After such a great day fishing last time I decided to return for yet another day fishing.
Unfortunately it was a big let down. The lake is about 10-12 foot higher due to the weather. But its not only the lake that was a bit of a let down. I decided to bring my little brother on his first day fishing. After paying for the day tickets I asked for worms for my younger brother as at 9 its fairly hard to cast a fly line lol and then was told they had no bate but try the fly.
That's fine for any one who can fly fish but not for a child who never fished before. So I asked for a bubble so I could at least show him how to fish a bubble and fly but was told they don't have them either.
Finally after getting over the tackle shop been a let down I walked to the small lake (the big lake is fly only) only to find that the lake was so high that there was no where to fish only a small pontoon not even fully tied on to the shore (side of a steep deciline) and no life bouys in site.
Now I've been fishing a long long time but I've never come across a fishery that went from top class to top of the "Not to fish" list.
Any one else had bad experience's with fisheries or have fished Bally Hass??
Let me know your stories.
All the best,
Chris
Sunday, February 7, 2010
Friday, December 4, 2009
Bally Hass Lakes
Fishing in Ireland at the moment doesn't look great. Everywhere is flooded!! I think its nearly time we put down our fishing rods for a bit and start building arks just to be on the safe side lol. But on a lighter note there are still some places that are fishing well.
Just out side Mallow in Co. Cork there is a beautiful fishery called Bally Hass Lakes. The fishing here is amazing and even with all the floods and heavy rain the water remains crystal clear.
Don't believe me? Here's proof of a me catching a rainbow trout on the fly in the smaller of the two lakes :-)
There are two lakes as I mentioned above, the smaller one can be fly and bait fished or fished using spinners. The big lake is fly only and has plenty double figure trout for the taking. Day tickets are available on arrival and half day tickets (4 hours) are also available.
The fishery is also child friendly and is a great place to take a child on there first fishing trip.
Here's the web site where you can get many more details of the fishery http://www.ballyhasslakes.ie
Until next time,
Tight Lines,
Chris.
Just out side Mallow in Co. Cork there is a beautiful fishery called Bally Hass Lakes. The fishing here is amazing and even with all the floods and heavy rain the water remains crystal clear.
Don't believe me? Here's proof of a me catching a rainbow trout on the fly in the smaller of the two lakes :-)
There are two lakes as I mentioned above, the smaller one can be fly and bait fished or fished using spinners. The big lake is fly only and has plenty double figure trout for the taking. Day tickets are available on arrival and half day tickets (4 hours) are also available.
The fishery is also child friendly and is a great place to take a child on there first fishing trip.
Here's the web site where you can get many more details of the fishery http://www.ballyhasslakes.ie
Until next time,
Tight Lines,
Chris.
Thursday, December 3, 2009
Fishing Flies
There are many trout fishing flies. If you're new to fly fishing than this can be challenging and some may find choosing flies difficult.
A trout fly fisher man has a selection of flies to choose from.
1.Streamer Fly (lure): A large fly that may look like small fry or like nothing living at all but just rely on the fishes instinct to attack.
2.Wet Flies: Traditional wet flies are great for fishing rivers or streams and also work well on lakes, some look like real insects while others just resemble insects.
3.Dry Flies: These are imitations of real flies that land on the water as the spawn or after hatching. Dry fly fishing is regarded to be the purest form of fishing there is. It requires great skill to do correctly.
4.Nymphs and Buzzers: These are used to mimic aquatic insects such as blood worm, damsels, etc. at the every stage of a flies life cycle until they go to the waters surface and hatch.
These can be broken down again into sub categories. Most flies can be fished with a floating line but some are better fished with a sinking or at least sinking tip line depending on the water depth and clarity.
Fishing Lures. These should be fished with different retrieves until you find the one that works. A sinking line works best when fishing these especially when fishing Boobies (lure flies with foam eyes) as the line makes them sink other wise they will sit on the top of the water all day. A short leader is good when fishing lures. 6-9 feet is the best length.
