Saltwater fly-fishing in Ireland / by Jim Hendrick
Saltwater fly-fishing in Ireland presents its own unique challenges and opportunities. The little island perched precariously on the eastern side of the Atlantic is subject to many influences and none more so than that of the weather. The Atlantic Ocean plays the dominant part in our weather, insulating us from the temperature extremes that can be experienced in other European countries. Our position on the Northwest of Europe places us in the path of Atlantic low-pressure systems hence we are subject to a lot of cloudy overcast, humid and often very wet days. But don’t despair, its not all doom and gloom! The sunniest months of the year occur during late spring and early summer and the southeast of the country gets the most sunshine, often up to 6 or seven hours a day during early summer. Air temperatures reach between 18 and 20 degrees C during the summer and average around 8 degrees C during winter. We live in a temperate climate that is heavily influenced by the North Atlantic drift; in fact our seas are considerably warmer than average global temperatures at similar positions. Winter water temperatures along the coast fall to as low as 8 degrees but by August and September they are at their warmest and are as high as 15 degrees C. In fact during winter our seas are warmer than the air temperature while during summer the air temperature is warmer than the surrounding sea.
So as one can imagine with all of these influences the fishing opportunities that exist are many and varied. As the season’s roll on summer species like smoothound and tope move offshore and are replaced with typical autumnal and winter species like coalfish and codling. Springtime is often a transitional and difficult fishing period but with the days getting longer and seas getting warmer during March and April, fishing slowly begins to improve through into early summer and the cycle starts again. There are several interesting species that we could target on the fly in Ireland, wrasse, pollack, coalfish, and even garfish, but one species spring to mind as the most immediate, interesting and challenging. This is big autumn bass.
The late summer and autumn present one of the greatest opportunities for the saltwater fly fisher with many species in perfect condition after a long period of bountiful feeding. The seas at this time are often full of sandeel, fry and sprat, huge mackerel shoals herd the baitfish onto the beaches and inevitably bass are never far away. Warm water and shortening days condense these ideal fishing conditions and often provide classic saltwater fly-fishing sport. It’s during September and October that tidal flows and ebbs are often at their strongest of the year. Sea water temperatures are at their highest and the sea is often alive with baitfish. If you want to catch a bass on the fly then this is the time to do it.
…The pale pink, cream and lavender skies of late September and early October signify a special time in fishing for me. As water temperatures drop slowly and the days get shorter the quality of bass fishing improves greatly. There’s an atmosphere of calm, which pervades your fishing after a summer of hectic visitors and holidaymakers. Traffic is lighter on the roads and people stop and talk, and in the lateness of a warm September evening you can get lost in chat with strangers about nothing and everything and the state of the world and the people in it. There is a feeling of winding down, of giant wheels slowly coming to rest with a deep sigh. A ceasing of a distant noise somewhere that you can’t quite identify. The stark whiteness of the last of summer’s terns against a gunmetal sky forces you to stop fishing again for the umpteenth time – you here the splash you see the flutter and shake of the feathers and watch the droplets fall back into the calm sea as the bird continues down the beach in its never ending quest for food. You wave your rod to straighten the line, pick it up, make a false cast, and shoot a little and then cast and retrieve slowly again. The big deceiver pattern lands perfectly on the next cast, you throw a little offshore mend, tighten slowly into the line and suddenly you see a dark and silvery shape and the line tautens...this is what is all about.
Generally a #9 rod and line is sufficient for bass fishing in Ireland – this allows us to cats some quite big flies long distances. It’s not always about distance though as bass are to often to be found at our feet. It is possible to locate what I call a two shot fish, which may reside in a location that can be only five or six metres distance. One cast to grab his attention another to hook him!
Are you ready for the challenge? See www.probassfisher.com for more details.
Articles about:
Flyfishing - German Magazine
http://www.bassfishing.ie/Fliegen.htm
Modern Plugfishing - Dutch Magazine
http://www.bassfishing.ie/DeRoofvis%20P2.pdf
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http://www.bassfishing.ie/Deroofvis%20P1.pdf
More about Flyfishing
http://www.probassfisher.com/2009/03/tactis-for-bigger-bass.html
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http://www.probassfisher.com/2009/03/tacctics-for-bigger-bass-on-fly.html
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http://www.probassfisher.com/2009/03/tactics-for-bigger-bass-on-fly-iii.html
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http://www.probassfisher.com/2009/04/tactics-for-bigger-bass-on-fly-iv.html
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http://www.probassfisher.com/2009/04/test.html
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http://www.probassfisher.com/2009/06/fly-tatics-for-bigger-bass-vi.html
