I am in Australia until Next Year

Hi,

Well as the water level dropped, the salmon became more stressed and I fished less as I felt it was inappropriate to pursue fish that we having difficulty coping with their low level, warm water surroundings.

The shrimpers did well, but almost all were stale fish.

I am in Melbourne, Australia and will target the trout in regional Victoria and in the Highlands of Tasmania...and maybe in New Zealand.

Also, I will have a go at the snapper in Port Phillip Bay.

Maybe a post or two, but not many.

All the best and I hope that this blog was enjoyable and possibly a bit informative.

I'll be back next year, a bit older and wiser!

Shrimping for Beginners

I have never fished the shrimp or the prawn before and managed to get lessons from Connor Arnold, Franco and Pat. You can fish the prawn either by "spinning" it: by using a weight and letting it drift along with the current near, but not on the bottom or under a float.

It is vital that you keep contact with the bait as the salmon take it quick and unless you strike, the fish is lost.

I tend to get too much slack in my line and so the strike is a mess!

You will need a prawn pin, treble hook and split shot to fish the prawn. You will also need a pike float if you wish to float the shrimp down the run.The prawns are dyed either purple or red.

This is a deadly method in low water.

Many consider it unsporting, especially the fly purists. I am undecided, but concerned at the impact of its effectiveness in prolonged low water conditions.

I have attached some videos of my mentors teaching me to fish the prawn on the Carrig Beat of the
Blackwater River.

This is the basic rig:-

Float
Float stoppers to vary depth below float to bait
Lead shot weights
Swivels to avoid kinks and twists in the line
short leader with running shrimp securing pin:;
Either treble or single hook
Dyed preserved shrimps

See photo below:

Shrimp Pin, Treble Hook and Preserved Dyed Shrimps

This is how you fish it!








I will update the Shrimping after I have had a few more go's and a few more lessons from the "experts"!

Visit to Waterford Crystal Factory

Well, the water is very low in the Blackwater River and not so good for the fly. So. time for some sightseeing.

I went to Waterford City, which is a historic city on the river Suir, which is a famous salmon and trout river. It is reputedly Ireland's oldest City having been established by the Vikings in 873 (nearby and then chased out) then again in 914.

There is an old section of the city called the "Viking Triangle" which contains many old stone buildings.

I took the factory tour. Have a look at the video below

Some photos of the craftsmen at work. Pieces such as the US Ooen and Irish Derby trophies are made here.

Wooden Molds Used to Form the Basic Piece

Glass Blowing Area

The 5 stages of manufacture - Rough Cast, Clean up, engraving (2) and polishing

First Stage after Blowing - Clean Up and Rough Cuts

Engraving the Pattern

Computer Generated Cutting ad ngraving

The Drawing and Cutting Instructions

The Old mixed with the New in the Waterford Crystal Factory

August Fishing

It has been a case of feast and famine. I have only caught one 3 lb grilse on the fly as I have not wished to fish the prawn or shrimp.

3lb grilse caught on the fly at Killavullen Beat - 8 August 2013

Note the net marks typical of the grilse this year. The nets are still on the Blackwater and we suspect are taking a heavy toll on the fish and fishing.

The grilse ran hard during a brief but intense flood in early August and this was followed by a storm around Mallow. These caused a long period of high and dirty water. The spinners caught a few as did the prawners. Three days of around 20 fish per day were caught with about half being caught on the prawn. The fish have been travelling upstream but not showing in any great numbers. The fishing has dropped off in the last few days.

There has been an increase in the poachers on the river with two netters seen at Bridgetown Priory - a favourite illegal fishing spot.

My casting in improving as seen in the video below.



I am off to Bridgetown Priory today.

Best day for the Season

I fished Lower Kilmurry Beat this afternoon and evening. It flogged down rain all day but fined up for the evening. The river was only slightly coloured and up around 100mm. I landed 3 salmon with the best weighing in at 11.8 lbs all caught on the fly. Two on a size 14 silver and black stoats tail and the best fish on a size 14 Curry's Red shrimp pattern. It took me to the backing several times with powerful runs before it was netted.

Ian Powell joined me for the evening and netted the bigger fish.

We celebrated the day with a lovely 2008 Margaux with a late dinner served at 11:45pm. That is what I call service at the Blackwater Lodge!

First Grilse of the day - 3 lbs - released

Second grilse of the day - 2.7 lbs released

11.8lbs resident salmon - note the darker colouration

11.8lbs caught at Lower Kilmurry Beat in the background

Ian Powell, owner of Blackwater Lodge, into a good grilse at Lower Kilmurry

What a great day on the River Blackwater!

A Fish landed and a good fish lost

I fished Bridgetown Priory Beat yesterday for no success. Today I fished Lower Kilmurray and caught a 3.1 lb grilse on a size 18 black and silver stoats tail fly and lost a 15+ lb fish on a size 12 cascade.

The grilse gave me a good run down to the backing. Theb igger fish was a resident fish that had showed a number of times. I decided to give it a go by putting a largish bright fly right in front of it. It showed in my casting zone just when I was retrieving. So I cast and put the fly just in front of it. It took it very strongly and we battled for about 2 minutes when it raced off to the side of the river and the fly came out. I think that the hook opened up as it was only held by one prong. Oh well.... better luck next time!

3.1lb girlse caught on the fly at Lower Kilmurray Beat of the River Blackwater on 30th July 2013

The Visitors are gone and so it is back to Fishing!

