Western Region

 LOUGH MASK
Excellent fishing conditions prevailed all week, and a lot of trout were feeding in the deep water, mostly between 2 and 4 metres down, with very few fish at the surface. 68 anglers reported 49 trout in 101 rod-days, with dapping natural daddy-long-legs and trolling artificial lures taking most fish. The Dargle Anglers had a 2 day competition, with 22 anglers catching 18 fish, best fish 2.75lbs. Noel Lowry from Belfast had 3 fish on Saturday, best 1.5lbs. Martin Carney from Dublin had the same result of 3 fish, best 1.5lbs, on Saturday. Larry McCarthy from Headford had 3 fish on Saturday to 2lbs, while
Andrew Boyd, also from Headford, had 2 fish on Sunday to 1.75lbs. Finally 2 anglers fishing with Ronan Cusack on Sunday had 4 fish to 1.5lbs. The forecast for the coming week is for calm bright weather which doesn’t make for good fishing prospects, but fishing the deep should produce a few Daphnia-feeding trout.

LOUGH CARRA
Excellent fishing conditions on Carra, but not many trout caught, with 42 anglers reporting 14 trout in 56 rod-days. As with Mask, dapping the natural daddy is producing most fish. Local club Carra Anglers had a competition on the lake, with 24 anglers catching 10 fish. The winner was Bart Crowley with 2 fish for 5lbs 2oz (also best fish winner with a fine trout of 2lbs 12oz),  second place went to Padraic Kelly who had 2 fish for 3lbs 7oz, closely followed by Junior McGahan with 2 fish for 3lbs 6oz.
Michael Graham from Ballina had 2 fish to the natural daddy over the weekend, and Kevin Cleary from Wexford had 1 fish on Saturday weighing 3lbs 4oz.

LOUGH CORRIB
The Pauric McGrath fishing competition was held from Greenfields on Sunday, with first place going to the team of Kevin and Patrick Molloy, with 7 trout for 12.85lbs. Second was Noel O’Toole and John greaney, with 3 trout for 8.5lbs, while third was M. Murphy and S. O’Loughlin with a fine trout of 5.5lbs. Joe Trill and M. Healy took 4th with 3 trout for 4.2lbs, and the heaviest fish caught by a club member was the trout of 5.3lbs caught by Noel O’Toole.

SEA  FISHING
Another unusual catch from Galway Bay this week for Kevin MacGabhann, skipper of the Maighdean Mara in Spiddal. Kevin had a group of anglers who come over from Wakefield, Yorkshire every year, and fishing off Inis Oirr one of the group, Tony Taylor, caught a 30lbs electric ray. The ray managed to give one or two of the group a nice shock when handled, although thankfully no one was hurt. The electric ray is a very occasional capture by anglers, and I am not aware of any others being caught from the bay before. Another member of the group also landed a megrim, a rarely-caught species of flatfish. Fishing in the bay has been very good this year, with over 20 species recorded on a regular basis. Along with Max Couque, Kevin runs regular fishing trips and to contact him about organising a trip you can telephone Kevin at 091 553888 or 086 8547890, or Max at 086 3234638. Their website is www.galwaybayfishing.com

COSTELLO AND FERMOYLE
Fishery manager Terry Gallagher reports on fishing for August at the Costell/Fermoyle fishery: We are delighted to see that the ban on drift netting in Irish waters has had
a very positive effect on the numbers of salmon returning to the fishery. Already our salmon rod catch is up 48% on last year's total catch and there is still another month to the end of this season. There was plenty of water throughout the system for the first half of the month but the levels are getting a little low at the time of writing. That said we are still seeing salmon creeping over the fish counter. We are seeing a lot more fish downstream of the counter and expect them to run with the next flood.
Peter Westwater returned to his favourite beat on Glenicmurrin Lough, beat 4, and in doing so was rewarded with an excellent catch of 15 sea trout. Ian Williams was also quite pleased with his catch of 12 sea trout from the same lough. Padraig McDonagh spent an evening on River Beat 2 and was rewarded with a beautiful salmon of 7lbs 8ozs. Geoffrey Fitzjohn caught a 5 lbs grilse and 4 sea trout on Dereen Lough. Jean-Pierre Maire fished River Beat 2 and landed a cracking fish of 6lbs. John Healy headed high into the system to fish Clogher Lough where he caught a beautiful salmon of 8 lbs. Ian Williams fished River Beat 2 and was rewarded with 2 grilse, 5 lbs & 4 lbs. Geoffrey Fitzjohn & Mary McMahon also opted for the same beat and where they also landed 2 grilse, both 6lbs 8ozs. Geoffrey returned a few days later and caught yet another 2 grilse of 4.5lbs and 5 lbs. James Folkes also met with success on River Beat 2 as he landed a grilse of 5 lbs. Finally, Rene Lachemaer returned to fish for sea trout on the river and once again had a great catch, this time 20 sea trout.
For further information on fishing at Costello and Fermoyle please contact Terry Gallagher at 00 353 (0)91 572 196, email: cosfer@iol.ie or visit www.costelloandfermoylefisheries.com 

