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C .
IQ I , ST RA ND , L O NDO N , W.C .
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
FARLOW'S PERFEGT GREENHEART LIGHT SALMON ORGRILSE R008.
They are made in 3 pieces, 1 4 ft . and 1 5 ft ., for L adies andG entlemen who cannot use heavy rods . The g rips are made of
solid cork, thereby dispensing with the wood that i s usually leftfo r the grip . The cork handle has a
,
hole bored through it toreceive the butt , which is the same size under the cork as abovethe g rip . C onsequently the play is continued to the winch ,thereby g iving g reater casting power than ordina ry rods of thesame length .
Suction Fitting s , Upright R ings , and R evolving Head R ings.Two Tops and Top C ase.
14 ft . Rods weigh about 2 3 ounces: P ric e £2 ISS .
1 5 ft . Reds weigh about‘
2 6 ounces. P ric e £3 5 3 ,
The Reel recommended for the 14 ft. Rod, size 32 in., weighs
1 0 § ounces. P ric e £3 .
For the 1 5 ft . Rod, size 4 in.,we ighs 1 2 ounces . P ric e
£3 5 8 .
These Reels are made of A lloyed A luminium.
L INE S (Suit ab le ).—4O yds. Double Taper , special ly softdressed , 2 0 / and 60 yds.Hemp Back L ine
,spliced to above
, 5 /0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
FA RL OW’
S “ P ERFE CT CORK HANDL EG RE ENHE A RT TROUT RODS,
Made in 3 Pieces—varying in length from 9 ft. to 1 1 ft.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
A verylargeassortment ofSalmonandWhiteTrout Fliesinstock.A l l Bo ok s on A ng l ing k ept in st o ck .
Il lust rated P ric e L ist g rat is, post free .
C FA RL OW6: L imited,
19 1 , ST RA ND, L O NDO N, W.C .
ULANDGREATWESTERNRAILWAYOFIRELAND.
onnemara, alway, hill,
the est.issuedfromDub l in(Broadstone Station) , embrac i i i g G alway,
C IR CUL A R T O UR Recess, C l i fden, L etterfrack , L eenane ,Westport , Mal larannyT IC K E TS and A chi ll , inc ludang C oupons for the Touri~t (Jar between
C l i fden and Westport , and between A c li i ll Stat ion an d
Dugort. Reduced Fares for partiesof two t o four pass ng ers. E xtra G oupi 11 5 issuedfor E xtended Toursfrom Dubl in (Broadstone) t o the North and South o f Ireland.
are issued during the Tourist Season from the principal
Towns in E NG L A ND and SC O TL A ND, and at the O ffices
of the Steam Pack et C ompanies and Tourist A g enc ies forC ONNE M A R A and A CHI L L .
are issued on Saturdays—First, Second, and Third C lass, atE !C UR S IO N Single Fares—from Broadstone t o G alwav , Recess, t
‘
l i fden.
T IC KE TS Westport , Mallaranny , A chi ll , & c . , available fo r return upto the last train on the i ollow ing Monday evening . These
Tick etsare not avai lable by the Down and Up L imi ted Mai l Trains.
Tourists can tak e train t o A chil l , Mal laranny, orWestport ,C YC L l NC [N and cycle thence to G alway, v ia L ouisburgh, Dhulough,
C O NN E M A R Agel phi , L eenane, L etterfrack ,
b
C l ifden, R ec
ipss, and
ughterard,returning t o Dublin y train ; or ta e train t oA ND A C H I L L '
G alway and cycle up toWestpO i t and A chil l .returning toDubli n by train. Cycle Tours can also b e made from RailwayHo tel , Recess, up theInagh Valley to Kylemore, L etterfrack , L eenane, thence t o C lonbur, or from Recess t o
Cashel , Roundstone , C li fden, and back to Recess, V iaBal lynahinch. From MallarannyHotel Tourists can cyc le or take train to A chi l l , and spend the day on the Island,
visi t ing Dug ort , which isnine mi les from A chi ll Stat i on. The roads throughout C onn emara and the West of Ireland are excel lent fo r cyc ling . Bi cyc es carried by Rai l as
Passeng ers’ L ug gage—Up t o 50 miles, 6d 100 mi les, 94. 150 mil es, 1 3 . (owners’ risk ).
THE RA ILWA Y C O M P A NY’
S HO T E L S
A t Mal laranny, C o .Mayo , and at Re c e ss (C onnemara) , C o . G alway, are furnished
Wi th everymederu comfort and conv eni ence for V isi tors. E lectric L ig ht throug hout . Bi l l iard R i oms, Baths, A c . Termsmoderate. Seaand FreshWater Baths,hot and cold, are attached t o the Mallaranny Ho tel .
run from the 1st June to the 3oth September, betweenT O UR IST C A RS C li fden and Westport , passmg through L etterfrack (for
Renvyle ) , Kylemore and L eenane ; and during the same
period the M idland G reatWestern Rai lwayC ompany’
sTourist Carsrun betw een A chi llStation and Dug ort , distance nine mi les, fare 2 a G d. Steamers ply on G alway Bayduring the Tourist Season , to A rran Islands, to Bal lyvaughan ,and also on L ough C orri b .
A ppl ication forTime Tables, New I llustrated Tourist G uide to C onn:mara(pri ce 6d. l ,Tourist P rogrammes, and information as to fares, Routes and Ho tels, & c ., may be
made at the Irish Tourist O rifice, 2 , Charmg C ross, L ondon (wht re Railway Ti ck ets can
b e purchased) ; t o the C ompany’
s A g ents, Mr. J. Hoey, 50 , Castle Street . L iverpool ,Mr. J . F. Ritson,
1 80 , Buchanan Street , G lasg ow ; or to the undersigned,
J O SE P H TA TL OW, Manag er.
Bnoansroxn STA T IO N,DUBL IN.
HOWA NDWHERE TO FISHIN IRE L AND
A 1 £0 HWQ G UHMi FUR .4 N G ZE RS
HL RE G A N
Dulcisscribenso'emtnisci tur A rgos
E I G HTH E DI TI ON
L ONDON
SA MPSON L OW,MA RS
’
I‘
O N a C O MPANYL imi t ed
g t.W e 5mm:
FE TTE R L A N E , FL E E T STRE E T , E C .
L O NDO N
P R INT E D Bv G I L BE RT A ND RIV ING TO N, L D.
ST . JO HN'
S HO USE , C L E RKE NWE L L , E .C .
P RE FA C E TO SI!TH E DITIO N
A s forewo rd to this edition, and to bring it up to dat e,
” I must
impress my readers that many things which prevail ed, when I
wrote first, no longer exist. There were then m ore fish,salmon
and trout, andmore free fishing for them. There are fewer fish,because of the selfish pol icy of those who draw nets in the lower
waters, and because there has been no proportionate increase of
keepers on the upper waters, though the upper riparian~owners
have now set themselves to deny free angling . To say exactly
how far and where this is be ing done would require a tour of
inquiry all over I reland. This I am unequal to,but, so far as I
could,I have supplied information about it.
With regard to the.
first part I have made no change, though
the advance in dry-fly fishing and the more general use of split
cane rodsmi ght suggest that there i s now a somewhat old -fashioned
air about what I wrote many years ago. To sum up,angling in
I reland is still good, but in general not so good nor so free as
i t was. The hotel s, modes of travelling, and of accommodation are
much better than of old and they impr ove and increase each
season.
HI-Rii eA N.
”
Spring, 1900‘s
INTRODUCTION.
I PRO PO SE to set dt wn in this book such advi ce as may enable
visitors to Ireland to reach fishing-quarters
,and kill fish in a.
sporting way with fly,prawn, minnow. worms, & c.; and I am
encouraged to believe that its acceptance will justify myendeavour
to supply a plain guide to, and on,the loughs and rivers which
have afforded me days of delightful relaxation from the cares of
an active life.
I shall not claim perfection for my directions, nor contest the
utility of other methods than my own but I have angled much
and successfully since my boyhood in Ireland, and in the followingpages will be found the procedure which matured experience tells
me i s the best. Some of the precep ts have been frequently pub
l ished—some of them are locally well known ; but forafew I claim
such originality as lies in their having struck me (without hintsfrom other anglers) and those last wil l, I think, be found not the
least useful . In speaking of the hotels,conveyances, accommoda
tion, routes, and means of getting permission to fish,some inaccu
racice may crop up ; but I have consulted the latest and all avai l
able authorities,and can confidently say that during the few
months of my own absence from Ireland but little change has been
made in these matters.I have omitted all I know of cross-line fishing—to which , in
my erring youth, I wasaddicted. I plead guilty and so p leading ,will be forgiven. O f the still more pestilent “ otter I shall say
nothing, feeling grievously sure that visitors to the great loughs
will meet too many, and too capable, instructors in its use.
Introduction.
With these few introductory words, I beg to bespeak from
anglers a wel come for a brother angler’s
, guide-book in Fair
I reland.I had two ends in writing : one wi ll have been served , if, by
following my advice, my readers get sport—their success in fishingwill be the measu re of mine in writing. The other end is, that
many kindly E ngl ishmen may, in the pursuit of an enchantingsport , add to their too scant knowledge of my beautiful andunhappy country and its pure-hearted
,sport-loving people.
HI ‘R.
L ONDO N,June, 1 8 8 6 .
IIOWANDWHERE TO FISHIN IRE L AND.
CHA PTE R I .
or A SUITABL E E QUIPME NT A ND TA CKL E .
THE angler who would have success in I reland should be providedwith good rods and suitable tackle . The kind of rod I shouldrecommend, is, for salmon fishing, a Shanno nor Scotch patternrod
,or a split-cane rod of the A merican or A lnwick pattern. The
Shannon rod, miscalled Castleconnel,”where its manufacture
was introduced many years after it was elsewhere known toShannon anglers, is generally made sixteen to eighteen feet long.
Some very powerful ‘
men may use rods of greater length, butperhaps the fatigue O f working them is not compensated by their
great power in making a long cast, and they require a giganticman o f proportionate strength to work them. They kill a fishquicker, and, owing to being limber to the very butt, they causeless breaks than any other, by they are somewhat top-heavy and,unless in the hands of an adept
,do not cast against the wind so
easily as the better balanced rods of the Scotch pattern,which
most rod-makers in I reland, E ngland, and Scotland supply.
E nright, of Castleconnel , has made a speciality of their manufacture
,but they are supplied by Kelly and Flint, in Dublin ;
Haynes, in C ork ; Hilliard, in Templemore ; and Nestor, inL imerick ; and it
"
was from the latter that I purchased my bestsalmon rod at a very moderate price. This rod is just sixteenfeet four inches when spliced, has tremendous casting and killingpower
,and is not too b ig forme, though my height is about five
feet seven inches. M r. Nestor is a capital practical fisherman,
and in all that pertains to angling in I reland , and especially theShannon
,I can speak of him as an accomplished guide, who sells
the best material, and very cheaply. The Shannon rod is madeB
2 How andW/zere to Fix]: in I reland.
of greenheart throughout, and requires to be balanced by a largeand heavy reel, but as Shannon salmon run very large, they oftentake out a great deal of line
,and thus the large reel needed, and
the light butted Shannon rod suit one ano ther exactly. In
playing a fish w ith them the handle of the winch, whether fitted
on a disc or an arm,should be on the right hand (when the rings
are upwards) , but in casting, the reels and rings maybe under,andwhen a fish is hooked the hands should be shifted
,the reel
side of the rod turned up wards to play the fish,and thus the
“
give and take of the rod is utilized as well as the friction of
the line against the bend of the rod,and not against the rings.
In I reland the universal custom is to utilize the rod ’s spring inthis way, and those from other countries who fish there generallyadopt the native and I think the better practice. The Shannonrods are universally “ spliced rods
,in two pieces , and the only real
drawback I know of in their construction is the length of the
case they demand. This,however
,is not of consequence in
I reland , as the rai lways are all broad-
gauge,”and the nets of
the carriages permi t the rod to be easily carried in them. O ncars of course no difficulty arises. A t the endwi ll be seen a
drawing of the best and easiest method of splicing, and about itthere is really no difficulty. The Hardy Brothers ; L ittle, inHaymarket Farlow, and numbers O f other L ondon rod-makersturn out beautiful rods for all purposes
,andKelly and the o ther
I rish makers do so equally well, and of all patterns and weights.The split-cane rods are, no doubt
,very fine contrivances , and
more durable (at least the expensive ones) than they get credit for.The A merican rods, made by L eonard, are simply perfect, as
they should be to justify their high price. I have see-n one usedrn I reland by the late Duke o f Marlborough , which endured veryhard usage, and came out unscathed from the severest tests.Messrs. Hardy, of A lnwick , build up rods on similar principles,and many of my friends write to me, O f their excellent qualitiesand endurance. On the whole I prefer a Shannon rod to allothers, and know nothing better than those Mr. Nestor supplies(In L imerick) . For grilse, white trout, and feroces I have no
doubt of the superiority of the “ single-hand ” Shannon rod,from eleven to thirteen and a half feet
, and I have by me,as I write, one which has g iven me five seasons’ abundantSpO i t without a single repair but the renewal of a top ringand one or two near it—and when it was given me
,this
Veteran had served a fomi er owner for nine seasons—killing,as it did for me, salmon,
pike, and all sorts and conditions of
Howand If /zere to Fz'
s/z in Ireland. 3
trout. What I have said in praise of split-cane rods for
salmon holds more than g ood for those meant for brook trout.They are beautifully handy, light , and of great power, but I haveseen none of them which surpassed two of greenheart (elevenand twelve feet respectively), which I , some time ago, got
from Messrs. C ox, Parchment Street,Winchester, on the recommendation of Sir Thomas Troubridge, whose exceptional brookfishing prowess I greatly attribute to his constant use of Messrs.C ox’s rods. But no doubt the L ondon tradesmen are equallyproficient
,and the I rish rod-makers I have mentioned are not
surpassed by any. Hilliard,in Templemore, is an artist
,and
brings the united knowledge of a sportsman, an engineer, and atrained mechanician to the construction of small rods which are
very perfect. For the river-side he is an epitome of usefulknow ledge.To keep his kit light, the tourist-angler may do very well with
three rods,viz. a salmon rod
,a grilse rod (Shannon pattern),
and a small brook rod. The gril se rod will suit for lake trolling and sp inning, and even the salmon rod may come in
,and
especially well if it be a Shannon pattern,and a second top
piece of four feet be kept in reserve for trolling. I f a fourth
rod be not in the way, a very long twenty-two feet joint-rod,of
two pieces of bamboo for butt and middle piece, and a greenheart top, wi ll be found most useful to fish for the great pikeover weeds and reeds
,in such lakes as are fringed with these
obstructions. But my own hack rod,and I prefer it to the last
described, is made thus, from the top down a stout four and ahalf feet greenheart top, jointed w ith a very thick I rish screw
joint to five feet of bamboo,a pipe of drawn brass on foot of
bamboo and very strong, takes, ordinarily, a short butt of lignumvi tae of two feet , on occasions I substitute another of ash of five
feet, and now and then the handle of the largest landing-net of
tenfeet.The ash butt should have one standing ring about centre the
lignum-vitae requires none. When the handle of the landingnet is used
,the releasing rings to be afterwards described, supply
the place of reel—line rings. O f course all these emergency buttsrequire rings and sockets to attach the reel. With such a rod asthis, one can do a great deal on the lakes, and the only difficultyin getting it made is overcome when the heads of the three buttsare suited to fit the pipe of the bamboo and its screw
,which should
be of the same size as that of the landing-net. In this way therewi ll always be a handle available for the net
,whatever butt be
B 2
4 f l ow andWhere to Fish in I reland.
used. E quipped with this “
general utility, and the Shannon
grilse rod, I should feel myself, on most water, almost independent,so far as rods go . The gaff is a very important factor in takingfish . I t unattended, the telescopic steel-shafted gaff,which slidesint o a hard-wood handle
,is most convenient, but the bend is
generall y too small. With an attendant a gaff cannot easily have
Shearer/ i fs G E NE RA L (J i l l / I V eao my. 2 r ' z o/vc
m'e -sr
'
too long a handle,andshould be lashed on,not screwed. I never sawanyperfect till I came on those Nestormakes. They are of the fineststeel , tempered from old razor blades. Nestor, amongst his other industries
,has a cutlery and needle factory. I think his charge for
gaffe is three and Sixpence andfive shill ings. G aff andnet handlesshould be equal to more strain than can be borne by most of thosesupplied by tackle-makers but they should be light enough whenrmed tofloat. I like them not varnished , but painted a slate-grey,and unless they are very buoyant
,those used in boats should be fur
nished w ith suffi cient pieces of net-cork, bound round near the buttand below the corks
,the extremity painted of a conspicuous colour
This may seem too nice a precaution, but it facilitates the recoveryof a gaff dropped over-board, and on such a recovery one’s sportmay depend. A reference to the drawing w ill show two little steelrings of great streng th—I employ these to release a cast whenstuck in weeds
,trees
,or other entanglements from which the clear
ing ring has been ineffectual to recover it .1 I pass the line of the
elearing ring through them, from the tap to the hand end,and,
having run down the clearing ring to the entanglement, strain on
the line to the right or left w ith the rod,and in the contrary
1 These ring s come in for the reel line, when the handle of landingnet i s used as butt for general utility rod.
6 How andWhere to Fish in Ireland.handle at head A makes inevitable after a short time. Multipliersare impracticable,andmost of the other cheek dodges , & c uselesstoo .
With rods of the more ordinary pattern a light reel isdesirable,and vulcanite may be employed in those parts which need noespecial strength, but with Shannon rods, the very weight ofmetalbeing an advantage, its strength should be made use of. I havefive gun
-metal reels, which Mr. Bowness will show,which I think
perfect. Their builder,L eonard
,wasanuncommonworkman. Uh
fortunately,he makes them no more
,but I have no doubt other
manufacturers could turn them out if ordered. I have never usedthe Mallock reel, but the testimony of Maj or Traherne
,and many
of the best anglers, i s all in its favour (with a stiff, shortish rod,against which I personally rebel). The Nottingham reel
,for those
who fish in the Nottingham style,isno doubt brought to perfec
tion,and one of the finest fishers on the Usk
, C olonel Rspeaks of it as the only complete contrivance. A glance at drawingon preceding page will show an old-fashioned I rish contrivance toprevent a line foul ing round the reel. I t is a piece of light andtough leather E F (eel-skin is best) sewn round the back bar of reel,and bound behind, or taken in under, and held by , the fixed ringwhich secures the reel plate. I think this preferable to anyspring.The larger the drum of a reel can be
,consistently with holdi ng
enough line, the better. The rings of a rod are
very important. I employ none now but of steel,and the upright pattern of onl y two sizes.3 In
ROD RING . playing a fish in the I rish fashion (rings upwards),these rings have a great advantage in not chafing the line much, inwearing evenly
, and in never fouling the line. They do not needacant forward. A ll salmon, trout, and trolling lines should be o f
the best plaited silk, for such a length as is generally run out ;below that they may be “married to butt-l ines of best dressedhemp . I am heretical about lines. I don’t use them of morethan half the thickness of most I rish anglers, except when harling( L imerickese, trawling) on the Shannon. There the lines cannotbe too stout, if the reel be b ig enough but salmon lines , andall linesexcept for blow ing, should be heavy, and (here my heresy getsout again) I don
’t know of any adequate reason why a line shouldtaper either way, or at all, unless so plaited (and I have not seenone) that the end toward the cast would, though slighter, be as
There isa serpent-ring used by trollers (not in fact a ring at all)which is excellent, but quite lately I have come to believe that theold-fashioned loose ring s are qui te as g ood as, and better thanmosto ther k indsof rings.
”
How and I'V/zere to Fish in I reland. 7
heavy as the thicker part on reel. If l ines he of the best sort,and kept carefully
,they last amazingly . I have used one
five seasons, and never redressed it . I t has
assisted in killing many hundred fish, and isas good as new. I t is a seventy-five yardlength (N0 . 2 of illustration), of plaited silkand spliced to a brown hemp butt ; I alwaysunreel and dry my lines over night, and ifdriving home a distance
,before laying up
my tackle for the j ourney, I dry the l ineas much as possible with a woollen cloth before reeling up alittle loosely.‘
In blow line fishing the reel line should be light, to take advantage of the lightest airs. InWestmeath and on the Shannon the troutwhich one takes on the blow line frequently tax the strength of a
good l ine, therefore the very best plaited anddressed silk is neededbut with seventy-five yards on a big axle, which takes in line fast,and a supple rod
,one ought never to have a break , unless of the
blow line,which is of floss silk. (MartinKelly
,orFlint of Dublin,
supply the best,in fact, the only reliable blow l ines I know of. I
suppose E nglish makers have not given their attention to them .)For troll ing, the
“ cable-laid ” lines are good, as they don’
t kink,but I do not know if they can be got now,
as I have failed in ob
taining them in many tackle-shops provided only with new stock.
The ideal salmongut of great strength andgreat length has yet to be
got at. A n A merican angler haspromised it, but for the present thebest G ibraltar ” must do us
,and for this the salmon-fisher should
pay any price. I have seen some which brought seven pounds thehank
,and under some circumstances it would be cheap. I f a thirty
pounder breaks a cast worth six shillings, where is the salmonfisherwould not regret his loss the more because on another pod)
a fish of like strength was secured with a casting line of extravagant
” price. The truth is,a.well made casting l ine of perfect
gut is priceless to amanwho knows how to preserv e it and to use itTherefore
,reader, buy the best gut fortrout and salmonat the lowest
price, but buy the best at any price. A s to fine gut for success
with trout,the finest drawn must seldom be used. Drawn gut is
not proportionately as strong as undrawn, but the fineness neededcannot often be
,at present
,attained without drawing. I look for
Q
4 “Then lines are laid by they should be rubbed well with deer fator tallow ,
but the tallow or fat must be almost rubbed of after com
plete anointment. When in use the fat on the line makes it worklighter, and in dry-fly fishing a fatted line is indispensable.
8 How andWhere to Fish in Ireland.ward to having finegut supplied usw ithoutanyprocessoffiningdown,and the strongest gut in long lengths but to get these desiderataour gut merchants must bring to hearmore energyandoriginality thanthey hitherto have shown. Some years since in G ibraltar, a generalofficer
,with whom I had the honour to serve
,asked a Spaniard in
tarested in the trade to get him gut of the finest and longest strands.The result was two hanks of gossamer, perfectly round under the
microscope (which wasneeded to see its ful l beauty), and this specialgut was drawn from large silk worms, expected to supply short andthick salmon gut, but by a del icate hand, andbefore or after (I forgotwhich) the worm was quite ripe for the production of the coarser
gut. This gut was tested with some of the best L ondon drawn,and bore a little greater strain, and a much stronger chuck.I only narrate this incident to point out that the purveyors of
g ut are not faultless in not supplying finer material. Some knotsI recommend wi ll be found at the close of this chapter
,and in
o thers subsequently. A ll dyes for gut I look upon asworse thanuseless in concealing it, and positively harmful to the strength of
the gut. The only two which I have heard of, at all all owable, areblack ink
,to get a grey colour, and tea, to get a brown or yellow.
