Fly-fishing for pike and sea-bass Cork and Kerry

Pike fly fishing
The Americans, Canadians and the Dutch have been doing it for years. This is relatively new to Ireland. The good news is we have an abundance of pike fishing available. Fly-fishing for pike brings a wonderful aspect to the sport it can be extreme and also delicate. Pike on the fly is one of the most exciting ways of fishing, I have ever experienced, from a small two to three pound pike to a twenty pound pike. These fish can be very obliging or cooperative but can also be selective.

Tackle needed for pike:

Rods: 9ft-aftm 9-10 wt
Lines: Bug tapers - good quality eg Lee Wulff, Cortland and Jim Teeny.
Floating, intermediate and sink tips or sinkers
Reels: Large arbour reels with good drag systems. This item is better if you buy a saltwater model with lots of room for backing then it doubles for bass and salmon
Flies & lures: Bring your own if you want, I will have these available anyway.
Pliers: A long nose pliers is essential for removing hooks quickly

Saltwater fly-fishing in Ireland
Fly-rodding around Ireland's coast line, who would have thought of it, 10 years ago most fly anglers would have laughed at the prospect. It's here and here to stay, not yet mainstream but growing. Salt-water anglers starting to fly-fish. Fly-fishers changing to saltwater from fresh, all inquisitive of each others chosen field, one word 'brilliant'. Bass, sea-trout, mullet, Pollack and mackerel, what species next and how.
We are pioneering a young and extreme sport in Ireland. A tough and harsh environment on you and your tackle, speaking of tackle 8-10wt rods, WF saltwater fly-lines large arbour salt-water reels, stainless steel hooks, breathable waders and last but not least a stripping basket probably the single most important item of all your tackle, lets go fishing!

Spinning and plugging for sea bass, mackerel, Pollack and sea-trout in the salt-water have been persuade for a long time. 10ft spinning rods fixed spool reels preferably salt proof and quality line, some spoons, top-water and subsurface plugs and you are off.

Wild brown trout in the southern most part of Ireland are in abundance, the average size is small compared to their western brothers. They can be found in all our rivers, streams and lakes and can be great sport on light tackle fine tippets and small flies, dry flies, emerges, nymphs, soft hackles, spider patterns , bugs and streamer flies also work well and sometimes yield a better class of wild brown.

Sea-trout fly-fishing can be excellent in our rivers and lakes depending on the conditions for which the fishery excels. The sea-trout it self holds a special magic for me and my friends, although sometimes I feel they are totally neglected, mistreated and not enough done to enhance the potential of this hard fishing and mysterious trout.

All in all I have had some memorable nights over the past twenty years with sea-trout. Darkness obviously is my favourite time to pursue them, they can be caught during the day in certain rivers and lakes.

Tackle: 9ft-10ft rods for rivers, 10ft-11ft rods for lakes
Floating and sinking lines: Bright coloured lines (floating) for night fishing, preferably white coloured lines.
Fly reels with a quick retrieve to keep up with these speedsters (flies day time) depending on water heights, flies should be small and lightly dressed, for low flows and clear water. The usual lake patterns are the norm for sea-trout lochs.
Night time flies: Mostly fished in low to medium flows. Sizes range from 14 to 4 in single low water hooks. Patterns specially tied by myself that continuously work year after year with one or two exceptions. Mini tubes and surface lures also work.

Salmon fishing in Ireland is probably the most talked about and controversial part of our sport. Drift netting is top of the list and why not. It's economically unsound and environmentally disastrous to runs of wild fish stocks, this has to stop. Fish farming is nothing short of a joke, poaching at sea and on river catchments wiping out generations of multi sea winter fish, pollution, acid rain, deforestation, poor spawning areas, financial injection in the right places and the term horses and coursed does not exist especially in the south. Who suffers because of all this, tourism, rural communities, the salmon, and the sea trout and last but not least The Angler!

We must also stand up and be counted. Conservation is the right road for us, though it can be something that is misunderstood, this practise will be abused because it is down to individuality. Catch and release is not always the right choice, the method used should be dictated by the conditions on any given day, enough of the politics of our sport. There is always light at the end of the tunnel.
Mention salmon fishing in the south of Ireland and the first river talked about is obliviously The Black-water, one of the best in the country. The Bandon River, The Lee and The Ilen, all these rivers are within close proximity of each other. On the South-West Coast we have The Flesk, The Laune, a great spring river The Caragh, The Kenmare System and the Waterville System. In the north of Kerry, The Feale, that's a fair bit of salmon fishing where ticket water is available

Tackle: Fly-fishing for salmon should be covered with single and double handed rods, from 10ft - 15ft rated aftm 7 - 10. Lines from floating through to fast sinking, or sink tips or multi tip Spey lines. Flies, singles, doubles, trebles and tubes, large in the spring depending on the water height and temperature, small in the summer.

Spinning with tobys and flying cs, worming and shrimping are very effective where the methods are allowed and sometimes essential.

Rainbow trout fishing is also available and can be great fun on some of the stocked fisheries. One private fishery in particular which is opened 12 months of the year is The Ballyhass lakes which has an excellent set up and is only 30 miles from Cork City.

Fly-fishing for pike and sea-bass Cork and Kerry - I run a guiding service 12 months of the year, in the south of Ireland, mainly Cork and Kerry. Fly-fishing and plugging for pike and sea-bass, fly fishing, spinning and worming for salmon. Fly fishing for trout and sea-trout is also catered for.

I will supply flies for trout, sea-trout (day), sea-trout (night time specials), salmon, pike and saltwater (home and abroad).
All these tied to order.

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