Weekly Coarse & Pike Fishing Reports for Ireland's Shannon Region

Coarse & Pike Angling News, Announcements, Upcoming Events/ Notices & Reports:

SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT WITH BETTER AND MORE CONSISTENT CATCH RETURNS REPORTED DESPITE LIMITED ANGLING FEEDBACK FROM SOME AREAS

It was mostly a good week weather-wise with ideal angling conditions - warm, sultry and cloudy much of the time with little rainfall, but a bit breezy some days which hampered angling on our lake swims. Angling numbers are still down generally and once again limited feedback made it difficult to give an accurate assessment of angling at a local level in places. From reports received there has been a significant general improvement in fishing with better and more consistent catches reported than of late. This is positive news, hopefully next week will see even further improvements materialise.

Due to extreme water clarity on the Shannon system, anglers are likely to get the best chance of fish during early morning and late evening sessions, particularly if conditions are bright and sunny. With lively tench action being reported, the 'early worm catches the fish' , you are unlikely to get good fishing past 9am due to light intensity this time of year, so you'll need to adapt tactics to conditions for best results. TIGHT LINES !!

UP COMING EVENTS ** feature in

MIDLAND COMPETITIONS contact Mick Flanagan Angling Guide Mullingar Tel: 087 2797270: mick@midlandangling.com for more info
PORTUMNA ANGLERS WORLD AUTUMN FESTIVAL 2003 : is scheduled to be fished from Monday to Friday October 6th to 10th incl. More info contact Mr John Dyson Ballyshrule Lodge, Portumna Tel: 0509 41528 Email: ballyshrule@eircom.net
MIDLAND PIKE COMPETITIONS: Check out our Competition Zone or contact Mick Flanagan Mullingar Tel: 087 2797270: Email: mick@midlandangling.com
THE EUROPEAN PIKE ANGLING CHALLENGE 2003 BOOKINGS contact Mr Jim Robinson, Angling Guide, Limerick Tel: 061 453808. Email jimrob@iol.ie
IRELAND'S INTERNATIONAL PIKEFLY COMPETITION BOOKINGS 2003 contact TJ O'Brien TJ's Angling Centre, Killaloe/Ballina, Co Tipperary Tel: 061 376009 Email: tjsangling@esatclear.ie Website: www.pikefly.net
THE BANAGHER FESTIVALS 2003 The Autumn Festival is scheduled from Monday to Thursday September 8th to 11th incl. please contact Ray Duthie for further information and booking Tel: 0509-51504

** above denotes that details of competitions listed above are currently posted in our competition zone if you require further details from the organisers

NEWS/ANNOUNCEMENTS/NOTICES:

FIN' FISHERIES IRELAND NEWS' ISSUE NO 5 NOW PUBLISHED MORE
BOARD HAVE COMPILED A REFERENCE LIST OF WATERS IN THE MIDLAND FISHERIES GROUP WHERE A FISHING PERMIT APPLIES FOR YOUR INFORMATION BROWSE OUR LISTS OF CATCHMENTS and see WHY A FISHING PERMIT CHARGE APPLIES TO THESE WATERS

This weeks Fishing Report

Our fishing reports attract much readership and direct contribution over the season from domestic and visiting anglers who fish our extensive waters. The column is designed to provide updates on fisheries/angling/events/competitions and to enable you the angler to interact and communicate directly with contributors to share fishing tips and advice on local venues or even book your angling service.

UPPER SHANNON

ShRFB reports for the Upper Shannon

There has been very little feedback received from the Upper Shannon this week. Anglers who are fishing are getting better results during early morning and late evening and indications are that fishing is starting to improve here. On Lough Ree near Lanesboro, anglers reported bagging well on bream and some tench.