In bog water there is a little advantage in these stains ; elsewherethey are harmful. A t best
,these are both astringent, and dry up
the gut enough to make it more brittle and less strong than inits natural state. A ny combinationwith copperas rots the gut, andzoffee, whi ch would possibly be harmless, leaves a stain too eva
nescent to repay the trouble of using it general ly. In harling, on theShannon, single-strand casting lines are not of sufficient strengthtwo -ply
,three
,and up to six-ply are used. To twist a three-ply
,
which ought to b e strong enough for anything, is not easy ; andafter trials, during many years, I adopted the following methodHaving sorted suffi cient strands of not the very best of my besthanks (these I keep for single-g ut casts) , I re-assort them, (aftersoaking in cold water for five hours,) on a long table, in separatesets of three, of exactly corresponding thi ckness. In making theloop and head of the cast
, I so arrange the strands that they shallcome out for twisting at unequal lengths, and then I build up threeseparate castswith buffer-knots
,
” as described further on. Whenthese three singlev
g ut lines are of suffi cient length—no two knotsof any of them should come together and laid alongside, eachstrand shoul d, as i t touches its two neighbours, exactly correspondwith them in roundness and bulk. Having laid beside me anumber of short lengths of waxed silk, and having plaited the
three lines by a nice, firm roll of the fingers to thefirst knot on thelongest strand of the three, I strain the line wel l from the hook
How andWhere to Fish in Ireland. 9
which holds the loop, and then tie a stopper on it firmly (withsilk above the knot), and proceed to twist the next three strandstill I get to the third next knot. Then I put on a new stopper.”
and so on till the line is a little longer than the desired length. I
then nip the last twisted strands in a heavy hand-vice, and let ithang from the hook , and cut off the silk stoppers with great carenot to inj ure the gut. I wet the newly-made cast w ith water
,and
let it swing and stretch till dry ; then finish off the foot with aknot or a loop (as I elect). To do this, I must again steep thatpart of the l ine. This is al l very troublesome
,but necessary
,if
one cannot depend on the fishing-tack le makers ; but I vouch for
these lines which Nestor supplies, andno doubt I may do so forother makers.The buffer
” knot I recommend is a slight modification of thatfirst published by Mr. C holmondeley-Pennell
,and ventilated in the
F ishing G az etle by my friend Maj or Traherne. In that publicationappeared another mode of mak ing up a cast, common in I relandand very suitable for the single-gut cast, but on the whole the“ buffer knot is the best out. The i llustrations explain it andthe modification I adopt, which consists of the omission of binding
BUFA'
I R 8 .
If! mamas/erYf f A/ME'IZ: m r.a a
outside the fisherman’sknots, the small gut being cut off neatly,
when the buffer between the fisherman’sknots being completed, theends aaare passed to right and left through the rolls of the fisherman’s knots. In single-
gut salmon casts I make these latter knotsdouble. The wa ter-knot,
”which is very old, isreliable to make as
a single-gut cast, and in the hurry of repairing tackle it i s the bestsubstitute for the time-absorbing buffer or any other knot whichneeds binding. The best knots for attaching tail flies and droppers,and casting lines to reel-lines are, I believe, explained by drawings.No. 1 in this is the neatest
,but the hold on the cast solely
depends on the little knot on the fly gut , jammed between thefisherman’s knots. This is obviously too weak for salmonfishing. No. 2 jams itself, is very neat
,and is a buffer.
I t has also the advantage, when using flies dressed on eyelesshooks
,of being very easily detached. N0 8 . 3 and 4 are common
enough, but have very unequal merit ; No. 3 being an excellentknot
,whether used enclosing the fisherman
’
s knot (drawn together),or enwrapping their double parts before being so drawn. I t is
1 0 How andWlzere to Fz'slz in Ireland.
then a buffer. No. 4 is only strong enough when used in the latterfashion. No. 5 is the usual way of attaching looped trout fl iesit is clumsy. I ts partsA B should enwrap both the fisherman
’
s
RE E L !
a: 5 N9 5
B U T / V0 ?”
STR O N G t’
S T.
N O T 3 0
knots, or it should be put between them, as buffers. Indeed, I
am not sure that in salmon fishing the dropper might not be alwaysattached by a No. 5 or No. 3 knot, between two double ro
l led fisher,
man’s knots, to be left unbuflered on a cast othermse buffered.
G UT L O O P
P E E L l l /VE
The attachment of the reel l ine is generally made too difficul tto undo . The plan I suggest is as secure as any, and the greaterthe strain the tighter is the attachment. The end of the reel l ineshould be passed upwards through the loop of the gut, then roundthe two parts of the loop and out of it and backwards by the sideo f its own part before straining the loop tight on the double of the
reel line. To undo it and detach, all that is needed is to hold thereel line firmly to the left
,
“and pinching the ending knot betweenthumb-nai l and index of right hand, draw it firmly to the right.The 10 0pof cast then slips off easily.NVith regard to hooks, shape is the first consideration. For
salmon the L imerick pattern,i f not too hog-backed, are I think
qui te the best, though there is something to be said for M r.C holmondeley-Pennell ’s “ perfects.” For trout fishing the latterare doubtless the best made. I think if we coul d get good hookswell bronzed
,it woul d be an advantage but I have not seen them.
E yed books for salmon are certainly an improvement, but mainlyon account of economy
,as the best fli es are necessarily those which
give out first at the 10 0ps; but M r . C holmondeley-Pennell’s turn
Vide uppermost illustrati on on this pag e.
How andWhere to Fish in I reland. I I
dow npattern are not the only ones I should think of using. Theirattachment is easy. Here it is.
For trouting w ith really small light flies, I like the old fashionbest but I believe when the hooks with needle eyes just at theend of the shank, nicely rounded and with smooth eyes are broughtout
,they will supersede all others. For the present
,the chief
discussions are about the mode of attaching the g ut to those wehave. “Tith single gut and turned
-down eyed salmon hooks,there
is no attachment to equal the old-fashioned figure of and the
one above, already wel l known. I don’t think the last (a) will sitwell but with , single gut, and the size of the eye does not permit ofany loop-fastening with double or larger gut. A friend who usedeyed salmon hooks last season employed this arrangement. I t
looks insecure, but he assures me it never yielded a bit.For eyed trout hooks, this knot seems to me to equal any, and
to make it less conspicuous it may be made without a finalknot at (a).A nother method for these smal l
hooks is to pass the gut throughthe eye of the hook and back
,
making a roll over. This makes avery neat attachment when all is drawn tight and the end (a) iscut off close. In trout flies it is almost impossible to pass backthe gut, therefore the 10 0p over arrangement, for which we areI believe indebted toMajor Turle, should be employed . G enerallythe gimp used in fishing is too heavy and conspicuous, and nonebut the best should ever be put up . There are many receipts fordiscolouring it to a preper colour. That which I know to be effective,and which does not injure the silk, i s to carry coils of gimpin a pocket next the shirt wi th a bit of brimstone. The heat,exudation
,and brimstone produce anice dull black in the gimp.Whether the angler uses baskets or bags, and there is much to
be said on their respective merits, the great thing is to have them
1 2 How andWhere to Fish in Ireland.big enough. I have no t myself seen any improvement on the
basket of my boyhood but metal hinges and the arrangement forcarrying a flask and sandwich
,though in practice I prefer carrying
a metal,bait
, gut, or fly box in the compartment for sandwiches, asI have a prej udice against raw fish as a flavour to luncheon. The
leather s traps to sling fishing-baskets are generally unsuitable. I
prefer a short one of two and a quarter inch webbing , w ith bucklessewn at each end to take a strap passed through the basket by theorifices at back. O f bags, Mr. Cholmondeley and “
the
Field,
”are the best designed I know of. In boat fishing, andwhen
I have an attendant , I findan ordinary carpenter’s bass ( tool-bag),with diagonal webs for strength, very useful, and it does not disfigure large fi sh by doubling them up. Many anglers use fresh grassor nettles about their captures, andare wrong in doing so. The lessmoisture gets to fish out of water the better. Dryhay or straw isbet ter, and, best of all
, eaten straw, especially for packing fishfor j ourneys
,as this straw is very strong, and each straw is a
cylinder of cold air. Dry heather makes a good packing for fish.
The higher on the shoulder the bag or basket is slung, the betterand easier wi ll it be carried. I f one must wear waders, they shouldbe trousers, not stockings, and coming high over completeand thickwoollen clothing ; but withwading trousers inany place where anangler may be overturned, an inflated belt is needful to avert danger.Messrs. C ording, of Regent Street, and E lvery, of Sackville Street
(Dublin) sell very good contrivances, and I have suggested (to getthe inflation as high as possible) apair of hollow inflated cross-bracesto sit over the shoulders. For anglers who don
’t care at all for anappearanceasgrotesque as amarine di ver
’ s,these precautions against
drowning and rheumatism are all right, but I confess I prefercomplete woollen clothing—a short Norfolk jacket, knickerbockersopen at knee, and two pairs of stockings. In the coldest weatherI catch , nay feel, no cold, but I never confine the water. A nip of
spirits is seldom of use, except to restore heat. To keep one warmit is useless
,and hot tea or coffee is much better. This moni tion
froman Irishman may seem odd, and is unlikelyto be foll owed, butI must let it stand.“ The perfect hat foran angler-tourist is the
5 The wine of the country is generally the best thing to drinkeverywhere. In I reland it certainly is, and E ng lishmen have solittle chance of getting that spirit good
“ at home ”that they are
often “ played upon ”in I reland, where bad whisky is commoner
than good, though it seldom deceives the natives. In economicUlster they sometimes drink it new to get drunk at as little expense
aspossible.
14 How andWhere to Fish in Ireland.
CHA PTE R II.
FL Y-FISHING .
FL Y-FISHING in‘
I reland divides itself into two heads,natural
fly-fishing and artificial fly-fishing. The sub-heads under each of
them cover (1 ) fly-fishing for salmon, (2 ) fly-fishing for trout (andits relatives
,charr
,and (3) fi y-fishing for pike, perch, and
roach.’ In writing of them I shall reverse the order. For roach
,
which are found all over the island,very small flies—a tiny black
palmer,an equally small redpalmer
,and a white midge are best .
The first is best tied on a rubber -body (drawn from the elastic of alady’s work-basket) or black horsehair body the red palmer overrubber or red-silk the white moth with a lemon
,or fawn silk
body,a white hackle
,and a white wing from owl or bittern. The
sport scarcely repays the trouble in any place I know of, except
at the L ake in Bal lyfin demesne,between Mountmellick and
Mountrath (see G uide), where Sir C oote is very generousin giving permission on application.
9 A b i t of gentle or a morselo f white kid-
g love is, I
’m to ld, an additional attraction to a
palmer in roach fishing. A relative ofmine killed many hundredreach, and of great size in Ballyfin (over a foot long and six inchesbroad). Formyself I care little for roach fishing but with thefly it undoubtedly ranks amongst sports.
P nncn FISHING WITH THE FL Y
is really a. sporting pastime , and I have the pleasure of g iving myreaders the result of the experience of agentleman,
who,in addition
to being an excellent all-round angler and fly-tier, nas especiallythe perch fly angler in I reland.
7 I use Roach because it is the name universally g iven in I relandto the fish rudd—commou there.
8 There is a boat at Ballyfin L ake, b ut a special permissionmust beasked (and it is often g iven) to use it—as i s the case if the anglerbrings aBerthon. With a beat any number of roach can be k illed,and some very large pike, and a great many medium-sized ones.
How andWhere to Fish in Ireland ; 1 5
In the summer months perch w ill be found in shoals in shallowwater
,with gravelly or sandy bottoms in most of the lakes o f
I reland, and at this time of year considerable sport may be hadbaskets of two hundred fish to one rod in the hands of an expert,have occasionally been taken. A brisk lowering day is the bestfor this sport, but even when the sky is cloudless
,weatherwarm,
and breeze little or nothing, the angler need not despair of fill inga basket i fhe uses the flies—descriptions ofwhich are given later on.[a 7This style of fishing is usually resorted to and carried out on lakes,but may also be successfully tried on rivers.
For this method of fishing a st iffish long rod is required, andthe casting line may also be substantial, for very little law is given,a clean lift out being the most approved style, for if you haveto play your fish through weakness of tackle or of red, the
conj'
reres of your dupe wil l take timely warning and cut. I haveseveral times taken over a dozen from a shoal i nones and twos ata time
,but my sport was immediately spoiled by a badly hooked
fish falling off,and communicating to the rest what a swindler
I was.
Three fl ies are generally used, but two are quite enough—thetail fly shotted
,to bring it down, as it must be let sink to at least
half the depth of the water fished,and if you know your ground,
to within a foot or so of bottom,and there it is likely to be more
productive of good results.When you think the flies are sufficientlydeep
,lower the point of your rod nearly horizontally, and draw
them through the water in regular, easy jerks of a few feet ata time ease the rod for a moment or so after each pull
,and draw
again, and so on until your flies are so near the shore or boatthat a new cast becomes necessary and j ust as they comein the shallow they are most likely to be taken. The necessityfor a stiff rod and fairly reliable casting- line will then be foundapparent
,asyou cannot throw a fish from half to a whole pound
,
from under your feet.
almost,with impunity
,using the modern
light tackle, & c. Probably your fly may be taken in the deepwater ; and it isWell here to impress on the tyre that perch, intaking the fly
,do not impart that electric current through the rod
a trout does,and the bite may be mistaken for a weed (a common
error), which, however, i s easily detected by imparting a littlemore vitality to the next jerk, when the difference between a weedand perch will immediately show itself. Perch w i ll
,without
taking it, follow the fly at times to the very gravel, and as far asthe depth of water w ill allow they will al so take it in deep water
,
and go away with it gently and to this I attribute the weed -likefeeling they impart on such occasions. However
,if you have any
1 6 How and PVhere to Fish in Ireland.
doubt on the subject, give it to the perch, and put the hook in him
by an extra twist of the wrist. O nce a shoal is hit upon,do not
get flurried if you hook and land a.brace first cast recollect thati f you have the misfort ime to let one go , _ your chances of makingpersonal acquaintance with many more of the class are materiallyreduced ; and for that reason you should keep cool, andwhen youdo strike , do it decisively. I t will at times be found necessary t owade in some places, but never do so before you try the waters asfar as you can cast, and then as carefully fish in advance for everyfoot of progress youmake. You will probably have waded some
distance, and then hit the shoal ; and in bringing your prey toshore do not make too much fuss, and do not wait to reel upyour line to pitch him out. Retrace your steps as quickly aspossible, and if you have not mismanaged it, quite possibly thefish will have come in
,and saved you the trouble of going out
again for them. I have often reached a shoal,when I coul d not
wade, by long casting, with the aid of a boy to bring back the line,d hold the tail fly by the bend
,between his finger and thumb ;
andwhen the shoal has been once reached, I never hadanyoccasionto cast quite so far again, as the shoal follow the flies, as wellas those of its members which
‘
have been hooked,and are on
the look out for them again. In a very short time proficiency can
be obtained,and sport too . When salmon and trout are unavail
able in waters where the three species are found, a pleasant hourcan sometimes be had with the perch, and on lakes and streamswhere these fish abound to the exclusionofall else savepike andeels,the pursuit of them with fly isso very far superior to fishing withfloats or paternosters as to commend itself, and the sport is littleinferior to small trout fishing. I t is only necessary to careful ly fishthe water, moving step by step along the shore. I t cannot be wellmanaged from a boat, and the gratification from the feeling thatone isfly-fishing i s in itself very comforting. Perch, however, likeo thers of the finny tribe, have their peculiarities, and at times willac t take the fly
,though they will on most occasions follow i t. In
that case a change is desirable, and the minnow or worm should betried ; but even i f they do not take the fly
,it gives the party using
i t an advantage in drawing the fish after it, and showing the anglerwhere he may best use aminnow or other lure.
J ack are partial to perch flies,and very troublesome, cutting
up flies and gut. O ne word more before I describe the fl ies. I
found that covering the bend of the hook with a grub, which may
O nly small pike, under 3 lbs., are called Jack, in I reland.
How andW/zere to Fz's/z in I reland.
be obtained under grass tufts by the roadside or in garden heaps, a.decided advantage ; and late in the season, when the larvae takew ing and become scarce, artificial grubs may be made o f b its ofchamois and used with more or less success.
“Flies hook, No. 2 or 3 Pennell round bend, tag gold tinsel ;tail
,few fibres of anybright decided colour, such as green
blue,Indian crow,
macaw, gold pheasant, or teal andmallard, dyed
yellow ; body may be orange, red, blue, magenta, purple, puce orblack
,or mixtures of any or either ; gold tinsel up the body ;
hackles, common red or blackcock’s ; dyed hackles, red,orange,
yellow,claret
,magenta, or blue; wings, mottled turkey (some with
white tips) , pheasant, common hen’s,bright -brown feathers
,if
backed with some lively bits of macaw,or dyed feathers
,so much
the better. Feelers,asfeelers, are superfluous, but the colouring
iswanted ; head, ostrich or peacock’s harl.
“ Small salmon fl ies may be used for perch when no longersuitable for their legitimate work .
”
I have only to add to Mr. McG -’s paper on fly
-fishing forperch a recommendation, founded on the experience of my boyhood
,that the perch takes the wasp -
grubs andmeal -worms with anavidi ty which repays the trouble of their collection. The bestperch fishing I know of is on Sauleen
,
” or Station L ake,near
the railway at C astlebar, and by the reed beds on L ough Cullenin the same county. The latter is free fishing ; the former belongsto L ord L ucan, but permission to fish it or any of the proprietor
’swaters is never refused on application to Mr. A lick L arminie
,his
agent, in C astlebar. A s “ Sauleen” 2 holds very handsome and
perhaps a few very large pike, its mention brings me naturally to
FL Y-FISHING FO R PIKE .
This was once a favourite sport,but
,like other I rish good
things, has deteriorated. Perhaps the fact that it is not now
popular with anglers may furnish some of my readers w ith aspecial desire to revive it, themore so because it isobserved that all
good fish,and even pike
,have a womanly taste for no velties or
re established old fashions.Pike are not so indiscriminating in the selection of flies as is
2 There is no boat on Sauleen, and though it can be fished fromthe banks here and there, aBerthon, or collapsible boat is now neededto fully enjoy the sport it affords. This lake is one of those whichhave been destroyed as a. trout lodgment by drainage operations.Five-and-twenty years since it was unsurpassed for the number andbef
uty of its trout. I believe there are left afew too big for master.pi
'
e.
1 8 How andW/zere to Fz's/z in Ireland.
thought, except in cold gales of wind, when the troll is certainlybetter than the fly. In the light breezes, when the latter i s thebest lure
,a very gaudy fly
,but not bigger than the largest salmon
fly,is best. For such a purpose a worn- out salmon fly is j ust the
thing, if a gimp trace be whipped along the lower side of the bodyand the original beauty of the fly not to o much impaired. The
troll and fall is the mode of fi shing up and down the wind, and a“ basking
” hour the best,especially at the edges of the reed beds, for
unlike salmon,the pike takes the fly for a fly
, (the b ig“ dragon
wh ich comes oftener to the waterside in sultry weather than at
other times). Pikes often takes flies very high, therefore on the
fall down the fly may be danced, on the troll up it may be fished
deeper,l ike a salmon fisher’s.
I know of no other coarse fish in I ri sh fresh waters whi ch takesthe fly. For
Taour FISHING wrrn FL Y,no country has more natural advantages than I reland, and if thefish are not so numerous as a few years ago, there is some com
pensation for the fact in the better hotel accommodation and the
increased facil ity in getting to the fishings. The fish are morediscriminating too, but a sport , to be perfect, requires an elementof difficulty
, and the capture of a good wary trout by fine sk illshoul d repay one better than that of a score o l
’
incaut ious innocentsby clumsy means. For true sport
,rather a L eonard split—cane
than a draught net isneeded.
The subject of fly-fishing for trout di vides itself naturally intostream fishing and lake fishing—w ith artificial fl ies and naturals.For the present
,I may defer speaking o f the natural. O f the arti
ficial,it may be said that four rul es apply all over the island
1 . I rish fish take winged flies only.3
2 . I rish fish generally take larger fl ies t han E ngl ish trout.‘
3 The only true palmer I ever saw kill a good trout wasa soldiergentle on the hook bend mayhave added to the attraction.
A few midges, the black and whi te, may have a. place in an
ang ler’
8 book. The patterns are :Black mi dgo 1 . No tail or tag .
Body, black ostrich herl.Hackie, lapwmg topping just at shoulder.Wing , blackbird or darkest starling wing .
(O r“gnat
”
) 2 . Substitute for ostrich body, black horsehair or quill , or darkest rubber.White midge No tail or tag .
Body , light lemon or salmon-co loured si lk.Hack le, white hen, neck.Wing , white owl or bittern.
How andW/zere to Fir/z in Ireland. 19
3. The best pattern of fl ies are not numerous.4. A few of the flies best in E ngland are useless.The hooks of the best sizes range from the small grilse to the
No. 1 1 of Mr. Cholmondley Pennell’s “round bends,
” or 1 3“ L imerick. I rish flies besides being invariably winged are
generally fuller bodied, especially at the shoulder, than the Scotchor E ngli sh.
5 A s I rish fly-dressers generally tie back their wingsfirst, and turn them only before heading, the wings sit more uprightthan those tied in the simpler fashion. I think the same fliesprevail on most I rish rivers, but at varying periods and in varioussizes
,and for these periods and for size, the only sure guides are
the native fishermen. I shall set out in the G uide, opposite thelocality
,the sizes for brown trout, and as a key, I should wish it
understood that SMA L L will mean about a 1 3 L imerick,L A RG E a
9, and medium between these sizes. For white trout and lakers‘
THE 9 is the smallest useful , and the range of hooks upwards maywel l run to No. 4.
(3) The best general patterns are covered by the following list.A fterwards, a few
“ specials ” may be mentioned in connectionwith lakes or rivers. Here are eighteen standards.
1 . The May-fly or drake —specially treated by-and-by.2 . The blue-stare,
” blue-bottle,” or blow-fly.
Tag (if any)—flat silver tinsel.Tail—rat’ s-beard or spines of lapwing topping .
Body—royal blue silk (occasional ribbed flat silver).Hack le—black (stiffest) from neck of cock.Wing—starling ’ s (hibernics stare
’ s) wing.
3. Redhack le,”
red rail.”
Tag (if any)—gold flat.Tail—rat’s-beard (light-coloured) or spines of topping.
Body—orange, cardinal red, or black silk, ribbed sometimesw ith black silk or gold very lightly, or brown quill or Indianrubber strained tight.
Hackle—best cook ’
sneck, or dyed blood red.
Wing—landrail .4. The early March,
”the March brown,
”the sting.
Tag—gold or silver (very small if any).
Tail—rat -beard.Body—light oak-coloured silk, ribbed black or brown silk, orblack silk showing through ribs of Indian rubber.
A s the black midge or gnat (foregoing) is the only fly tied withaharl, which I recommend, of course all the buzz flies andpeacocksare excepted frommy remarks.
The names of flies in I reland and E ngland seldom correspond.o 2
2 0 How andW/zere to Fz’s/z in Ireland.
Hackle—black or woodcock (in smallest fly I have seen wrcn) .W'
ing—starling or woodcock.5. Hare’s ear.”
Tag—none.
Tail—rat ’ s-beard.
Body—hare’ s -ear mixedwith orange, yellow, or claret mohair(if ribbed, light ly with round g old) .
HackIe—g inger, or red, or dun ; but only under the shoul ders.VVing—starling or rail.
6 . The grouse (orange, green or black).Tag—(g old, if any) .
Tail—rat -beard (or lapwing topping).Body—silk, sometimes ribbed gold.
In the south the spines of thegrouse under the body are cut offsquare. In the west and northwest never.
G rouse
7. The“cow-dung .
Tag—none.
Tail—two Spines fox fur.Body—g inger mohair.Hackle—g inger (only at shoulders).Wing—rail or starling .