Kevin Crowley
WRFB

 LOUGH MASK
Conditions were fairly calm and sunny, not conducive to great fishing on Mask at any time. There were small hatches of mayfly and sedge over the week, with few anglers out fishing for this time of year. 38 anglers reported 19 trout in 66 rod-days, with fish mostly coming to dry fly. The warm settled weather has not helped things lately, and any change in conditions should see fishing improve.

LOUGH CARRA
Carra was relatively quiet for the week, with calm, settled conditions. Very few flies were hatching, just some sedges seen here and there, and most fish were taken on dry fly. Emmet Stagg had one fish of 2.25lbs, but didn’t stir anything else. Jimmy Flanagan from Limerick had 2 fish to the evening dry fly, both 1.5lb. John Peterson from Bray had 1 fish dapping during the weekend for 1.75lb.

SEA  FISHING
Kevin MacGabhann, skipper of the Maighdean Mara in Spiddal, took a group of anglers out shark fishing over the weekend just gone by. Fishing out from the Aran Islands in perfect conditions, Dave Kirby managed to land a fine blue shark of about 70lbs. Another blue shark was caught the following day before the group switched to targeting other species, and pollack and cod to 15lbs were among 17 species landed to the boat that day.  Kevin has more shark and mixed species fishing planned over the next few weeks, and to contact him about organising a trip you can telephone Kevin at 091 553888 or 086 8547890, or Max Couque at 086 3234638. Their website is www.galwaybayfishing.com

LOUGH INAGH
Fishery manager Colin Folan reports from Inagh: The weather has improved and we are having a bit of a summer at last.  Although this has not helped the fishing, it is no harm to have a bit of nature at last.  At least when the next flood comes we will have decent salmon fishing on the river beats.  The week was resonably good for salmon though as there are so many in the lake and so many anglers fishing for them.
The highlight of the week was a certain brown trout caught by Donegal angler David Magill.  David was fishing a floating line with a size 8 Green Peter in the middle when the surface exploded in front of the boat.  The boatman (Colin) identified the fish immediately as a 10lbs brown that he had caught twice before.  Colin told David that when the fish is landed it will have one of its scissors missing from a previous battle and all that’s left is a stump... and he was right!  The fish was once again released for the next angler to catch a fish of a lifetime. Other catches this week included Jonathan Murray (N.Ireland) who fished Inagh for a day and caught and released a 5lbs grilse on a Black Dabbler, he fished the Derryclare Butts the following day and released a 7lbs salmon on a brown tube fly. Stephen Coulter (N.Ireland) released a 7lbs salmon on the Derryclare Butts which he caught on a Willie Gunn. Patrick Molloy (Dublin) caught his first salmon while fishing the Derryclare Butts. The fish took a Silver Stoat and weighed 5lbs.
Ian Forde (Dublin) caught his first salmon also this week.  Ian fished a Silver Daddy on Lough Inagh and the fish weighed 5lbs. Johnny Rea and Tony O Flaherty (Galway) both caught and released salmon for their day on Inagh, both weighed 6lbs and both took a Daddy. Mark Duncan (Galway) caught an 8lbs salmon on a Grasshopper on Inagh.
For details or to book fishing, contact Colin at Lough Inagh Lodge Hotel, tel. 095 34706 or 086 8679459, or email inagh@iol.ie

Kevin Crowley
WRFB

WRFB Angling Report 22nd August 2007

GALWAY WEIR
Water levels were high for most of the week, with 6 gates open, but have no dropped to 3 gates, and hopefully with drier weather forecast they may drop further, improving conditions for flyfishing. With the high water, only 4 salmon were landed for the week. Jim Cusack from Dublin had a nice 5.5lbs grilse on shrimp, while Kenneth McEwan from England landed a 4-pounder, also on shrimp. Gary Fullerton and Pat Kane, both from Donegal, landed grilse of 4 and 3.5lbs on fly this morning, with the Cascade fly doing the business. If water levels drop fishing should improve over the next week with a good head of salmon in the river.

