Ireland’s Mid-West (Part 1)
A Travelogue by Michael Müller | Picture index at the end of the report
The view from the ‘Island View House’ towards Scarriff on Lough Derg
If you take the N7, most of which is motorway, from Dublinheadingsouth-west towards Limerick, after about two hours of driving you reach the Shannon region, Lough Derg and finally Scarriff, which is already in CountyClare, on the western shore of this enormous lake. An average of only 83 people per square mile live in this very rural region. It features countless lakes and rivers surrounded by magnificent Irish nature in more shades of green than you can imagine. Many of the lakes and rivers offer very promising angling opportunities but – apart from the large, well-known lakes – they are only rarely or virtually never fished. Most of the lakes have considerable pike populations, there are trout in some of them, and the connected lakes and rivers occasionally host sea trout and salmon as well. Other types of fish also occur here, including species of the carp family, eels, perch etc., but hardly anyone is interested in them in Ireland. The real Irish only care about fish species with adipose fins, such as salmon, characids and catfishes.
Out we head with full throttle on Lough Derg – and the sky is like a heavenly concert...
... this is how we fish ...
… naturally while enjoying the lovely view!
Every one of the main varieties of fish has its own season, spread over the entire year, but May and October are definitely the best months in this region. The fish really start biting in Lough Derg when the mayflies appear in May – it’s the only time of year when the lake’s fattest trout go for artificial flies! And I’m not talking about baby fish, but nice big, sassy brown trout that can weigh more than 20 pounds. When it starts, the whole area goes trout-crazy and every man and boat is out on the lake. Examples of the whoppers caught each year can be admired both in photographs and stuffed and mounted in holiday cottages, public buildings, museums, and many pubs. There’s also good pike fishing in May – and real monsters of this species are caught every year. Although the Irish themselves wave them off – ‘pike is only good for tourists …’ – and fish for salmonids instead. A month later, in June, the situation is completely different. If you practice fly-fishing then or in the following months with three wet fliesas is customary in Ireland, you’ll definitely enjoy yourself but are unlikely to catch any trout. In contrast to the lakes of northern and western Ireland, the dry and wet fly season doesn’t last all year in the brown Shannon waters of Lough Derg. Only trollers and pike and perch anglers get their money’s worth year-round, and of course fly-fishers using nymphs and streamers.
This ‘little fishy’ hangs in the Island View House. It weighed an incredible 19.6 pounds when it was caught in May 2003.
This phenomenal pike is also on display in the Island View House – I think it’s about four feet long …
On the River Scarriff –isn’t it beautiful?
Thesummertime faces holiday anglers with another set of challenges. For instance, you’ve got the River Scarriff, a pretty little river with tea-coloured, clear water, a bed of gravel, sand and stone, for the most part with easy wading, with banks lined with blossoming buttercups, loads of insects and above all: plenty of colourful browns! And the best thing of all is that practically no-one fishes here, because most Irish anglers prefer lake fishing from a boat. It’s a fact! Alright, there is one catch (and everyone who is familiar with Ireland will know what I mean and have already cussed about it): many parts of the river are very difficult to access. Like so many other bodies of water on the green island, it is surrounded by fenced-in private pastureland which, to make matters even worse, is full of grazing cattle. And they aren’t always docile. Fortunately, in the case of the River Scarriff there are a few stone bridges scattered along its course that you can use to reach it. One thing is as clear as a bell: fly-fishing in this little river is a feast for the eyes and good for the soul, and the extra effort involved in getting to its more remote stretches is well worth it. It naturally takes a bit of skill to catch the larger fish here, otherwise there are only babies. Big trout don’t jump into your net all by themselves anywhere in the world, as we all know …
A lovely, colourful brown trout has just taken a fly in the River Scarriff …
Top and bottom: fly-fishing in the River Scarriff
The River Scarriff flows through several small lakes – which is the next highlight! You can fish them in the traditional manner using a boat with outboard motor, but it’s much more interesting to explore their waters and reedy inlets in a float-tube, also known as a belly boat. In these relatively small lakes, a large trout can hit at any moment – but the very best time is to be had while streamer fishing for pike, preferably in the autumn (from October onwards). From fish a foot and a half long to four-footers or more, anything is possible! And fighting a pike while floating in the water yourself is really something. It would be hard for a fly angler to get any closer to the action, so it’s no wonder that some species of pike have been completely wiped out by this kind of fishing. At this point you’re probably thinking, ‘what am I supposed to do, haul my float-tube to the airport and thenall the way Ireland? Taking ten or more kilos of excess baggage or sporting equipment would cost an arm and a leg, not to mention all the hassle …’ But not to worry; Padraig Giblin, the good Samaritan on-site, has already provided for everything. In addition to four brand-new Snowbee belly boats, he also has several factory-new sets of #5 and #8 fly-fishing tackle that guests are welcome to use.
One of the small lakes along the River Scarriff. You can literally smell the pike in these rarely fished waters!