8 . The black-rail .”
Tag (very smal l gold, if any).Tail—guinea fowl , two epines, or teal two spines (the blackand white showing well).
Body- black silk or horsehair.Hack le—black.Wing—from the painted or black-rail mixed with guineafowl, and showing slightly th spots.
This fly is sometimes the most alluring in the Shannon runs, asat Kil laloe, and on the Nenagh river it is exceptionally killing. I tis not aswidely known as other standards.9.
“ The greenwren.
”
Tag—none.
Tail—ii any, rat’s-beard.Bol
dyE—l
light green silk, sometimes ribbed with gold very1g t
Hack lez-wren’s tail.Wing—wren or woodcock.
1 0. The partridge.
”
Tag—none.
Tai l—seal or rat’s fur.Body—lemon or very light green silk.
Hackle—the grey mottled partridge (the cook ’
sfeather is best).Wing- grey part 1 idge, or woodcock , or rail, or starling , or
finally the horse-shoe ”o f cock partridge.
For the “ partridge all these wing s have advocates, but the wing
2 2 How andW/zere to Fz's/z in Ireland.
brought forward and tied off,and the fly
-head touched withvarnish.
FO RWHITE Taou'rthe fl ies whi ch I consider standards are (tied on from 9 to 4,L imerick hooks)l . “TheHawthorn.
Tag—gold or silver flat , or orange silk.
Tail—teal , or spines of golden pheasant topping , or lapwingtopping .
Body—b1ack silk or black horsehair.Hackle—black or port-w ine-brown dyed.Wing—brown, or dark, mallard, or black coot mixed withwoodcock.
Throat—(sometimes) ablue Jay hackle.O nBeltragh lakeandall over Mayo, no other whi te trout fly equals
th is.2 . The green olive.
Tag—goldflat .
Tail—as l n Hawthorne.Body—olive (dyed) seal , or bear, or pig wool (sometimes ribbedvery li ghtly w ith gold).
Haek le—black or deep olive dyed.Wing—as 1n Hawthorne.”
This fly is an excellent lake trout fly.3. The Desmond.
”
Tag—orange, s ilk , or gold.
Tail—golden pheasant topping.
Butt—black ostrich.
Body—maroon silk , ribbed black or g .oldHack le—blood red, black or purple only at shoulder.Wing—as in Hawthorne or woodcock, and reddest railmixed.
Throat—blue jay if any4.
QS ame as black fairy ” of Badminton volume orTag—gold or orange silk.
'l‘
ail—topping .
Bud -black bear or purple (dyed) pig.Bac le—black ; near head, blue jay.
Wing—brown mallard.5. A fly, as far as I know , quite peculiar, and only made by one
professional at Newport , C o . Mayo. I cannot recall its name, northat o f i ts maker, who is very old, but an excellent dresser. I t 18Hamost brilliant pale primrose, with a. shade of green.
Tag—primrose silk.
Tail—yellow macaw (no blue at beck). or yellow swan.Body—primrose, ribbed lightest brightest green silk .Hackle—golden pheasant toppi ng.
How"
andW1257 ? to Fz'r/az'zz [re/and.Wing—white swan, dyed greenish primrose.Head—yellow wool.
The preceding flies (if headed) should have black ostrich heads.When the white trout run up first,this fly will kill, in the heat ,
when no other gets notice.6 . C oncealed death a charmer of surprising value, designed by
Mr.McG (m'
de perch with flyTag—a little gold tinsel, then orange silk.
Tail—Two fibres golden pheasant topping.Body—black silk, ribbed fine gold.
Hackle—black at shoulder g olden red.Wing—golden pheasant tippet, one at each side ; over and
half conceal ing tippets, pintail, a few fibres of which shoulddrop hackle fashion below shoulder, no head.
These exhaust all I should consider as univ ersally “ takingwhite trout flies. Patterns of flies of equally conspicuous meritfor occasional use will be found against the names of places inthe G uide (P art I L ) . To fish successfully with t hese fl ies onrivers
,the same rules apply over the United Kingdom,
and on largelakes in Scotland, the practices of the best anglers are identicalwith the I rish lake fishers.O n the rivers in I reland, surpri ses are in store for any angler
who fixes the same limits as in E ngland to the season when troutare in the best order. I suppose the milder climate has to dow ith it
,but the fact remains that no absolute rule holds good, and
after a mild winter (winter is seldom as severe as in even SouthE ngland), strong streams will, in early spring, furnish lusty trout.But generally till May, the trout fisher may not expect the creamof the fun
,except on a few stations, and these stations are mainly
on southern rivers. The “Bride,” affluent to the C ork Blackwater,
holds an especially good run of Spring trout, and the Funcheon
in a March gale, when the difiiculty is to keep the flies on thewater
,affords grand fish and sport
, which I have never seensurpassed. In spring fishing the best time is before eight a.m.
,
and between eleven and four ; the late afternoon and twilightare not then favourable. A ll the advantages that can be got
from the wind should be looked to,and fishing against
it avoided whenever possible. No man casts best against the
wind and the flies cast best are likeliest to kill most. But eventhe wind shoul d be less constantly thought of than the shadow,
and it is just in the “sun-bursts
,
”which throw sharp shadows
,that
spring trout rise best. I am as sure as one canwel l be on anythingdependent on the fickle temper of atrout
,that when, say in March,
the glass has indicated a sudden change from harsh dry weather,
the spring fly-fisher will get better sport than at any other time.
2 4 fl ow andW/zere to Fir/z in Ireland.
J 11st when the hills have caught the vanguard of ocean-bred clouds,and before the spate has come down
,every trout in the lower waters
glances hungry and expectant. A nd though few natural flies areseen, feather etfigies of them,
a little larger, and if the water bedeep, brighter than the models, will entice fish which seem to haveforgotten or abandoned all their wariness of the preceding autumn.
In casting for these trout, the best method is to drop the flies
byan upstream (diagonal) cast—far away enough to permit the complet ion o f the cast to cover the waters under the angler. The nextcast should go farther and cover more, and so on til l the O ppositewaters are fished-out
,and the tail of the pool or stick le quite
covered. A nd in this manner the river should be fished up tillthe spate has come down and the flies relegated to the box for therecurrence of a beer-coloured stream.
”
In spring the advantages of dry-fly fishing are not to me veryclear. Trout then are not so wary as to justify even the loss of
time which drying the fly takes.8
t en a trou t has risen at a fly,but missed it
,even though he
hasnot been touched,it is bad practice to cover himagain instanter.
I f he be a feeding fish, waiting a minute is unimportant. If he
has only been attracted by the beauty or novelty of the fly,the
less the natural suspicion,he showed
,by only flourishing, is excited
the better. Marking well his lodgment,andwhat
,and how cast
was the fly which he came at, the trout should be again covered in,
first,a little more dancing manner, and, if unsuccessfully, then in
8 The G ipsy soldier servant, to whom I elsewhere refer, was thefirst to suggest to me the idea of dry-fly fishing (in I confessat the time I put it down as auseless fad, though I had the sincerestand highest opinion of the man
’s accomplishments and ingenuity insnaffling
”all fish, flesh, or fowl that were edible. Someyears ag o an
artic le in the F i eld recalled the gipsy’s injunctions, and l have since
had an opportuni ty of testing their great value. In the “ Mutinyyear parafin oil was little known, but Pegg made many raids onthe bottle of Burmese oil , which I used for my guns. This wasthe “ thinnest o il then known, and he used it to steep fly material sbefore tying . These he dried, and though he lost some material bydiscolouration, he preserved enough for hi s purposes. Not thinkingdry-fly fishing worth pursuing , I took no pains to acqui re the nicetiesof it
,and must sto re away with other reg retable indiscret 1 ons of
youth, my neg lect in not learning the secret o f making featherswaterproof
”
(Pegg’s word). In this connection may not the po
ularity of coot’ s , mallard
’s,teal
’
s,and starling
’s feathers as wingslie accounted for ? They are all birds which have oil glands forlubricating their plumage. Rail’s feathers also resist moisture, toenable the bird to comfortablv traverse the wet meadows,
How andWhere to Fish in Ireland. 2 5
drowned-fly fashion ; but an interval of at least a minute shouldb e given to let the fish reconsider the bonne-bouchewhich hemissed.I f
,during the interval, the light has changed by the intervention
of cloud shadows or the like,a little time may not be lost bywait
ing till the statusquo ante be restored, and when three or four castshave failed, if the trout seems a beauty—a very prima donuaamongst trouts—it may be worth while to try a change of fly tolure him. Unless on very small streams
,the trout fly-
gut collarshould be three yards
,and of the finest gut. The double fisher
man’s roll—over ” is the neatest mode of putting the strandstogether. The attachment of the fl ies will be understood bya reference to another chapter. Where heavy trout abound
,
if one knows the taking fly, two flies are quite enough ; w ith
smal l trout, three. I have seen Mr. Pepper (who“ beat the
authentic record ”
) put up five for the purpose o f finding thecharmer ; but he promptly reduced the number when he hadidentified her bedizenments . When three fl ies are used
,I am at
first careful that the tail -fly be the heaviest,i f there be anydi fference
in weight ; but this precaution need no t be observed,except in
an adverse wind,and at other times I mount that fly as tail-fly
which I expect to be most attractive ; but as to droppers, I alwayskeep in view that the effigy O f a moth
,small gnat, or other dancing
fly, if used, should be third dropper (that nearest the hand), forthis is the only position where an angler can simulate, through all
the cast,the motion of the ballerina. Some anglers vary the length
of the gut of the two droppers. I never do so,and invariably
use five inches on fine trout casts, andwith whi te and lake troutseven.
E ight anglers in ten strike trout too boldly, and a larger proportion too soon. If the proper measure cannot be hit
,as with
some nervous men, it i s better not strike at all, and let the fish dotheir own hooking. The golden rule is, don
’
t be too SO O N,and
ME E T the fish’sgrip bya delicate butfirmcheck. To do this at allis the high art, and instinctive. For some it i s impossible—for allit needs practice, andmust not alone depend on feeling the
“ touch,which is transmitted from the hook up the line too slowly to guidethe hand surely. When a fish is hooked, if he at once flutters
,
"
he must be treated as i f hismouth were mucous, andhe will seldomhe landed. In general, however, fish had better be well held and
more of all sorts are lost by over-caution thanby firmness. I t mustbe remembered that every second between hooking and landingincreases the chances of accidentsin the fish’s favour. G et in the
fish as soon as the tackle permits. The rush of a fish seldommakes a break but when, after one, he darts to the surface and
2 6 How andWhere to Fish in Ireland.makes a somersaul t, a tyre will lose him if the rod
’s point he notdropped, and, at the same time, enough check kept up to preventa “ shake out ” before a new start. A t such a t ime
,above all
others,remember the adage, L inea recta tutissima. Unlike a
salmon,once a trout shows his side, he seldom gets his second
w ind,
”unless by “ the rod’s fault but it does not follow that an
nu 1 ttended angler must endeavour to land him at once. If a niceshelf of sand be adjacent, I prefer leading my trout on to it tosecuring him by a landing-net , for when a fish is so much under thered as to permit the net -bow being slipped under him,
the fish hassome circumstances in his favour no t existent w ith a longer line.In using the landing-net the proper way is to dip it and draw i tl ip-stream a little to fill out the bag. I attach to the very lightestnet a split-shot at lowermost mesh to prevent its bagging up. The
how of the net should be slipped under the fish, and l ifted neatly,but not in a snatching fashion. “Then the fish is landed, unlessvery small
,he should get a tap of his reverence over the skull,
and the flies wi ll be found much easier to extract,andthey will last
longer than if clumsy efforts be applied to get them from themouthsof living, struggling fish. A great saving of flies will be gained bycutting out the flies with strong scissors (sui table nail pattern).Pairs which fold back
,and are easily carried in the pocket
,are
sold everywhere on cards forone shi ll ing. In trout -fishing (unl ikesalmon) the flies should never have more up stream movement thana natural fly might have in making a supreme effort to rise fromout the water, or from its surface.
When fli es seem quite unattractive,and the fish O ff the feed in
all the pools on a stream an int erlude, occupied by preparing forfuture operations
,and some soothing tobacco, is commendable.
But all the pools implies a good deal when the river winds about.For I have often noticed that next one stretch of
“
water where no
fin moved, another at right angles or so would boil ” with rises.I can only ac count for this by supposing that sometimes the fliesonwhich the trout banquet, are precluded by some turn of the
w ind from being“ brought to table,
” or that some effect of lightprevents the trout seeing the insects served up. I think i tmaybetaken as fixed that bright fl ies take in bright weather. and darkfl ies in dull ; but many I rish streams, which flow through bogs
”
(peat), are dark when clearest, and such streams require bright fliesor tinsel. SO true is this
,that I invariably put up—andgenerally
succeed on such rivers—a l ittle fly, which on the bank at leastresembles nothing natural that I know. I believe itsname is thesilver magpie.
”I t is tied with or w ithout tail (rat
’ s-beard), silvertinsel body, black hackle under shoul der, andsterling wing.
How andWl'zere lo Fir/z in Ireland. 2 7
If a fish, on being hooked, will obey anup-stream check of the red,the angler shoul d let him go up in preference to turning him down ;for the force required to go up will be more, as will the exhaustionconsequent on being later onwound-in down stream,
with gill-coversO pening, and the stream strangling him. In stream fishing mostfish will be killed by an angler (always out of sight) who fishes allthe waters w ith the shortest line needed to cover them . A belliedline is fatal to a safe hold. Now and then a fish will rush upstream,
and then suddenly turn down,a manoeuvrewhich will often
get rid of the hook if care be not taken to have him in delicatetouch andwith very little spare line in the water during the upwardv oyage. When he tur ns, the line may generally be got in quicklyenough, even if the trout runs underfoot (by a cool man, not afraidto raise his rod and back a little). When a fish is in a landingnet
,borne by a wading angler, he wi ll be secured by gently turning
the net-bow up from the horizontal to the vertical line,and so
enclosing the captured in a bag closed at top.What I have said of short line fishing on streams must be for
gotten when I speak of lakes. There,on the “ fal l ” before the
wind,is the killing mode. A nd a long line cleanly dropped and
got in on a symmetrical quadrant,is best to secure trout. A s
trout in brooks won’t take flies going up- stream
,I am at a
loss to account for their conduct before a boat on lakes.9 But I
speak from absolute conviction,that fishing against the wind
is only successful with a trailing fly on a very long line and“ drowned.
” When a trout is seen to rise to the fly before theslowest fall, he should be struck as sharply as possible, for theprogress of the boat tends, even with the most careful fisherman,“ to slaken the cast . In the playing of trout there ought to be asympathy between the oarsman and the rod—man, and the formershould get his boat moving the moment
“ in him reaches his ear.
A boat may ki ll afi sh asmuch asa rod—for remember,not alone
the play and leverage of the rod is against him,but ‘ the leverage of
the boat. If a proper accordance exists between the boatman,and
the rod-man, the inrush of a fish is easily foiled,and the only
anxious moment may be that when the landing net goes out, butthis may be greatly assuaged if the landing-net be sui tably large,andwith ahandl e at least
o
ten feet long.
9When I was guilty of cross fishing , no method of mine was sodeadly asfishing rip
-stream w ith the points of very stiff rods absolatelym theWater, so that the cent i al belly of the cross-line was itsh ighest point. The flies reached the t op, and I have seen TO O manyt1 out sei ze themwhen their passage up-stl eamwas positively knocking upawhite wake.
2 8 How andW/zere to Fix/e in Ireland.
The principles onwhich trout are taken with artificial fl ies, arenearly all applicable when theyare fished forwith
Nataralfl iesandfloating-bai ts.
A t the head of these the May—fly, yell ow and grey, flutters first.He is found in ri vers and lakes in all the four provinces, but byno means generally. When he does rise, no other lure willcompete with him during the earlier part of his visit. L ater onthe stone—fly is often more attractive. The date of his first appearance may generally be set down about 1 5th May
,and I have
noticed that the earlier he is reported on VVestmeath lakes,the
better is the sport that follows. I am bound to say that otheranglers arrive at a quite opposite conclusion. The explanation of
different views may be that their ideas of the best angling and
mine differ. When “ thefly rises early,but few of them come
up the first week unless the weather is very unusually warm. Thesestragglers have irresistible attractions for big trout, and as the dateo f the disappearance of the fly varies little
,the later he comes
the more l imited is his period. Perhaps, one year wi th another,
there is no great variation in the number of ephemerids hatched out,and that during an early season ” Nature’s imperative word of
command only throws the yellow host into review in small andsuccessive detachments. In late
, i.e. short seasons, the trout are
gorged w ith their favourite food,and just when the burst ” is
biggest good sport i s not always to be had, and after it very little,ifany. E phemerids cannot be too fresh. The “
gossoons”who exist
about the ‘Vestmeath lakes,may be depended on to gather the best,
if the gratuity during these poor children’s only harvest be but
proportioned inversely to their rags and squalor. To learn toj udge of the fly
’
s freshness,it only needs to compare one newly
caught with another a day old I don’t know how old flies arebest preserved, but they are never crisp,
and a flabby “ drake ”
has no attractions for good trout. Those caught before the sun
i s strong are toughest. The b ooks for the natural fly shouldalways have thin shanks. I think one fly covering a small hookis best with a breeze two on a larger hook float lighter in lightwinds.In natural May-fly fishing, more fish are lost by heavy striking
than by not striking at all . When the yellow fly seems to fail,
a change to the grey often excites the appetites of large anchoritetrout
,more austere or wiser than the frivolous youngsters. A nd
when neither green or grey are noticed the stone.fly seldom fails,
30 How andWkere to Fisli in Ireland.
two flies in rough streams, one in sluggish dreps. The house.
fly sometimes kills, but no t well enough to merit special notice.There is a green bronze fly to be found in open woods sycamore
I ts iridescence is very marked,and fish take it more avidl y
than any other, but it is so tender that it melts off the hook, andcan only be dropped over a trout once and for a second. This rendersfishing with it too tedious, and I only mention the fly to put myreader up to a wrinkle which may secure for him
‘
a shy trouton a blazing day, when all other lures have failed. C ow-dung flies
(easily captured just before use with a broad-bowed moth-net), arevery killing, but for Some occult reason trout will not take themexcept in pairs, and no t well except in a breeze, when mostanglers would be sorry to put aside the artificial. The cow
dung” fly has in some degree the faul t of the “ sycamore fly,
”
and melts off the hook. A “gossoon,
”who had mastered the
arcana of fishing the river beside him,used bird-l ime and a
wrapping of one fi lm of silk to attach the cow-dung, but he neverwasted pains except to drop him over a lusty troutwhose very innerl ife he had fathomed. To Brineen Rue, too, am I indebted formy knowledge of the “ horse-fly.
” He described it as “jist as
sayrious for the throats asfor the and justified hisassertion by enabling me, after many failures, with other lures, to
gratify an invalid’s fancy for a bit of good trout.
The grasshopper, and house-clock, come after the small fl ies, butnot because of their being less effective. Indeed, a grasshopperor two is scarcely to be beaten on warm evenings. The houseclock (the cook
’s blackbeetle), i s excellent at all times but verynasty to use, as are the true beetles which require their wings to beremoved. The daddy long-legs is worth notice because the besttrout may be kill ed with him
,andthe bird-lime dodge has removed
the impossibi li ty of attaching him. The bee-drone and hornetwill attract trout
,and the wasp-grub and Chrysalis (cor-bait of
L einster streams) is so good that I am justified in prolongingby a line or two, this too long chapter, by describing how to workit, i .e. on a fine trace and gnat hook , above a shot, and witha “
give and draw ” slowly from the very bottom to the
very top of gravelly holes and r uns. I speak of the frog inanother chapter. I t is the most deadly of all lures for large shytrout.In attaching droppers on fine gut casting-lines, the two
knots I prefer are,first
,the magnified one in illustration
,and
A ngli cehorses.
How andWkere to Fisk in Irelai zd. 3 1
then one such as is figured on page 6 6 to attach a plummet. Theupper one (black lined) is not safe, as its strength depends aloneon the knot at end of dropper. A final word : the dry flyfisherwill do best with no droppers if very expert, two flies aresometimes possible.
3 2 How andWkere to Fisk in Ireland.
CHA PTE R I II.
THE TROUT A ND some or HIS newness.
I N all I reland the brook-trout is the most common fish. T he
supineness or want of knowledge of fishery commissioners,the
mistakes of legislators, the selfishness or narrowness of the bankproprieto rs, and the unsportsmanl ike conduct of almost all thecommunity have done asmuch as possible to diminish the numberof the bonniest fish the world knows ; yet I do not think there isa brooklet of a quarter-mile’s length in I reland without trout
,nor
do I think there are many lakes in whi ch they have been extermiusted by the pike.A hundred years since one might almost say every pool and
rivulet held them. A bout that time some enthusiasts, who wereas rash or as ignorant as those who woul d to-day bring the Si lurus
g lam’
s amongst us, placed numbers of jack in I rish lakes, and sincetheir introduction they have multiplied exceedingly. Then the
drainage operations of this century opened channels from the lakesand ponds to the rivers
,and some whi ch were excellent for trout
lost their character. Fortunately, the pike has many enemiesand no protectors. E very v illage lad knows how andispermitted—to fish for them,
and the heron (Hibernics,“ C rane does
immense service in preying on them in the shallow waters of
the loughs, where the fry and small est jack are driven for
shelter from their adult cannibal relatives . These solitary fisherbirds are, except when on their high-placed nests
,to be seen every
day of the year about the edges of the lakes and pulloughs
where the perch or large pike cannot follow the small fish . In the
reeds the not uncommon,though not often seen
,bittern
,the wild
ducks, and other fowl” harry the waters,and happily destroy much
spawnandyoung pikes. Therearemany varieties o f trout in I reland ,and I shal l not endeavour to set out all separately
,nor am I
ichthyologi st enough to classify them. Indeed I hold that surrounding conditions of existence so change the members of the Salmofamily that the numt erof truly distinct species may have been very
1 Shallow broads.
How andWkere to Fisk in Ireland. 33
much over-estimated. For the purposes of my book I shall dividethem into1 . The gillaroo, as a family as distinct among trout as even the
VVatk in-‘Vynnes among mankind.
