That impulse buying of old fishing gear got a hold of me again and I ‘invested’ a tenner in an old American closed faced spinning reel, a Zebco One Classic Feathertouch. I love the look of these reels and have wanted one for a while now so when I saw this one online I madeContinueContinue reading “Feathertouch”
Category Archives: Fishing in Ireland
The wonder of Woolies
I hate shopping. I mean I really, really do hate shopping. There, it is out in the open and you can launch as much criticism as you like at me for my profound dislike of the retail experience. Freud would be delighted to know that I trace this back to my childhood and the traumaContinueContinue reading “The wonder of Woolies”
Level land
I’m healing. Slowly and painfully, but I am recovering. My balance is poor and I stumble like a ten o’clock drunk sometimes, fearful of falling. Mornings are the worst. It is so hard to keep level until the meds kick in and my internal gyroscopes eventually begin to operate fitfully. My days are punctuated byContinueContinue reading “Level land”
Speed of the fly
The question of the speed the fly should travel through the water is one which seems to perplex beginners who are fly fishing for salmon. I know that many years ago when I was starting out with the double-handed rod I read avidly every scrap of information I could lay my hands on to buildContinueContinue reading “Speed of the fly”
Yellow Green Peter
I have written about this pattern before but since it has been working well on Lough Mask this year I thought I would give it another mention. An easy fly to tie, most experienced Irish tyers will have the materials in their collection of fur and feathers. No special techniques are required either, the onlyContinueContinue reading “Yellow Green Peter”
Del Mar drag
I can’t recall exactly how old this reel is. I do remember picking it up at a house clearance in Beith, North Ayrshire and even then it was attached to an elderly glass boat rod. Until this evening I had never separated the two. You see this unpretentious combo have been my Mackerel outfit forContinueContinue reading “Del Mar drag”
Dog days of August
Hallelujah, it finally rained here yesterday. Real rain with proper, fat raindrops that splattered on the tarmac. Precipitation of a quantity we have scarcely witnessed for many weeks. Farmers and horticulturists rejoiced but the anglers in this neck of the woods were the most happy. Now there was the chance of a salmon! Every opportunityContinueContinue reading “Dog days of August”
No macks
The pier at Roonagh is a favourite spot to fish and each summer I try to get over there to spin for Mackerel (macks). The great thing about Roonagh is the views across to the islands, so even if the fishing is slow you can still be captivated by the ever changing vista. Yesterday eveningContinueContinue reading “No macks”
Portacloy
Just for a change there was some drizzle this morning. You could not dignify the gently falling moisture with the title of rain, it was just descending wetness which barely kept the dust down. Today was going to be a good day, today I was fishing in North Mayo. High tide at 2pm meant aContinueContinue reading “Portacloy”
Suspicion
It had to happen sometime and yesterday it finally did – it rained! The heavens opened and it fairly lashed down for the whole afternoon, soaking unwary tourists and flushing the drains and culverts clear of weeks of debris. It remained warm and muggy and the rain kept falling – to the dismay of almostContinueContinue reading “Suspicion”
Claretbumbler 