After two enjoyable weeks of visitors from Australia showing them the sights, meeting cousins and aunts, I am back on the job again. The river level is still low despite a week of showers. I have reduced the size of the salmon flies to size 18 and am using a red Francis. I had some success with a 1.7lb sea trout at Ballinaroone Beat and had a couple of takes on Kents Beat on a Cascade Shrimp pattern but no hook up. There are a few small grilse of the 2-3lb size being caught. I am off to Bridgetown Priory beat today.

1.7lb Seat Trout caught on the fly at Ballinaroone Beat - 26th July 2013

2.6lb Grilse on a Trout Fly at Lower Killmurry

The day reached 32 degrees C and I waited until 9pm until I ventured out. I tried a size 14 Blue Charm salmon fly but no takers. A largish salmon showed, I covered as best I could, but no take.

I changed to my 10 ft 8 wt Hardy Zenith with an 8 wt sharkskin floating Rio line with a sinking tip leader and a team of three flies with a gold head bead nymph on point - the usually best trout fly.

A strong take, I thought it was a sea trout and saw a salmon grilse leap. I thought that my white trout had shook up a salmon.

After a 10 minute fight which took me to the backing twice, I got my grilse to the net. It had taken a size 14 red brown wet.

2.6lb Grilse taken on a trout fly at 10:15pm at Lower Killmurry Beat on the River BLackwater, Co. Cork

The Fly that caught the Grilse - Size 14 Grouse and Claret Wet Trout Fly

The fight is on head cam video. The quality is not great due to the declining light at 10:15pm.

Tough Fishing in Irish Heatwave!

I fish at the crack of dawn (5:30am) or after 8:00pm until about 11:30pm at night to avoid the heat of the day. No rain and bright hot days has meant few salmon caught as they don't run so freely upstream in low water and tend to be put down and sulk in bright weather.

I have enjoyed a few evenings trout fishing and tonight caught a 2lb sea trout. See photo below of sea trout and brown trout. Sea trout are brown trout that have gone to live in the sea and have come back up river to spawn. The sea trout still tasted of the salt water on its skin indicating that it was not long in the river. The sea trout fought well and it took me about 20 minutes to bring it to the net.

2lb sea trout and smaller brown trout both caught on the fly

The last week has been bright and 25-30 degrees Celsius each day. The lack of rain has meant that the salmon have not run so freely up river. We are awaiting some rain, cooler weather and the summer grisle run.

Misty mornings at Ballyduff

Early Morning fishing on Lower Kilmurry Beat - River Blackwater (Listen to the "Dawn Chorus" of wildlife)

Late Evening on Lower Kilmurry Beat - 

River Blackwater

This is where I caught the sea and brown trout this evening

Now for those of you that are new to fly and lure  fishing a few photos to explain things.

These are flying C spinning lures

Dry Trout flies - Mayflies on right

Wet trout flies

A selection of salmon flies

Salmon fishing has no mercy for the fisherman

I have lost 7 out of 8 salmon hooked. The last three on the fly. It looks as if the grilse run has finally begun. I hooked, fought and lost the grilse on Upper Kilmurray Beat



The grilse of about 3 or 4 lbs fought like a fresh fish. I caught it on a size 14 curry's red fished with a size 12 cascade shrimp pattern on the dropper. The grilse took the fly on the retrieve. We had a bit of rain today and it slightly coloured the water perhaps inducing the grisle to run up river.

When the water level drops and the water clears, it is time for smaller flies.

I also hooked myself again!

Size 12 Cascade Shrimp firmly embedded in my finger!

It was skillfully removed by Ian Powell at the Blackwater Lodge with Bushmills Whiskey used as a mild general anesthetic.

A day of surprises!

An Interesting Week!

I have lost 5 out of the last 6 salmon hooked on spinner and fly. Yesterday on the Killavullen Beat, I lost a massive salmon just short of the net. It would have been 20+lbs. I caught it on the fly using a size 14 Curry's Red on point and a size 10 purple shrimp pattern on a dropper as an attracter. The fish took confidently and the head shakes ricocheted through the rod. I knew straight away it was a big fish. It jumped twice and rolled. I knew that it was a big fish by the power of its head shakes when I hooked it. It ran up and down the river breaching and shaking its head. It  ran towards me such that I could barely keep tension on the line. then it held in the current just shaking its powerful head. After about 10 or 15 minutes, I brought it to the net it made one last jump and the fly came free. I was devastated as the adrenalin was pumping through my body due to the excitement. Maybe my inexperience, possibly I had the reel drag too tight, who knows?

But I learnt from the experience. Salmon fishing is a tough teacher with no tolerance of amateurs like me. I should have had less drag on the reel and tried to tire the fish more before thinking it was ready for the net. The 14 foot rod has little shock adsorption capacity when the fish is at your feet. So the fly can be pulled free more easily by an active fish.

Killavullen Beat - Where I lost the big fish!

I bought a pair of Combi Vacuum and magnetic rod holders for the car. So far so good. It is so much better not to have to break the rods down each time.

My VW Golf with the Combi Rod Holders

Last week it rained hard and the Backwater River dirtied up.

Kents Beat - The colour of chocolate after heavy rain last week

This is Kents Beat, one of the lower Blackwater Lodge Beats

Kents Beat - Looking Downstream

Kents Beat - Looking upstream

 The pheasants have finished their mating season, but are still about

Cock Pheasant at Woodstream Beat

Summer is here and the crops are filling out their heads

GM Barley at Killavullen - It has a much larger yield, straw height and head size than non GM varieties

Finally, a 270 degree panorama shot of my cottage on the far right and my view