2015 So Far

Well after a poor Spring here with hot weather in April and cold weather in May giving poor water levels for our April & May fishing, the first few months of Summer despite no big floods has produced some great Grilse fishing with the odd big fish here and there. A few photos probably sums it up better than any text I could write.

Magic

Well I finally found myself  in the right place a the right time today.

I arrived at Bridgetown Beat of the Munster Blackwater, fishing the upper section. This Beat consists of classic flywater pretty much from top to bottom.

I went straight to the top of the beat to fish a pool which has a lovely run into a sweeping bend and a tail out to die for.

Weather conditions where perfect, a mix of sunshine and cloud and the odd shower, but more importantly it was mild. Olives hatching off and the Trout making splashy rises after the swiftly moving Duns. The Weekends flood had fined of beautifully giving  a nice whiskey tinge to the water.

Fishing a LXi 13'9 9/10 coupled with a 3D F/H/I , tapered flouro leader and an Improved Tummel Tube.

A couple of casts at the top of the run produced a good strong take followed by a spirited fight resulting in my first Blackwater Salmon if the season.

After returning the fish I rested the pool for 20 minutes and started back in at the top. Half way down I noticed a fish show in the tail tight into the far bank. This fish was moving fast so I moved down a bit in an attempt to meet him half way. A good cast putting the fly tight to the far bank and  a good down stream mend to accelerate the fly across the current resulted in a very aggressive take. This fish wanted to go back to sea and did his best to get out of the pool and into the fast run below which is where the fight played out. A couple of powerful runs later and a beautiful bar of silver flanked in the shallow water. 

We spend so much time ensuring we have the right gear, lines , flies, time spent practicing , blank days, floods and yet much of our success still comes down to making the right choice of where and when to fish and being there and then when fish are present and all the little environmental factors come together to give us that window of opportunity. For me thats the magic of Salmon Fishing.

Guideline Demo Day

This will be a great day, with all the latest Guideline gear to try including the flagship Reaction FRS fly rod, LXi and Exceed range.

All the current lines from Scandi to Skagit.

The will be two main demonstrations, one am and one pm with plenty of time to try the gear in between.

Looking forward to seeing everyone there.

Munster Blackwater

Despite lovely weather today heavy showers over the last few days and prolonged rain last night brought the river up again and adding quite a bit of colour, only giving about 1.5 feet of visibility.

However even at these water levels there are still areas worth a go. We gave the castle flat and the tail of the wood pool on Ballyhooly a good going over this morning and the jole and tail of the island stream on lower Kilmurry this afternoon. While there were a few hungry Trout showing an interest things were quiet on the Salmon front.
Ideally we need levels to drop and settle however the forecast for the next day or two are not likely to help with this.
However there is a marked improvement from late Tuesday onwards which provide for much better conditions for the later part of next week.

Putting  a line out over the tail of the wood pool on Ballyhooly. This can be a great spot for running fish.

Nice conditions on Woodstream today

Finally managed to get out for  a few hours this afternoon. It was great to see the river finally come into reasonable order for the fly. With the gauge just under the meter at Ballyduff conditions on woodstream were just about right.
Several fish have been caught spinning over the last couple weeks and its only a matter of time till one is caught on the fly with conditions improving daily.

I fished I/SI/S2 and I/S2/S3 heads with a 4" black and yellow monkey and while the Trout were very eager I was unable to a find a Salmon with the same enthusiasm. Still it was great to be on the river again.
Will get out again before the weekend is out so with a bit of luck !

Blackwater, First Salmon of the Season

The Munster Blackwater's first Salmon of 2014 was caught today on the Blackwater Lodge's lower Kilmurry Beat. A nice fresh fish of about 6lbs. With water levels dropping this should be the start.I'll be getting out on Saturday to give it a go myself. There is not too much rain forecast between now and the weekend so conditions should improve further.

Guideline Diver Sonic Waders - Long Term Test & Review

Ok so I got a pair of these wades last year with about six months left in the season. I teamed them up with a pair of Alta V2 boots with felt soles. They have seen about 60 outings, have not been cleaned or treated, though they are hung up when not in use. Leaving waders especially when wet scrunched up in the boot of the car or wader bag is a guaranteed way to shorten the life of the waders.

As a guide & instructor my waders see a lot of use and to be honest abuse.  Clambering up or sliding down steep banks, long distance walking through fields, forests and scrub. Worn when giving lessons &  courses  throughout long demonstration days. You name it they see it and I can honestly report I’ve not had so much as a pin leak.

The diver Sonic waders are 4 layer though they remain light, have  a good comfortable  shape in the body and bootie with built in gravel guards that do what they are supposed to do “keep gravel & silt out “. There are no signs of tearing around the guard hooks, a common failing on many waders.

The breathability is excellent and kept me nice and dry throughout one of the hottest Summers we saw in a decade.

There was several times when I thought right  I 've put a pin hole in them either via the hook or thorns that moment when your sure you've done it an you spend the next hour checking every ten minutes to see if your lovely new waders are leaking, but to my delight the waders are very tough despite their lightness.

The two front exterior pockets are ample, with a mesh lined outer on one allowing for flies to dry, tippet material, spare heads etc and a waterproof pocket which is great for the mobile and keys or anything else you wish to keep dry. There is of course the ususal handwarmer style pocket that will be ideal in colder conditions.

The belt loops are ideally placed at the right level allowing for the waders to be worn rolled down either with the use the easily adjustable straps or without.

What has impressed me most are the new sonic welded seams. Through my own mistake I ended up with a pair that was one size too small ( a little short) and this is normally the kiss of death for waders as getting up and down banks, kneeling  etc puts large amount of strain on the seams and will invariably end up with leaking seems with the older  style of seam. Not these waders however which have held up very well with no signs of imminent failure. The two images below clearly showing the difference between the older  style and the new sonic welded seam. I would say it's clear as to which is more likely to suffer from leaky seams.

The Alta V2 boots have also proved themselves to be well up to the task of heavy duty use, despite being one of the lightest & most comfortable boots I have worn to-date. Giving ample support to the ankles without an overly tight feeling. Now mine have the felt soles which will be a little lighter than the rubber soles but not by much. I screwed 10 carbide tipped studs into the soles of each boot and the grip has been excellent making for some very comfortable & safe wading regardless of the type of terrain. The studs also providing for good grip on wet grass ensuring I don’t end up getting down the river bank quicker than I want to.

All in all an excellent pair of waders & boots that do what they are supposed to do, keep me dry and comfortable.

Bear in mind that these are a mid range wader and very competively priced. Would I get another pair ? Definitely.