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April 04

(these reports are displayed as most recent first)

For those coming here to Fish, Bait is available from:

29th / 30th April.

Weather is at its worst North Winds and Cold.

The fishing has been rather poor over the last 2 days due to the conditions, very little from Tommy's and a poor showing further upstream. The Wolverhampton Boys ( I nearly started a war mentioning that they came from Birmingham - so be it, I got it right now!) had been travelling about with poor result but landed in a Man-Made pond at Rooksy and made up with good Tench and Carp fishing for their remaining time here.

Darren had a Duck!!!…. yes a baby one and 15 Tench all were returned safely to the water and to it's mother respectively, the other lads had a brilliant holiday and will be back.

The 3 lads from Manchester visited the Canal and Lough Sheelin the latter not producing too much but the Canal at "The 2 Bridges" (west of Mullingar) proved to be rather good with good catches of Tench and fine Roach in horrendous weather. They have now returned to the UK quite happy, they have also booked in for next year at Tommy's.

Now it's change over time so we'll look forward to new faces and new reports for May.

28th April.

Not a bad day apart for the wind (N) sunny and chilly.

Things are a bit slow today with most of the anglers in Bed! Early mornings and late nights have caught up with them.

Russell and Gordon from Liverpool fished through the night last night to find that the Bream were in the river but failed to land the majority of them (Barbless Hooks no doubt), still they managed good fishing with good Roach, Hybrids and Bream total around 90/100lbs. swims 24/25 2 of the same party fished happily on the river bagging only small fish today.

Andy Scaife and Sue were still fishing at 9 pm this evening. They were quite relaxed pulling in small fish the last time I saw them.

No boats rushing upstream today seems like everybody has had enough, Myself, I was busy preparing the house for incoming anglers this weekend so no Fishing for me today.

27th April.

There’s a change in the weather; colder and the winds backed to the North.

But..... the fishing is still great in the upper reaches, The Birmingham Boys were up there and had good catches of Roach and Hybrids with bags of 100lbs +. The 3 lads from Manchester did very well yesterday but found the wind a bit of a problem today but still returned very happy. This evening, they are fishing swims 1, 2 and 3, which are at the entrance to the lake, reports will follow.

Andy Scaife and Sue were at Meelick, yesterday, this is on the Shannon near Bangher, and had good sport with Roach but there’s a problem with Pike at this venue. Today they tried the Canal at Abbey Shrule behind the Rustic Inn to find the Tench were on-song with fish over the 3lbs mark. This evening they're having a few hours in “The Bog Hole”

26th April

Overcast with the Rain pushing in from SW, this didn’t last too long turning into a great evening of sunshine and warm.

All anglers are having a great time up the upper reaches, Great bags of fish were reported, Frank and Peter were also upstream, Peter fishing by The Sunken Tree, Frank was above and had a great few hours - Frank managed 3 good size Rudd 1lb.8ozs. excellent for this time of the year!!

Andy, Becky and Jason had their last session this morning before heading back home after having a memorable week. More anglers are flooding in; the sport at Tommy’s did slow down today no Bream reported just small fish to be had, but it will change.

25th April

Warm! With great conditions for fishing, slight winds SW. good sunshine.

Report from the “Cut” is that Andy and Jason did well last evening, fishing was rewarding with good Hybrids and 1 Bream total weight 40lbs.

Back to the riverbank; The Devon Boys are struggling with only light weights. The Birmingham Boys are having a whale of a time at Malady’s bagging up on very good Roach, Hybrids and the odd small Bream.

The “Bog Hole” has attracted many an angler mad to have a session here it’s a bit like a Supermarket with a Sale on.

(Note) any angler who plans to visit “The Hot Water Stretch” at Lanesborough will find that there’s No Hot Water being pumped due to construction work.

Back on the Inny to it’s upper sections Red Bridge to White Bridge, (Bye the way Red Bridge section is not fishing well at all) fishing here is still the finest you’ll find. The Graveyard above the bridge is well worth a dip, a good few anglers are in attendance around this Hot Spot all catching good bags, (No weights known)

Great catch last evening from the boat at Delany’s I had young Robert English on board who was delighted to catch a Roach of 2lbs. and many more.

Robert English with a cracking roach - even Scully looks impressed.

2 of the Birmingham Lads were seeking a spot so I hailed them to fish where we were, they did, they caught, they are set for a repeat trip tomorrow. Outside our Patch seems to be not to great with reports from visiting anglers of a Great Struggle to find fish. The Canal fishing around Mullingar is just about to wake up with the odd fish.

