Monday 12th March on the Barrow

I was invited to go fishing today with one of our new club members Marius so we went to Carlow Town Park around 10am. The fishing was fierce slow and come 2.30pm we were getting tired of the wee small Dace and Roach. Tadas rang and in his Lithuanian accent he said hey Potatoya we going St.Mullins, ha ha didn't need to ask twice, off we set.

We set up on the tidal stretch and to be honest it was very slow to start. We all set up the customary feeder rods used on the tidal water. The lads were finding it hard however I was into Trout after Trout and had around twelve of the wee hard fighting fish. Marius landed a fabulous Roach then my rod swung round and low and behold after a good fight I found myself landing a nice Bream.

Marius below with a cracker of a Roach

Tadas was soon into good decent sized Roach then came the ye ho from his peg and I new he had a Bream on, fish safetly landed he was over the moon and glad to have travelled from Carlow town down to St.Mullins. We all had a few fish and would have had a lot more had we stayed for the rising tide however with family commitments etc. we headed home always another day as they say.

Tadas below with a St.Mullins Dustbin lid

My wee catch for the day below



Hunting out the Bream

Myself and Mark Godfrey decided on Saturday that we would go to the Picturesque area of St. Mullins in Co.Carlow in search of some Bream. We arrived around 11am and noticed that the tide was almost dropped to it's lowest level. We waited around all day messing around with the feeder getting Trout after Trout to pass the time and having a laugh. I seen two anglers up river and went for a wee chat as you do sure it was only Atilla the Cralusso Distributor for Ireland and his friend so we had a chat for a while then I headed back down to Mark for a wee bit of lunch.

Below Mark with a wee Trout

After what seemed like an eternity it was 4.30pm and the tide was just rising and sure enough the rod tip spun around indicating the unmistakable bite of a large fish, I played the fish which was caught on a size 14 B711 hook and three red maggots for a while. The first fish I got was a dustbin lid as they say probably around 5Lb.and put up a cracker fight turning sideways against the flow of the rising tide.

My first Bream this year

Mark had the take of a Bream however he lost the fish as he had forgotten to change the barbless hook he was catching the Trout all day with. We had a laugh as always, Tadas arrived with Monika and young Paulis and just after they arrived I was into another Bream which was to be my third of the day so it was well worth the visit and I will surely be back several times this year as Waterford A.C. have a match there on the 1stApril. I ended up with three nice Bream, a Dace or two and loads of Trout.

Two of my river Barrow Bream



Monthly free E-Zine launched by Carlow c.a.c.

Please feel free to look at the new monthly E-Zine (Newsletter) now issued by the

Carlow Coarse Angling Club.

Click on the link below.

Tadas below with his winning bag on Sunday

http://content.yudu.com/Library/A1vwvh/FebissueCarlowCoarse/resources/index.htm?referrerUrl=http%3A%2F%2Ffree.yudu.com%2Fitem%2Fdetails%2F487656%2FFeb-issue-Carlow-Coarse-Angling-Club

Waterways Ireland Launch 27th Feb 2012

I was invited to attend the launch of the new Study on recreation on the Barrow corridor. The study was undertaken by Waterways Ireland and will ensure that the River Barrow is used to it's proper potential. A great day was had by all in attendance and refreshments were served afterwards, some great information was gained to help the club and several new contacts were made on the day.

Pictured below with the Irish Minister for the Environment.

Pictured below with Carlow Councillor Wayne Fennell

Pictured below with Emer from Waterways Ireland

N.C.F.F.I. Affiliated club's match Carlow & Portobello

Carlow C.A.C. and Portobello

N.C.F.F.I.

Affiliated club's match Carlow Town

Sunday 26th Feb 2012

Sunday 29th Feb saw anglers descend on the Barrow from the Carlow Coarse Angling Club, visitors and the Portobello Angling Club. A good turn out was evident from the amount of cars arriving at the draw and sure enough we were gonna have a good turn out to test run the venue for the Irish Team selection qualifier to be held in April on the river Barrow in Carlow Town. Special thanks must go to Henry Norton and the lads for travelling to Carlow.

