So I used to fish this small lake in county Leitrim for tench. Note the use of the past tense, as this venue had but one stand to fish from, the entirety of the circumference being covered by a 50 yard deep belt of rushes. That rickety wooden stand collapsed into the water a coupleContinueContinue reading “Happy in defeat”
Author Archives: Claretbumbler
Mayfield, parts 1 and 2
Part 1 I fished Mayfield lough in Claremorris earlier this year and caught a nice bag of skimmers and hybrids. With half a tub of maggots to be used up I decided to give the lough another try last Sunday morning. I had to pick up herself in Tuam around lunchtime, so Claremorris was onContinueContinue reading “Mayfield, parts 1 and 2”
Sucking and blowing
Despite the outrageous title, this post is just more musings of a fisherman trying to catch tiddlers on an Irish river. Family stuff meant I was dropping my other half at her sister’s in Tuam on Saturday morning, so being that far down the country anyway I figured it would be rude not to doContinueContinue reading “Sucking and blowing”
You got to move
Mississippi Fred McDowell wrote the blues standard ‘You got to move’ in the mid-sixties and it was famously covered by the Rolling Stones on their Sticky Fingers album. It was one of the first blues songs I learned to butcher on the guitar and it remains a favourite of mine. Todays tale from the watersideContinueContinue reading “You got to move”
Under the midday sun
For once I will not be starting a post by moaning about how cold and wet it is here in Ireland. Instead, we have life-threatening heat to contend with! Listening to the news it sounds as if we are far from the worst to be affected by the unusually high temperatures but it is stillContinueContinue reading “Under the midday sun”
Up in the hills
My initial thoughts for fishing today were centred around tench, meaning a long trip to the Irish midlands. I hummed and hayed about where to go and how long it would take me, before dropping the idea and finding some fishing closer to home for a few hours. Even though I have not been fishingContinueContinue reading “Up in the hills”
Silver Muddler
June has been a tough month so far with the trout firmly on the bottom, gorging on coarse fry. It used to be just baby perch they feasted on but these days it is the hoards of roach fry which keep the fish from showing on the surface. Dry fly anglers may not like toContinueContinue reading “Silver Muddler”
Black Hopper Variant
I’ve been tying and fishing a black hopper for years and it has been a good fly for me on still water. A basic pattern, just a silver ribbed black body, some legs and a black hackle. I guess many of you have the same fly in your own box and like me find itContinueContinue reading “Black Hopper Variant”
Weeds
My first tench trip of the year had ended in disaster with the loss of one very large fish. After much licking of wounds it was time for me to get out there and try for a tench or two again. To give myself a fighting chance I drove down to the royal canal andContinueContinue reading “Weeds”
Missing bites on the border
Lord only knows how often I have driven past Lough McNean. A lifetime of journeys to the north or onwards to a ferry bound for Scotland entailed crossing the border between Northern Ireland and the Republic at the bridge over the river which joins upper and lower Lough McNean. The road passes along the northContinueContinue reading “Missing bites on the border”