 LOUGH MASK
Weather over the week was quite unsettled, with thundery conditions giving way to drier weather over the weekend. Sedges were hatching in good numbers, with some mayfly seen also, and most fish were taken on sedges and dapped crickets. The Partry Anglers held a competition over the weekend on Mask and Carra. 209 anglers fished using wetfly and dapping methods, and  50 anglers had 92 fish for 1day. The winner was Pat Noone from Naas with 6 fish for 7.6lbs, 2nd was Ray Burns from Castlerea with 7 fish for 7.35lbs, and 3rd was Ballinrobe man Dennis Kelleher who had 4 fish for 7.05lbs. Heaviest fish was Bernard Mannion from Castlerea with a fine trout of 3lbs. Some good catches of trout were also made on Carra with Tom Byrne from Partry landing 4 fish for 6.05lbs.

SEA  FISHING
 John Brittain from Bluewater Angling in Clifden reports on recent good boat fishing in the Clifden area. Awful weather has made shark fishing and getting to the offshore reef marks impossible for the last week, however operating from Cleggan, Bluewater has not missed a day thanks to the nearby shelter of Inishbofin and Inishturk Islands which have produced some great fishing in reasonably pleasant conditions. Jim Doyle and his son John from the U.K. joined a Dutch group led by Joop Aarts for some interesting species fishing between them catching 15 species for two days. The CFB’S Norman Dunlop is fishing at the moment with UK journalist Mike Thrussel and they have had some fantastic ray fishing in really appalling conditions catching and releasing over 40 thornback and spotted ray plus assorted gurnards and doggies in one 3 hour session on Friday the 17th.
For details and to book fishing you can contact John or Sue Brittain at Blue Water Fishing, Sharamore House, Streamstown, Clifden, Co. Galway, (Tel.) 095 21073 or check http://seafishingireland.net/

LOUGH INAGH
Fishery manager Colin Folan reports from Inagh: High water levels continue to bring in plenty of salmon.  Lough Inagh has not seen as many salmon in a long time.  There are still plenty of fresh grilse entering the fishery.  Last season September was our best month for salmon and this year promises to be even better.....At time of writing we have beaten last years total salmon catch.
Notable catches included Michael Heery (Dublin) who fished Inagh for a day and caught 2 grilse of 6 and 5 lbs on a Claret Dabbler.  Michael also caught 2 sea trout. Phil McMahon (Dublin) caught 3 salmon for a day on Inagh; the fish weighed 7, 6 and 4lbs.  A Claret Bumble and Bibio were responsible for the catch.
Eugene McMahon (Galway) caught a 7lbs salmon and 5 sea trout for a day on Inagh on a Daddy. Denis Murphy (Dublin) caught a cracker of a sea trout of 3lbs.
There were first salmon ever for Patrick Molloy (Dublin) and Robert Daly (Dublin), both fish weighed 5lbs and both were caught on the Derryclare Butts on a Silver Stoat and Badger.
Vincent Foley and Colin Folan fished for trout on Inagh for a day and caught 6 sea trout and 9 brown trout to 2lbs on Bibios and Raymonds.
John Dardis (Kildare) caught a fresh grilse of 6lbs on the Glendallogh Butts on a Hairy Mary.
For details or to book fishing, contact Colin at Lough Inagh Lodge Hotel, tel. 095 34706 or 086 8679459, or email inagh@iol.ie

SEA FISHING
James Linnane from the Lisdoonvarna Fanore club reports on their annual week long competition:
The Lisdoonvarna Fanore Sea Angling Club held it's Annual International Angling Week on 5th to 11th August last. Over 50 Anglers from Ireland, Scotland, and the Isle of Man took part in five days of angling along the shore in Fanore.
In general, weather conditions were very good for fishing and a large variety of fish were landed including a Trigger Fish  and Red Gurnard, not normally caught in this area. Other species included Conger Eel, Pollack, Lesser Spotted Dogfish, Wrasse, Pollack, Rockling, Thornback and Spotted Ray. In total over 400 fish were recorded over the five days. The heaviest fish of the week was a Conger Eel weighing 11.1 kgs, caught in Ballyreen by Eamonn McDonnell from Wexford.
First prize was won by George Dugdale from the Isle of Man, with a score of 329 pts. Second was Michael Curtin from Kinvara, with 302 pts, and third was Ian Ashcroft from the Isle of Man, with 246 pts. Fourth was Tom Faley from Limerick on 226 pts, and fifth was Mick Browne from Wexford on 207 pts.
The winner of the juvenile competition was Joseph Birney from Clarecastle with 234 pts. In second place was Paul Norton from Ruan on 200 pts, and third was  Sean Copley from  Clarecastle on 130 pts. The heaviest fish prize went to Eamonn McDonnell from Wexford for his 11.1kgs Conger Eel, while the top team of the week was  Joe Ryan (Wexford), Paul Norton Jnr (Ruan) and Mick Browne (Wexford).
 The best Angler aged 60 years or over and winner of the Burren Cup was Ian Ashcroft from the Isle of Man
 At the presentation of Prizes in O'Donoghue's Pub in Fanore George Dugdale as overall angler of the week was presented with the cup and Galway Crystal trophy by the sponsor Joe' O'Loughlin - Lisdoonvarna.

