Current Conditions

After a month of good water levels most rivers had  good fishing for May and so far this month.
Though water levels are again back down to Summer levels and will continue to drop unless we get more rain.

However the Blackwater is still providing good fishing with fish caught daily from Mallow down, though the lower beats are providing the bulk of the sport. It's worth noting reports from nets of several very large fish in the 20 - 30 lbs bracket being caught, shame that alot of these big fish are not making it into the river.

While fish to mid teens have been caught, it would  be great to see some of these large fish caught on rod and line. We need a good flood to get these into the system.

There are reports of good fish on the River Lee and while there are a few fish being caught on the lowest beats just above the tide, water levels being maintained by the Inniscarra Dam are not condusive to good fishing, with either very low levels (approx 20 inches below Summer Level, never seen these levels in all the years I've been fishing the Lee) or short periods of very high water which tend to pull the fish straight to the Dam and beyond.

The Laune fished reasonable well over the last 3 weeks with some good fish being caught while water levels were good, though this would be much  better if the nets were not getting the lions share.
I fished it last Sunday from 10am to 10pm and while I had a lovely fish of approx 13lbs on the fly, it was hard work and the only fish seen all day.

There are proposals now to reopen the Castlemaine Fishery, which will further impact stocks for the Laune and surrounding rivers. I would STRONGLY recommend every angler to write to Minister Pat Rabbitte (Communications Energy & Natural Resources) to voice their objection prior to the 17th June or Salmon such as the one pictured above will become a thing of the past on the Laune and surrounding fisheries.