Myself with a few nice Roach

All in attendance caught fish with the winning weight going to Gary(Gazza) Doyle from Carlow who weighed in 20Lb. A lot of different methods were used on the day, personally I set up the Pole, Whip, Feeder rod, float rod with my oul trusty home made Peacock Quill and Abu closed face and a waggler set up on the 14ft Trabucco match rod. After I watched Tadas in the peg next to me net two or three Hybrids I decided to switch to the feeder but I was too late and ended third in the section with 4Lb 12oz. We made new friends and chatted fishing and swapped stories etc. sure that's what it's all about. Three of Tadas's friends from Lithuania visited and enjoyed the craic we were having and now wanna join the Carlow C.A.C.

Gazza below with his winning bag

Tadas below with his end weight

Henry Norton (Portobello) presenting Prize to Brendan Collins (Portobello)

Angling Council of Ireland Water Safety Course

Instead of my usual fishing day out on a Sunday myself and several members of the

Carlow Coarse Angling Club teamed up with members from several angling clubs and Federations within the Angling Council of Ireland affiliation, to complete a Water Safety course being ran by the A.C.I. near Clonmel.

Attendees at the course near Clonmel

A great day out was had by all in attendance at the course which was held in the community centre in Kilsheelen, Co.Tipp and on the river Suir for the afternoon session. We all learned how to fill in and use safety assesment forms amongst other vitally important fields and situations which could arise. I particularly enjoyed the outside coaching and learning how to use a throw rope which hopefully I will never have to do for real but still it's good to have the training and be able to take control of a situation should it arise.

One of the A.C.I. banners

Angling Expo in Dublin

Had a very busy weekend at the Angling Expo in Swords, Dublin. I was on stands with http://www.Irelandscoarsefishing .com

The angling Council of Ireland and the N.C.F.F.I. who were at the Dublin Initiative stand.

I had several chats Mr John Wilson who was on the Anglers Paradise stand where the I.C.F. were based over the weekend promoting his new book. Brian Bohan was also with us promoting his new book based on the Lakes around Leitrim and Cavan.

Jay's wee woman with Brian Bohan's new book 

Myself and John Wilson

We all had a good weekend at the show and there was a good turn out by people from all over the country. The Federation decided to split the committee to different stands over the weekend rather than being in the one place, seemed to work better that way as more people are now aware that the N.C.F.F.I. are the leading body for coarse anglers in Ireland.

Me trying to tie my first fly on the A.C.I. stand

Monday 6th Feb 2012 river Barrow, Dace bashing

We had decided that due to the fact we had loads of left over bait from Sunday that we would hit the river again on Monday and see if we could do a wee bit better. After a not so healthy breakfast me and Noel headed out to the river for a days fishing. When we arrived at our destination the watercraft skills again came into use and it was decided that we would fish in close for the Dace on the edge of the flow with a Stick float.

Noel at his peg

After I had lost three stick floats due to an unseen snag I decided to switch to a waggler float and straight away I was into Dace after Dace. Most people would rather sit fishing for the Roach and get a few however that particular day I was happy enough to just sit, take it easy and fish away for the Dace as you can never practice enough on them and they do win matches on the Barrow if the Roach are not on show. Noel had set up the 8mtr whip and the feeder rod and after an hour decided to fish the waggler and after I let him know he had to loose feed a lot he was soon into the Dace himself

Below: Noel with his catch of Dace for the day

Below: My catch of Dace for the few hours we were out on the river

Sunday 5th Feb on the Barrow in Carlow Town

We had a scheduled match due to take place on the river in Carlow Town on Sunday however due to the Barrow levels being high we decided to cancel the match. Whilst other people decided to go and fish canals etc. Myself, Tadas and Noel decided we would fish feeder only on the graveyard stretch of the river where the match was due to take place. I put on an 80gm feeder whilst Noel and Tadas decided to opt for a 40gm feeder (I will go into it again) the reasons are beyond me but seemed to work for Tadas.

Noel off for a walk up the bank

I posted the pics on the carlow cac Facebook page and had some comments on the pic of Tadas with his fish and the rod in a loo ball behind him due to the 40gm feeder. Dave Harrell a well known angling celeb. posted something like "you've another one on behind you" as you will see from the next pic he is more than justified as were the others who posted.

Tadas pictured below with a nice Barrow clonker

The day was cold the bites were few but as always we had a good day out and plenty of chat with passing river users and still managed to get a few.

Myself below with a few wee Roach caught on the tip

With loads of bait left over me and Noel decided to out on the river again on the Monday making it a long weekend, we were not dissapointed.

