Salmon and trout angling | Coarse angling
By Lindsey Clarke
Monday 2nd to Sunday 8th July 2007.
Angling has been excellent on the Drowes this week with large numbers of salmon caught. The grilse run is in full flow now that the river has good water levels. It is heartening to see that the majority of the grilse caught are all good fish in the 4 to 6lb category with a few a bit bigger. Catches are too numerous to list all but among those anglers recording catches were Tommy Carson, Matthew Roper, S. Hooper, Noel McGuigan and Gary Bennett. Fly and shrimp accounted for most fish with the odd one caught on the worm. J. Barton recorded a 9lb fish caught on shrimp.
Melvin was little fished over the week. The sonaghan fishing has been good for those that ventured out after the same. Little angling was carried out for salmon. On Saturday 2 anglers out of Garrison recorded a 5lb grilse caught trolling. At present, the Lough is very high after the heavy rainfall which should encourage the grilse up into the system.
The Eske also received a lot of rainfall for the week which ensured the river was running at high levels all week. This meant that fish could freely ascend the fishery. There was little angling however with only 1 visiting rod fishing. This was David Grant who fished the Lough on Thursday. He had a good days fishing recording numerous Brown Trout and 5 Sea Trout from ¾lb to 1¾lb caught on an Octopus fly from ‘The Ridge’.
We received good rainfall throughout the week which ensured the river had floods throughout the whole week. In fact the complaint was that there was too much water with the river running to high to fish at times! It would be nice if we could spread the water out over the season huh? The gauge average for the week read a huge 0.85 metres! The river was much busier with 32 visiting rods fishing for the week. Good numbers of salmon were recorded. Jody O’Neill caught a 10½lb salmon on a spinner. On Tuesday, Alan Morrow accounted for a 9½lb salmon caught on the spinner from Burn’s Falls. The following day Gary McHugh caught 2 salmon weighing 7 & 7½lb from The Devlin on a spinner. On Wednesday, Denis Gallagher accounted for a 9½lb fish caught on the spinner from The Flag Pool. Albert Johnston recorded an 8lb salmon caught from the Eanymore at Letterbarra on the fly and Gerry McCafferty accounted for a 3lb grilse caught from McGuinness’s Pool on the fly. We are still receiving good rainfall at present and prospects look very good for the coming week.
The Owenea received some nice floods over the week due to good levels of rainfall. In fact the river remained at nice levels all week except on Wednesday and Friday when the river was a little to high for most beats to fish well. The gauge average for the week read a high 0.39 metres. 36 visiting rods fished over the week. There were a number of salmon recorded. On Wednesday there were four salmon recorded caught from beat 3. Three of the salmon weighed 8lb and were caught from the Rockpool and the fourth fish was a grilse 2½lb. Paddy O’Donnell was one of the anglers who caught one of the 8lb salmon and I am awaiting confirmation of names for the other anglers. On Sunday, Barry Gillespie recorded 2 grilse weighing 4lb each caught from beat 9 on the fly.
11 July 2007
Fishing has been reasonably quiet this week with not many anglers in the region. Water levels are high but those who are fishing report good returns for their efforts. The match section on Killykeen has been giving good Bream some up to 6lb. Pegs in front of Eonish Lodge has been producing good weights, mostly Bream with Aghabawn giving mixed bags and some good Bream. Some Pike were also caught on Aghabawn 8-10lb weight. Sean Reilly's shore at the Derries good mixed bags of 70 - 100lb with small Bream and Hybrids. Fishing on Trinity is also reported to be good with Glasshouse and Rockfield giving 50-60lb mixed bags. One English angler fished Killygowan this week and reports 50lb of fish mostly Hybrids and Roach. The River at Belturbet, although water levels very high, is giving good bags of fish mostly big Roach.
The lakes in the Cootehill area are also reported to be giving good bags of fish with Killyvaghan producing mixed bags up to 140lb, some Bream 6lb. One angler fishing Drumlona and bagged 200lb in one day mostly Bream some up to 5lb in weight. Bairds Shore 120-140lb of fish with some Bream 6lb. Annamakerrig 100lb of fish, some Bream and good Hybrids. Sillan mostly Hybrids up to 3.5lb and the odd Bream.
The Northern Regional Fisheries Board presents this web site as a useful guide to salmon, trout and coarse fishing in Donegal, Leitrim and Cavan.