Lough Corrib

Declan Gibbons reports on a week of unseasonably cold weather and difficult conditions. Olives have started hatching in a number of areas, but fish have been slow to switch on to them, and wetfly and buzzer fishing has been most effective.

The Sergeant Paul Reid Memorial Cup was held in the Greenfields area on Thursday and Friday last, in which 23 rods fished for two days. There were 29 fish weighed in for a total weight 45.10lbs, with first prize going to Declan Conlon, Kildare with 3 fish for 6.1lbs. Mick Bradley (Galway) was second with 3 fish for 5.12lbs, while third prize went to retired Garda and well-known fish botherer Pat Foley (Monaghan), with 3 fish for 5.1lbs.

On Sunday last Cornamona Angling Club hosted their Annual Catch & Release Pairs Competition with all proceedsgoing to a very worthy charity in the Galway Hospice Foundation. 58 anglers participated on the day measuring in 74 fish which were sportingly released back into Lough Corrib. The winning team was Mike Shanks (Kilbride) and Roy Pierce (Cornamona) with 6 fish. In second place was Jimmy Molloy and Stephen Lydon from Cong with 5 fish, while third place went to Barry Molloy (Cong) and Paul Ramsay (Cross) with 7 fish.

The Average fish length was 38.92cms, and the prize for longest fish on the day went to Mike Shanks with a fish measuring 60cms. Best indivdual rod on the day was Jimmy Molloy with 5 fish for 1900 points.

Since 2008 The Cornamona Anglers have raised over €20,000 for the Galway Hospice Foundation.

Basil Sheilds of Ardnasillagh Lodge Oughterard (086-0869758) reports of slower fishing activity the week gone by due to colder conditions and very sparse hatches of fly life, however his guests did manage to winkle out a few trout. Robbie Marshall, Antrim had 1 fish on wetfly, as did Donie O'Loughlin, Shannon and Joe Murray, also from Shannon. Colin Wright, Belfast landed 2 good fish on dries for an estimated 5Llbs.

On Saturday last Ballindiff Bay Angling Club hosted The TAFI Connacht Cup in which 53 rods participated and saw them measuring in 34 trout. The competition was run on a catch-and-release basis.

Top rod on the day went to Collinamuck Angler Mike Keady who caught 5 trout for a total of 3850 points. Second on the day was Anthony Trill with 3 trout for 3120 points, and third on the day was Mike McGrath with 2 trout for 2200 points. The Collinamuck Club won the team category of the competition.

Mike Keady from Moycullen, Co. Galway is presented with the Connacht Cup by Kathleen Reynolds. Pictured at the presentation of prizes were (from left): Eugene Nolan, Connacht Angling Council Competitions Officer, Kathleen Reynolds, Mike Keady and Martin Kinneavey, Chairman Connacht Angling Council. Photo: Michael Donnelly

On Sunday last the Commercial Boat Club in Woodquay, Galway hosted a mixed grill competition with three generations of the O'Toole family taking first place in the trout category - Kevin O'Toole, son Harold and daughter Hazel and Harold's daughter Abbey had 6 fish for 13.86lbs to win the Deacy Cup. There were 14 trout weighed in for a total of 33.8Lbs.

Galway Fishery

Water levels have dropped further in Galway, with 2 sluice gates now open on the weir. Spring salmon are starting to show in better numbers now, with some nice fish caught this week. Long-time visitor Sean McManmon from Kildare had nice fish for his visit, a 9lbs springer and a cracking 12lbs fish. Galway man John McCarthy also had a 9lbs fish on spinner, while local man Eoin Trill landed a 6lbs fish yesterday on shrimp. Cold gusty conditions today are making things difficult, but an improvement in conditions forecast for next week should get things moving better, and with fish running the river the prospects for sprig fishing over the coming weeks is good.