2 . The great lake Ferox, probably descended from brook trout.3. The brook, or brown trout, and some poor relations.4. The charr (two varieties).5. The pollen, with relatives inKerry andDonegal tame.6 . The white
,salmon
,or sea-trout andpossibly
7. The hull trout (E riox).
THE G IL L A RO O
is only found in the great deeps of the largest rivers, or in a fewisolated loughs in all the four provinces. They run from 1 to 4 lb.I have never seen one larger than 4 lb .,
andnever but two less than1 lb. Where they spawn, and how the small or young gi llaroosconceal themselves I know not
,norhave I been able to authenticate
their being captured even by the poacher’s nets at the mouth of theNenagh R iver which debouches into L ough Derg, just O ppositethe most fertile gillaroo run in the great river. C ompared with theFerox or their other connections, they are neither very good tofight, to feed, or to be fed on. They seldom take a fly, when hookedare relatively mere slugs in their struggles, and unlesswhen in thebest season (a rare occurrence) don
’t often eat well. I have nowand then killed them with the natural May-fly on the Shannon ;less frequently with its counterfeit and other artificial flies. Perhapsspinning a good gudgeon or a large minnow (the only instance inspinning where a large minnow wil l beat a small) on a
“ fall ” withlittle wind and on the deepest waters will kill them,
but the trol l
(a very large Devon bait is best: the Phantom no use) is the mostfatal engine against the gillaroo . When spinning or trolling thenatural bait must be sunk deep, and a heavy-swivelled plummet,such as seen on salmon trace (page 68) or of Mr. Pennell
’s pattern,
at 5 ft., or even 6 ft., from the minnow is needed. WVhen trolling,the heaviest Devon wi ll be found of sufficient weight if rowingup the lake and against the wind but if there be pace on the boat
,
the swivelled plummet must be used. Forcompleteness I refer to the
gillaroo, but I do not think anyof my readers should devote themselves exclusively to his capture. If their taste so leads them I shallonly be glad of their successashelping to destroy the only I rish troutwhich, perhaps deservedly, has a piratical reputation, only secondto that of the pike. Inmany parts of Ireland all large lake troutespecially Feroces—are miscalled gillaroo, but when once seen the
D
34 How andWkere to Fisk in Ireland.
g iz zarded trout can never be mistaken. I shall no t trouble myreaders w ith anydescriptive details outside what may enable themto recognize the fish. They have a head more rounded andwi th perhaps squarer opercuhe than the Feroaz.Well -condi tioned fish havered spots above and below the median line, frequently, too, on thehead and on the adipose fin they are of a positive golden colour,never qui te white and in L ough Derg, by passing the hand fromthe pectorals to the vent, the gizzard can be plainly felt. Onceduring luncheon, with the boats “ kil lock down
,a friend
,who
could not sleep comfortably unless with the consciousness that somedodge against fishwas at work, kil l ed themost symmetrical gillarooI have seen. Hisbaitwas a good gudgeon, on live-bait tackle suchas [describe elsewhere. The fish took over ten minutes to playbefore showing his golden belly (gillaroo have more gold than anyfish). He turned 3 lb . exactly
,and was the handsomest smal l
headed gillaroo I ever saw. WVe examined his gizzard to be sureof his family tree, ate him cooked in greased paper over turf ”
embers,andG chanted forfuneral hymn the C ruiskeen laun
to a “ tumbler accompaniment. I have said that, as a rul e, a
gillaroo trout is not good eating. Usually if brought home he can
only be made so by being boi led in the softest water til l nearlycooked. “Then cool cut him across into collops, dip him in batter
(egg and cream), then in bread crumbs, and a finely' chopped
eschalot, and brown him gently in pan wi th plenty of butter,oil
,
or lard at bo il ing-point. When cooked the coll ops shoul d beplaced before a clear fire, to run off the o il , before being servedw ith Tarragon vinegar and cold butter. Finally
,and to part from
him handsomely, if eaten from the b ook as di rected later for laketrout
, & c , even a gillaroo is on occasi ons food fit for demi gods. In
L ough Neac h the gillaroo is said to take the fly in preference toany bait, and a friend who confirms this g ives me as a patternHook : No. 8 l i merick.Tag : G old tinsel.Tail . Two spines of topping.Body . O live mohair mixed with hare’s ear
,or greenmonkey fur
ribbed with four turns gold (epaulet) 1“ ist.Hackle : Red, from gamecock, back of neck
,or lemon
,dyed
fromwhite or dusky hackle.Wing : G rey bald-coot
,or grey-brown mallard.
O ther lake trout or white trout patterns may be tried now andthen, but the above is the charmer. The gil laroo is found inUlster
,in L ough Neagh, Sheelin, E rne, Melvin
, & c. In L einster,
I believe,it is not found
,though I have heard of it, and it may
run up some rivers from the Shannon whi ch borders the eastern
How andWkere to Fisk in Ireland. 35
province. The fish twice pointed out to me on the Vsi estmeathL akes as gillaroo was simply the lake trout, Ferox, O f good goldencolour, and short.In Munster
,the Inchiquin L ake, and others in C lare, L ough
Derg on the Shannon,facing the Tipperary shore, Inchigilagh
L ake (2) in C ork, and possibly some Kerry lakes—hold, or latelyheld
,the gi llaroo.
In C onnaught the gillaroo i s comparatively common. In all thebroad deeps O f the Shannon, L ough Derg, L ough Ree, L oughForbes
,L oughs Key and A llen, in C orrib , Mask , C ullen, C onn,
A rrow,and G i ll he is more or less abundant. InDonegal I know
him not, and O f the smaller lakes he frequents my readers mustlearn in the special description of L akes given in the “ TourG uides.”
THE G RE A T L A KE TROUT (Salmo ferox).This fish abounds in the loughs of I reland and in the profounddeeps of the Shannon. In all the localities noted as holding
g il laroo , Ferocesare found, and in much larger numbers than their
giz zarded cousins. They reach great weights. I have myselfseen eight O f over 2 0 lb. Since particul ars have been authenticatedand recorded by such O bservers as Frank Buckland, the heavieston record was that killed by Mr. J ohn“fillington Pepper on the
Shannon,L ough Derg . This was a very handsome fish
,short and
symmetrical,and brought down the beam wi th 2 9 lb. 4 oz. on the
other side. There is no doubt many of over 30 lb. have beencaptured. In 1854
, one which turned the scale with 32 lb. was
presented to the Museum of Trinity C ollege, Dublin and there ismore than traditional evidence O f fish O f 40 to 45 lh.,
and of
one from L ough Neagh, killed in 1 804,which contemporary ob
servers reconl ed as a 52~pounder. I myself saw the skin, with thehead complete
,of a lake trout, then, recently taken in L ough
C orrib, and sent for preservation to the late Mrs. G lennon, inSuffolk S treet
,Dublin. I t measured over all
,though crumpled by
transmission in sawdust, over 51 in., and was secured on a nightl ine by a boatmau of the late Mr. Nicholas G arnier. When I sawthe mutilated skin I asked Maj or G arnier (brother O f the captor
’
s
employer) about it, and learned that the monster was taken incomparatively shal low water
,and only recovered by an accident,
after an unseen,but no doubt tough, strugg le.
'
(The unearthed
peg of the night-line had tangled in a stump.) The owner O f thenight-line was afraid to tell his master O f the catch, but by theadvice O f a confederate poacher
,a soldier-servant of Maj or G arnier, l
This man was a gipsy, an excellent M ldier, and as excellent 8.D 2
36 How andW/zere to Fis]; in Ireland.
t he captor skinned the “ pike,”and they ate him. The skin was
to have been sent as a trophy to E ngland by the gipsy, who , onconsideration
,made a clean breast to his master. The adipose fin
of the “pike” made his skin a curio of price,and hence the attempt
of Mrs. G lennon to restore it. The brothers G arnier are bothdead
,and I know not what became of the b ig C orrib trout.
” I f
when l iving he were of such condition as the brook troutexhibited by Nestor
, of L imerick, at the Fisheries E xhibitionover 2 1 lh.
—he must haveweighed over 45 lh.,andif he approached
the shapely corpulence of a L ough C arra trout (noticed anon withthat lake) 1 0 lb. more would not balance him. I have elected totreat the lake trout (Salmo ferox) as a distinct fish from the browntrout (Salmo fario), because Thompson and other natural ists havedone so but the outward distinction between some at least of thesevarieties is not nearly so well marked as is the step between the
lake trout and the gi llaroo. In the VVestmeath lakes the largesttrout seem to me to be giant brookers.” In L oughs Mask andC orrib, the Shannon, L oughs Cul lin and Melvin
,the “ big ones
have quite distinctive features—at least,for rough observers—to
separate them from the trout of the streams. O n the contrary , inL ough C onn, though it feeds and is fed by Cullin, many of the
largest fish seem brook trout, and I have never taken, or seentaken, outside Pontoon, in the bigger lake, a trout which gave methe impression of his being Salmofefrox. This question of the distinction—if there is one between lake and brook trout—is for thesolution of comparative physiologists, andall that is needful formenow i s to point outwhen and how the great trout may be captured.A s to the where, I shall avoid repetition by referring my readersto the “ Tour G uides ” (Part I I . of this book) ; but as the bestmode of fishing varies in localities, I must endeavour to point themout w ith some detail. In a general way, troll ing baits kill mostlake trout
,and the biggest, but everywhere the fly kills them too.
I set aside for the moment all reference to the fly,and for conve
nience divide trolling under three heads1 . Troll ing with natural baits.2 . Trolling with artificial baits.3 . Trolling astern, and fal ling combined.A mongst natural baits, the minnow,
the stone loaeh, the gudgeon,a small trimmed perch, a troutling, a small eel, or eel
’s tail areall good baits. The par (called in I reland salmlet
, graveling, fry,
servant for a sportsman, but the most pestilent poacher of all
preservesto whi ch his master hadnot access. I refer to him elsewhere concerning adevice of his in dry fly-fishing.
38 How andW/zere to Fz's/z in Ireland.as the streams bring down much flotsam
,and a fully-armed flight
makes frequent entanglements. If the wind be very strong,troll ing against it maymake an extra steadier of lead needful ; butI recommend attaching it as seldom as possible, and I ever
MINNOW
SMA L L WHIP P INCON
NOTCH INWEl Il li T
TRA C E
SP INNING TRA C E A ND FL IG HT.
do so myself. In bright sunshine, when the w ind is boisterous,
the leaded flight is needed to sink the bait,but as at such
a time I seldom troll except on the way up the wind to getthe fall down on it afterwards, I generally use one or two rods
Hare and lV/ze‘
re to Fz'
s/z in Ireland. 39
w i th loadecl flights for the troll up, and others without lead,or
with very little lead,upon the fall. A t this early season, and only
in warm winds,do the large lake trout frequent light waters
during t he whole day2 but they seem ever on the alert to leave
the deeps in any change to balmy weather. They enjoy (2) at thisseason the keenest appetite and one desirous rather of ‘
weight ofindividual trout than the aggregate weight of his creel
’s contents,wil l keep to the margin of the deep-water fishing, with, in prefer
‘
RO L L'
-OVE R"N A ND L O O P .
'
“HE AD Hook .
BA CK HOOKS.
u ser’
ssunmd’
sons.
MINNOWMO UNTE D.
ence to a minnow or any other bait, a small trout with tail hook sin the flight.The flight I recommend is as illustrated. I t is made up of one
large hook to bend the minnow, leach, & c . a triple hook for back
(just above the turn) and a head hook to come out at back o f thehead. The head hook and back booksare on a short looped trace.
2 These remarks are general ; Specialities will be written of againstlocalities.
40 How and lV/zere to Fir/z in Ireland.
When the “ bending ” book has been run through the bait, the
weight if used will be run down into the belly. I find the bestweight is a smallest-sized
“Devon, with the fins fi led off,and
whipped (atW) with silk, or surrounded by a tiny rubber ringthere (a touch of the file makes a bed for i t ). Then the headhook is attached and the back hooks fastened in, one of the gillcovers being raised with the knife to admit the trace finally, theknots are drawn all taut (when the traces, having been madesnug) , and a rubber ring (R) passed down over the head to gripclose to the gil l cover. The ring is an improvement on the t ie
commonly used, and those in the l ittle, foreign, paper“ vesta ”
boxes (the springs) are perfect for the purpose. No sw ivel shouldbe ever nearer this bait than two feet. I f a flying trace be
advisable,it wil l be only a continuation from the back hook s’
mounting.L ater on (in May) the troll is pitted against the fly
,and in the
middl e of the day the fish wi ll generally beat the feather, and the
gudgeon, which the minnow outstripped in the earlier months,
beg ins to be more attractive. When the May-fly (green drakeor grey) or stone-fly prevails, spinning a bait in any way duringla te May or early J une wil l be of little use, though very late, aftertwilight, at night, even
‘
in moonlight, or very early in the morning,the b ig
“ fish in the deepest waters wi ll “go for a well-spun
gudgeon, especiall y“on the fall.”
In July the lakers are ki lled by trollers in the deeps by day,and in the shallows at early morning, dewy eve
,and on still
nights , and I know of no time that one enjoys their capture somuch as in the soft twilight, trolling up on the verge of the
shallows, and fall ing down a little more in or out. A t such atime one rod should work a very small trout, a collough, agudgeon,or a minnow (thi s the order of precedence of J uly). The companionfisher should use white trout flies
,or those of the pattern moths
set out in another chapter, for employment in the localities setout in “ G uide Book ”
(Part I L ). A s for troll ing with artificialbaits for Ferox
,one rule may be accepted as almost universal.
The Shannon requires the largest, and the great loughs baitsproportioned not to their waters but to the strength of the
streams or rivers which feed them. Thus, the monsters of L oughNsagh are taken with Devon spoons
,Phantoms
,& c., smaller than
those baits found best on the Kerry lakelets, which are fed bytorrents. In a general way, the Devon wi ll be found the best kil leri n C onnaught, the Phantom the best inKerry
,as it certainly is in
the Shannon. These baits about divide honours in Ulster,and
in L einsterthe Devon (except with some limitation inWestmeath)
How andW/zere to Fz's/z in Ireland. 4!
is practically as useless as—hasbeen for some years, and for someoccult reason—the spoon. O f this, the spoon, once the best of
all artificial lures,I do not know that I may recommend it for
trout anywhere, and but for pike on the lakes which mm from
I sland E ady (on theWestport-road) to C astlebar, on the neighheuring Rehan
’s L ake, and on the C astlebar river. These lakes
are for trollers, like well-mended kelts forFrench cooks, nearly as
good as the real article—avirgin lake—and the spoon slaughterson them as it may on a few other places of which I have not
heard.
3
The same rules as to troll ing in shallows and in deeps withnatural apply to artificial baits
,and I may wind up my ehser
vationson them by a particular commendation of the C aledonian,”
“ E xhibition,
”and “ Pro tean but still more of the horn-made
minnows,which I obtained from Bowness
’s,in Fleet Street
,and
from Nestor, G eorge Street, L imerick. For capture of lake troutin the shallows, or of river trout, no bait surpasses these, especiallythe last. In the Devon I omit some of the hooks of the
armature as it is generally sold (the flying three behind). I doso for the same reasons I have pleaded elsewhere against too manyhooks . I ' may be wrong ; but I have the sanction of many ablefishermen, for lessening the number of hooks. In deep watersafter A ugust, I prefer artificial to all natural baits , except trout
( larger in size, and on a larger hook each week till a large salmonhook is reached). Towards the close of the season a trout of
3 0 2 . w ill not be an atom too large to tempt a C orrib , Mask,Neagh, or C onn deep-waterFerox
,especially during bright daylight.
O n the shallows smaller trout do better,as do minnows , which
seem to renew, towards the close of fishing, the charms which theylost in late J uly or A ugust.A s to troll and fall -fishing. This is the “ ideal way o f fishing
in I reland. Will my reader accompany me about 2 0 th May, onMassbrook shore (L ough C onn). A pleasant westerly w ind
(from the starting-place in the great A tlantic summer ice-race) isrutfl ing the lower shore. Pat Roche and his son Mick are at
the ears,the “Doctor ” is at bow,
Hi Regan” astern, the one
with a small minnow,the other with a brace of lake fl ies. (For
patterns, see C onn, Part I I. The boat is kept just at the edgeof the deep water and broadside on
,the inshore man dropping
his flies in front w ith as long a line as he may, and getting in his3 Since writing the above, a competent ang ler tells me that L ough
Melvin, A rrow, and L ough Sheel i n have shown in the two past(dry) seasons a return to
gthe love which Miss Spoon enkindled in all
fishy heart s at herde’
but.
42 How andW/zere to Fz's/z in Ireland.
slack at just a little more than the boat’s rate of travel, but in aquadrant to cover the water. The rod is kept well up,with thedropper occasionall y dancing, not always on the water. The
minnow man in the stem and lakewards makes his throws (wellin front
,too), and works the bait w ith wobble or spin (I have
seen both serve andequally well) till the drift demands a new throw.
“Hurrah !Habet l ” says the Doctor.Y
’
rs in him,surr
,from Roche, who within five minutes “ gives
the last rites to a 4 lb. beauty, albeit he has a bigger head and lessshoulder than aWestmeath A phrodi te of equal weight.Meanwhile
,as the trout fought, the boy
“Mick has steadiedthe boat
, and a bigger and a better one has the minnow in his
j aws ; or, again- happy Fates l—both fly and bait provoke the
dances which precede the wakes of trout on Mayo loughsand thus the drift goes on to Opposite the “Rabbit HoleWood
,where the Doctor lays aside in the thwarts the (No. 2 )
Shannon rod to substitute a No. 5 for the pull up againstthe wind. A n unl oaded gudgeon (unless the fish are verykeen on one sort
,the baits of the fishers should vary), and
w ithout a flying hook, trolls over the inner stationon as long a lineas possible
,as does the bait on the outer station. I do not know
why (other fishermen di savow any preference), but on the troll upI think more trout are to be killed bythe inner station, and on the
fall down more and better on the outer. If I be right, I conceivethat the fish in the shallow (the inner) side are all there to feedand avid to chop the bait ; but on the outer the veteran troutaften account a little fish drawn by a boat as too steadily pro
gressive to be good eating.6
A s to the treatment of lake trout, tastes difl'
er. C ooked by thelake side between roasting stones, or on turf embers
, when en
wrapped in nicely greased paper with no projecting“ dog
-ear”
edges to catch fire, or roasted on a timber-spit (arbutus wood best ofall), he makes a delicious addi tion to luncheon. A t home he isdecidedly best boiled in almost as much vinegar as water. He isnot asgood, however, as a comely brook trout of over 1 lb. weight.I may take the opportunity to say that, in order that your captivesmay eat well, they should be killed the moment they be taken inand bled, too. My instruments are a knife and His Reverence
“Wakes shorn of ful l sepulchral honours without the libationsof G lass I sland whisky.
Trout do no t often take the minnow or other bait in th directwake of a boat . If a. “ drowned ” fly be t rolled the wake is a. goodwater, but not quite as fertile as just on its edge.
How and IVlzere to Fix/z in I reland. 43
(vide illustration), a little cudgel of lignum vitae,a tap of which
above the nose. settles the fish before the hook is extracted. Thenj ust behind the opercula 0 11 the median line, insert the knife till ittouches the back bone, and from the orifice the blood flows freely.
For bleeding, a blade of the common oyster knife is the mostsuitable if sharpened keenly.I have spoken of large troutlings as bait and approved them,
butmust warn my readers that their best season is only a short one,
and just before the close. O f fishing for Fcrosswith the fly,I have
l ittle to add to that which I enj oin on May fly—fishing and whitetrout .
O
NO fish gives better occasional sport than the lakers , nonedisappomt more frequently. There i s the consolation
,however ,
that where they are found an alternation in the pursuit of other
,S L ING
L A O E .
L E NG TH Dl'
SHA FT I4 INCHE S.
DIA ME TE R l l/g INCHE S.
Hisa nusxcs.
sporting fish is seldom absent. L ocal men in the boats have many
dodges, some good, some useless, some bad. They should be all
noted,but not all followed. Pat” or “Dan” hav e killed trout since
their boyhood at so -and-se and w ith suchoand-such therefore, to all
time, S. and S w ith a C laret Hackle must kill at S andS ,
”and
di v il a use in these otherwans.” The I rishman is of E aste1n (A rian)
blood,and in many respects resembles an A fghan. HisC onserva
tiem andhis courtesy are points of similarity.
If Mr. Marston or Hi-Regan knows a better fly or bait than
the A ides-de-camp,”one or all of them wil l not have worse sport
by respecting the conservatism, andpractising the courtesy but the
stranger must be very firm in conveying the knowledge that , sport
or no sport , he w il l have his own way. I have seen no more
pitiableman than a soft Saxon in the gripof an I rish professional.
44 How andWllerato Fir/z in Ireland.Mark, too, a kindwordwill do as much aswhisky a bright smileand a firm command, more.Ferox requires the best tackle. His rushes are stronger than those
of a gri lse of a third more than his weight and his guile is greater.He knows his ground, too, therefore should get the butt from the
fi rst moment if possible. With a good boatman to help him,and
get away on his inrushes,the red (if of Shannon pattern) may be
kill ing him from the “ stroke.” I have a 1 2 ft.Winchester rod(from M rs. C ox , Parchment Street) of three joints, and very l ight,which has worn out some beautiful fish but I prefer reserving itfor the special treatment of the brook trout.In reading my tours some idea may be formed of the ravages of
the pikes but here my pleasant duty is pointing out how the troutmaybe best caught. A s I have been speaking of spinning bait forFeroces, I shall continue to deal w ith them as lures forbrook trout,andmyreference, further on, to worms forbrook troutmaybe takenas appl icable, so far as circumstances permit, to their use for laketrout.“ In fishing for brown trout, the minnow is certainly the best
general spinning-bait, and the only exception I canmake to this is atnight (inwarm weather especially), andagain in such streams as holdimmense numbers of minnows and few leach. In minnow spinningthe verysmallest , brightest, andmost foreign-looking minnow is the
most kill ing. In streams where minnow have not been introduced
(I don’t think they are native I rish fish) they are simply irresistible
to trout, and the only drawback is that one never has enoughof them to satisfy the craving of the trout, great or small.Therefore, as a change of fare the leach is valuable
,as he
also is when no minnow,as may often happen, is available.
The gudgeon is not,I think
,a good bait for trout in streams,
and I shall not discuss him now ; I think his absence from mostI rish rivers argues his being an importation, like theminnow. The
illustrations of a flight in the foregoing pages on Ferox fishingexplain one fit forstream fishing, and I may at once say that I thinkany flying bookson a brook trout flight out of place and destructiveof sport. Nearly every angler spins the minnow on too heavytackl e ; and the angler
’s sk il l may,I think, be gauged, not in
accurately,by the measure of his powers of work ing a light minnow
on l ight tackle. O f course, the gossamer casting-line of a dry flyfisher will not do to spin any bait, and I have, in recommendingthe lightest possible tackle for the sport , only to appeal to my5 The strength of the tackle, and especially the size of the hook,
maybe increased when worming for Fawr IS worth following . I ammysel f not so enthusiastic an admirer of the worm asto be persuadedthat it ever is a good lure for him.
46 How andW/zere to Fisk in Ireland.
with this flight the minnow spins with a very attractive, plungingmovement, the more natural if the sw ivel be at a good distance upfrom it. I t is now some years since I adopted this flight, selectedfrom an admirable
‘
book,which I lost. In it were several useful
flights, and I wish I were so certain of the name of the book orthe author as to be able to recommend them as inmany things mybest advisers ? Next to using a good flight garnished with a handsomeminnow
,I knew nothing which demands more the attention of an
angler who would succeed than his mode of throwing. The propermode is so easy
,that I cannot but think it is not always adopted
only because most of us before we try to spin have been fly-fishers.
For the spinner there is no such thing as the over-hand east. The
casting-line should be held in the left hand just above the bait, therod in the right, with a little less line between the bai t band and
the top of the rod than between the top and the rod hand. TO be
c lear,I shall explain in detail
,and suppose the angler standing some
few feet from the left bank,andwishing to cast to under the O pposite
bank of the stream of a few yards breadth. (Here I make no accountof up
-stream or down-stream fishing.) His red is of 1 5 ft.,
Shannen pattern. He holds it at 2 ft. from bottom in his righthand, and has his right shoulder and a little of his back turned tothe spot to which he wishes to direct his bait. Under the forefinger Of his right hand he has a coil of reel line of as large around as he can conveniently keep off the ground and adequate,
with that part already out, and the casting- line,to permit the
minnow to reach it destination. In his left hand he holds thetrace j ust above the bait, anddraws it back as faras the spring of therod will permit
,andagainst the strain of the right hand holding the
rod (with tepno t above the height O f the eye). Then the eyes arethrown back to the spot where the bait should drop
, and almostsimultaneously the bait is released w ith a sort of swinging movement
,of the red and body, to the right. A t the moment the right
feet,which had been raised as the red was sprung, is put down
firmly, with the toes towards the river (at least a facing
or quadrant to the right of the former direction), and the leftfoot is brought round at once. During the half second whichhas elapsed the bait should have swung round in an arc
,
and as the line has straightened from the rod’s point, the
forefinger of the right hand should release the coils, the first to gobeing that nearest the point of the finger, the second that at nextjoint, and so in sequence. IVhen the swing-ofi
rwasmade, the rightelbow, which had been close to the ribs
,ought to have been
7 A friend writes to me that the author’s name isMofl‘
att.
