Western Lakes

The recent spell of bitterly cold weather has kept most anglers off the lakes, with just a few boats going out and not much success being reported. I have no reports of fly anglers having any success.

Tomi Kurman of the Corrib Predator Team took a client out looking for big trout last Saturday. Stephen Butler from Waterford was the lucky angler, landing a superbly conditioned ferox trout which measured 78cms, but weighed in at a whopping 14lbs 15oz - smashing Stephen's personal best by over 10lbs! The fish was released after a quick photo.

Stephen Butler with a fine 14lbs 15oz ferox trout from Lough Corrib, March 2013.

For information on guided fishing with the Predator Team guides, contact Tomi Kurman on 085 7318541 or check his FB profile at www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100001817618251, or contact Jacek Gorny on 085 7741578, or check his website at www.fishingireland.pl

Delphi

David McEvoy reported from Delphi on the opening month of the season:

February 2013 was definitely a month of two halves in more ways than one. As you know we had about three months of constant rain (although some people will say it's more like 12). This trend basically continued for the first half of February and then the rain stopped, and I mean stopped completely. For all the world it was like turning off a tap. It got cold and dry as a bone. In the last 13 days of February we had 0mm of rain. Up to the 15th we had 126.1mms or 4.96".

Surprisingly the fishing got better when the rain stopped and the water temperature dropped substantially. The early part of the month we had some good water and what one would call good fishing conditions. While the fishing pressure wasn't huge those that did venture out were experienced and good anglers ( at least that's what they'd like to think!!)

Seamus Heneghan did lose a fish on the first day, and Enrico Fantasia on the 16th. Other than that there were only a couple seen. My own theory on this is that in the early part of the year when there are fewer fish running and you get high water and fairly high water temperatures the fish will generally run straight through and are therefore much harder to pick up in the river. When the water gets lower and the temperatures drop it obviously slows the fish down, therefore taking longer to run the river and then one has a better chance of picking one up.

As was the case last year our low water specialists David Dunne and Alan Molloy arrived when water was low, temperatures were bitterly cold, and the river had had a break of a day or two. The rest is history! David duly landed the first of 10lbs from the Whin pool on the 22nd on a Willie Gunn. The otter then had his, and then Philip Clesham from Aasleagh landed one of 8lbs on the 24th, also in the Whin pool.

That brings our total for February to 2, which although is slightly below the 10 year average, is 200% up on last year. As of this moment in time we are dry as a bone, but I know there are fish in the river and we are expecting some rain later in the week. Then we will of course be inundated with salmon.

To book fishing or accommodation at Delphi give them a call on +353 (0)95 42222 or check the website at www.delphilodge.ie

Galway Fishery

Eoin Trill First Galway Fish 2013.

After a long winter of heavy water, with 16 suice gates open for the last few weeks, water levels finally dropped last week. There are now 4 gates open, and conditions for spring fishing have really picked up. First to take advantage was local angler Eoin Trill, who landed a 5lbs fish on Tuesday the 5th, taking the fish on a float-fished shrimp. The fish was extremely fresh, as evidenced by a good number of sea lice, and in excellent condition. Subsequent scale reading has shown that the fish was actually a very early grilse, having spent just one winter at sea!

I dropped into the fishery lodge at lunchtime today, and was delighted to see a nice group of sparkling fresh springers showing on the underwater camera feed - there were at least 8-9 fish moving around in the top pool, and judging by their size these were no grilse! Its great to see the spring salmon back already, and with conditions so good I would expect to see more fish caught soon.

Sea Angling

The Galway Bay Sea Angling Club was the host club for the All-Ireland Senior Inter-Provincial competition, held over the weekend in the Clifden area. Congratulations to the Connacht team of Peter Atkins, Mike Curtin (both GBSAC), Shane Gilvarry (Newport), Fiachra McKenna (Corrane) andEoin Gilvarry (Killala), who took top honours, the first time for many years that the championship has come west.

Extra congratulations to Shane, Eoin and Fiachra who took 1st, 2nd and 5th individual places, and qualified to fish on the Irish team in the Home Nations competition next year.

I hope to have a full report next week.