Bumping into the Irish Angler at Southern County Fishing Resort

I was out at the Southern County Fishing Resort http://www.southerncounty.ie/ with Noel during last week. The resort is situated at the foot of Mt. Leinster some 250 foot above sea level which offers truly spectacular views of Carlow, Kilkenny, the Wicklow mountains and the Blackstairs mountain range. The lakes have now stocked some Salmon as well as the hard fighting Rainbow Trout offering some pretty good fishing on a fly rod. The resort breed their own fish at the on site hatchery making the resort the only site in the country to provide such a service.

Noel went off to bait fish the big middle lake whilst I was chatting to mr Pat Foley who owns and runs the family business. After chatting to Pat for an hour or so I headed off to find Noel and bumped into a chap who was fly fishing on the top lake. After introductions and fishy talk I learned that the chap I was talking to was Mike Shanks from the Irish Angler magazine. I stayed with Mike for a wee while and watched as he caught and netted fish after fish and picked up a few wee tips as Mike was very curteous and informative so much so that he gave Noel tuition on his own fly rod complete with a Hardys reel.

Mike Shanks (Irish Angler magazine) giving Noel tuition.

Below: Mike releasing one of the many Salmon he caught

You could be forgiven for thinking that the day couldn't get any better, Well after all the fishing and chat related to fishing off course Mike's lift arrived and we headed up to the car park and he came over to Noel and gave him a couple of free magazines. A truly nice and 100% genuine chap altogether would be my guess at the character of the man I met fishing that day. Fair play Mike, well appreciated.

Below: Mike giving Noel a few free Irish Angler magazines.

On the Barrow with Shay and Lorraine Sat 4th Feb 2012

 I travelled down with Carlow Coarse Angling Club member Noel Jenkins to the beautiful picturesque village of St. Mullins on Sat 4th Feb to meet up with clients Shay and Lorraine from Dublin.

The view as you look up the river

 As the Barrow levels are up at the moment we tried the canal again above the lock gates bearing in mind the risk of not catching anything as happened three weeks previously on the very same canal. I mixed the groundbait and fed a few loose maggs and after around twenty mins or so Shay was into the resident Dace with a five Mtr whip I had shown him how to use.

Shay with his first Dace, they got bigger.

Lorraine was busy using the pole I had shown her how to set up and within minutes she also was as they say hopping the fish outta it! Both Shay and Lorraine seemed to have a good day learning the basics and there was even talks of going out and buying new rods etc.

Noel fishing away beside us

Below: Lorraine with a Dace

So what did the visitors Learn? Well Shay and Lorraine learned how to set up and use a pole and whip, how to handle fish properly and release back alive, how to use a disgorger, use basic watercraft when searching out fish, how to mix and use ground-bait and lots more tips throughout the day which will better enhance their chances of getting a good haul of fish whenever they decide to go again. Personally I had a good day and Noel had a good day he told me as did Shay and Lorraine as the extreemly generous tip they gave showed.

N.C.F.F.I. A.G.M. 28th Jan 2012

The N.C.F.F.I. Annual General Meeting in Prosperous, Co.Kildare.

Pictured: Mark Theedom Irish Team Manager, Noel from Carlow C.A.C., Fint Brennan Irish Team, Tommy Lawton Fermoy and Munster

I have been elected as an executive committee member within the
National Coarse Fishing Federation (N.C.F.F.I.) the nationally
recognised governing body for coarse anglers in Ireland. I was elected at
the A.G.M. in Prosperous on Sat 28th Jan 2012 for the position of officer
I also have a seat on the Public Relations Sub-committee. I look forward to working with the whole committee and help make the country a better place for all anglers.

Most of the new N.C.F.F.I. Exec. committee

Front left: Shane Kavanagh, Jack Tisdale, Seanie Ward, Me, Fint Brennan, Tommy Lawton.

Rear left. Vincent Walsh, Der Casey, Mark Theedom, John Connolly, Pat Dalton

Carlow cac knockup on the Barrow 22nd Jan 2012

We headed down to the Graveyard stretch of the Barrow in Carlow town yesterday for a knock up/match on the stretch that is to be used in April for the first of the Irish Team Qualifiers which will see anglers eventually being picked for the World Cup/Celtic Cup and Feeder Teams in 2013. The wind was a howling but at least the rain kept at bay for the day allowing us to enjoy the days fishing at hand.