'
How andW/zere to Fir/z in I reland. 47
released,and the fore-arm raised to guide the flight, and just before
the drop of the bait a slight dip of the red-point wil l assist inmaking it fall lightly. A great object O f the angler should be to
get his minnow on the move the instant the throwis accomplished.
To do this the rod-point should be turned up stream,but lowered
at the same time, and the spin should be continued in a semi-circleto the angler
’s bank .when frequently a trout which has followed itacross the streamw ill take it just as it seems withdrawing from hisreach. Indeed, no method seems to succeed better than drawing inthe completion of the cast with a somewhat jerky motion of theminnow up
-stream,and then letting it, before being finally withdrawn
,
tumble down-stream as an exhausted little fish might do after afruitless fight with the current. The explanation Of doing what
‘depends on a number of synehronic actions is very difficult, and itmay be that a final sentence as to throwing a minnow will be clearerthan the foregoing explanation. A minnowmust be threwn from thesprmg of the rod underhand
,and when the weight of the flight
draws the line to correspondence with the direction of the red the
slack should be available to permit the bait to run on. For thosewho fish Nottingham fashion my direction has no application. I
have never done so,andmust refer those who would learn to some
competent instructor. Many truly good anglers never seem to beable to get rid of the coil without kinks. To meet them I have tosuggest nothing better than the
“ coi l horn,
”which deserves more
notice than has been given it even by the few who have seen itused . Mr. G eorge L ondon, of Mayo, was, I believe, its inventor,and it certainly deserves consideration if only in recognition of
one of the finest anglers that ever wet a line. He employed itin salmon-fishing, but it is equally useful to trout er pikefishers. The i llustration explains the contrivance, which shouldbe strapped over the left sleeve of the fishing
-jacket. Fromexperience
, I can vouch that it requires little practice to give O ff
the coi ls with perfect precision by throwing forward the left handdeftly when using a single-handed rod, or by bending out thewrist a little when both hands are employed in a double-hander.”
In spinning a minnow,the most successful will be the angler who
can drop his bait farthest off lightly, and spin deepest on the
longest line, and wi th a line always taut. There is in spinning 110rule for striking of anyuse that I know of. Practically
,if the
fl ight is a good one, and properly set up and worked, a trout w illhook himself. I have remarked, though I can’t furnish anyexplanation for it, that when a trout has been killed on a minnowhis fellows seem to take
‘
more alarm at the commotion than whenthe fly has been the agent. Therefore
,I re commend to the spinner
48 How andW/zere to Fix/z in Ireland.
as summary processes as the tackle will bear ; and, as weeds arenever out in I reland, instant execu t ion has additional merits if thepatience of the angler is not of impenetrable proof. In spinning
S L E E VE
the co llagh (loach) there is always need to tie it ev en whensalted and toughened. A nd here I may say that unless theminnows be absolutely killed on the moment (from the bait-can) ,andwhen in their brightest condition
,I don
’t think that they are
How andW/zere to Fir/z in Ireland. 49
ever quite so good as those from the salt,which are certainly
tougher than the fresh fish. For night-fishing the loach will, Ithink
, generally beat the minnow but at the season when nightfishing i s really worth the loss of sleep
,the tumbles, and other
de’
sagrémentswhich attend it, the fly will generally beat both, andwhen the frog (of which more anon) is in, no other lure wil lcompare with it. A s the minnow is rarely found in theWest of
I reland, and as it is murderous there, one word of warning to the
tourist in C onnaught is needed—“By night and day look af ter
yourminnowsand bai t-can.
”
In playing the minnow (always wi th a low top) the motionshould be such as to simulate a little fish struggling to make headwayagainst the rushing waters, and therefore in the calmer placesthe lure must be spun w ith less j erk ; but as it is in calmwaterthat a trout can best judge the deception of the lure, somethingmust be substituted for the nice and too regular spin which ensueswhen “ j erking
” is inadmissible. A sort of sink and draw,not
too much of either, I find best—just enough to make the minnowappear a demented minnow- a lost innocent in unwonted badcompany. A s to the best place to ply the “ spin
,
”I have little
to add to what I write on worm-fishing in other pages ; but Iwould impress
,that less even than a worm should a minnow be kept
in play in too strong water, and that all the arguments for fishingalways out of the fish’s sight and far off are applicable, are worthapplication by the minnow-spinner as they are by those who may
go worm-fishing for trout.Finally, in very deep water, which harbours lake trout, a min
now,armed with double hook, and sunk as far as it may be out of
the shadow of the boat, dipped and drawn up and down, will oftensucceed when all other methods have failed. These hooks shouldbe attached back to back
,and the shanks taken through the minnow
with a baiting-needle so that the barbs may project at either jaw.
When the trace is attached the minnow should be tied at tailfirmly to top of hook shanks. Nor should we despair of killing asalmon thus with a minnow any more than with the prawn, inusing which the dip and draw is quite the most alluring way,though spinning is the more usual and very often successful. The
flights used in I reland with prawn vary much ; that which Ibelieve best is to be got at the C ork tackle-shops,
‘ and possibly inDublin. Bowness sells it in Fleet Street , I t is called the Blar
ney,”and its peculiarity is the use of a pointed wire nearly as
long as the prawn, which is 10 0ped over the prawn tail, andwhenit has been run through the prawn it is caught and secured on a
9 Mr.Haynesmakes them beautifully.
50 How andWhere to Fish in [relmzafloop tied on the lower hooks’ shanks. Prawns need not be boiledunless to use fresh, when they are sufficiently tough, and the brightred is an advantage. Salt is the best preservative, not g lycerine,which takes away all toughness. Besides
,salt reddens them.
E ach prawn should be wrapped in salt, under and over , and keptin separate papers
,because if stored together one rusted prawn
w ill make them all “ smell.” The top hook , which should be aslarge as either the lower hooks, should come out in back betweentwo scales
,and at its issue is the proper place for a tie with
housewife’s thread dyed red.
THE CHA RR .
9
In I reland the charr is certainl y found in three provinces I
am not aware of its hav ing been killed in L einster. Where itmay be oftenest kill ed will be found in the Second Part 5 the howI shall briefly endeavour to describe when I have spoken of the
peculi arities which,it seems to me, distinguish some of the I rish
charrs from those which I have seen exposed for sale in L ondon,and figured in pictures for the guidance of naturalists.
9
These sweet fish are possibly foundin other waters than those Imenti on. I speak of authentic haunts of theirs.
How andWhere to Fish in Irelaaa’. 5]
In L ough Melvin,where they do most abound I have seen
reddish charr,
” “
grey charr,”and “ silver charr
,but none of
them were very red and I have known E nglish anglers and otherswho had seen theWindermere and Swiss L ake fish declare theywere no t such charr as those in Melvin. In that lake
,I am to ld,
eharr seldom or never run above l lb. in weight, though they arebroader than E nglish fish. In L ough C onn, where a few yearssince charrs were unknown,
I have killed and seen killedmonsters (for charr), 2 lb weight , and have been told that or alittle under is “
the run. How these fish have got to C onn is
difficult to explain, as there is no lake near which holds them,and
it somewhat taxes one’s belief to say they were carried as fry oreggs from Melvin or some other remote lake by cormorants
,which
made no such b eautiful deposit in other and nearer waters. The
oharr in C onn,besides being so large, are, I believe, never red.
They are only found in the great deeps outside G lass I sland, andthe mode of capture I adopted, with some amount of success (fora charr-fisher), will guide such anglers as maywish to kill themost delicious of all freshwater fish. Where a eharr has been.
captured,fair or foul
,the local boatmen know of it
,and can place
their boats. The fish are very sedentary,and take best in a
briskish breeze,after rain
,or in sultry weather
,very early in the
morning, or j ust at sun-down. The lightest-drawn gut cast isproper
,w ith a No. 7 shot at the end ; above it two or three dropper
fl ies on 3 in. very fine gut links set out from casting-line by an inchor so of hog
’s bristle, thus
52 How andWhere to Fish in Ireland.The bristle b b and the fly link are knotted together as near the
end as possible, then at 1 in., or 1am, the link is again attachedto bristle with roll -over
”knot
,outside which the bristle is cut
off. The fly,when attached through the fisherman
’s knots a a on
casting- line, will stand out when drawn through the water fromnear the bottom.
10 The shot should be a foot from the lowest fly.
The only flies I bel ieve good are a small white moth of strongestcoclc hackles tied over lemon silk, or silver tinsel body, owl forw ings, or
“ black silver magpie of silver tinsel body, black hackle,or “ hackle ” of lapwing topping, dark stare
’ s w ing ; or finally,reddest red hackle over red silk body (palmer), andwith all thesea gentle on the hook is an additional attraction—at least, I believeso
,as
,catering for them thus, I once killed five charrs inabout an
hour,andhave heard of no such success since. In theFishing G az ette
some time ago there was the drawing of a contrivance by an angler,long since w ith the majority, which, I think, might sui t for acharr- cast. This is it
What I have said for charr-fishing applies toPO L L E N,
which is still found in such quantities in L ough Neagh as to makethe capture of it by angling an ambition worthy of the bestfisherman. I have been recommended by a capital practicalangler, who has killed them (in the fashion I directed for charr)with a very small silver-bodied gnat, hackl ed at shoulder, withblue tip and a tiny wing of blue chatterer
,and the whole dis
figured with agentle. He has also killed on theWasp Caddie—sunk and drawn up gently from the bottom. In L ough Dergand some of the Kerry lakes is a fish possibly identical with the
Powan of L och L omond,but of this or the Vendace (l) of Kerry
this book need not speak more fully than to mark their establishedpresence.
THE WHITE TRO UT,forwhich I claim a place of honour equal to, if not above, thesalmon’s
,is killed all round Ireland, andwhen in best season they
evince a nicer taste than al l their relatives by refusing anythingbut the fly. O f course
,they do occasionally takeworms, minnows,
and other baits, but not as the brown trout or the salmon, andit is only w ith the fly they should be fished for
,unless to get a
first fish in the estuary on a very small eel ’s tail, which is irresist‘9 Mr. Marston hasshownme afly dressed on very fine wire which
might perhaps be useful for such a.“ dropper.”
54 How and I/Vleere to Fish in Ireland.
third or fourth inch. Cut the body off there, together with a smallpiece of the spine bone below the level. Then pass a large salmonhook in at the orifice, and run it down the middle of the tailbringing the point out one and a half inches from the end of the
tail. Tie the loose skin tightly and closely round with apiece of waxed silk just over the top of the hook shank ; then turnit downwards towards the end of the tail , and cut off all round ata point about one inch from the last -named lapping. Now sew
the rough edge of the turned -over skin careful ly down withHolland thread or red sewing si lk.
” 9
I have but to add that for trout the eel-tai l shoul d be made froma very small eel, and that I think from experience an improvementis the addition of small eyes of redglass beads. Finally , the swivelin eel-tail fishing should be as far from the bait as the casting-linewill permit
,for the spin is best in a sort of wriggle, not a
regular roll. The addition of a swan drop (shot) asa. plummet att he head of the shank of hook and inside the eel skin
,will not
injure an ee l-tai l bait.
THE FRO G (“THE DA NC E R
In sultry weather, when the small frogs first appear,there are no
lures which can be more successfully used for b ig trout. I have
kil led many wi th the frog , and cannot recall an instance of its
attracting anybut large trout.The flight to be used is simply two flight hooks and a lip-hook
(with shank broken off short) secured through upper lip. The
lower hooks shoul d be passed through and out the same placein upper lip
,and taken over back of frog and then downwards
each side and under the thighs, and inserted so that the barbsshould just project on the lower side of frog
’s buttocks. The
hindmost books should be inserted under the skm with as little in
h“ The shank of the large salmon-hook used with eel -tail should be
s ort.
How and l 'V/zere to Fish in Ireland. 55
jury to the frog as possible, for the more l ively he is in kicking thebetter chance of sport.10
Where a big trout is known to feed the frog should be droppedin just as if he had jumped from the bank—from the docksor alders which overhang it. When the frog is taken. the troutshoul d not be struck quickly, nor till thefirst shake but then
,low
and sharp is the maxim. My instructor in the use of this uncommon lure was so careful that he would measure a cast across streamduring daylight, and having taken out line enough, would recastw ith a heavy shot at dusk to assure himself of overreaching theop posite bank. Then he would attach the frog and send itdeftly across to the other bank, and after an interval
,if froggy
did not himself flop into the trout’s j aws, would draw him gentlvtill he did so nolens volens. O f course for the near bank no suchproceeding is needed, and it is under banks that this lure is mostuseful.A t twilight , in sultry weather, and inwarm summer nights I have
seldom seen the frog fail to kill those“ anakim ” among trout, too
wise for the collagh, minnow,or fly.
The G rasshopper,the C lock
,and other naturals I mention
under the heading“ Natural Flies andFloating-baits (C hap. I I .
‘2 In the illust ration the flight is too large for the best frog , which isthe very smallest to be got.
56 How andWhere to Fish in Ireland.
CHA PTE R IV
N0 fishing ismore generally misunderstood than trout fishing withthe worm
,and yet none is occasionally better done. In I reland,
the poorest anglers are the best, and their mode assimilates in mostrespects to that which Mr. Stewart has placed within the reach of
the E nglish readers of his excellent book.
1
In my childhood I made my first angling essays with the worm,
and in all conditions of‘
water. Till lately,however
,I did not re
turn to my early love,and I find that I have little to add to what
my first preceptor told me,except that the best season for such
angling is much shorter than he thought, or I , till corrected in
the matter by a student of Mr. Stewart. The directions I ventureto put forward will
,in some respects
,differ from that gentleman
’sbut I rely upon my practical experience, and therefore recommendthem in preference to others which I have foll owed forcomparison.
The armature I adopt is of only two hooks, not tied back to backbut as in illustration.
2 I have seen used, and used myself, one,three, four, and even five hooks, but with less success than two .
A t least two are needed to keep on a worm. More,my experience
tells me, increase the chance of entanglement of weeds, & c., with
out enough compensating advantages in the entanglement of fish.Thi s two -hooked worm trace should be made of the finest gut, beat least 5 ft. long, and attached to a. foot line of 4 ft ., smoothlywhipped to the winch line. I speak of what is absolutelyneedful. I myself fish with a trace of 9 ft . of the finest gut, andattach it to the winch line by a knot so small as to permit the gutto be drawn (though I have never so used it) through or out of thetop rings without j amming. In clear-water fishing, any leads, exceptin torrents, are worse than useless. In floods
,leads are
,I believe
,
sometimes necessities ; and even in the brown waters of clearingrivers a shot or two attached, as I shall direct, is now and then not
Mr.H. C holmondeley-Pennell ’s remark s on worm-fishing shouldbe read byall ang lers.
2 In the magnified worm flight the engraver hasmade the hook toappear whipped onatwist instead of single clear gut. O f course thisisnever done.
How andW/zere to Fir/z m Ireland. 57
without useful purpose. In very speedy currents (torrents, such as
WORM“ MOI
AND A RMOTURE
WO RM MO UNTE D
L O O P SHOWN A T A .
on (L oopz o) HO OK.
WORM PHORT MA G NIP IE O
SHOWTURN OVE R KNOTjA NO MODE
L O O P ING '\N N!2 HO OK.
mountain rivers sometimes show), and in such places as cannot befished without the immersion of the reel Line, the worms must be let
58 How andW/zere to Fir/z in Ireland.run just as fast as runs the stream at thebottom. To effect this, theree l line should be always kept low behind the gut, and no t overrunning it, but almost doing so . Some years ago I used a heavy shotor two
,the better to keepthe wormdown but
,on the whole
,I now
prefer the evil of its running too high to its going slower than thestream. The mode of baiting the hooks is exceedingly simple, andmay be learned by any one w ith a little practice if the principle bekept in view that the most sport will be got w ith the liveliest andbest—coloured worm ,
and not with the most firmly attached. The
angler’
s object is to catch trout,not to save his worms. My
preference for two hooks rather than for three or more being solelybased on the belief that catching all the trout (thoughmouthingthe worm
,not hooked
,on account of the smaller number of barbed
points presented to their jaws) would not compensate the anglerfor the greater number of entanglements whi ch occur near thebottom in Irish rivers, through the use of many hooks, I am con
strained to'
fix the armature of my worm bait in that waymosteffectual to hook fish
,and nothing else. Fora long time I believed
that the upper hook No. 2 should hang by at least an inch of free
gut from its attachment to the trace on whi ch the lower hook waswhipped (vide i llustration) .Undoubtedl y I found that of those that took the lure
,I hooked
more trout with thi s arrangement than any other“
but the reasonswhich induced me to adopt two hooks in preference to more forcedme to abandon this mode of rigging my hooks, for the liabil ity toentanglement was increased, because trout often took the upperhook, and appeared to have a geni us for entangling the lower hookin any, even the small est, obstruction in the stream ; and, again,the too great tension of the upper hook on the worm often brokethe worm—indeed, always when the stream had force enough tobelly it outwards from the lower hook.Unl ike Mr. Stewart, I recommend covering the lower hook with
the worm before piercing it the second time with the upper. The
hooks require to be very finely whipped on,and the shanks shoul d
be of the lightest wire consistent withneedful strength.
I have never been able to buy b ooks of good shape and
sufficientlyfine that did not requi re to be clipped a little (off theend of the shank ). In I reland the blue-heads ( ll ibernice, blackheads) are the best worms to be got. They are to be foundunder the road scrapings everywhere, and they can be cleanedsufficiently quickly by the process described later on. Brandlings,or bramblings,
”are much used in I reland
,and are the very
brightest and most attractive of worm lures when scoured ; butthey are much too tender and smell offensively, and I do not re
H’
ow and lV/zere to Fish in Ireland. 59
commend their use in preference to the blue-head or another. In
rainy weather,the village gardens, which have been over-manured
for centuries,all yield an excellent worm , which can be used with
out scouring or other preparation. I know it by no other name
than the garden worm,
”and refer to it because it is always to be
had,and is a capital worm if only the verysmallest be used, and
those alone which will befound under oldflags, slates, or other solid
rubbish. I t has mo re Vitality than ony other worm,even the
black-head,and is so superior to the bramb ling that I think the
Irish worm-fisher may confine himself to the use of the scouredblack-head and li ttle garden worm,
and to the latter in flood time,
when they are to be got everywhere,and trout do not look for the
no doubt superior attractions of the cleaned and brightened blackheads.The garden worm has no knot, but
- is the richest red colour,paling to whitey-grey, and the very smallest and reddest are thetoughest, the most killing, and easiest got. The gossoons on
the river, whose tackle is general ly monstrous, place the gardenworms in turf (peat) ashes for five or ten minutes before use
(dropping one or two worms,for future use, into the ash-bag each
time they extract one or two to renew the lure). This no doubttoughens them a little
,and assists in slipping them up clumsy
hooks ; but it destroys their vitality, and, in some measure,the
brilliancy of the worms. A ll that is needed is to gather them of
the proper size and colour, and drop them ,when washed in fair
water,into the scouring-moss of the worm-bag or canister. Having
already,in an early chapter, spoken of the rods most sui ted for
each kind of angling, I need but explain here my preference forother than an ordinary Shannon peel-rod to fish for trout withworms. A good fish being hooked, no rod wi ll kill him so qui ck lyand securely as a Shannon rod. This is due to the spring of the
weapon, which“gives and takes ” to the very button
,and so
effectually cases (a Ki llaloe man says“modulates ’ the strain on
the tackle as to permit a constant and killing pressure. With one
exception,9.man who knows a Shannon red
o
can do anything withit. The exception is throwing a tender worm without 1njuring i t,on a small hook against the wind and across stream. This I haveseen no one accomplish
,because
,no matter how deftly the worm
maybe got across, the back spring of the rod (all Shannon rodshave it) will chuck, and generall y spoil it, just as it starts on itsjourney with the current. For this reason alone I adopt andrecommend a rod of a proportionately stouter pattern towards thebutt
,and I know of none more suitable than that I have on a
former page numbered 5. With such a rod, and a reel corre
6 0 How andWhere to Fish in I reland.
spondi11g,—a plaited dressed line, a bag or canister of scoured
black-heads or garden worms (or both), a spare foot line or two ,and half a dozen or more two-hooked links
,the angler shoul d
not have any fear on account of appliances ; and on any I rishtrout stream , be the weather bright or dull, the water low or bankfull
,there will be during the season some hours on every I rish
trout stream when good fish may be taken. Recent experience,however
,teaches me that the best sport is only to be had—first, at
the early floods of the warm spring next,when the rivers are
dead low and bright (where the May-fly has been, trout commence at the worm with the congé of the last fly) ; and lastly,during, and just after the first good freshets from the St. Swithin
(J uly) rains. In I reland the lusty late summer trout and earlyautumn trout do not take the fly freely during the day. Theycannot be easily killed by feather except after dark at night, orvery early when the rivers are clear when dirty, of course the flyis out of the question.
By the riverside a sportsmanmust be guided by wind, weather,and water. For brevity
,I shall only speak of three conditions of
rivers the flood-water,the clearing, and the cleared. C orrect
worm-fishing varies under each condition,and each presents
individual advantages and special drawbacks. In strong floods allfish are di sposed to run up
-stream,and they are at all times
compell ed to so head to resist the stream (salmon, grilse, sea trout,feroces, & c., all ascend to breed but at this place I speak of feedingnot breeding fish) . This disposition to run up floods is
,in the case
of river-trout,probably dictated by appetite for succulent food
,
and affords no evidence of a proneness to needless exertion infighting rushing water formere exercise. The trout at such timeslooks for his food where he can get the most and the best of it onthe easiest terms and during strong floods
,the where is, (1 ) on the
upper edges of such sharps (stickles or shallows) as break andturn the force of the rivers and streams, or just at their tails whenthe water deepens, (2 ) where the water swirls back under banksor by boulders
,and (3) at the outer edges of the strongest streams.