ShRFB Lough Sheelin Office reports this week

Information received from Innyside Guesthouse indicates that coarse fishing has picked up on the upper Inny from Finea downstream to and including Lough Kinale. There were also reports in of some huge pike to 32lbs caught on Lough Sheelin

Marcus Hopkins, Carrick on Shannon, Tel Number: 078 20348 Email : marcus@antiquesfromireland.com comments on Cloonfinnan Lake

Several overseas & local anglers have fished the venue over the last month or so, and all have reported very poor sport.
No Tench have been reported from the venue for several weeks.

MID SHANNON AREA

Mick Flanagan Angling Guide Mullingar Tel: 087 2797270: mick@midlandangling.com reports on Midland Lakes and Rivers

IRISH RAIL..... Irish rail employee Dermott Mc Evoy had a super pike recently on Lough Ennell, Dermott was fishing out from Dysart Island ,when his rod buckled over , luckily his fishing partner had a disposable camera and managed to get a picture of the 25lb monster.

ShRFB reports on BALLYMAHON BUDWEISER FESTIVAL contact Paul Holdroyd, Ballymahon Mob: 086 8585036. Email: proplumb@eircom.net

The Colmic Pro Rod Ireland was fished on Sunday last 13th July 2003, an Open Coarse Angling Competition on the Royal Canal. 42 anglers fished on the day The results were

1st Place: Nicky Harrison with 10lbs 10ozs.
2nd Place: B Collins had 7lbs 12ozs
3rd Place: Darragh Long with 6lbs 6ozs
4th Place: Ken Feddon with 6lbs 2ozs

Species included mixed fish - tench, roach, rudd and perch.

ShRFB reports for Mark Egan Athlone Bait Stockist, Accommodation Provider Email: info@shannonsidehouse.com Website www.shannonsidehouse.com Tel: 0902 94773 Mob 087 8517299 - the River Shannon and Inny ATHLONE area.

Water is gin clear presently on the Shannon with large numbers of large roach congregating under the bridge in Athlone. Fishing conditions are mostly very good, and water levels are perfect presently. However, feedback is again limited and hence difficult to report with any degree of accuracy. We feel if more anglers pre-baited swims, fishing results should be correspondingly good.

Greetings from Thijs Boekee from Holland Email: boekeet@wanadoo.nl staying at Shannonside House, reports on his recent trip to the Athlone area.

" On the 1st of July I had 16 tench at Shannonbridge hot water. On the 3rd of July I had 11 tench at the same place. On the 5th of July I had some real big ones at the meadows where the canal is flowing into the Shannon - 6 tench and 2 small pike "

Photo: A fine tench from the Shannonbridge hot water stretch, photo courtesy of the captor Thijs Boekee from Holland

The ShRFB reports for Ray Duithie Old Forge Banagher, Bait Stockist and Accommodation provider Tel: 0509 51504. Email: kmduthie2@eircom.net BANAGHER area this week.

Conditions are very good at time of writing and fishing has picked up significantly. The inner ponds at Meelick are producing a variety of fish, including good tench. A Mr Jarvis, an English visitor had superb fishing on Rogers Island Portumna. All pegs were occupied and all pegs produced very good bags over the past few days, nets averaging 50lbs each, consisting of hybrids and roach. The Salmon Run is starting to produce hybrids also, over recent days. The canal at Rahan is fishing very well for bream and tench. Richard Goselind from, had 8 large bream, 12 tench and 6 skimmers on Tuesday last on a section below the bridge near Rahan village.

ShRFB reports for John Dyson, Ballyshrule Lodge, PORTUMNA Tel: 0509 41528

Fishing is steadily improving in the Portumna area at time of writing and prospects look good for the week and indeed weeks ahead (weather permitting). Earlier last week wind was a negative factor on the lake but has since significantly improved in response to fine, calm and warm conditions. Six anglers who started their fishing holiday on Sunday last July 13th, have done very well on the lake swims, northern shores of Lough Derg, Anglers are averaging 50lbs to 60lbs on the river venues over recent days. Chris James and Ian Rowe from Norfolk had best weight of 120lbs, typical bags were between 60lbs and 100lbs on the lake swims, which is good fishing. Prospects look much better for the week ahead. TIGHT LINES !

