episode 15, Dublin

Part 1, June 2021 ‘And that auld triangle went jingle-jangleAll along the banks of the Royal Canal’ Dublin. The Irish sea to the east, the mountains of Wicklow to the south and the rich farmlands of the pale to west and north. The depressingly inevitable scatter of commuter belt towns encircling it. Capital of theContinueContinue reading “32 – Episode 15, Dublin”

Silver daddies

The silver daddy is an iconic west of Ireland pattern that can be used for salmon, sea trout or brownies. Of course, this being Ireland there are dozens of variations of the fly and it feels like every tyer has his or her twist on the pattern. The basics of a silver tinsel body andContinueContinue reading “Silver daddies”

Acre’s Lake

The hot sun continues to beat down on Ireland so all game angling is on hold for now. With a bit of time on my hands today I decided to head for Acre’s Lake near Drumshanbo in county Leitrim to fish the deep water there in the hope of catching a few bream. Acre’s usedContinueContinue reading “Acre’s Lake”

32 – Episode 14, Laois

Good god, what was I going to do about Laois? As far back as the end of last year I had been looking for a suitable venue there. No major loughs, no coastline, little in the way of rivers either. No canals for me to gently float some maggot down. No hill loughs or rushingContinueContinue reading “32 – Episode 14, Laois”

Fishing in hot weather

By hot weather I mean hot by Irish standards. Anything above 20 degrees is classed as ‘hot’ here in Ireland which is pretty laughable in many parts of the world. We usually get a few days of hot, dry weather at some point during the summer and we are basking in the mid-twenties right now.ContinueContinue reading “Fishing in hot weather”

Lock 13

I like the Ballinamore canal. It is stuffed with fish for one thing and due to the wrecked tourist season it is pretty quiet meaning I can fish with relatively little disturbance from passing boats. Today I tried a new spot for me at lock 13 about half way between Leitrim Village and Keshcarrigan. ThursdaysContinueContinue reading “Lock 13”

Just add water….

Warning! Those of a sensitive nature are advised to skip this post. I found this place by searching maps of the backcountry of Leitrim. Narrow roads twist through lush green fields and every now and then a small lake can be found, tucked out of sight from the road. This was one of those lakes,ContinueContinue reading “Just add water….”

Lovely Leitrim

I needed a break from the long distance ‘32’ fishing trips. Between them and the recent trip to Scotland I had been clocking up some serious miles lately and I wanted something a little less strenuous for a change. A few grilse are being caught in my local rivers but not in huge numbers despiteContinueContinue reading “Lovely Leitrim”