But at such various places trout,being w ise,
“ behaveIn the slowest deeps
,under the banks, and in the back waters, very
large trout await the banquet the waters bear them, with no moreexertion than the current demands. These back-water banquetersare generally large, oftenelderly, but not always handsome trout, andthey are guarded by a ripe experience, which tells them of the deceptive beauties and dangers of worms carried by the swirl of swift~rolling waters. Years, and it may be short-sight, lumbago, or otherage
-bred ill s,direct them to the calmest refectories when thcir
6 2 How andWhere to Fish in Ireland.the lure as the stream brings both down. The principal action toeffect this is to raise the point of the rod in exact measure to theSpeed of the rush, and without the least check on the speed of the
worm but by a j udicious coil of the line (to be taken in w ith theleft hand as the stream brings it down), the operation becomesmuch easier. Practice and common sense should govern the angler,who must conquer if he keeps inmind that the wormshould seem to
come to the trout’
s larder, naturally, and that the trout should know
no thing of thepresence of a two-leggedmonster onthe bank or in the
water. Thi s diffi culty (of keeping the worm first) is the gravestwhi ch confronts the up
-stream fisher, and I have dwelt upon itbecause up—stream fishing is so necessary to any signal success. In
fishing up-stream,the tail s of the pools should be starting-points ;
and seeing the importance I have attached to the angler’s keeping
out of ken of the trout, it is clear the nearest waters shoul d beexhausted before the farthest be fished. O f course, there arenarrow places on many large rivers where the throw which coversthe further water may not excite pani c in that nearer, for the
ang ler, or his shadow,need not in narrows reach the river brink
but the golden rule is, fish the nearest waterfirst. A s to fishing
the sharps (l ), a few words wil l serve. The angler whomeasures his success by numbers will give more time to them thanto the deeps
,and w ith reason
,for a full creel of “ herring size
trout will reward him . Now and then heavy trout will be foundjust on their verge, and more rarely inside on the very shallows.Heavy trout hooked in such situations are of the haute-noblesse
,
heirs-apparent and cadet lords and ladies of the elderly dukes andmarquisesof the pools. I have observed, and I think correctly, thatsuch trout inflood time frequent the shallow,
or edges of shallows,onl y when the sun is overclouded or on a lowering day. O n
such a day, or when the deep cloud shadows spread abroad, theyrush up from their harbours to harry the waters, like the sea
adventurers of “ G ood Queen Bess’s reign, and the Spanish main
for them is on and about the shallows. When the rivers areclearing they order their conduct contrarywise, and only when thesunlight is fiercest hunt the shall ows often in a few inches depth.In flood-time
,I think, the trout feed best from 1 1 am. to 3 p.m.
at evening twil ight I have done less wi th a worm than at anyother time. What they do at night I reserve for a separate place,but in it I shall not concern myself much with worms.Next to facing the sun so that no shadow may fall on the
water,keeping back from the stream,
or otherwise concealing himself
,and fishing up-stream as far as he may, the angler should
give weight to the use of theWind. I have kill ed trout in all
HowandWhere to Fish in Ireland. 6 3
winds, and I lean to the view that there is no condition of windin which, at some hour of the day, trout may not be taken, butthat no wind is so favourable as to induce trout to feed at allhours of the twenty-four or even of twelve. No doubt, in manystreams
,fish generally feed best with, at least, one or . two points
of the soft south in the breeze but I know of places where a northor north-east wind is distinctly and universally more favourable.
In a general way, the best wind for the worm-fisher is the windwhich enables him to get his worm over most water, and into mostplaces
,without any inj ury to it. A nd I hold the condition of the
worm as a consideration so weighty that I think the difficulty of
casting against the wind w ithout inj uring the worm should beavoided at all costs, with the exception of the cost of the anglerfishing in his own shadow and with hi s back to the sun. The
bends of a river can often be taken advantage of to util ize thew ind
,though, of course, at flood-time they serve less in this way.
No trouble should be spared to fish against the sun,with thew ind
,
and up stream,with an unmutilated worm in front of the line
,and
travelling at stream’s pace. If these conditions be attained by an
angler who conceals himself, I shall bear the responsibil ity of hisfailure in flood-fishing on the rivers mentioned in my index. O f
fishing in
C L E A RING Rrvnss
the procedure is somewhat different,though the underworking
principles are identical . The first variation may be in the tackle,
which in very rapid rivers in flood required a shot or two to keepthe worms down in fishing them. (I have not recommended the
use of lead, and don’t often use shots myself ; but the experience
of some most excellent anglers sanctions them, and they are
needednow andthen.) In clearing rivers, shots are nevernecessary,except
,perhaps
,in the very deepest strong waters—not eddies
even in such waters their use is doubtful . In eddies they are
fatal. The second di fference is that I refer to in a preceding page,as to the heavy trout feeding on sunlit shallows. When rivers areclearing, most anglers in Ireland will abandon theworm for the fly
,
though, in fact, the likelihood of a full creel is not much augmentedby the change during those months when the fish are best—condi tioned. Trout
,indeed, in beer-coloured water frequently rise
well after a freshet, and I recommend the adoption of my own
practice at such a time,when I confess my preference for the fly
influences me not a little. When the small er natural flies attractthe trout on a clearing river, I put aside the worm ,
and if goodsport rewardsme while using the fly, am grateful, as a sportsman
64 How andWhere to Fish in Ireland.
should be. I f I cannot fill acreel with the fly by day I knowthat the trout are satiated, andare only taking the flies as dessertbonnes bouches, to fill up interstices. A t such a time I try theminnow (the loach and gudgeon wi ll not do so well), andwi th theminnow I often get sport. Trout are, I think, epicures in a way.
When they have had much of one food (say worms), they try analterative of beetles or fl ies ; and when they have had enough of
those,such temptingmorceaux as bright minnowswin theirattention.
Thus,when the rivers were full , the worms came down from every
drain and rivulet with caterpillars, beetles, and other smal l deer.Whatever flies were out were invisible through the veil of muddiedwater
,and in the rivers they frequent, the gudgeon andminnows
were driven up back waters, dykes, and to other such places wheretrout were unable or unwi lling to foll ow them. But when the rivercommences to clear, the fastidious gourmet of the river looks outlazily fordancing flies or the silvery minnows, once more tenants ofthe brightening main waters. In the plenteous flood-time
,they
were like theWorshipful Maj or Dalgetty, keen to provaunt the
garrison”and now their appetite lacks edge. If the flood has
been a strong one, and has held for three days or more, the fly islikely to serve ; if not, the minnow i s the best lure. Why theloach or gudgeon fails I know not
,but till the water be quite
c lear neither wil l effect much in daylight, norw ill the gudgeonthen. House clocks (the black beetles of our k itchens) or grasshOppersare deadly in clearing r ivers. When rivers are
C L E A R E D A ND L ow,
in fact, at their lowest, and fly-fishing even at night fails to secure
trout,the worm-fisher has brill iant sport. The de
'
sagrements of
plashing along in soaked clothing, which so often attend the
angler by flooded or clearing rivers, are absent, and his enjoyment
grows as the voice of the stream sinks lower and lower on its
sunlit journey to ocean. A ll the care of the angler to avoidmaking shadows, or coming within range of the trout’s eye, the
finest tackle, the smallest, brightest, and freshest worms, are nowcalled for : but with due precautions about these, on the shallowestmurmuring sticklc
,or in the deepest pools, where a worm can
roll along, he may look forward to good Sport. The angler’
sproverbial patience wil l be needless and each pool and run mustbe fished up from whatever side of the stream affords most shelterfrom the ever vigilant outlook of Salmo fario.The windings of rivers fished, as I enj oin, make frequent
How andWhere to Fish in Ireland. 6 5
fordingsneedful and inmany,especially in the case of bare-banked
streams, wading is the best mode of getting one’s creel full. O f
the equipment for doing so I elsewhere write and may dismissit by quoting a compatriot’s wise words The best waderis the man who gets most fish with least wading ; the worst,the man who gets fish with wading which could be got without.” Usually every nook of a river can be got at by thethrow of a judicious wader, and the annoyance of fouling in
hidden stumps,rocks
,or roots, is the only one which should
count against the too-little-known del ights of worm-fishing in
low water.O n another page I describe my contrivance for releasing
entangled hooks.In trout-angling, with a good take on, I prefer an immediatebreak ” to delay. If the tender armature required in “ rowlingfor trout cannot easily be released
,much valuable time may be
lost in recovering hooks often pointless,or a frayed t1ace ; but
“ the ring”will break the latter close off to the b ook ; then rigging
a new hook need be but a moment’s work,and an undisturbed
pool ahead counts, I think , against a lost hook or two.“Bole A rmenian ’
and other worm nostrums are, I think,
val ueless. The only scouring I recommend for worms is pumpingupon them gently, or holding them under a small fall of wateras soon after capture as may be. Then place them in a flower-pot
(on, and under, a slate) or earthen jar, in green wood moss, pickedperfectly clean, wetted, and wrung out between the hands a dozentimes. E ach day the live worms should be shifted to a fresh pot
,
and the dead removed, a relay of fresh worms and fresh moss takingtheir place. A bag made of coarse flannel is a-very good means ofcarrying worms ; and a.
“ C olman’s mustard-tin,pierced like a
pepper-box on the top,and carried 1D the creel still better. When
worm-fishing I have a little peat ashes in a handymetal matchbox,and by aid of it can mount a worm in a second. The ashes easilywash off the worm and my hand before the first throw with the
new worm—a quarter to half an inch is enough length of wormto come above the hook . Mr. Bowness wil l show the trace armed
as I have found best ; but an attentive l ook at the i llustrationwill guide any angler. The hooks are —l
,delicately tied on a
1nk of finest gut ; 2 , on a longish loop of gut equally fine. To
bai t,pass No . 1 into the worm something below halfway down, and
out again, when the worm covers all the shank without straining ;then pass No . 2 hook into the worm downwardstowards the shankof NO . 1 , and out, when the upper part o f the doubly- impaledworm covers all the shank. A rol l-over A knot is now made on the
r'
6 6 How andWhere to Fish in Ireland.l ink of gut of No . I hook and over the loop of No. 2 hook, thenthe link of gut No . 1 is passed through the 10 0p, and the roll-overi s tightened. The l ink is now attached to the foot line. Whena trout is hooked on No. 1 the strain wi ll be directly on the linkwhen on No. 2 , on the loop which rides it. YVhen rebaiting isrequired, if the new worm cannot he slipped on easily the link iseasily detached, and the flight reset as at first. A worm shouldnot be pierced through his very bowels ; just under the skin issufficient, and he will be lively
“ as long again.
”A n obvious
modification of this fl ight is suitable for salmon worming .
For salmon, No. 1 shoul d be the large hook on salmon gut
voi latout.The l ittle illustration(with the gut much magnified) shows the sort
of plummet I use—asplit shot attached atP LUMME T MA G n g home to a bit of rottenest fine gut, and
attached by a little knot above a knotof the casting line 1 8 in.
,2 ft., or more.WVith a dozen of these in his pocket
the fisherman i s quite prepared withplummets for the longest day; I f two are
needed,they can be attached together (one
above the other) , or separated by a knot’s
distance. In case of catching in the bottom,a break can be made
by mere loss of a shot and the rotten gut.My mode of attaching leads is thi s I use small ones (NO . 5 or 6
shots) , preferring to add one or two to increasing the siz e. I splitthe shots at home
, and attach them then to li ttle s trands of rottenfine gut, by closing the splits on a knotted end of the gut . WhenI want to use one
,I attach it above a knot of the trace by the
knot shown in the (plummet) i llustration. The lowest shotshould
,I think
,never be nearer the worm than 2 ft.
,though
some anglers think a less distance better. I f more than one shotbe required
,the second maygo close to the first
,and the thi rd
knot higher up.Before leaving thisbranch of fish-capture, I must refer to
THE W’ onn FL IG HT non S A L MON.
This tackle is simply an improved contrivance embracing all themerits of that commonl y used in Ireland “ to rowl a worm.
”I
have found it most effective, and in describing i t shall be greatlyassisted by the illustrations which face the text. On Fig. 4 is an
How ov
na’lV/zere to Fe
’
slain [re/amt. 67
incomplete trace,3 fitted with but one swivel, a plummet, an underwaterfloat, and worm hooks . I tsuse requires much delicacy, andthus it deserves to rank among sportsmanlike appliances. The firstswivel (omitted in drawing) i s merely of the ordinary kind, whippedon a single gut l ine made w ith Mr. C . Fennel
’
s buffer knots. The
second swivel, C , is one which, unhappily, finds a great sale withcross-liners. To it is affixed the plummet of a siz e graduated to suitthe force of various streams. In strong spates (Hibernics, floods,
”
freshets,” freshes —and there is no timewhen salmonand large
trout take theworm more boldl y than during their occurrence—thelargest plummet may he needed 5but anything heavier would strain
FI G . 4.
much,and probably uselessly, for I have found that salmon
lie higher in spates than in easy water, except when sheltering byrocks or stumps. The swivel C is not whipped to the gut on eitherside, but secured by the trusty figure of 8 knot (aide i llustrationnext page). This is for the expeditious change of plummets inwaters of different force. The plummet B,
if held in delicatetouch, wil l trip along the bottom (or nearly so) , and wil l notoverrun the float
, which should dance some two feet or morein front of the plummet
,and with a nice restraint on the worms
which ought to lead all. This float must,of course
,be larger than
that in above drawing. In all cases, the more buoyant it is thebetter. The best floats are made of strong, thin quills, of the
old-fashioned yellow sort to be got at law-Stationers.Both ends should be stopped with cork, andmade watertight withfly
-dressers’ varnish and it will make the quill less conspicuous,and accordant with the colour of the river flotsam
,if the float be
3 A second swivel isnot always needed, but I prefer two to one.1? 2
30 How andWhere to Fisk in Ire!1nd.specimens made up forsale. This flight andgut foot line shouldbe at least 9 ft. long.In using the worm flight for salmon (and I may dismiss it with
this remark), it wi ll be found most successful with the new springfish, new run summer fish
,in al l waters strong enough to carry it
along, and it will, on the whole, beat anything, if run by suchrocks
,eddies, or harbours, as are known to the local anglers as fish
“ cradles.” O n every salmon pool and stream places are to be foundwhere fish (sometimes only one
,but always one) are never absent
during the season. O ne is k ill ed, another takes his place instanter.A ll I rish snipe-shooters know l ittle bogs which wi ll hold a coupleor two couple of snipe each day of five months. If they be shot,the same number replace them nevermore nor less. A nd thus iti s with salmon. I know not why
—myfellow-sportsmen maytakeup the question. In worm-fishing for trout much has been said
‘
applicable to worm-fishing for salmon.
When nice quills cannot be got for floats, a well-rounded, notover clean wine cork makes a good substitute. Some anglers saya soiled cork is much the best float. It will run best if tapered off
to a cone at each end
How andWhere to Fish in Ireland 7x
CHA PTE R V.
or PIKE -FISHING .
I HA VE heard it said that the E lysian retreats of the spirits of pikefishers, dead and justified ,
will be by waters l ike I rish L oughs. I f
I swallow the statement it wil l only be w ith a cup of salt,for
most pike anglers I have come across find too severe the hardshipssurrounding the pursuit as followed in I reland. For the hardyselect few
,no place I know affords more sport than I reland
,and
much of supreme quality is to be got in the best loughs by cleveranglers with suitable tackle and big bai ts.A mongst I rishmen good pike-fishers are rare, and, at best, they
only turn their attention to E sox when the trout, salmon, or seatrout are no longer about. G enerally, pike-fishing is followed bythe poorest sportsmen, with very primitive appliances. Smal lnatural baits
,frogs, troutlings, roach, mice, rats, eels, and eel-tails
,
are all used on night-lines, and in spinning from bank or boatartificial baits seldom ,
and uni versally too small to attract muchattention from the tyrants of the deep accustomed to the largestmouthfuls. The spoon-bait is well known, but it is seldom spundeep enough, and, except by night, the largest fish do not frequentthe shores or shallows.I confess myself not an adept in pike fishing, having neglected
my opportunities,which were brilliant
,but I know eno
o
ughb
of the
matter to give sound practical advice as to the mode of capture, andthe whereabouts of the best fishing. The latter wil l be found set
out in the attached Tour G uide. The stoutest tackle must be usedby the pike-fishers in I reland. No doubt the fish are less warythan in the closely-
guarded preserves in E ngland, and this, likeother fishing facts is difficult to understand. In the smaller lakes
,
whi ch oftenheldmonsters,live-baiting with very good andvery large
baits will be found best, and the tackle I may recommend fromexperience and the approval of some high authorities is that forwhi ch, I believe, we are indebted to Mr. J ardine. I t consists of a
7 2 How andWhere to Fisk in Ireland.
large double hook, w ith a smaller braised or tied on to insert in theside of the bait (under a small bit of the skin), and an adj ustableback hook
,the whole secured on a gimp link (handsomely dis
coloured by being kept in the trousers pocket, folded in chamoisleather, with a small piece of brimstone). A bove this the floatmay be adjusted at suitable length by using a cork split halfway through. This latter float is known to every fisher-lad inI reland. I ts fellow,
improved in appearance, and with no lossof utility, is that called the Fishing G azette float. 1
Provided with a few of these appliances of varying sizes, thepike angler in I reland should have great sport, but I think if C ountde Moira’s contrivance be used, the w ire
“gall ows
” from whichthe l ive bait is to depend, should be much stronger and longer in
the beam,and be in exact equilibrio when the lead reaches the
bottom ; and it is this matter of equilibrium which presents theonly difficulty
,because in sinking the contrivance in profound
depths I foresee some possible complications which may arise fromthe antics of a lively bait.There is a simple contrivance of a young relative of the writer’s
which secures great pike, and it is now the only paternoster in
common use on one of the best loughs. The i llustration on page 74
Since writing the above I have been attracted to another livebait tack le, the invention of C ount de Moira, and in this I may bepermitted to suggest one improvement —the substitution of
l
l
l
l
fr. Jardine’ s armature,instead of the triple back hooks and head
oohs.
How andWhere to Fish in Ireland. 73
explains it fully, if it be borne in mind that a bit of thread, seenloose in the drawing , is in prac tice passed from the juncture of thetriple hooks underand up the otherside of the bait to the bendof theback hook at i tsemergencefrom the fin To the bend it i s tied off
,to
secure the lure with little injury. For the largest pike a half-pound
fi '
o rn/ 6 to c9 i l vdws
C OUNT DE MO IRA’
s TA CKL E .
trout is the very smallest which should be “ sent a fishing. I
may anticipate a natural objection by saying that the innatecaution of the trout prevents his ever fouling in the line abovethe sinker
,unless he be semi-moribund and in a strong current,
when live-baiting should make way for spinning .
74 How an] l ere to Fish in Ireland.
The localities where live-baiting will repay the angler best arethe lakelets which abound all over the island
,and on very few of
them can much he done w ithout a boat,which is very rarely
available. A Berthon,
” 2 a corracle, or a collapsable boat,
therefore a necessity for those anglers who would get hold of manyof the best fish in the waters which are preserved from the attacksof the local s by lack of any contrivance to get out to the haunts ofthe b ig pike.In spinning for pike the small trout beats all other natural lures .With one exception the largest-sized artificial bait is the best. (In
L ondon,Bowness keeps them , and all the Irish tackle-makers sell
good ones.) The exception is a specially-made and gigantic
phantom,painted with phosphorescent paint, which shows some
what in the deepest and darkest waters. I am at present endeav ouring to get a manufacturer to produce a glass minnow,
wellprotected by metal and of dark bottle-glass on the back and clearbelow
,w ith a hollow inside to hold phosphorus
,to
,when wet
,
i lluminate the profundities,and the bait spinning therein. Till some
thing of this kind is accomplished the greatest pikes wil l not be
P L UMM E T
taken, for during daylight their haunts are too deep to permit anyordinary bait to flash in conspicuous beauty. For the present, avery deeply-spun and heavy foot—long phantom (phospho painted)must satisfy one
,and I can only add to the list of my allurements
a b ig spoon, all the better if ornamented on the convex side with ascalp-lock made of the most brilliant stiff materials. A n used-uplargest size G oldfinch ” Shannon fly
,ret ied on gimp and secured
2 Messrs. C ording , and Messrs. Meiter and C o ., of G racechurchStreet, sel l very suitable boats. The Usk corracles are cheaper andvery good, though no t so portable on cars, but they require skill tomanage.
How andWhere to Fish inIreland. 75
at head of spoon,does very well, and beats, if trailed, anyordinary
pike fly. A s for the best spinni ng flight, I have no hesitation inrecommending that of Mr. C holmondeley Pennell, with a lip , twoback hooks (one reversed), a bending hook, andtwo triangles. Withthi s flight, andof the largest size, the pike-fisherin I reland shoul d in
general be quite independent of tackle for dead gorge bait , in the useof which every local boatman i s an adept. I , however, think itsemployment by the side of the Pennell fl ight half worthless, andtherefore dismiss it shortly
,with the hearty wish that many
E nglish pike-fishers may be induced to seek the sport readyfor them in green I reland, and to ins truct my countrymen in the
one branch of good angling in which the latter are far behindE nglishmen.
The monsters are there, and their destruction has a merit whichtouches trout and salmon fishers aswell as those brave sportsmenwhose best sport is got during the winter and spring gales. In
I reland there is no protection given or wanted for spawningpikes.
76 How andWhere to Fish in Ireland.
CHA PTE R VI.
SA L MON.
THE capture of a sturdy salmon in his best condition is a noblediversion. The pleasure i s greatly enhanced if the capture isaccomplished in the first style of fine art—With the fly and hereI confine myself to it alone, not digressing to discuss whether flyfishing for salmon or trout be the more sporting pastime but onlypointing out some of the differences of procedure in two arts, whichhave each some special
,and both common, merits. I am not
writing for tyros, and assume that few readers will follow meclosely
,except those who have already made such progress in the
accomplishment of casting a salmon fly as j ustifies me in passingover with brevity that branch of the art of killing salmon. The
great object of a salmon-fisher when casting is, 1st, to get hi sflystraight out, and to the very end, without having at the first contactwith the water any
“ belly or kink on the line between the
winch and the fly.1 2md, to cover the place, where the obj ect
of pursuit harbours,w ith the fly “ in play, and well sunk .
2 3rd,
to take up such a position, and so manage his tackle that allpossible advantages w i ll be with the rod if a fish be hooked. Toattain these objects, the first care ought to be a knowledge o f the
pool andmore time is lost, and fish too,by those who try to pick
up geography, whi lst working a rod, than by calmer observers wholay out their ground first
,and then proceed by plan. To do this
effectively two great common agents, wind and light, have to bereckoned with everywhere. The special agents are, the banks, thebeds, the colourof the stream,
and the weight of its waters. S ome ofthe latter
,the special agents, requi re consideration first. The banks
must be studied and known before the possibili ty of casting from
hl I shall further on speak of a.cast requiring a belly —I generalizeere.
9 L ater on I shall explain fullyhow such play may be best got intoa fly ; for the present it is enough to say that play means that thefly should (inwater) close and openitsmaterialsas a thing with life.
78 How andWhere to Fish in Ireland.thing with the shadow in front to spare the attention due
to the other more attractively-clad stranger (the hook) . PerhapsI shall make myself clear by saying that the wind somew iseacross the pool from the angler and against the light, and an
unobstructed bank behind and at each side of him , are the
conditions which wi ll generally serve best. A n up-stream wind
i s mostly preferable to a down-s tream ,and a moderate to a
light one, and generally either is better than a gale. Salmon takein all weathers. I have killed them in a snow-storm andw ith bothice and snow coming down, but all experience shows that suchconditions are mos t unfavourable. What I should look upon ascommonly the best weather is that in I reland call ed softoccasional showers fal ling, not much, and inconstant sunshine, anda sweet
,freshi shbreeze, with a point or two of south in it. The
best condition is after a spate, but how seen is dependent on the
river’s flow,the obstructions between
,and the distance of, the
pools from the estuary .3
I f the river has been so low that salmon ladders or other convenienceshave only permitted the fish to get into the deeper reachesof the river, but not to overcome the obstacles which arise fromlack of water, the fish in the estuaries seem to act as if acquaintedw ith the state of affairs in the higher waters, and on the first spatethey will rush up as far as it lets them. Bearing this in mind,the fishers of the pools furthest from the seamay not look out forthe best sport immediately after the first spate
,succeeding drought,
has gone down, but their sport will probably continue to be goodafter the pools near the estuary have ceased to afford it. Niceobservations on this matter will enhance the best angler
’s chances,
and are themselves very interesting. W' e really know very littleof the salmon’s habits
, and move in a mist of“ facts
,
” reliable andunreliable but my advice as to fishing af ter spates cannot be without some value. The rate at which salmon run up has not beendetermined, and it must vary much in fast and slow ,
strong and
feebly-running, open and obstructed, rivers, -and even in differentlengths of the same river. I can supply but one established factin this connection. I t has been proved in an I rish river of
average size andforce, and running betweenflattish banks, that some
Spring fish havemade their way the first fourteenmiles, and passedtwo rapids, within twenty-six hours. The knowledge of localanglers, who generally know how soon to expect the run
,is
often most accurate, and should be util ized and recorded.
