Fishing with John O’Hare

This long period of the best weather that I can remember, and I am no spring chicken, lifts your spirit and does your heart good. However like every positive action, there is an equally negative reaction. I never heard more anglers complaining about bad fishing as they have been in the last few weeks. As regards trout and salmon as well as sea-trout I must agree with them, but the mackerel catches have really picked up, proven by the large number of anglers fishing off The Sound Bridge and adjacent rocks. All going home with a reasonable catches of mackerel, a smattering of bass and even in two cases a small grilse and a sea trout. The story along Kenmare river (as The Bay is called on the map) is the same, excellent catches of good sized mackerel, small pollock, wrasse and out at the mouth cod, ling, skate, conger, and plenty of dogfish. One angler had his fishing rod and gear nicked by a fish off the pier in Killmacklogue. He set it up for fishing, was going to his car for something or other when he heard his reel running, he was turning back when with a mighty pull the rod and gear was pulled off the pier and into the water. Disappearing into the depths and never to be seen again. That will teach him a lesson.
Back to my favourite pastime, fly fishing for wild brown trout. I decided for the first time in years to venture up into the mountains to see if the fishing for fresh water fish was any good up high. An angler friend and a teenage niece who is mad about fishing came as well. The climb, the views, the flaura and fauna and the whole ambiance of the day was fantastic but again the fishing was shite. Believe it or not the highlight of the day was when we were having lunch, kelly-kettle and all. The young girl asked us, how do you peel hard-boiled eggs? Are they being taught anything in school nowadays, of course she had no computer with her to google it.
The following week my fishing buddy and I hiked up to the mugs lake and proved the point that it is a mugs game going all the ways up there catching nothing and coming all the ways down again. As a matter of fact, my friend was very lucky as his leg slipped into a crevice along the rocky shore, but he had the presence of mind to fall sideways. I can tell you he suffered pretty bad bruising and was limping around for most of the following week. Thank God, we did not have to call mountain rescue to get us back down. We would have been shamed for life, two right mugs in earnest.
Some of the club members climbed up to the Caha’s and told me that they had a good days fishing and a big fry up. I was sorry I could not go with them.

Do not forget the Autumn Cup boat competition on Clonee Lakes on of all days September 21st, All-Ireland Final Day. I bet you most of us will be in early of the lake, whatever the fishing is like!

I know that death is a natural part of life but it still comes as a shock when someone you know well passes away. First we had Donal Downing. Gosh, how many times did he row me around down the Clonee Lakes in fishing competitions. He always knew where the good trout were lurking, so you always hoped to get him in the draw. As for fun and jokes the days fishing was gone before you knew it. The outboard motor was what put an end to the boatmen, but it was hard work for little reward keeping a boat on drift and getting it back to the lake house on sunny days.
The passing of Donal was quickly followed by David Madden. David loved fishing and, like the swallow, flew off to New York for the winter and returned back here in the spring. You could see his familiar figure fishing for bass or watching for salmon near The Sound Bridge most days. Now they are both gone and are sadly missed by family and friends.
May they both rest in peace.

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