Kevin Crowley
WRFB

WRFB Angling Report 14th August 2007

GALWAY WEIR
Very high water levels at the Weir made fishing next to impossible this week, with 6 gates open for most of the week. 2 gates were closed yesterday, and Donal O’Carroll landed a fine 8.5lbs salmon on fly, so with water levels dropping more fish should be caught again this week. There are still a lot of salmon in the river and fishing prospects are very good when water levels drop away again.

 LOUGH MASK
Mask fished reasonably well over the last week, with dry sedges doing the business for most anglers. Water levels were still very high, and fish were hard to find in the deep, where normally at this time of year there are plenty. However anglers had good sport along the shorelines and islands. Gerry O’Brien from Ballinrobe had 3 fish to 2.5lbs for a day, while Jim Buchanan from Scotland had 9 fish on Wednesday to 1.75lbs. Jean Ferguson, also from Scotland, had 4 fish on Friday to 1.5lbs, and Harold Schmitt from Ballinrobe had 3 fish over the weekend to 1.75lbs. Richie Yang had 2 fish on Saturday to 1.75lbs, and Tom Mulvey had 1 trout for 1.5lbs. Declan and Colin McAlorum from Dublin fished on Sunday and landed 6 trout to 1.5lbs, while angling guide Paul Loscher had a cracking 4lbs trout on Monday. Kevin Sheridan from Ballinrobe had 3 trout to 2lbs on Monday, while Gerry Kenny from Ennis had 2 trout to 2lbs on Saturday.

LOUGH CARRA
Carra fished best in the late evenings over the last week, with dry buzzer and sedge producing the most fish, with some great trout reported.. High water levels and bright conditions hampered fishing during daytime. Tim Hannon from Dublin had 1 trout on Friday for 1.5lbs. Malcolm Roache from England had a red letter day on Tuesday, landing 8 trout to 3.75lbs on dry fly, while on Saturday he landed 7 fish to 2.25lbs. Pat Maloney from Ballinrobe had 2 trout on Sunday to 1.25lbs, while Larry McCarthy from Headford had 5 trout over 2 days, including 2 fish of 3lbs. Jim McEvoy and a friend from Cork landed 8 trout on Saturday to 3lbs, while the best fish of the week was landed by Brian Canavan from Derry, a beautiful trout of 5lbs.

SEA  FISHING
News of a highly unusual catch from Galway Bay this week. A large group of anglers from Bray, Co. Wicklow were fishing aboard Kevin MacGabhann’s Mighdean Mara and Max Couque’s Leaca Rua, 2 charter boats operating out of Spiddal. Fishing near Inis Mean island, when one of the group, Fred Doyle, landed a real rarity, an ocean sunfish! Sunfish are occasionally seen from boats on the west coast in summertime, usually basking or swimming slowly near the surface. They are a summer migrant from warmer waters, here to feed on the abundant jellyfish. This specimen, however, took a strip of mackerel fished on a trace for bull huss and ray. The fish was estimated to weigh 25-30lbs, and was quickly photographed and released again. Other species landed on the day included pollack, ling, ray, and a fine John Dory.
For further details on fishing Galway Bay or to book fishing, contact Kevin MacGabhann at 091 553888 or 086 8547890, or Max Couque at 086 3234638. Their website is www.galwaybayfishing.com

John Brittain from Clifden had a group including Irish Times angling correspondent Derek Evans out recently aboard Bluewater. Fishing out of Cleggan, the group landed a very impressive 19 species for their day’s fishing, including haddock, ling, cod, ray, plaice, a number of turbot and a brill.
For details and to book fishing you can contact John or Sue Brittain at Blue Water Fishing, Sharamore House, Streamstown, Clifden, Co. Galway, (Tel.) 095 21073 or check http://seafishingireland.net/

COSTELLO AND FERMOYLE
Fishery manager sent in this report for July from the Costello/Fermoyle fishery in Connemara. Weather conditions were mixed for the month of July with heavy thundery weather prevailing for most of the month. But there were some good floods and the salmon appeared in very good numbers. They were very visible in the river but some days would show little or no interest in the fly.