3 In some rivers salmon are said never to take a. fly but during aflood or when clearing after one. I have met no such river, but Iknow that there aremany where fish are very shy in very low waters.
How andWhere to Fish in Ireland. 79
Casting divides itself into three branches ; the overhaul , theunderhand,4 and the up—top cast. A nd there is a tri ck, of whichI have often heard
,but only seen successfully practised by two
artists. I shall try to describe the trick before I say anything of
the casts. The trick consists of making the fly jump forward asecond time after it has first reached the flood. How it seems tobe done (I fail to do it) is by making a second movement (drivingsharply and forward ) of the rod-tep, and throwing off simultaneously a coil of line
,after the fly by the ordinary cast has
just reached i tsfurthest, but before i tsimmersion. I have seen thiswel l done by one angler after the overhand cast, and by anotherafter the underhand cast. Both succeeded in getting over somewater which they were unable to cover in the usual way, but itseemed to me that the game was scarcely worth the candle and
on rivers of so great a breadth, or so obstructed as to make it evendesirable
,the use of a cott, or corracle
,or some other “ ship is
,
I think, preferable to the adoption of a most difficult tour deforce,which it cost me hours of hard labour to—fai l to make. Theoverhand cast is of course the most common
, and not, I believe,as useful as the underhand . With pains everything can be donewith the latter which can be done overhand , and (in adverse w indsespecially) the overhand cast will fail to accomplish what with theunderhand iseasy and pleasant. I therefore adopt and recommendthe practice of the underhand cast when it can be applied .
Both casts are well understood , and I think few of my readerswould benefit by anything I could suggest about them . But theup
-cast is little understood, and its great utility, if I canmake itbetter known
,will plead forme
,even if the difficul ty of explaining
it quite clearly on paper proves too much for my powers of
description. I t is of signal value where the fisher is so hedgedin by rocks or foliage that he cannot allow his fl ies to come one
inch behind him . If there be a strong wind across the streamfrom the side opposite the red
,the up
-cast can’t be made ; underall other circumstances it can be and this is the procedure
,best
carried out with no dropper fly. The angler first makes up hismind how much line he can manage with safety, and the soonerhe gets out this, at the head of the pool, the better his task wil l be
I omit the Spey cast, not because it is not asuseful as anyother, but because I fear my powers of description would fail toconvey it to anyone who hasno t seen it made. Beside this , I believe,and am assured by Spey anglers , that it cannot be properlymadeexcept with a rod with a Spey
“ list ” in it, and that is a sort of implement I have not recommended, for I know little of it. I fancy theup
-cast will often do all the 8 0 67 does.
80 How andWhere to Fisk in I reland.
done. L etting his fly run down-stream til l most of the determinedlength has run out taut he holds the rest of it in coil under theforefinger of his uppermost hand then he looks across (
“throws
half an eye to the point where his fly should drop,and
,by
raising his rod-top, clears every inch of the line from the water, but
just so muchasgiveshisflyaslight grip in the streambelow himon
his own side. A t this moment by a sharp UP THROWhe shoots thel ine as straight above hishead as he can—but no part of it shouldgo back behind him—and when the l ine has made one curved“ belly upwards (vi de illustration he jerks thatpart of it forwards,regardless in some measure of the fly end
,with that sort of action
which will send the belly forward across the stream with the flytumbling over it (vide illustration and opening the curve o f
the line in its onward progress. When the fly has got to that'
point (vide illustration 3) just a little in advance of that port ion of
the line which had made up the belly, the slack (coil) is releasedby the forefinger, and it runs out whi lst the rod is still held high,
How andWhere to Fish in Ireland. 8 1
and the fly driven on will drop lightly on the furthest water. I
feel how unintelligible my words are, but I think the study of
the drawings should help me much in pointing out to a practical
angler the mysteries of the beautiful and effective, though
recondite up-cast.To make the up-cast perfectly, the most suitable rod is one with
a spring from the very grip of the butt, but the top piece must be
and any timber lissomer than green-heart will not suit. I
shoul d think fromwhat I have heard of their qualities that splitcane rods should answer very well. A nd if the steel cores of some
of these he really effectively fitted ,such rods should be the best of
all. To make up-casts cleanly and far eff, a heavy line is needed ;G
8 2 How andW/zere to Fz's/z in Ireland.
indeed,no effective cast can, I think , be made with light lines, and
there might be no reasonable limit to their heaviness if it were notfor the natural tendency of a very heavy reel-line to get in
front of the lighter gut-line at the moment of the fly’
sdescent onthe water. When we get the ideal gut (round, stout, clear, and instrands of nine feet) , it will still lack one excellence if it weighsmuch less than the reel-line of equal length. Reel-lines for salmoncasting, as at present made, are not too heavy if not clumsy and
if double gut be used in the upper half of the casting-line, thetail fly
,unless abnormally small, will have itself weight enough
to straighten out the other moiety. Were it not for the question of weight, I should never use a casting-line of more thansingle gut ; and. if made with the buffer knots (gut—bound fisherman’s) , of good material,
5 they wil l stand any strain which the
larg est fish can put on in fair water. A four or six ply twisted castw ill be sometimes cut by snags or rocks. In trailinghauling ,
” trolling the thickness of the line makes little difference against the fisher . A ndforharling , stout, undressed but tannedlines are perhaps on the whole the best of all
,because whenwet they
swimwell an advantage whi ch will be appreciated by anyonewho has had such experience as one gets in the great rushes aboveC orballyWeir, near L imerick. L ong lines, with sufficient dressingto make it useful , run very dead in such waters, and light dressingschip here and there
,confine the moisture in patches
,prevent the
l ine from drying equally in all its parts, and thus rot it before an
undressed line would be spoiled. I f getting much work the linesshould be in pairs, and used day by day alternately, the one dryingwhile the other is in use. Undressed lines for salmon harling,and perhaps all undressed lines for boat work
,should be cable-laid
,
as such a laying-up” prevents kinking. I have seen no dressing
which did not rot cotton lines,except the naptha—indiarubber one
and the objections to undressed cotton are minimiz ed when theyare cable laid.
6
A s I touch foramoment on. harling for salmon, I maysay that inusing a fly for such work I much prefer gut loops, at the head of thefly
,to metal. But the loops must be made of a length inadmissible
Cheap , and good gut is not possible. Bowness in L ondon, andNestor in L imerick.and Haynes in C ork , g ive the perfect gut ; butindeed the best tackle-shops in L ondon, Dublin, and C ork, do justiceto all their customers.
I never use any reel lines for salmon casting but the best silk
plaited and rubber dressed ; 85 to 1 00 yards “ married to a buttine of commoner texture. In another chapter I give a.varnish whichI think perfection to re-dress such lineswhen they want it (aftermuch use during years).
How andW113 7 8 to Fir/z in I reland. 83
in flies for casting. In casting, such a loop, when the softened
gut grows limber, will permit the fly to turn back, and in bafflingw inds the book will inevitably roll over the casting- line behindthe loop, and so present the fly “ head before tail.”
In harling, however, a fly on such a loop plays to the right andleft very prettily and makes the gracefullest courtesies to the
royalties of the flood.
’ A s the thickness of the g ut line, whenharling, is of little moment, twisted gut (up to six plaited strandswith some) is used, and I know no knot so good to attach a.
plaited casting—line to the fly as a whipped loop on the formerpassed downwardsandout of the loop of the fly and then over t/ze
O
L
ONG
L
nUP
fly, so that it rests, when pulled home, behind the head of the flyand on the wing side.IVhen a salmon rises to a fly and does not take it, one
good cast may be made over him at once. I f he does notthen take, the time needed to fi ll a pipe and light it is quitesufficient before trying again, and if he be moved once morefruitlessly, the fault is in the fly
,which should therefore
be changed. Nothing but experience, and, perhaps , nothing butlocal experience, will suggest the change most likely to be
effective when fish wi ll rise but not hook ; but there is a
general rule which is often worth application. Thefish likes theco lour, but the siz e does not suit him. Therefore try anotherfly of the pattern but of another bulk. If the fly which the
salmon was coy with, is bigger than those usually found best, getout a smaller at once ; if smaller, reverse procedure. I f the flyrefused be of normal size What should weigh with the angleri s first the state of the water, and then the wind. I f the riverbe below its common level, a small fly is likely to meet the need, ifhigher a. b ig fly may do. In a calm a smaller fly, in a gale alarger. I have found these maxims useful, andwill presume that.acting upon them, I have mounted a new fly and worked it acrossthe river to the lodge of the rising fish.
‘ The change has done it,7 Flies for harling shouldhave preposterously long tails, as salmon
going for a trailed fly always bite well up on it, and the glitteringlong tail is very strikingly attractive.
3Worked is aword I should not be misunderstood in using. Mt“,
G 2
84 How andWhere to Fish i zz Ireland.andthe fish has turned down with the fly in grip. If his mouthi s felt, a steady, firm,
and low stroke fixes the hook. A chuckw ith a half intention is worse than useless, and if a fisherman isso nervous that he must put a j erk in it he had better leave strikingalone
,and trust to hisrod
’s spring and the salmon’s dash. RE A DY
A ND STE A DY are thewords, and it is a good habit to get into sayingthem themoment a fish rises. Wel l, he
’
shooked—andanydescription of his fight I must reserve forother pages than anangler
’s guide.When a salmon is hooked, some common practices are I
think open to objection, and perhaps these malpractices (2) arisebecause the maj ority of salmon fishers are “
entered” to trout.
A ccustomed to the delicate tackle without which good trout cannotbe secured, they don
’ t rely enough on that with which salmonshould be fished for, and I think want of confidence in summaryprocesses, on good rivers, loses more hooked fish than all the
over confidence of E nglish-speaking fishing-men. Trusty greenheart, silk, and gut is cheap at any price. G et them,
but hold on
sturdily to thefish. O urIrish habit is to play a fish rings up, andif any reader w ill only take the trouble of feeling how much moreforce it needs to run out a line against the friction of the wholeupper side of a bent rod than through the down-turned rings, Ithink he will realize that the former has great advantages, one
of whi ch is that it keeps an even binding-down sort of strainon every inch of the convexi ty of the rod. A ll things beingequal as to banks, & c., I prefer to get a fish to run up
-stream atfirst dash. I t takes something out of him to pull a line againstthe stream, and, at first, the hook hole in his jaw is likely to be inbetter condi tion to resist his shakes than it wi ll be after the tussle
,
when I shall try to draw him down-stream bewildered,and open
gilled, w ith the stream choking him. The only valid objection toturning a salmon up
-stream when in his strength arises from the
knowledge of his common trick of getting out a length of l ine inthe rush up, and then dropping down quickly enough to get
“ a
slack on it before it can be gathered in on the reel 5but unl ess anangler be a cripple or in a very straight place he ought seldom tolet a fish so beat him in running up, that the length of line outwill preclude prompt recovery. A fish should not
,if possible
, be
permitted to rest a moment. Salmon get their second wind like a
salmon anglers work their flies too much, and if it were not that,
quite contrary to their beli ef, their flies are only infinitesimallyaffectedby their rodwagglings, theywould probably scare away fish.
In truth it is only on a very short line that the fly feels the fisherman
’ s shakes. The only movement ever needed, and it is bad inrough water, is a steady g iveand take, w ithno shiver, and it is got bya toss of the rod-topmade from the wristsalone.
86 How andWhere to Fish in Ireland.Before I approach the subject of most interest to salmon-fishers
(the fly), I must unburthen myself as to the casting line, which Iprefer of single gut of perfect roundness, and of nine feet, when Iuse a dropper (at four feet or fouranda half feet from the tail-fly) ,or of seven feet when I fish, as I generally do, with only one fly. Iconfess no preference fornew gut, and indeed select one year old gutasagainst that from a quite new hank, but I try to keep the casts inuse constantly moist. G ood casts areworth anyamount of trouble tobuild up, andwhen one has made them and tested them,
it is worthwhile to keep them as constantly moist as possible
,and this can be
effected by keeping the spare ones in wet flannel rolled in oi l Si lkin the house, and the spare one on the river-side in damp flannelin the gut case. Perfect well hardened old gut cannot have toomuch moisture, and it is in that respect that it is better than new
gut. I know many and the best anglers disagree with me on thishead
,but I am frank to declare my difference with them. If one
uses eyed-hooks,the only attachment needed for the salmon cast is,
1 , run the gut through the eye 2 , pass it above or below the
shank (as required by turned up or down eyes—I prefer downturned) 3, pass back the gut through eye and 4
,make a
double roll-over knot on the “ part ” of gut outside eye ; 5, pullthe roll -over taut before jambing all home. The same knotserves with gut loops, but there is another more easily undone andquite secure, except with eyed hooks (aide p . I t is thatrecommended to attach the casting l ines to reel lines, but the gutof the casting line and the fly must be quite soaked before theattachment (there is no knot) is drawn home. I do not knowwhat salmon take the “ flies for. P erhaps they are greatlyactuated by pure cussedness
,perhaps a little by hunger, but
I have an abiding faith that they won’t take the fly if it seems
not a living thing3—and life is only got by well constructed flies.
much in Scotland tell me that the Irish fish have a share of nativevivacity which contrasts with the sobriety of Scotch salmon. I havenot often had to do with obstinately sulky fish, and know
“ of nodevice, unless stone-throwing which is useful to set one going , or amessenger made from a visiting-card dropped down the line (when ittan be done). I do not know why, but sulky salmon seem moreplentiful amongst the spring run than those later in the season. I
merely mention this as one of the observations whi ch, without havingapparent present significance, may really be of value when treated byDr. G unther, Mr. Day, or Mr.Willis Bund.
3 The first requirement of a flywith a goodb ook isbrilliancy of
some sort to attract attention, then life to fix attention sufficiently toget a fish to chop it as a bonus bouche. L ife can’t be got except
How andWhere to Fish in Ireland. 87
Fishermen have exhausted ingenuity, time, thought, and geniusto make kil ling flies and establish patterns. My belief in how farthey have not lost time amounts to this . I think certain patterns
( instance the J ock Scott) are at tractive on almost all rivers, andthatcertain patterns establish themselves amongst the locals on all rivers,because theyare of combinationswhi ch, in the local circumstancesthe colour of water, depth,stratifications, and even theprevai ling skies—are best seen andso tickle thefancyof the local salmonidw. Theyare in fact
,masters of the situation, champions of the surroundings,
because amongst the surroundings they command an attentionwhicho ther combinations lack. In the list of flies I set out for the anglerin Ireland, I shall confine myself first to standard patterns
,which
follow very closelythose of theFishing G azette, and I shall mentiona few,
perhaps,new to most anglers—one or two barely known,
except to the designers—andwith thi s list and description the firstbook of my task of guidance as an angler will wind up. When Iset to do it I was encouraged because I really thought I wasbreaking in on almost new ground. A s I went on the words ofexperienced fellow-countrymen, on whom I relied for some assistance
,taught me that I had little to say that had not been said
before by others. I f in so teaching me my friends brought medisappointment
,they have reassured me by saying that there is
no epitome of the information of the many gone before, and thatsuch an epitome is wanted. I can only say that I hope I may insome measure supply the want and give my readers some pleasanthours
,such as I have had in putting together pages which recalled
in production many of the happiest days of a most chequered,but
,
thank the A lmighty G od, a not unhappy life.
with buoyant elastic materials , which will g ive and takewith the playof the water, and all furs , hack les, andwing s whi ch don
’t do this areuseless. To secure the best play of the best wings, at least the underlying w ing should be tied back first, and subsequently turned over thehackling and body before the fly
’
sheading and completion.
88 How andWhere to Fish in Ireland.
FOUR RUL E SWITH FL IE S —DR AWIN THE DE E P FOR CHA RR. BROWNNE A R THE SURFA C E FO R L A KE TROUT. TRIP ON THE TO P FOB
BRO OK TROUT. SINKWE L L FO R SA L MON.
STA NDA RDS.—FL I E S.
1 . The Rainbow.
Tag—silver twist and light blue floss.
Tail—topping.
Butt—scarlet ostrich.
Body—three ro ll s yellow seal,andthen of mohair, scarlet, grassgreen, golden, indigo, light blue, and claret red.
Hackle—yellow from first joint.Throat—guinea fowl.Wing—fibres of tippet grey turkey ; yellow, red, and blueswan ; bustard ; pheasant tail ; brownmallard ; widgeon,anda topping over all .
C heeks—jungle.Head—varni shed.
(The wing I have seen wasa plainmixed wing , with plenty toppingover all.)
2 . The “Mohair C anary Nearly the Nora C rienaI reland) .
Tag—silver twist and yellow floss.
Tail—a topping and bit of tippet.Butt- black ostrich.
Body—three turns yellow floss, remainder golden seal.R ibbed—silver tinsel.Hackle- golden w ith black cenhrefromflossjoint, gold colourmohair at shoul der.Wing—bronz e herl and goldenmohair
(In I reland we omit the I talicized port ions, and thewing of Norahas golden topping over goldenmohair.)This is one of the best fli es known.
3. The f ‘Fiery Brown.
Tag—gold twist and orange silk.
Tai l—topping .
Body—fierybrown seal ribbed gold tinsel .Hackle—from first turn of tinsel fiery brown or deep blood-red,at shoulder black.Wing—tippet strands concealed between bluemacaw horns.
Head—black teal .I take a liberty wi th the fly and sometimes add—to one of the
"wet ki lling flies—a bluejayhackle under extreme shoulder byhead.4. Sir A rchibald.”
Tag—silver twist and orange floss.Tai l- topping andalittle bit tippet.
90 How andWhere to Fish in Ireland.
bustard, grey mallard, golden pheasant ta 1 , redmacaw , blueand yellow swan , over all strips ofmallardand topping .
Sides—jungie.C heek s—ehatte1 er.Horns—blue macaw.
Head- black.
This is the best g eneralfly in I reland.8 . The Butcher.
Tag—silver twist and dark yellow silk.
Tail—topping and powder blue macaw.
Butt—black herl.Body—first section, light cardinal red; second light blue ;third, dark purpli sh red; fourth, indigo seal s fur, ribbedsilver.
Hack le—first section cardinal dyed seal , then black hackle.Throat—golden yellow hackle, guinea fowl.Wings—two tippets t ied back to back, then breast featherof golden pheasant over and beyond, then covering all a
vei l of mixed summer-duck, gallina, bustard, pheasant tail ;yellow swan and mallard over all like horns ; at each side,two long fine topping s.orns—blue macaw.
C heeks—chatterer.Head—black ostrich or varnished.
The wing I describe in this fly is not the ordinary one, I think itbetter.—H. R .
9. Thunderand L ightning —Hibernicé, theBully.Tag—gold andyellow.
Tail—toppingButt—black herl.Body—black silk or horsehair ribbed gold.Hacklef—from tinsel golden.
Throat—jay.Wings—mallard and topping.Sides—large jung le cock.Horns—blue macaw.
Head—black.There is a Moy Thunder and L ightning
”which di ffers from thi s,
and there i sa Thunder anda L ightning.”
10. The Captain (Major Trahe1 ne 5 pattern).Tag—si lver twist light blue silk .
Tail—topping and chatterer.Body—two turns light orange silk, two turns dark orangeseal, two turns dark red claret seal
’s fur, and finish dark lilacseal, ribbed silver.
Hack le—awhite cocky bondhu dyed light red-claret, from theorange silk.
Throat—blue hackle and gallina.Wings—pintail , teal, gallina, peacock wing , amherst pheasant,bustard and golden pheasant tail, swan dyed light orange,
How andWhere to Fish in Ireland. 9!
dark orange, claret , anddark blue ; with two strips of mallardabove and a topping.
Sides—jung le.Horns—blue macaw.
Head—black herl.I have had an extract from Major Traherne’sbook taken to describe
this fly, which I am told is of supreme value, as I hope to learn on
personal acquaintance.1 1 . The Durham Ranger.
Tag—silver twi st light yellow silk.
Tail—topping , Indian crow.
Butt—black herl.Body—two turns orange silk, two turns dark orange seal ; theother half black seal , ribbed silver.
Hackle—orange seal’s fur, white cocky bondhu dyed orange.Throat—light blue hackle.Wing s—four golden pheasants overlapping themselves to showthe dark bands, and some of their red gold, these shouldenfold two very long jung le fowl which project back to backa topping over all.
C heeks—chatterer.Horns—blue macaw.
Head—black herl , ostrich or wool.1 2 . The Black Jay.
”
Tag—silver twist and yell ow silk.
Tail—topping .
Butt—black herl.Body—two turns black silk, rest black seal ’s fur, ribbed silver.Hackle—natural black over the seal.Throat—plenty of jay.Wing s—tippet, ibis, guinea-fowl , golden-pheasant tail, teal,bustard, green and dark yellow dyed swan, mallard stripsato
Horns—bluemacaw.
Head—black herl.Many varieties of this fly are used. I believe this i s near the
original of the inventor.I have set down twelve standards, which are perhaps as well known
to Scotch andWelsh anglers as to I rish. Indeed, most of them havenot I rish parentage. In the tour guidewill be found special patternsfor each locality. The above are all good general flies.
9 2 How andWhere to Fi sh in Ireland.
CHA PTE R VII .
G AFFING L A NDING oonrmvurons—noneE s—Vanursn—wax.
IN gaffing the main thing to be observed is to be1 . C ool.2 . Determined to make the stroke clean and from above.Nervous men never gafl
'
well. I f the gaff be small in the jaw, as
most portable and telescopic gaffs are, the stroke must be necessarilya little upward to avoid touching the fish with the shaft before thepoint has entered. G afling tailwards is bungling practice, but onoccasions of peri l—in strong spates, in rocks
, & c.—it is better to
gaff by the tail promptly than not at all . The best gaffs for largefish I have ever seen are Nestor’s, L imerick. If gaffs be large, andfixtures on long handl es, fishmay be gafl
'
ed at a considerable di stancefrom the rod-man a great advantage, especially inboats.Whenkelts,particularly well-mended kelts, are about, no sportsman should everuse the gaff the landing-net is the only proper implement then.
If the handl e of your standing gafl'
be varnished,rub off the
varnish and have it plainly oiled and often. E schew brightness inall fishing appliances. From the turn to the point the gaff shouldbe perfectly straight.
‘
L anding-nets shoul d be varnished with thingold size varni sh, applied twice
,but on the second occasion somemonths before use ; and
just when dry,it wil l serve the angler to have the net hung high, if
in I reland or Scotland,in a chimney over where peat is burned
,else
where adusty passage will do. The gli tter of new varnish on rim,
shaft,or bag of net scares many fish. In all nets a spli t shot or
Some of the most experienced anglers have recommended gadingupwards from under the fish. I cannot conceive how they were ledto believe in it—I think it fruitless.
94 How andWhere to Fish in Ireland.be, of resin four times the size of bees’-wax
,and of Spermaceti
and tallow equal preportions,making up a size equal to that of
the wax.
To keep off midges, the best and the nastiest mixture is madeof melted marrow or fat well mixed with crude paraffin. The
next best is turpentine and glycerine. The most agreeable, butinefficient
,fragrant tobacco-smoke.
