Atlantic Salmon Fishing Reports from Ireland's Cork Blackwat

[bwlodge]

The First Springer is Caught on the Blackwater Lodge beats

Lodge regular Gavin Wishart from Newcastle, Co. Down came down to celebrate his 40th. birthday
this weekend & scooped the First Salmon of the 2010 season to be caught on the Lodge Fishery.

He was fishing on March 6th. with gillie Connie Corcoran on Ballinlovane and took the fish on Flying C at Cloonbeg.
The fish would have been released, but was bleeding from the gills so had to be kept.
The cast before he lost what they both believe was another springer, so there were definitely a few about.
It was hardly surprising that it took us until now to catch a fish as there were only 64 rod days
for the whole month of February. There would certainly be more springers caught if there were
more rods out on the river each day.

Prospects
There are more fresh fish being seen in the river in the last few days.
The river is in absolutely cracking order at the moment - even for the fly.
0.44m on the gauge so perfect fly height & clarity a good 4 feet.
The weather forecast (Metcheck) looks dry for the next 2 weeks apart from about 6mm on the 15th.
Daily Updated Fishing Report: http://www.ireland-salmon-fishing.ne...hingreport.htm

[bwlodge]

The Second Springer is Caught on the Blackwater Lodge beats

Bass fishing guide Michael McCormack from Wexford with the second fish of the season from the Lodge beats. It was sea-liced & weighed in at 10.2lb.
It was taken on Silver Bullet on the Green Bank on Upper Kilmurry.
Michael saw 3 or 4 more fresh fish as well during the day.
He was the only rod out on the river today - one springer for one rod day cain't be bad!
For the latest info: Fishing report page http://www.ireland-salmon-fishing.ne...hingreport.htm

[bwlodge]

Third Springer is caught on the Blackwater Lodge beats
The third springer of the season was taken on Sunday, March 14 by Larry Sheridan (Dungarvan) who gillies for the Lodge.
He released the fish which weighed about 12lb & was taken on black Flying C at the top of the Island Stream on Kents.
It didn't have sea-lice but very fresh. He saw a couple more springers there as well.
Unfortunately no picture as he doesn't carry a camera with him.
The river is now at summer level - 0.36m on the Ballyduff gauge. Perfect fly order.
Lots of kelts being caught on flies as small as size 8.
For the latest info: Fishing report page http://www.ireland-salmon-fishing.ne...hingreport.htm

[bwlodge]

Flood moves fish from tidal water!

This is the water level situation at Ballyduff in the last few days.
The small flood on Tuesday put the river out of order for a couple of days as it became very coloured.
By Friday it was improving and 3 fish were lost on the Lodge beats.
On Saturday June 12), four fish were caught - 3 on spinner & one on fly.
The best (~12lb) was caught & released by Ray Burns on Upper Kilmurry on spinner.
On Sunday, June 13, there were 3 grilse taken on the fly. Clarity is now a good 3 feet.
Seven fish in total for 14 rod days in the last two days.
There has been a significant increase in the number of fish moving through the lower beats since the flood.
I'm also hearing about some grilse & salmon being caught up in the Mallow area.
For the latest info: Fishing report page http://www.ireland-salmon-fishing.ne...hingreport.htm

[bwlodge]

The Best Ever July Catch
in terms of Fish Caught per Rod Day


On Sunday, July 25th., Mossy McElligott (Tralee) caught the Best Fish of the Season
with a 12.4lb on fly on Ballinaroone & his fishing partner Tim Quinlivan also had two on fly of 11.9 & 9.1lb.
Tim's largest was also the second heaviest weighed fish this year.

The month of July produced 169 salmon for a total of only 183 rod days.
This is the sixth best total for the month since I took over the Lodge at the beginning of 1986.
It is the best catch for the month since the year 2000, when 263 were caught for 750 rod days.
It also includes the two Best Fish of the Season which were both caught on fly on the same day
on Beat 3 - Ballinaroone by Mossy McElligott (12.4lb) & Tim Quinlivan (11.9lb).
There have also been at least four very large fish lost in the second half of the month.