Highlights for July include: local angler Geoffrey Fitzjohn had a superb month and caught a total 12 salmon ranging from 3 lbs to 10 lbs. The majority were caught on the river with the Silver Stoat and Red arsed Bibio proving to the successful patterns. Greg Perry fished Glenicmurrin Lough and landed 7 sea trout and Padraig McDonagh took 8 on the same lake the following day. Pat Farrelly chose his preferred River Beat 1 and was rewarded with a very fresh grilse of 4lbs 8ozs. Mark Corps, an angling officer with the Central Fisheries Board, also caught his grilse on the same beat, a fine fish of 6 lbs. Brian Smith and David Hammond travelled to Clogher Lough where they had a great day with the sea trout, landing 15 fish altogether. Chris and Donna Warne returned to fish Glenicmurrin and were rewarded with 8 sea trout. Eamonn Connolly travelled to Muckinagh Lough and landed 7 sea trout, the best a fine fish of 3 lbs 8ozs. Brian Smith returned to Clogher, caught 1 grilse and lost another. Padraig McDonagh had a tally of 9 sea trout, best 2lbs 8ozs on Muckinagh. David Nevin took a 3lbs grilse on Fermoyle Lough while Eamonn O Brien and Sean Bollustrum had a great day on Glenicmurrin, landing 15 sea trout. A delighted Pat Connolly caught his first salmon on Fermoyle Lough, a fish of 4 lbs.

Eamonn Connolly and Myles Costello were out on Muckinagh when they landed 9 sea trout. Sean Finnerty was rewarded for an early start with a fine grilse of 6 lbs taken on River Beat 4. David Micks caught his 4lbs grilse and 4 sea trout on Glenicmurrin while Jean Pierre Maire had a fine grilse of 6lbs on River Beat 2. He struck again on Fermoyle Lough with a grilse of 4 lbs. Donie Collins was thrilled with his first ever salmon taken on Clogher, a fish of 5lbs 4 ozs. Finally, Eamon O Brien returned to Glenicmurrin and had a very impressive 14 sea trout.

For information on fishing at Costello and Fermoyle please contact Terry Gallagher at 00 353 (0) 91 572 196 or email cosfer@iol.ie

Kevin Crowley
WRFB

WRFB Angling Report 7th August 2007

GALWAY WEIR
Water levels have been very high for the last 2 weeks, with 6 gates open on the weir. This was down to 1 gate over the weekend, but back up to 3 again by this morning following Sunday’s heavy rain showers. Fishing has been patchy as a result, with lots of salmon having run upstream in the high water. There are still plenty of fish in the river, and among the anglers to land fish were Declan Tuffy from Athenry, who had 2 grilse on fly (both released), Dave O’Reilly from Dublin, with 3 fish (3 released) and Declan Foley from Kiltimagh, who caught and released 2 nice grilse of 5 and 7lbs on fly. Other anglers to land fish were Neil Spellacy from Moycullen, with 2 caught and released on fly, and Tosh Kellett from Dublin, who also caught and released 2 fish. Paul Whelan and Eamonn Power both caught and released 2 also, while Paul Wymes and Brian Casey both landed a grilse each on fly. The fish of the week, however, goes to young Aine de Bhulbh from Bushypark, who showed her dad Jimmy how to fish when she landed her very first salmon, a beautiful fish of 5lbs caught on shrimp. Well done to Aine.

 LOUGH MASK
The annual World Cup Flyfishing Competition was held from Cushlough from Thursday to Monday, with a record entry competing for the prestigious title. Now in its 50th running, this competition is the premier event in the trout fishing competition calendar and attracts competitors from home and abroad. The winner this year was Brendan Moran from Kells, Co. Meath, who won the event for the second time following his first win in 1991. Brendan had 3 fish for 5.42lbs on the final day to win the first prize of a brand new Burke Anglers Fancy boat and 15hp engine. In second place was George Goodwin from Trim, Co. Meath, with 3 trout for 4.93lbs, and third was popular local restaurateur Richie Yang from Ballinrobe, with 2 trout for 4.31lbs. Congratulations to Brendan on his success, and well done to the World Cup committee for organising a fantastic event.