(News Flash) There’s an Inny Festival being held at Coolnagun Match Stretch between Coolnagun Bridge and Float Bridge over the May Bank Holiday. (Sorry no contact number) Abbeyshrule canal is quiet at the moment with few anglers. All had great sport today.

24th April.
The fishing gallery and wildlife gallery have been updated.

Everything is “Spot On” Warm; Slight Breeze SW. River conditions are great.

There seems to be more Anglers than Fish today the place is heaving with anglers, with the arrival of the Birmingham Brigade it should make for good reports.

It’s been Roach and Hybrid day today with a good head of fish from above “Red Bridge” to “White Bridge.” Andy, Jason and Becky were at the “Cut” this morning early to find it hard going with very few fish to be had, Andy Scaife and Sue fished swims 32/33 - here they had good enough sport to keep them happy, The Devon Boys were at it all night but failed to conquer any amount of fish, but the second wave has begun tonight’s session.

Four of the Birmingham Boys were having a Dip at Malady’s straight from the boat to the bank. Here they met great Float fishing on the Roach and Hybrids, two others were trying out their new state-of-the-art fish finder on the lower stretch.

Myself, I found out lots of places where there are fish on the stretch between “Red Bridge” and “White Bridge” The whole River is stuffed with good size Roach & Hybrids.

This will be a Float Fisherman’s Dream if all stays the way it is today (which I think it will)

23rd April.

Weather improving every day: much warmer, light breezes SW.

To recap on Andy’s / Jason’s (not forgetting Becky a delightful young lady angler) evening session on swims 32/33, 40lbs between them mostly small Roach.

As for today’s good tidings Peter finished off last evenings spell with great Roach fishing at Malady’s and a early start this morning at the same venue accompanied by Frank, at 7.15 am. / 10am, enjoyed the best Roach fishing so far this year, no shortage of Roach at 1lb. 8ozs.

Back to Tommy’s - Andy, Jason and Becky were sharing swims 25/26 and produced another large bag of Bream. Jason: 32 Bream, weighing in at 220lbs. Becky (who was in the middle) 11 Bream weighed in 70 lbs. and Andy: 18 Bream topping 112lbs.

The other Andy and Sue were at Red Bridge for the morning to find the place void of fish only to return to Tom’s and so they Prebaited swims 2 and 3. The Gang from Devon has landed, all full of excitement ready for, hopefully, good sport.

Jim from Strokestown paid a first visit to our neck of the woods and landed at Red bridge to find the fishing was very poor so I guided him to Tommy’s were he fished for a few hours not having a bite. But He will be Back (Prebaiting is the secret) .

22nd April

Weather was very kind today, good sunny spells, light winds.

The weather was great But the fishing was on the poor side after trying “The Cut” with little success. Andy and Jason moved over to the river back to swims 25/26 only to find it was a totally different ball game from yesterday with small Roach and Perch, Prebaited these 2 swims for tomorrow and fished the Bog Hole this evening.

Andy Scaife and Sue has arrived this afternoon and were tempted to fish following the News, they put in a couple of hours on the river and had good sport with small Roach, a couple of Bream, etc. after travelling since 5am. They’ll be glad of their beds tonight.

21st April

Wet and very Windy to start clearing to good Sunny spells.

Andy Ashcroft and Jason were out early this morning fishing on “Prebaited” swims 25/26 just above the top entrance of the Gravel Pit and what a day they had, 634 lbs of top quality Bream with the best fish topping 8lbs.

Fishing feeder tactics over the far bank they were into big fish all day. Andy hauled in a Massive 326lbs, whilst Jason followed with a Brilliant 308 lbs. this was Jason’s personal best for Bream fishing.

Mustn’t forget Peter who was plodding away up at Malady’s this evening and enjoyed good sport on large Roach and Hybrids. Andy and Jason returned to the river to fish 32/33 here they were met only by small Roach and Perch, after what they had throughout the day They Didn’t Care.

19th - 20th April.

Wet and Windy. Heavy Rain.

River conditions are 1st Class Peter and Frank ended up with a good count of Roach and Hybrids after I left. Peter spent time at Malady’s Monday evening, for the fist hour things were not good, then things got better by the minute with Good Hybrids and Large Roach to the 1lb 8ozs.mark this went on to almost dark.

Andy Ashcroft and friend Jason landed at Tom’s to start their holiday amidst bad conditions, but they got on with it. With the aid of a boat from Tommy’s Fleet, they checked out “The Cut” and “The Ponds” to find things were slow on Monday.