The table below shows the figures for the six best months of July.
Only the all-time record year of 1992 (when 1511 fish were taken) has a comparable catch per rod day!



Total catch for the season to date is 219.


Take me home, Mum! Our seven year old son Ian heads away
after an afternoon on the river with his famous mum Glenda on July 18!

Current Situation
The river is still fining off slowly from the small floods on July 19 & 23.
It is now @ 0.18m on the gauge with ~5 feet clarity.

Once again there is a huge buildup of fresh fish in the tidal reaches & a good number are running into the main river.
Some of the lower beat - in particular Kents & Lower Kilmurry - are hold a good head of fish.

Prospects
With predominantly dry weather for the coming week, the river remain at summer level.
There are plenty of fish running - both hefty grilse & larger summer salmon.

For all the very latest information please see the Blackwater Lodge Fishing Report page on :
http://www.ireland-salmon-fishing.ne...hingreport.htm

[STONE]

Springer are a great fighting and tasty fish to catch! nice fish

[bwlodge]

2010 Salmon Season Report from Blackwater Lodge
Finally, I have completed a report on the 2010 Season on Blackwater Lodge Salmon Fishery. This can be found on:
ireland-salmon-fishing.net/FishingReport/Old/2010/2010season.htm

For more detailed reports by Month please go to:
ireland-salmon-fishing.net/FishingReport/Old/2010/2010monthly.htm

2010 Season Highlights

...............................Season Total: 652 for 1,342 rod days (0.49 fish/rod day).
....................................July Total: 168 for 183 rod days.
.................................................. ......(The Best July since 2000 when 263 were caught for 750 rod days)
...............Best Day of the Season: September 26 - 26 fish to 16lb.
...............Best Catch for One Rod: Eleven fish on September 21st.
......Number of First Ever Salmon: Thirty-five in total for the season.
Proportion of Fish Caught on Fly: Second Highest Ever for the Total 2011 Season.
.................................................. ......Highest Ever for the months of May & June.
.................................................. ......Second Highest for the month of September.
.................................................. ......Fifth Highest for August.
.................................................. ......Eighth Highest for July.



The Draft Proposals for the Wild Salmon & Seatrout Tagging Scheme Regulations for the 2011 Season
were issued on Friday, November 19.

The quota for the Blackwater has been raised to 5,859 from the 2010 quota which was 5,054.

The number of tags for the spring (February 1 to May 11) has not been confirmed yet.
Last year, it was one tag for the Blackwater but this was only announced in a Byelaw issued on December 17, 2009
so we are still waiting to hear if it will be one or three tags.

The Huge Run of Fish continues

I was talking to Fishery Board staff at the excellent Irish Fly Fair in Galway last weekend
& got the latest on the runs of fish into the Blackwater.
There were reports of 7,500 fish that had run into the river in the 8 days from October 27.

Just before the Fair on the weekend of November 13/14, this figure had jumped to over 15,000....................!

This bodes well for our future stocks of salmon.

[bwlodge]

The Second Salmon of the Season caught at Blackwater Lodge

Only 2 rods out on the river yesterday.
Tony O'Keeffe from Mallow was fishing at Kilmurry with his father Dan
and caught this 6.6lb. fish on Flying C on the Island Stream on Lower Kilmurry.
Sea-lice can be seen in the picture - two on the top of the tail and one below the adipose.
There were more on the back & the head of the fish. They also caught a few kelts.

There was a couple of rods out on Friday that also caught a few kelts,
but also saw a fresh springer show that they estimated at 15-20lb. - also on Lower Kilmurry.

The upper river had a slight (5cm) rise yesterday.
Occasional light rain in the upper catchment had been responsible,
and this has meant that the lower river has held it's level at 0.85m.


