Not many fish to report from the weekend but it was not all bad. I managed one nice trout in flat calm conditions on Corrib with Dad on thursday. I fished with just 2 buzzers on a 5lb flourocarbon leader. If there was any breeze at all would have been fishing 3 or 4. I’ll tie a few for a blog in the near future.
Friday I was on sea without a flyrod with my good friend Fuzz.. We got a feed the old fashioned way with our hands and spears!
Saturday Fuzz and I fished the Corrib for both pike and trout but we had no success. I did explore a large chunk of the lake i never fished before and did not see a single fish. Conditions were tough once again. I’m really looking forward to a day on this lake when everything is just right.
By the way there are still no pike near Maam! Bad mistake putting my boat there for the early part of the season.. I’ll know better next year!
Enjoy the week! Ronan..
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Almost impossible Corrib conditions..
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Come on wind…
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Renvile in North Connemara, Co. Galway.
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Hunting..
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Fuzz and Puca..
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Fishy looking area but no sign of insect or fish life..
I woke up to a perfect blue sky day with hardly a breath of wind. I did a little work but could not get motivated because I was inside… so I thought, Dam it. I’m going outside! First I went to Crumpan and and got myself a feed of cockles for dinner, Then went for a snorkel in the same place to see if the fine weather brought any mullet in. It did. Mullet are a bit of a curse because they offer many of the things a fly fisherman looks for but are just about impossible to catch. They can be spotted cruising near the surface apparently feeding. When a shoal is located they draw the angler in completely. Absolute concentration happens without effort. Flies are changed often due to constantly being ignored. They keep your full attention until dark or until you just give up. All of the above happened when I targeted them after I got out of the water. I had one take on a size 14 Green cdc weed fly (a dry because all my best mullet success has been on dries). The hook up was brief and I had no other chance. In my experience with mullet that was a good evenings fishing! Time for dinner…
Ronan..
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The clean sand close to the rocks seems to be the best for cockles..
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Dinner for one..
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Its nice to be aware of whats going on around you.. i spotted this little lady at the waters edge about to lay her eggs.
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A little blenny (I think!)
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The sand flats are covered as the tide rises and the mullet move in.
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As the tide filled this lagoon about 50 mullet followed..
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A box of random trout flies and a 6 weight for mullet!
One small trout is all we landed on Lough Mask last Thursday.. Conditions were ideal. We covered water that should have held fish but it simply felt like they were not there. I think our great lakes are in trouble and i dont know what to do about it besides practicing and preaching catch and release. I believe working on the spawning streams would be a good idea too though. On a brighter note i heard some good catch reports from the lower Corrib on Saturday. Buzzer fishing will soon be in full swing!
Pike fishing on Saturday was great fun. I had 4 and they are much stronger than they were a week ago. I’m yet to meet a really big one but I’m enjoying the search! When john puts his boat in the lower Corrib it will open up many opportunities for big ones i think. Build the dam trailer john!!!
A great win for Ireland in the rugby followed by a few pints in Galway topped of the day beautifully!
Have a great week all.. By the way, I’ll have a sexyloops email address soon so if anyone wants to contact me it will soon be possible. Thanks for reading!
Ronan..
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Fishing a nice Mask ripple..
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wild, dangerous looking goats.. note their weoponry!
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The end of a tough day.
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Perfectly hooked for a quick release. Barbless makes it even easier!
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They’re getting stronger!
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Four of these in a few hours. Back on shore in time for the match!!
This day last year paul and I were getting ready to leave NZ to head for the Northern Territory in Australia. We arrived in Darwin on Paddy’s Day, Traditionally a fishing day for me but the Guinness got the better of us on that occasion. We were on the water the next morning… afternoon maybe, we don’t wear watches!
Tomorrow is Paddy’s Day once again and also my 20th fly fishing anniversary. I remember that first day very clearly. I was with my Dad and my Grandad on Lough Corrib. I fished hard all day with freezing hands while putting up with some abuse such as “you’ve been watching me casting for fuckin long enough now to know how to do it” and “It looks more like whipping a bull than casting”. It was half in gest… I think! I kept trying and persistence paid off with a 1.5lb brown on a Black Zulu. All 3 generations were delighted and I never looked back. Dad (Joe Creane) and I fish together in NZ every year. I wish my Grandfather, Paddy, could have been there with us, however I’m thankful for all the great days the 3 of us had on the water together, Without them I would not be able to think like a trout!
Tomorrow Dad and I are going to take on Lough Mask…
Ronan..
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Paddy Creane with 4 from Gowla Lough at the end of the 1988 season.
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Joe Creane with a super NZ brown.
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Myself with a mullet from in front of my grandparents house where I’m living now!