A mixed week weather wise in this part of the world but not too bad for fishing. I met a well informed Ballina angler on Monday who told me they were having some nice sea trout angling on the lower parts of the Moy (It stays open for sea trout until the 10th of October), they had good numbers and some nice fish in the 2lb bracket. Still Salmon in Foxford and I would say good numbers.
“Time,Tide nor feeding fish wait for no man”
As I have learned, neither do feeding fish. We went back to Enniscrone Pier on Friday night, the Mackerel were throwing themselves at us and we even managed to catch a few Herring. Our club have a WhatsApp group and I put up a message telling the lads that there was plenty of Mackerel in Enniscrone and it would be a good opportunity to at least get some bait for the Pike season. Saturday was windy so we did not go down. Sunday morning arrived and at 6am P.J and I were on our way. We knew a few other club members would also make their way there. To cut a long story short, at 9am P.J and I decided to head for home, we had not seen a Mackerel. It was like someone flicked the switch and turned them off. A few of the others stayed and one even went back for the evening tide. His message to me that night read “Not a sausage Mick, nothing, are you sure you caught fish.” I don’t think they believe we had such good fishing but, there you have it. Right place at the right time and strike while the iron is hot.
While preparing for Sundays trip I visited the attic to get a rod and reel I like to use. Obviously, I had not taken my own advice on cleaning and oiling a reel after use in salt water. I remember how it happened. It was in May and we went to a beach for sea trout, we got home late and I just threw the rod in the kitchen. The following morning, I headed to work. During the day I got a phone call from my other half and she was less than pleased. The cat had went playing with the bait on the rod and the game had not ended well. I went home sorted the mess out and quickly and discreetly deposited the rod in the attic,then I disappeared. Its now five months later and my reel is seized solid, yes, I did not clean or oil it. I’m attaching a picture so you can see what happens, the reel is finished and this my friends is a warning, clean and oil before you store them 🤦♂️
We have been trying to squeeze in as much fishing as possible. Mondays plan was to pay a final visit to a mountain Lough and the remainder of the week was carefully planned around this. We set of at 09.30 on Monday morning, it seemed like a nice morning, well at least it was in Foxford. We drove the thirty minutes to the foot of the Ox Mountains only to discover the OX Mountains were not there. They were there, they were just hidden in a thick mist of low cloud and it was cold, very cold. We had a choice, navigate our way through the clouds or re plan the week. Having had a day in the hills recently in mist and cloud my vote was for a re schedule and that is exactly what we did. Its amazing how important jobs can be put off when totally necessary.
Thursday started with a coffee followed by a double check on the weather, it looked ok. By 10am we were on our way back to the hills. A tough walk and the occasional stumble up a steep slope saw us setting up the rods before 11am. At this point the sun was shining and I commented to P.J that I neglected to bring sun block. Apart from the sun, conditions were good, a nice breeze and a good ripple on the water, a few flies in the air and it looked promising. We set up the two rods for wet flies and headed in opposite directions. P.J would start on one shore and I on the other. As I made my way around the Lough I could see a cloud bank in the distance. I started fishing with the sun in my back and the wind in my face. Before I had got my line fully extended the first drops of what felt like ice had hit me. Within a minute I was been battered by a howling North wind and freezing cold rain, it was bitter. I’ve seen sudden weather changes but I don’t think I ever experienced anything like how fast and dramatic the change was. The shower lasted for about fifteen minutes and then the sky turned blue and the sun re appeared. At this point I could just about hold my rod. Wallop! a trout and obviously from the belt it hit the fly, a good one, took my fly. I attempted a strike but my left hand had lost power and the line slipped through my fingers, I missed him or her. Four hours later we admitted defeat and wound up the lines, both agreeing that it was a great day and we would return in the spring. The fact we didn’t hook a single fish didn’t matter in the slightest, it was just great to be up there doing what we love. There’s more to fishing than catching fish.
That’s the end of the game angling season. We have a few other outings in the planning and I will report here.
