Category Archives: trout fishing

Join the club

On a windy day last weekend I tried fishing lough Aclaureen near Tuam. I failed to register even a single bite there and so headed off to try my luck elsewhere, eventually spending a couple of desperately cold and windswept hours on one of the Castlereagh lakes near Irishtown. On the way there I checkedContinueContinue reading “Join the club”

Small devons

Confession, I found this in my ‘draft posts’ folder. I was simply going to delete it but then thought it was just a saunter down memory lane, so some of you may enjoy the read. Some seriously old minnows We all have them, those tiny metal devon minnows which used to be so popular. I’mContinueContinue reading “Small devons”

Boxing clever

‘And so this is Christmas’ as the song goes. In this house we were not particularly looking forward to it this year but here we are so making the best of it was the order of the day. A little time off work, eating and drinking, snoozing in front of the telly – we undertookContinueContinue reading “Boxing clever”

Late season on Conn

September on the western lakes can be an enigma, days when the trout seem to be suicidal are tempered with ones when they fail to respond in what appear to be perfect conditions. Years ago we could look forward to the last late hatches of olives in some bays and of course a fall ofContinueContinue reading “Late season on Conn”

32 – Episode 12, Fermanagh

Once in a lifetime Fermanagh is synonymous with coarse fishing, period. The Erne system and a wealth of other lakes set like jewels on a cloth of green are a coarse fisher’s paradise. Anglers come from all over to fish the pole or swimfeeder, heaving out impressive bags of roach and bream. Competitions around EnniskillenContinueContinue reading “32 – Episode 12, Fermanagh”

32 – Episode 10, Galway

If I am honest I should have really ticked Galway off right at the very beginning of the ’32’ project as I have caught numerous fish in this county over the years. Sea fishing out of Clifden, mackerel bashing off the rocks in Galway Bay, casting flies for brown trout on the Clare river –ContinueContinue reading “32 – Episode 10, Galway”

Typical day on the Robe

River Robe, April 2021 The signs went up three years ago. Ugly, threatening signs plastered on gates and fences, warnings in red letters. Details of how you would be arrested if you dared to walk by this stretch of the river as it was now under new ownership. Of course, this was the prime stretchContinueContinue reading “Typical day on the Robe”

Sweeney Todd Dabbler

This was a fly I dreamt up a couple of seasons ago but due to the pandemic it has not been tried. It should work but I am taking no responsibility if it is a lemon. I wanted a black dabbler for early season work on lough Conn, something with a bit of bling inContinueContinue reading “Sweeney Todd Dabbler”