 SEA  FISHING
 John Brittain from Bluewater Angling in Clifden reports on good blue shark fishing recently. Currently operating Cleggan, where good access and sheltered fishing grounds mean no lost days, John had a party of German anglers out on the 30th, in glorious weather. Accompanied out of harbour by the local bottlenose dolphins, they also saw many sunfish on the day. Fishing 10 miles west of High Island, the day was topped off perfectly with 4 blue shark to 70lbs brought to the boat, tagged and released.
For details and to book fishing you can contact John or Sue Brittain at Blue Water Fishing, Sharamore House, Streamstown, Clifden, Co. Galway, (Tel.) 095 21073 or check http://seafishingireland.net/

BALLYNAHINCH FISHERY
Fishery manager Simon Ashe report from Ballynahinch that salmon are continuing to run in good numbers, and the frequent spates of the last couple of weeks have helped the fishing. 14 salmon were landed this week, averaging 6.5lbs, with some large double figure fish hooked and lost. Tope flies this week were the Silver Stoat and Cascade Shrimp. For further details and to book fishing, Simon can be contacted at  095 31006, or 087 9962424

LOUGH INAGH
Fishery manager reports from Inagh on fishing up to the end of July:
Fishing conditions have been far from ideal with little or no wind to severe gales not helping our cause.  However there are magnificent runs of salmon at the minute.  People have remarked to me that they have not seen as big a run as this year.  The sea trout are still slow enough, although August is usually a good month for runs of small sea trout.
There is a boat for hire on Derryclare Lake for 2007, a lake that has not been fished in 40 years!
Thierry Breton (France) fished for 2 days and landed a fresh grilse of 7lbs on Lough Inagh on a Silver Stoat, and also released a fish of 5lbs on the Glendallogh Butts on a Silver Allys. Michael Heery (Dublin) fished Inagh for 3 days and recorded 2 grilse both weighed 4.5lbs. Michael fished a Silver Daddy. Kevin Cronin caught a 4lbs grilse on a Green Peter on Lough Inagh. Johnny Rea (Galway) fished Inagh and caught a grilse of 5lbs on a Daddy. Neil Gilchrist (UK) caught a grilse of 6lbs on a Daddy on Inagh, and
Paddy Gageby (Dublin) caught a 5lbs grilse on Inagh on a Dabbler, while Brendan Leydon (Roscommon) caught and released a grilse of 5lbs on a Thunder and Lightning on the Derryclare Butts
Tom Summerville (Mayo), caught 6 brown trout and 2 sea trout on a Kingsmill on Lough Inagh. Neil Gilchrist(UK), had 5 sea trout on a Black Pennell on Inagh for a day.

 For details or to book fishing, contact Colin at Lough Inagh Lodge Hotel, tel. 095 34706 or 086 8679459, or email inagh@iol.ie

Kevin Crowley
WRFB

 LOUGH MASK
Unsettled conditions were prevalent for most of the week, and the lake is very high for this time of year following all the rainfall. Sedges were the main hatch, with a few mayflies also coming off, but fishing was quite patchy for the week. 43 anglers reported 31 trout in 78 rod-days, with dry mayflies and sedges accounting for most fish.
Christy Crotty from Waterford had 7 fish for 2 days, while Billy Graham from Fermanagh had 9 fish for 2 days, best 2lbs. Tom Conroy from Ballinrobe had 4 fish to 4lbs, and Paul Loscher from Ballinrobe had 9 fish for 3 days, best 3.5lbs. Frank Reilly and 5 other anglers fished for 1 day and landed 5 trout to dry fly.
Sedge hatches will probably pick up over the next couple of weeks, and hopefully the trout will be more obliging come the annual World Cup competition which begins on the 2nd.

LOUGH CARRA
Fishing was rather slow on Carra this week, and even with large sedges coming off, the evening rise produced very few fish. Des Kavanagh from Galway had 2 fish for 3lbs, while Mike Shanks and boat partner had 5 for their day to 2.5lbs, with a very good fish also lost. No other reports of fish were received.

SEA  FISHING
James Linnane from Lisdoonvarna Fanore Sea Angling Club reports on their latest competition held at Blackhead on Sunday week last. On a nice fine day 27 anglers competed and 37 fished were recorded. The heaviest fish of the day was an 8.0kg conger eel caught by young Paul Norton from Ruan. Other species caught were Pollack, Thornback Ray, Wrasse, and Lesser Spotted Dogfish. The winner on the day was Declan Horan from Galway with 74 points, second was John Keane from Lahinch on 67 points,
Third was Michael Foudy from Ruan on 62 points, and fourth prize went to Joe Birney from Clarecastle with 56 points. The top junior angler was Paul Norton from Ruan with
100 points, in second place was Kieran McCormack from Ennistymon on 55 points. Third was Joseph Birney from Clarecastle on 23 points, and fourth was Oisin Comerford from Waterford, with 10 points.
Good boat angling is reported from the bay also, with tope, pollack, bull huss, thornback ray and wrasse plentiful. I accompanied a group of anglers on a recent trip out of Spiddal and a great day was had by all, with about 13 species to the boat and everyone catching lots of fish. For details of boat fishing from Spiddal contact Galway Bay Fishing at 091 553888, or 086 8547890, or check www.galwaybayfishing.com