On Tuesday Andy and Jason were at the “Bog Hole” very early in the morning and did take in a few middling size Bream, Roach and Perch, the afternoon saw them visiting "The Cut" in Prebaited swims to find things were not much better there in the most horrendous conditions.

Forecasts for the next few days are a lot better, with the wind dropping tomorrow afternoon and getting warmer.

13th –18th April.

A Mixture of weather this week, typical April with showers, Sunshine and cold winds from the North.

Peter had several sessions at Ballymahon Bridge in the fast water and was very successful, good Roach came out with some small Skimmers and 1 good Trout.

There are a few anglers knocking around still with very little to show, Red Bridge showed a few fish in the week and Peter and Frank had 1 good day in the Bog Hole other trips to this swim were very poor.

Two English anglers turn up there yesterday, which was the worst day’s weather for the week. Still they had some success in swim 32, with small Roach and Perch and a lot of rain. Frank returned early one morning to the Big Pond over on the Cut and did catch 3 Hybrids and 6 Roach, (not much going on there yet) but it’s early days.

On the 18th Peter and Frank tried the “Bog Hole” - nothing at all here so up to swims 39- 40 and were catching steady on the small Roach under very wet and windy conditions, I just went along for the walk.

12th April (Easter Monday)

Good conditions all round, light winds NW. Overcast. Mild.

Better news today, Peter and Frank visited the River Suck at Coreen Forde and found that there were plenty of fish to be had fishing downstream from the car park.

On the float tackle with red maggots the 2 boys had a great afternoon with Roach and small Hybrids, Peters tally was about 25/30 lbs. Frank came a very close 2nd. I fished the river Inny after having an hour or so out on the lake trolling with a friend on board, grand total 1 Pike 7/8lbs. and a fine trout on a Devon Minnow 3 lbs.

On the river we ventured to Malady’s section to find the condition was not too good so we moved down to “The Bog Hole” here it was better out of the chilly breeze. My best day yet, Float fishing at 13 ft. I managed good Roach and 4 great Hybrids, I changed to a small lead to give my arms a rest and found myself into Bream 4 in a row all around the 5/6lbs. This was too much for Jimmy, as he has never been fishing before now I will have to teach him to fish.

Jimmy holding up a nice Bream.

Away around the local spots fish are still very scarce with anglers chasing shadows, Peter had 2hrs first thing this morning at Ballymahon Bridge with a few pounds of fish, Trout and Roach, great if you like Fast Water Fishing.

5th to 11th April.

Weather has been perfect for fishing, light winds still from the North, overcast, Mild.

All the conditions are right except that the Fish have yet to do their thing, it’s been a struggle for this week to find fish and to hold on to them, Peter has tried all the spots and all the tricks but to no avail, a couple of fish here and there, Frank has tried the Cut early to find that whilst there are fish in about they are reluctant to feed.

Nigel Scully had fish last Sunday at “Red Bridge” a good helping of Roach and Hybrids up to the 1lb. mark and his friends the two Alan’s visited Tommy Foxe’s early to find the sport Slow, with a mixture of Roach and Perch.

There are a few of the early anglers about but they are all on the move looking for the Fish as we all are. I made the move on Saturday up the river in the boat and fished below Malady’s swim and found to my delight there was great fishing to be had for 2 hrs, Great Roach all of around the 1lb stamp and smallish Hybrids, then all disappeared so I moved to try and find fish. I fished “The Bog Hole” for 2 small fish, then the entrance for No Fish.

We’ll keep going!

1st - 4th April.

April is the usual month for the fishing to get under way as anglers begin to arrive.

Weather has been Bad for these first 4 days with Rain, Hail and High Winds from the NNW this has taken its toll on the fishing.

Peter had a few hours below his cottage (Malady’s) without any luck at that time, so he moved over to Tommy’s fishing in swim 32, here he did find the Roach were obliging along with Perch, no Bream though, this of course came after repairing his reel! He also fished several swims on his return journey only to find a Lack of fish.

Frank is having a rest nursing a Cold, Poor Old Frank.

Three Pike Anglers found themselves at Tom’s on Saturday and hired a boat and disappeared up the river all day; result 9 Pike - top weight was a Cracking 20 lbs Specimen all fish were returned.

Sunday, saw 2 Fly Fishermen heading out to fish around Barley Harbour, in conditions that would best be described as Horrendous. I saw them on their return Surfing down the lake with a force 8 up the rear end, they made it safely back into the harbour.

Several other boats were out and a few Trout and the odd Pike were had, but to fish in conditions like this is pure Madness.

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