The level is currently too high for good flyfishing,
needing to be below about 0.6m to be able to wade and fish comfortably.
The weather forecast now looks as if we can expect a dry spell of at least a week.
This should ensure that the level will come down to fly order.
When it will be very interesting to see how the upper beats from Ballyhooly to Mallow will fish.

[bwlodge]

The Great Spring Fishing continues......!

Despite the fact that there have not been many anglers out fishing and the water has been very low for much of the spring, we have had remarkable success.

February: 5 fish caught in total, all between February 3-14 for only 30 rod days.
Joint Best February total since 2004 & joint Second Best total since 1994.

We took four fish for March for a total of just 43 rod days, which was a remarkable achievement as for most of the month the river was at summer level & we were basking in unseasonally bright sunshine.

April gets off to a Great Start!
Despite extremely low water in the first week of April, four springers were landed in 3 days for only 7 rod days in total.


We have had just one day so far this season when two springers were landed - by two different anglers
- which was February 5th. Yesterday (April 3) was the first day this year where one angler has landed
two fish in one day - and they were both on fly on two consecutive casts!
Kieran Conlon (Cork) managed to get away for only his second day fishing so far this season,
& I sent him to Lower Kilmurry on a cold blustery day with a NW wind & air temps from 7-10ºC.
Just before lunchtime he caught and released a lovely sea-liced fish on a Silver Grey tube fly
right up at the head of the Island Stream in the fast water - no surprise as water temp is now just above 52ºF.
This was his first springer of the 2012 season.
More surprising was the fact that he went back into the water & the very next cast caught
a second sea-liced fish from the very same spot. Both fish were like peas in a pod.
The second fish (above) was weighed in later at the Lodge at 8.3lb.
Kieran saw a number of other fish throughout the day.


John Lalor (Cahir) caught this 6lb sea-liced fish on fly on April 4th. This was his first fish for 2012.


Joe Tynan (Kildare) caught this 8.4lb. very fresh fish on spinner on April 5th. It was his First Ever Salmon!
It didn't have sea-lice but they had only just fallen off it.
It is one of the earliest ever recorded First Fish on the fishery!

The First Grilse of the 2012 Season is Caught!


APGAI_Ireland casting instructor Ken Stewart came down to visit the Lodge today (9th.)
& went out to the river about lunchtime for a cast on the Kilmurry beats.
About 4.00pm Glenda went down to meet him & she arrived at the Hut Pool to see Ken playing a fish.
She hopped out of the jeep, rolled up her trousers (no time to don the waders) & hopped into the water
to net a beautiful sea-liced 4 pound grilse that had taken Ken's tube fly.
This is probably the earliest grilse that has ever been taken on the fishery.

[bwlodge]

Biggest Fish of the Season so far!!!!!!!


Jim Shanahan from Castletownroche was fishing an upper beat & phoned me to ask if he could switch to another upstream beat.
I suggested he come down as I heard it was quiet above. He arrived on Ballinaroone with his 11 yr old son James & within 15 minutes
James hooked & lost a fish on a Toby. Jim caught the Biggest Fish of the Season a few moments later - 12.4lb on Flying C at the Road Pool.


This lovely sea-liced 7.3lb. fish was caught by Terry O’Keeffe (Midleton, Co. Cork) on Lower Kilmurry yesterday.

The river continues to fine off today & was at 0.25m at 16.00.
Another very fresh fish was caught today on spinner – only our second from the upper river.


The total for the Lodge fishery is now 8 fish for April to date for only 37 rod days.



Gauge height 0.25m. Clarity ~4-5 feet

Prospects
There is more rain coming through the week, with storm conditions for tomorrow (Tuesday).

Availability
There's no problem for availability of fishing at present.

If you’d like to be kept up to date with what’s happening, email me on
info@ireland-salmon-fishing.net
& I’ll add you to our Newsletter circulation.


Ireland Salmon Fishing
Blackwater Lodge
Daily Salmon Fishing Report

Blackwater Lodge: http://www.ireland-salmon-fishing.net
Daily Salmon Fishing Report: http://www.ireland-salmon-fishing.ne...hingreport.htm