LOUGH INAGH
Fishery manager reports from Inagh on fishing up the middle of the month: the grilse have arrived in significant numbers in recent days.  All the river beats have salmon in them and there is a good number already in Lough Inagh.  We are up on last seasons salmon catch by 3 fish and are expecting a year to remember.  The sea trout however are slow at present although the angling conditions have not suited.  2007 sea trout catch is up 51 fish on last season to date.
There is a boat for hire on Derryclare Lake for 2007, a lake that has not been fished in 40 years!
Murt Folan (Galway) fished Inagh for a day and caught and released a salmon of 8lbs and had 5 sea trout, best flies were a Daddy and a Silver Invicta Muddler. Ciaran Wilson (Galway) had a fresh grilse of 6lbs and 3 sea trout on a Green Peter on Inagh. David Dobbs (Athlone) fished Inagh for a day and recorded 5 sea trout and 4 brown trout on a Silver Daddy. For details or to book fishing, contact Colin at Lough Inagh Lodge Hotel, tel. 095 34706 or 086 8679459, or email inagh@iol.ie

Kevin Crowley
WRFB

 LOUGH MASK
Sedges were the only main hatch over the last week, with blustery conditions and heavy rainfall deterring many anglers. The lake rose with all the rain, and trout continued feeding on perch fry. Fishing was slow enough, with catches picking up over the weekend a bit. 55 anglers reported 39 trout in 71 rod-days, with wetfly and trolling most effective. Best flies were Peter Ross and sedge patterns.
Shane Cullen from Wicklow had 11 fish for 6days, averaging 1-1.5lbs. John O’Connor and friend had 3 fish for the weekend for 3.5lbs. Former World Cup winner Julie Gerry & friend had 4 fish, while  Frank Jordan from Galway had 6 trout for 8.5lbs trolling the shallows in the sheltered bays, best 2lbs.

LOUGH CARRA
Fishing was quite good on Carra over the last week in spite of the blustery and thundery conditions, with 2 competitions bringing more anglers to the lake than most weeks. There were hatches of Murroughs, the big lake sedge, that brought a lot of trout up to feed on them, and dapping the natural murrough and daddy, as well as wetflies, accounted for most fish. 53 anglers reported 31 trout in 76 rod-days.
The Carra Anglers held an evening competition, and 24 Anglers reported 14 trout. The winner was  Bill Coloughan from Claremorris with 3 fish for 4.73lbs, 2nd was Kevin Gallagher, Castlebar, with  2 fish for 4.11lbs, and 3rd was Peter Byrne, Castlebar, with 2 fish for 3.49lbs. The heaviest fish was landed by Shane Crane from Ballina with a fish of 2.5lbs.
David Harrington (11) from Partry won the junior competition held over the weekend with 3 trout, 2nd was local lad Ciaran Flannelly (11) with 2 trout. Elsewhere Philip Clesham from Castlebar had 3 fish for 3.25 lbs, and Jimmy Ryder from Howth had 5 fish in 2 days weighing 7.5lbs, best 3.25lbs

LOUGH INAGH
Fishery manager Colin Folan reports from Inagh:
I am pleased to report that everything is going right for us at the minute.  We are having prolonged periods of high water and good fishing conditions to boot.  There is magnificent activity on the fish counter with plenty of fresh grilse and sea trout entering Lough Inagh.  The sea trout are lice free and the salmon are net mark free so all is well.  The sea trout are mostly small (0.75 lbs) but I have seen some 1.5lbs fish in the last day or two.  The lower beats on the fishery (Greenpoint, Pine Island and Glendallogh Butts) are holding plenty of salmon, and I have seen six different grilse on the Derryclare Butts this morning. 
Notable catches; John Connolly (Mayo) fished for 2.5 days and landed 3 fresh grilse of 4lbs, 5.75lbs and 6.75 lbs on a size 12 Cascade on the river beats. Gregory Treusch (Switzerland) caught a 6.5lbs grilse on Greenpoint on a size 8 Cascade. Joe and Ronan Creane (Galway) fished Inagh for 2 days and recorded 10 sea trout and 18 brown trout, best patterns were claret bumble and hoppers.
Kevin Cronin (Dublin) caught and released a brown trout of about 7lbs on a Bann Special shrimp fly on Inagh.  This was Kevin’s largest trout ever in his long angling career.
There are 5 boats for hire on Lough Inagh and 4 river beats available. To book fishing contact Colin at, Lough Inagh Lodge Hotel, Recess, Co.Galway. Tel. 086 8679459 or 095 34706, email inagh@iol.ie