The float-tubes being inflated. For safety’s sake and to tow the belly boats, there is also a motorboat.
Off and away into the lake ...
We have tested and approved the tackle; the #5 rods were handmade in Germany and the others are fine Snowbee rods and reels strung with Cortland line. So apart from a few flies, tippets, various small items, and personal wading gear, you really don’t need to take anything with you to Ireland. And if you find you are missing something, it isn’t a problem: there is a small petrol station in Scarriff that is very well-stocked with fishing supplies, including mayflies and pike streamers.
There are also quite a few other lakes in the vicinity that can only be fly-fished. Most of them have pike and trout populations, and one of them has a special highlight: rainbows!
This is what it looks like when things get exciting while fishing from a float-tube:
Once you’re out on the lake, you can forget about the cattle on the shore ;-)
Dusk falls over the lake ...
... and it’s time for a barbecue dinner!
Padraig Giblin is the name of the likeable man on-site, so to speak the key figure, who makes everything possible. He’s totally committed to bringing fly-fishing holidaymakers and their families to this region, which is plagued by high unemployment but extremely attractive in terms of culture and angling opportunities. He does so much that it seems incredible. We personally witnessed some of the excellent large-scale projects he is launching to promote fishing tourism, and as I write these lines I keep thinking with amazement of everything he is backing – while creating a fair number of local jobs in the process. They include a large Angling Park on the shores of Lough Derg that will comprise a huge boathouse, a large number of motorboats, a gigantic round enclosed pavilion, a café consisting of a glazed former riverboat, a specially created small lake for children to fish in, several artificial waterfalls and steel bridges, and so on and so forth … He has also leased an island on the lake some distance away where he is building another pavilion and a barbecue pit with draught Guinness dispenser, neat concrete and flagstoned paths and, of course, sanitary facilities with running water so the ladies will also feel welcome. Guests are treated like royalty; as already mentioned, fishing gear and float-tubes are included, and if wished they will drive a motorboat on a trailer to any of the lakes in the programme. Several specially trained guides are available, there is a barbecue evening right next to the lake, and much more besides.
Top right: the protected boat landing at the LoughDergFishingPark| Above: the small island paradise was scheduled for completion at the end of 2011.
The‘little’ pavilion at the AnglingPark … with room for around 60 people …
There are lovingly designed seating and grilling areas all around …
... and this out-of-service boat will someday be converted into a café!
The available accommodation– a spacious farmhouse for six people and the ‘Island View House’ on the lakeshore foreight people – is a dream, featuring every imaginable amenity and loving and artfully furnished and decorated into the bargain. While Padraig Giblin, alongside his regular job as the managing director of the company Sportworld Netting Limited, mainly looks after angling guests in addition to his many large projects around the region, his brother Eamonn does the same for guests who come to hunt – yet another fascinating aspect!
How about a little snack? =>
Below: the ‘Island View House’, a magnificent place to stay!!!
Further below: state-of-the-art in technical terms but rustically furnished – an interesting contrast!
Christmastime in Ireland... | Our favourite pub for breakfast
What would a trip to Ireland be without visiting a pub! We began every day by eating a ‘full Irish breakfast’ in a pub (if you’ve been to Ireland, you’ll know what ‘full’ means!) – and ended it in another such establishment … usually past midnight.
By pure coincidence, we also wound up in ‘Peppers’, one of the region’s trendiest pubswith live music; over the last 26 years it has organised a major Irish folk festival every summer. And found out that Kate Percey and Andrew McNamara would be performing two days later with a guest violinist from Japan – outstanding musicians who are very popular in Ireland. We of course immediately reserved a table and then enjoyed an evening of first-rate live music to fittingly celebrate the end of our stay in Ireland.
Right: an Irish breakfast (but without the ‘full’)
What a great deal: the pub’s owner, Gary, still in the prime of his life but who back home in Germany would probably only be ‘the nice elderly gentleman across the street who likes puttering in his garden’, runs a shuttle service. He drove 20 miles to pick us up andtake us to the pub (and back again after midnight)!
The pub was bursting at the seams, with the musicians close enough to touch. There was delicious food, great beer, a fantastic atmosphere, amazing music and seasoned Irish hunting and angling guides who had tears in their eyes as they listened to their native Irish music … and at some point the locals began grabbing the microphone and singing themselves. But that too is Ireland, as it can hardly be experienced more directly and truly – I love it!
But I’ve raved enough for today! In the next instalment of our three-part report on Western Ireland you can read about the hopefully very successful pike fishing adventures that Olli & Friends will have in float-tubes in October …
How about a few more pictures to finish up?
A short break ...
Water lilies galore ...
‘Big Daddy’ and‘Pike Muppet’ were of course on board ...
... as well as red-and-white bunnies (which for some reason worked best)
An odd catch:this streamer definitely rode too deep
A bigsedge
This priceless gear is available for guests to use!
And now three ‘goodnight pictures’. Take care!