ShRFB reports for Dermot Killeen Shannonbridge Tel 0905 74112 Email: jimmyjkilleen@yahoo.com reports for SHANNONBRIDGE.area

There were only a few catches returned via the angling logs for the Shannonbridge area, and therefore unreflective of the angling potential for the area. Louis Brummitt from Boston, Lincs fished the River Suck on 1st July in fair conditions using the pole/hemp and had 27lbs of roach hybrids. Les Good from Bristol fished the hot water stretch on July 8th and had an enjoyable day with fish to 4lbs, including rudd and perch. Rob Cornwell from Chelmsford, Essex pre-baited a swim with corn at Bullock Island, Banagher and had a 40lb bag of mostly hybrids, with 3 bream to 4lbs and one tench using the pole with feeder loaded with corn and red maggot on a windy dry day. Rob also fished the Grand Canal on his last day and had 25lbs, using pole and feeder, his catch included 12 skimmer bream, roach, rudd and hybrids, weather was fine.

Kevin Fisher, 10 Milne street Castleton Rochdale Lancs. Tel Number: 07966635871 Email Address: kevinfisher@mapleind.fsnet.co.uk reports on his recent trip to the hot water stretch, Shannonbridge
" We fished this area from Monday 7 July until Thursday 10 July. We fished the rocks towards the water output where the hot water flows out and causes a slight back eddy. The water here ranges from 2ft to 4ft and like the name says it pumps out hot water all year round. There was a party of four fishing and we all caught well, the silver fish roach and hybrids are a fish a cast to maggot. Corn will produce better fish. The tench fell to worm or 3 to 4 corn. There is no need to use barbed hooks here as the fish don't let go barbless hooks are a must in Ireland. All four of us had around 10 to 15 tench each on a 6 hour day and we are all pleasure anglers not match men. There is no need to fill the place in with feed as this can send them off, unless the bream are in to feed but they were not when we were there. Float or tip feeder tactics both work here. The tench are around 5 to 9 pound and are in impeccable condition and they love a good fight. We also fished the canal at Shannon harbour. "

The ANGLING VISITOR & CONFERENCE CENTRE & Riverside Cafe reports for the River SUCK VALLEY this week.

No report this week

ShRFB Assistant Fisheries Inspector John Ryan, Ballinlough Office Tel: 0907 40103 Mob: 087 6560038 reports for the River Suck Valley

French anglers Mr Dartigues and his son Michel who we reported on last week, finished up their pike fishing holiday in style with a total of 84 fish in the River Suck Valley area.

LOWER SHANNON AREA

ShRFB reports for TJ O'Brien, TJ's ANGLING CENTRE KILLALOE Tel: 061 376009 reports for the lower Shannon area

There was superb bream fishing reported from the Lough Derg lake swims around Killaloe. A group of 8 English anglers, led by Roy Hicks fished on the lake for 4 days and had over 2700lbs of fish, fish were typically 3.5lbs to 4lbs, best fish was over 8lbs. Prospects look excellent for the week as weather remains warm and calm. Twomilegate is fishing very well early morning before the sun comes up.

The East Clare lakes was mentioned with some good early morning tenching reported on Lough Bridget. The 'early worm catches the fish' , you are unlikely to get good tench fishing past 9am in the morning this time of year, so you'll have to get out bright and early for best results.

Fished the region last week ! - Like to send us a fishing report for our next update!

If you have fished any of our fisheries over the past week and wish to send us in your fishing report to feature on our next update, please click here and complete our online form or simply send us an email with your contact particulars and catch details and attach a photo if you have one to Brian Mc Manus Email: info@shannon-fishery-board.ie

NB: We will have no weekly fishing report for the next couple of weeks, we will resume again in August

Readership Statistics to this week - 15,020 visitors have viewed this report since January 1st 2003

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