Presenting Mr Bob Hulme with his prize money

I started of the session setting up the Pole which I didn't get to use, a small bomb rod, feeder rod and my oul favoured stick float. After an hour on the stick it was fast becoming evident that the fish just were not on the feed or due to the wind the bait just wasn't being presented properly so I switched to the feeder. Almost immediately the tip swung and signalled the fast and furious feeding of a wee Dace well a fish is a fish and I was glad to have at least one in the net, I eventually finished in fifth place with 5Lb 13oz of wee bits and pieces. Bob won the match with 16Lb 6oz all taken on a six meter Bolo rod and Tadas was second using the feeder rod all day beating Danny Murphy by one ounce at 8Lb 12oz.

Below: Tadas with his bag for 2nd place

A good day was had by all in attendance and nobody blanked as they say. I was glad to hear last night that 100Lb plus bags of Roach etc. were indeed caught all over the country yesterday from the river Barrow, Lower Bann and Irish Junior Team manager Gavin reported a ton bag from a lake that isn't a commercial fishery.

Weighing in time

Roach fishing yesterday Friday 13th Jan 2012

Myself and Neville decided to target the Roach on the Barrow system again and were not disappointed as we got a good few. The numbers were not there in mass as they were on the previous Sunday however we still had a good day out and Declan from the Athy Anglers joined us for a chat.

We arrived at our destination around 10.45 and were delighted to see that the bank was not occupied by other anglers. The foggy mist was fairly thick and the night before was freezing litterly, I set up my stick float, plummed the depth minus the 3 foot of water that was there on Sunday. I was into Roach straight away and thought to myself here we go another cracker day on the system. It went quiet after an hour or so and it soon became evident why! A great big Pike rose to the surface and swirled right in front of me and Declan (if ye were after them they wouldn't be around).

Time for the lunch

We decided to stop fishing around 1.00pm and have the oul cuppa cha and a wee bit to eat and a chat. Anthony joined us for a while for a chat then we went back at it. My swim was dead alright and Nev started to get into some quality sized Roach, Nev also landed a fine Perch probably about 1 1/2 Lb. I packed up early and chatted to Nev and Declan for the remainder of the session.

My end result about 12Lb Roach

Neville with his catch of around 20Lb Roach

Irish Angling Expo next month

http://www.irelandscoarsefishing.com/phpbb3/general-fishing-news/2012-irish-angling-expo-t3182.html

I have been invited to go on the stand with the crew from

 Irelands Coarse Fishing
Below is a statement I took from the I.C.F. Web-Site

Once again the Irish Angling Expo is upon us, and this year as im sure you are all aware, John Wilson and Julian Chidgey will be headlining the show from a coarse angling perspective.



That being said It's with great pleasure, (and some what contained excitement) that i can now officially announce that Ireland's Coarse Fishing in conjunction with Anglers Paradise will be hosting a stand at the Expo.

Sure that's probably exciting enough as is right ??

But there's more

In light of John Wilson attending the show, and Anglers paradise retailing John's rod line ( Rovex ), John will be based on the stand with both parties during the two day event, Members of the public can meet john where he will be signing copies of his new book.
John will also be demoing some of his rod's in the casting pool during both days

Were also incredibly pleased to announce that Gerry Mcstraw of Carlow CAC will also be joining us on the stand during both days.

So please come on up to swords on the 11/12th of February and say hi to us all ..

... is that it .... maybe not ... stay tuned for more news ..

---

Back breaking Roach fishing Sun 8th Jan 2012

Myself, Mr Noel Jenkins and Mr Paul Mc Laughlin decided to have a wee go at the Barrow Roach yesterday and we certainly were not disappointed. The river Barrow was absolutely tugging through so we fished a canal on the Barrow system.

My Haul yesterday

I managed to catch 52Lb of silver fish mainly good quality sized Roach, One Dace a Perch to 2Lb and several good sized Hybrids. Noel Jenkins managed his best ever bag from the Barrow weighing in at 26Lb and Paul mcLaughlin almost touched 70Lb weighing in a staggering 69Lb.

Noel and his catch

I can truly be said that we experienced it as good as it gets on the river Barrow system.

Paul mcLaughlin with his catch