Fishing Wet Flies. Can be fished on a floating or intermediate sinking line. No need to use a fast sinking line as the sink pretty well on their own. When fishing rivers and streams then a floating line should be used. Wet flies can be fished up or down stream depending on the river. For a fast flowing river or stream fish them down stream and leave the flow of the water work the fly. A good trick is to let line out gradually leaving the fly drop back in the current then start retrieving.
Fishing Dry Flies. As I said above dry fly fishing is thought of as the purest form of fishing. This is when you actually fool the trout to thinking it's a proper adult fly stuck in the waters surface film. Presenting the fly to look natural is a difficult task and requires great accuracy and skill but the reward of seeing a trout take your fly off the surface is one of the greatest feelings you can get from fishing.
Fishing Nymphs and Buzzers. Buzzers are the first stage of a flies life cycle. They are usually small and look like little more than thread on a hook. These should be fished static in teams of 3 under a strike indicator. The key is to strike at any sign of movement of the indicator. Nymphs are the stage just after a buzzer and before the fly hatches. These work well all year round and are great when fished deep in the colder months, use a short fast strip retrieve when fishing these for the best result.
Hope this post has helped some of you, until next time.
Tight Lines,
Chris
A trout fly fisher man has a selection of flies to choose from.
1.Streamer Fly (lure): A large fly that may look like small fry or like nothing living at all but just rely on the fishes instinct to attack.
2.Wet Flies: Traditional wet flies are great for fishing rivers or streams and also work well on lakes, some look like real insects while others just resemble insects.
3.Dry Flies: These are imitations of real flies that land on the water as the spawn or after hatching. Dry fly fishing is regarded to be the purest form of fishing there is. It requires great skill to do correctly.
4.Nymphs and Buzzers: These are used to mimic aquatic insects such as blood worm, damsels, etc. at the every stage of a flies life cycle until they go to the waters surface and hatch.
These can be broken down again into sub categories. Most flies can be fished with a floating line but some are better fished with a sinking or at least sinking tip line depending on the water depth and clarity.
Fishing Lures. These should be fished with different retrieves until you find the one that works. A sinking line works best when fishing these especially when fishing Boobies (lure flies with foam eyes) as the line makes them sink other wise they will sit on the top of the water all day. A short leader is good when fishing lures. 6-9 feet is the best length.
Fishing Wet Flies. Can be fished on a floating or intermediate sinking line. No need to use a fast sinking line as the sink pretty well on their own. When fishing rivers and streams then a floating line should be used. Wet flies can be fished up or down stream depending on the river. For a fast flowing river or stream fish them down stream and leave the flow of the water work the fly. A good trick is to let line out gradually leaving the fly drop back in the current then start retrieving.
Fishing Dry Flies. As I said above dry fly fishing is thought of as the purest form of fishing. This is when you actually fool the trout to thinking it's a proper adult fly stuck in the waters surface film. Presenting the fly to look natural is a difficult task and requires great accuracy and skill but the reward of seeing a trout take your fly off the surface is one of the greatest feelings you can get from fishing.
Fishing Nymphs and Buzzers. Buzzers are the first stage of a flies life cycle. They are usually small and look like little more than thread on a hook. These should be fished static in teams of 3 under a strike indicator. The key is to strike at any sign of movement of the indicator. Nymphs are the stage just after a buzzer and before the fly hatches. These work well all year round and are great when fished deep in the colder months, use a short fast strip retrieve when fishing these for the best result.
Hope this post has helped some of you, until next time.
Tight Lines,
Chris
The First Post
So this is the beginning of hopefully many blog posts on fishing and mainly fly fishing in Ireland.
With this blog I want to share stories, product reviews, the best fishing spots in Ireland and new fly fishing techniques.
So for now thats it, just a short little post until next time subscribe to my blog and I'll talk to you soon
Tight Lines,
Chris
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