LOUGH MASK
Conditions were unsettled for the week, with thundery rain showers and longer spells of rain. The easterly wind changed to west-northwest over the weekend. The lake height has risen significantly with the heavy rain over the past two weeks. Very few boats were observed fishing around the lake. A mixed bag for anglers with the unsettled weather, one or two people coming in with good catches but many blanks or boats with 1 or 2 fish.
37 anglers reported 44 trout in 61 rod-days, with wetfly and trolling most successful, and green peters and sedge patterns were the top flies.
M Dunne from Tourmakedy had 12 fish for the weekend, while D McElaraun had 2 fish on Sunday, including one of 2lbs. Ms. S. Gallen from Naas had 3 fish on Sunday to 1.75lbs, while D. Diskin and J. Calvey both from Athlone had 9 fish for the weekend on the troll, best 3lbs. Mr & Ms Herviaux from Luxemburg had 10 fish for the week, best 2.25lbs, all released alive.

BALLYNAHINCH AND LOUGH INAGH
The first big flood of the summer arrived last Tuesday, and fishery manager Simon Ashe reported a lot of fish running, with some large grilse seen, as well as a good run of sea trout. Several anglers rose and lost fish that day, and I’m sure there will be reports of fish caught soon. For details and to book fishing, Simon can be contacted at 095 31006, or 087 9962424
The same evening, with fish running the river, the first salmon was taken at the Butts on Lough Inagh. Fishery manager Colin Folan reports that visiting angler Jack Meredith, from the UK, landed a fine 10lbs sea-liced bar of silver. For details and to book fishing, you can contact Colin at Lough Inagh Lodge Hotel, tel. 095 34706.

LOUGH CARRA
As with Mask, very unsettled weather and plenty of rain has risen lake levels significantly, with blustery conditions making angling difficult. Despite this, angling was quite good on Carra over the week, with 38 anglers reporting 58 trout in 69 rod-days. Sedge and buzzer hatches were good, and wetfly, nymoh and dry fly all accounted for fish, with Claret bumble/dabbler, green peter, hoppers and nymph patterns most popular.
There was a decrease again in the number of natural rises reported, but good bags of fish were being caught. It is encouraging to see so many people now conducting catch & release of fish. Evening fishing in the sheltered bays is proving very successful.
Niall Barry and his son from Tipperary had 2 great days fishing over the weekend with fish weighing 3.5lbs & 2lbs, also catching many more keepers which were released.
Chris Wilcockson from Luxembourg had the best fishing of his life on Carra with Alan Smith from the Isle of Mann and boatman Vincent Vaughan catching 6 fish, best over 4lbs 6ozs and between the two released many more fish some over 2lbs weight.
A Dutch angler Rouland Mulvelt and his daughter caught 17 trout for 4 days fishing, with the best reported fish 3.25lbs.

COSTELLO AND FERMOYLE
Fishery manager Terry Gallagher reports from Costello on the first half of June:
May as usual was a quiet month at Costello and Fermoyle as we waited for the bulk of the fish to arrive in June/July. That said some sea trout and salmon had already started passing over the fish counter on the river. After a reasonable flood the first salmon of the season fell to Jean Pierre Maire at the inflow to Fermoyle Lough. A fresh silver fish of 5 lbs.
By the end of May the counter started to register a steady flow of sea trout and more than a few salmon and this has continued up to the time of writing (mid June). Geoffrey Fitzjohn visited Fermoyle Lough and landed a 5 lbs grilse at the inflow to the lake. Some rain arrived at the end of last week which created a small flood in the upper half of the system. Geoffrey again returned to the inflow of Fermoyle where once again he caught a grilse, a fish of 4lbs 8 oz.
American angler, Floyd Adagio, was unlucky to lose a 10lbs salmon just as the fish was coming to the net but he was still happy with the 3 sea trout he caught on River Beat 2. A good amount of rain is forecast for the coming days which should bring the grilse in from the bay.
We look forward to the coming season especially now that the drift nets are finally gone from the Irish coast and since we surpassed the minimum quota for salmon returning to the system, it will be business as usual at Costello and Fermoyle.
For details and to book fishing, Terry can be contacted at 091 572196, or email cosfer@iol.ie