To keep gut, roll it in a woollen, and then in an oil-silk or arubber wrapping, which keeps it in an equable temperature. I t isall a fiction about the strength of fresh gut . O ld gut is better ifwell kept and sufficiently soaked before being made up in casts orheadings.No dubbing keeps out water. The best to keep boots partially
waterproof and quite pliant is tall ow, vaseline, and parafi’
in, rubbed
in when the bootsare quite dry. To keep boots right, they shouldbe wiped clean and treed
,if only for ten minutes , when taken ofi
'
,
then filled with oats or stayedwith bran,anddried in a current, but
not near the fire. If a fisherman has no change of stockings, boots,or socks to wear whendrivinghome some distance, and is unwi llingto go barefoot during the jaunt, he had better defer the nationallibation till he gets into dry things, and bestow the whisky on
hisfeet.A smoker should never depend on wax matches in the open air.
If “ flamers,
” or vesuvians,
” or wooden sulphur matches won’tlight, the whiff can
’t come off.Drink the wine of the country (and of J ohn Jameson’smake if
possible), in any quantity, but NE VE R E A RL Y. The native habitcan’t be broken through with impunity.Varnish of Indian-rubber dissolved in naphtha, which is pur
chasable now in all large cities, is the best for rods and silk orcotton lines.2
I know no better clearing ring than a heavy curtain ring on along whip-cord line.In boat drifting (when
“ fall fishing) the wind often makesthe pace too quick. To obviate this the best contrivance is a stoutcanvas bag or sack w ith a pair of lugs made of rope
,which can be
attached to two ropes from the boat,one from the bow and one
from the stern. Sand, gravel, or peat can always be had to fi ll the
bag, and the weight can he graduated as required.
To make this varnish soak into lines , the first appl ication shoulq’
be made with a mixture containing very little rubber, and this invery thin. A perf ec t varnish is perhaps no t yet known
How andWhere to Fish in I reland. 95
Disgorgers of the scissors pattern are very needful, and an anglershould never go on lake or river without spare thole-pins or row
locks—an aneroid barometer and a pocket compass are excellentaids in I reland—arevolver is quite redundant—a. pocket flask isquite efficient.
NorE .-The above cut is inadequate to show the best Splice in all
its beauty , but it illustrates the princi ple of open landing s made byseveral successive double-turns and half-hi tches.”
The local names of fish in Ireland vary, but the foll owing are
those commonly usedSalmon (8 . salar) :
“Bradhén”
(sounding Bradhaim) ;“ Breac
mdr;” “ saumon ;
” “ a fish ;” “ lax.
” These names apply generically. The first three are I rish, and only used where the nativelanguage still prevails. The last is a word which survives in I reland,though lost in E ngland, whence it came. Unclean fish are called“ kippers ” (rarely), slatts,
” “kelts,” “ slangers (in Mayo)
red-fish, and “sojers
” or soldiers. A “ well-mended keltis a fish which has spawned
,and grown vigorous, but which has
not actually reached the sea to recuperate. A hen-salmon afterspawning is often called a
“ bag (hibernicé,“ call ac A hen
fish actually on the “ redd is called Ban-a-thee ”
(mistress ofthe house). G rilse are called “ peel,
” “ pale,
” “grills,
” “
grilse ,
and, on L ough-Derg, first-fish.
” The parr is called gravelling,“ sprat
,
” “ fry,” “ laspring, and “
rhudeen not to be
96 fl ow andWhere to Fish in Ireland.
confounded with crudeen (the large lake-trout, when it goesup the river to breed).Sea-trout (Salmo-trutta) . The sea-trout is called “ breac-fin
,
”
white-trout,
”sea-trout
,and “ salmon-trout.”
Trout (Salmo-fario ). The trout is “ breac,
” “ brown-trout,
red- trout.”
L ake-trout (Salmo -ferox) . In L ough-Neagh, the larg e ferox iscalled “Boddac ” or “Boddagh ;
”elsewhere I know of no other
name than lake-trout,” or G illaroo
,
”which is often improperly
applied to all large trout found in lakes. The true “ G illaroois the golden fish with the induration cal led a gizzard.A large trout about 2 2 lbs , caught in L ough C onn by Mr.
Scrope, is declared to be a true bull trout (E riox) , and thisdiscounts my opinion expressed at p . 53.
The “ Hobb in”
(perhaps“ vendace a pollen-l ike fish of
some Kerry lakes, is locally cal led breac-bui. A nglers shouldb e alert to examine these queer customers , and submit them toMr. G unther orDr. Samuel Haughton
’s successor at the NaturalHistory Museum ,
Trinity C ollege, Dublin, who c lassify these
yet unclassified ealnwnidce.
E ND O F PA RT I .
How and I/Vkere to Fisk in Ireland.
00 .Dub1in. waters in the C ountyWicklow . The L ifi'
ey holds salmon,
L i eml ip.
L ower
but no t in large numbers. O wing to a c leaner tide-waythan used to be, they are increasing , and promise to restorethe ancient good name of A nna L ifiey as a great salmonriver. The best stretches are just below, at , and aboveL iexlip. The fishin is not private property, but the approachto the river is at afithe best places restricted.
‘ Permissionof t he bank proprietors is seldom refused, and Mr. MartinKelly, the fishing-tackl e maker, O f Sackvill e or O ’
C onnellStreet
,can give all needful aid to salmon fishers. The fli es
which do best are the reputed “ standards whi ch Maj orTraherne describes in the Badminton L ibrary volume
,but of
small medium size in spring , and extra small in autumn.
The only“specials ” I woul d record are the “ Blue Jay
”
(Pennell’s pattern), The Silver G rey ,
”the Black Fairy,
”
and the Fiery Brown ”
(Regan’s pattern).
L arge trout are to be kill ed in the deeps of the L owerL ifi
'
ey up to Sall ins, and occasionally above it as far asA thgarvan Bridge.
2 Thence in the Upper L ifi'
ey, near, andin, the VVicklow hills
,many dozens of herring-sized and
spratt-trout reward the patient angler, who hits O ff a daywhen there is any water. But the stream runs downinstanter, and a worm is then the only dependable lure.The flies areThe March brown the blue -body, black hackle, starling
’swing ; hare
’s ear and yellow ; red hackle rail’s wing ; c ow
dung ; greenwren ; orange grouse ; olive dun ; (greengrouselate in summer), and very occasionally the silver magpie.
”
The best L ifi'
ey flies run smallish in spring, and very smalllater on.
THE A C C OMMODA TIO N.
L ower L iffey.
Hooo l lo o ool o1312.53.51aas}
generally better tions Tramcarstothan some tuneL iexlip: C ars.ago .
Mid L iffey.
Inn at C elbridge.Hotel at Naas Ra1l 0 1’ car.
andNewbridge.
Upper L ifi'
ey.
Hotel Blessington.
1 Permission isnot now so freely gi ven aswhen this bookfirst appeared.
A really expert “ dry-fly angler should do very wellSuch ang lers are not common in Ireland.
How andWkere to Fir/z in Ireland.O n the wayt o Blessingt on by van,
a lough (McDonnell’
s
mill) is passed, on which is a rickety boat . There are a fewvery large trout of great craft.l There is no diffi culty in Blessinggetting permission (on the spot), and the use of the boat ; ton.
but the game is barely worth the candle.
THE KING ’S R IVE R
is, from Blessington, easy to reach, and is very good forsmall trout. The flies are the same as the L ifi
'
ey, and the
trout mature early. The Upper L ifl'
ey, nearKilbride, givesgood sport when there is water.
THE V A RTRY R E SE RVO IRS
are within easy reach. The smaller is at Stillorgan andw ithin the Dublin suburbs. The upper and larger reservoiris a very pretty lough. Both hold trout, and the uppermany fish O f great beauty, size, colour, anddash . The fishingisat present “ free to those who can get i t . I t is hamperedby an absurd regulation that a permit ” must b e got fromthe C orporation, one of whose members must accompanythe angler.2 A n effort is now being made to really open thefishing at a small daily charge. The L ifi
'
ey flies do, but oflarger size. Spinning the natural minnow,
or the E x
hibit ion,” or Caledonian,
” kills the biggest trout.
THE DO DDE R
used to be an excellent small trout stream. I t seems quitedestroyed, but it is worth the tourist angler
’s notice fromRathfarnam up, as the scenery is bewitching.
MRS.WHITE ’s”R IVE R
at Killakee hill, overhanging Dublin, holds trout, anda few Kil lakee.are corpul ent. O ne of them exhausted all the wi les of thebest Dublin fishers for some seasons
,and was' then caught
foul byanovice . The trout had no eyes. The locals calledhim G ibraltar, “ because he never was tuk ,
”the girls
“ theould bachelor.”
THE TO L KA
is the nearest stream to the north O f Dublin. This once Tolka.good stream is now ruined near the mouth by factories.From above the Botanic G ardens it improves
, and in the
1 Very few, if any, new left, the pike having prevailed.
I hear that the regulation is now modified. Mr.
C ampbell, an ex-M .P . (the Town C lerk), isa sportsman, t oogood not to contribute as far as he can in helping otheranglers.
Co.Dnb‘
1 in.
1 0 0 How andW/zere to Fz's/z in Ireland.
property of Mr. Hamilton, who is very generous in givingpermission to fish , it is asweet, small stream. Themembersof the A nglers
’
C lub (in Parliament Street, Dublin,) are goodbrothers O f the hook, and bent to assist in all ways strangerswho present cards . The Tolka may b e reached by car ortrain,
or rail to Blanchardstown Station. There are threesmall rivers, the Santry , the Mayne, and the Portmarnock,which deserve little notice, and then further nort h
Is THE SwoRDs R IVE R ,‘
whcre a salmon now and then is spoken of. I t isa goodwhite- trout river, holding them,
as other eastern rivers,in
spring ; and I have been told in greater numbers in autumn.I t is preserved (perhapsWithout absolute legal authority) bya club
,but there is no difli culty in getting permission to
fish.1 A l l the white-trout flies mentioned in Book I . k ill
here ; for brown trout, the L ifl'
ey patterns suit. E xcellentaccommodation is to be got at the Hotel Malahide, wherethe river j oins the sea.
2 From Malahide (ninemiles fromDublin by rail) there is easy access to
THE TURVE Y R IVE R,
which is a splendi d white-trout river after full waters inautumn. The approach to the river is by the Dunabat e or
Skcrries.
Co .Meath.
Boyae.
Rush Railway stations, and permission is required from the
bank proprietors, who are not churls in acceding it. Stillnorthwards, and running throu
g h the C ounty Meath, arethe Nanny and Delvin r1v ers, which hold very nice brown,and occasionally some Whi te-trout . Skerries is very centralfor these streams, and there is a hotel there, andVeryni celodgings, and good sea bathing . The L ifl
'
ey flies suit, butshould be small. In the
C O UNTY M E A TH
is the Boyne, a noble salmon stream ; out most of itswaters are taken up by red fishers, who hire the “ rights,
”as
1 A friend supplements what I have to say of Swords“ The river is strictly preserved by one of the O ldest fishingclubs in I reland. E ach member can procure a 2 3 . 6d.
ticket for self and friend for one day; but no‘ license,
’no
angling , is a strict condition. Whether the L och L eventrout lately put in have done, isno t yet sure, but the fishingis improving—more than 30 white-trout have been takenfrom the “ pit pool ” wi thin 90 minutes. March and A prilare good months, but best run of largefishin autumn.
3 Malahide affordsgood seafishing , and under the bridgeblack bass give better sport than any I have seen elsewhere.
l
1 0 2 How andWhere to Fish i n Ireland.
is said to be a sure guide to anglers. Turnin west fromDublin, and beyond the L iffey to C O . Kildare, t e best riveris
THE BA RR OW(THE UP P E R),and then the G reese , the Rathangan river, and in the
extreme south , the Castle-Dermott river. The best part ofthe first O f these is about Monastrevan (some thirty-sixmiles by rail fromDublin) ; but there is no good hotel there,and unless one is prepared to sacrifice the early morningfishing , Newbridge , or Kildare, from which the early anglercan drive , affords the best quarters. The early spring troutfishing is excellent. I t falls off a little late in A pri l, till theMay-fly c omes on. Upper Barrow trout attain c onditionalmost sooner than any I know in I reland. The Monastre
van fishing is done in cotts, which can be hired there. A
c ivil letter to the head-constable of Police, or the stationmaster
,will secure acott inadvance . The best bank fishing
is frombetween the O ld bridge and Belaw bridge and
again, below the v il lage, through L ord Drogheda’s park.
Permission to fish from the bank through Moore A bbeypark must b e got from the agent. He resides in the town
,
and seldom refuses . The right to fish from a boat is notquestioned and is availed of by every one . L alor
, the bestof co t tsmen and sportsmen
,is dead , but he has successors.
In early spring the fliesmust have tinsel on them, and theyshould be hushedfull and with co lour indeed
,the least turn
of blue jayat the shoulder andone spine of golden pheasanttopping in the tail are not adornments too attractive forbrown trout in this strong river. The minnow spun in thedeeps here is destruc tive, and in the nights of late summerand harvest, the small est frog to be got deserves the firstplace. In brightestweatherworm fishing below the shall owsand weedy, gravelly banks
'
is “ the charm.
”The May-fly
rises on the Upper Barrow,and some years plentifully.When it does, nothing else i sfor the time the least use. The
ephemerides don’t run large, and the art ificials do bestwhenmade with bright bodi es (lemon silk ribbed thin blackor brown) and wings rather too brown for May-flies in
general. From a short way below Monastrevan the pikeseems to have got command of the Barrow. There are,however
,exceptional spots here and there
, and giant troutt oo strong for E sox. Below Maganey, near the mouth ofthe G reese, the trout are , I am told, plenty ; but I have nopersonal knowledge of this part since a day long ago , whenI was agreeably astonished by a grilse which took a b ighare’s—ear trout fly and gave me forty-five minutes perfectand delicate play before giving in. In winter the pikefishing is only t o o good from Monastrevan t o A thy
, whereis a fairly good hotel, and from it access is easy to
How andWhere to Fish in Ireland. 1 0 3
THE G RE E SE ,
amost sporting stream, which is also commanded from the 0 0 . K1].
little Quaker town Ballytore , where Mrs.Hemans lived now dare.
and then,and Mrs. L eadbitter, Maria E dgeworth
’
s friend, Bal lytore.was born. The trout in this little river c ondition themselves in A pril. Perhaps the best fishing is about and below Moone
Moone A bbey and Mills (near Timolin), and there is no A bbey:difficulty 1 as to leave to fish
, except for a few days before Timolm.
the hay ripens and at the verge of meadow-lands, when thesport is generally not at its best. Some of the river runsthrough enclosed “
grounds,”but the exerc ise of good
breeding in sending up a card always meets responsivecourtesy. A shilling gets a reliable
“gossoon to carry such
messages and the creel and landing-net . A ll the Kildarerivers yield best to afly fisher inabreeze. The G reese oughtto b e a perfect river to worm fish
, and perfect for dry-fly.
I regret to hear some pike have go t in lately. The minnowand collagh do well in all. The Rathangan river does no t Rathanmature trout so early as the Barrow andG reese , requires half yamriver.
a gale, and smallest, sober flies . I t is best got at by con
vayniency of car” from Newbridge.
2 The Castle-Dermottriver is only fished by locals.In the Queen’s C o . the Upper Barrow from Portarlington, Queen
’sCo.
where there is a fair hotel,to Mountmellick, where there is Portar
a better, affords fair sport with the fly, andwhen in spate in 11 71950”
dark weather, or when very low in the brightest weather ,Moul d
“
the worm flight does satisfactorily with a ni ce-sized run of mellz ck.
trout. O n one reach (through G arryhinch demesne) permission is needed, but is never refused by the owner, Mr.Warburton. A t and near Mountmellick
THE TR I O G UE A ND OWNA S
give some little sport, but even the former and better ofthem scarcely deserves the attention of anybut local fishers. Mountv
From Mountrath,on the G . S . W. Railway, where is a rath.
1 Since I wrote this permission has been restricted. Mr.
Shek leton (of the Mill property), andMr. Carroll (of MooneA bbey) bein generous in reply to applicants.
3 The Rat angan is the only Irish stream in which I everdid very well with afly of pure E nglish nationality. I t was
a red soldier Palmer, small but brilliant, and that its effec twas no t mere luck I now learn, because Mr. Cho lmondleyPennell’s red fly without wings has been lately proved mosta stonishingly (to the natives there) destructive.
L ough
A nnagh.
King’8 0 0 .
Tul 0.
more.Brosna.
L i ttle
Brosna.
C lodiagh.
1 04 How andWhere to Fish in [relmci
hotel, the Upper Nore1 can be fished, and afl'
ords fair sportvery early in spring and very late in autumn (at night, al lthe season). The salmon there can only be killed with fliesO f the white-trout size and pattern. The king of all thebrown-trout flies is the O live. (Mr. Despard
’
s, vide Part I .)2
From A bbey-L iex (on rail), which has a clean inn, the
Middl e Nore is to be got at , and yields good trout. The
best salmon patterns are , perhaps, those of the L ifl'
ey, withthe addition of the blue grub (vide ante BOyne). Thefishing maybe said to be free over al l the Queen
’s C ountyrivers. There 18 at least no difli culty in
”
O btaining permission from the bank proprietors 3 There is in, or b orderingthis C ounty but one lough (A nnagh) whi ch affords fishing ,and that but for pike , which run very large there, but it canbe best approached from its King
’s C ounty shore. Tullamore (on railway) has a comfortable hotel, and in winterL ough A nnagh will g ive the pike angler sport. The Brosna
,
L ittle Brosna (dividing King’s C ounty from Tipperary),
C lodiagh, and other rivers, all held trout, and though theShannon bounds the county to the west, and 1swi thin easyreach O f Birr, it cannot be said to have anygreat attractionsfor afisherman, except he combineswinter pike fishing with
1 The Nore is now spoilt—the pike andpoachers prevail ed.
Mr. Despard’
sherd kil led (at C oolrain) amonster pike 42 lbs.I let the old text stand, but only as contrast to a reliablec orrespondent’s words, We have no fishing at all In the
Upper Nore now,not a trout In everymile of i t !some O f the
smaller affluent streams st ill hold a few g ood trout . . but
no t worthanyone’8 coming adistance to fish for. Some
few years ago . there was tolerably good salmon fishing,now,
however,‘ the game
’s no t worth the candle.
’FIsh
c ould be go t when they c ome up to spawn ; now the greaternumber never reach the sea again. They are destroyed byhundreds up the river ; even at Ballyragget, where the clubstrictly preserved avery good reach, there Isnow practicallyno fishing
—this is entirely due to the over net ting at the
mouth. Unless something 1s done we wil l not have afish inthis country at all in a few years.”
2 From A bbey L iex or Durrow (clean hotel) the G ully, theE rkina, the G oul,
‘
and the A ubeg can b e go t at , and afterrains they all give good small trout fishing . These riversareoften known by the Borris, the Rathdowny, and the Ballinakill rivers, andwith these names guides are to be got whowill
lpoint out the streams. Permi ssion is seldom refused
ang ers.
3 Near Mountrath is Ballyfin, Sir Charles C o ot e’
s residence.
In the demesne is a lake,mentioned in Part I ., famous for
reachand pike fishing.
R. G ai ne.
1 0 6 How andWhere to Fish in Ireland.Shielin will be noticed in Cavan, and Kinane in L ongford.For L ough E nnel or Belv idere, Mul lingar is the best station.
There is fairly good hotel accommodati on there, and c leanlylodgings can be got . O n the other side, and equidistantwi th L ough E nnel fromMull ingar, is L ough O wel ; but E nnelmust be got to by car
,and the railway drops passengers
near O wel , though at somewhat inconvenient hours. Fo l
Derravaragh, Castlepollard maybe called the most centralquart ers,
”and it brings the ang ler wi thin reach of Kinane
and Shielin, and no t qui te too far away from O wel , net tospeak of L ene, where one maybreak water new t o most butlocal anglers. A t Ballymore is a very nice little lake, andthrough the county others whi ch I need not more thanmention. Mul t ifarnam is exactly half waybetween L oughsDerravaragh and O wel , and I prefer it to any other station,though there are , or were, not good lodgings, andonly alittleinn. My preference is due t o a little river (the G aine)which, running through it, gives plenty of troutlings and, Ibelieve , minnows for bait, to use when the big trout may begorged or tired of the May-fly;
1 and thi s often occurs atearly morning or at evening . In dead
,bright weather, on
all these lakes a spinning bait on very light tackle, whenrowing slowly to windward t o get a fall, O ften gives sport ;and once on E nnel I did verywell wi th a drowned largesilver-magpie between the falls.In all theWestmeath lakes trout differmuch in character,
size, and beauty. E nnel trout are certainly the prettiest,and perhaps most toothsome
,though I think O wel 2 trout
1 The best dye for the May-flywing is locally said to begot and applied thus —The feather, when washed well withsoft water and soap, and thoroughly cleansed of the latterin fair water, is boiled in a pint of water, in which i oz. O f
alum has been di ssolved. Finally, when quite free from
grease the feather is simmered in an infusion O f fustic,to
which avery little copperas or sul phide of iron is added fora green or gree
‘ny-grey shade. With one O f the finestWestmeath fishermen, Blacker’s pattern (pale yellow silk,
ribbed with brown, to showfrom under the go ldbeaters’
sk in
wrapped over the si lks), with light ginger hackle and dullishwing, wasthe favourite art ificial but thi s fly is not buoyant,and I prefer a cork bodied. When I use Blacker’s pattern,I substitute the c learest varnish for goldbeaters
’ skin.Walnut peels make an excellent dye, but I have not beenable to fix it well .A bout the May-fly dapping see later on, where I speak of
the artificial May dry fly.
3 In L ough O woll there were the largest charr in I reland,but seldom taken : this is said to be no longer the case.
How andWhere to Fish in I reland.
equal them in the latter respect they c ertainly run larger.The trout ofDerravaragh aremore ferox like , but theymakeup for comparative ill looks by their pluck and ravenousappetites
,and
,on the whole
,they are no t much
,if at all ,
behind their neighbours. By“ blowing ,
”the best run of
trout is killed in all these lakes ; and I have only to say t o
novices in thi s method, get the best blow-line silk,fish with
it trippingly, and without a particle of gut in the water .In fact the natural
,
”with or without a hook
,which is out
O f the water oftener than in it, is that which attracts most,
and any flies which seem no t quite slaves of the wind haveless relish for trout. I can, however, teach here no thiugwhich the boatman cannot impart in a few words. I f the“ Singing Inny
”be fished fromWestmeath, it is to be
reached best from Castlepollard or Mul t ifamam. I giveonly one fly special to itself—tag little gold tail
, rat-beard
,
body olive dun hackle overlaid in ribs with tightly-drawnindian-rubber (very tight) ; the hackle, near tail , showinli ttle, but full near shoulder ; wing , brown mallard t ie
upright.1 A ll the trout flies I have mentioned in the firstpart
,as standards
,do in Westmeath , and at night
'
the
c ollagh, small frog and white moth ; Indeed on the lakes,and even in the middle of the Drake season, I have foundthe white-moth with lemon body deadly (vide ante). The
Drake season (May-fly) varies more than one might expect ,but a fisherman cannot be much out if he finds himself inDublin between the 1 5th and 2 0th of May. Indeed
,Sir
R ichard Sutton used to say the season varied with the
Derby-day, and did so to spite him,and keephim from it .
Mart in Kelly, or Flint of the Quay, will always know and
tell of the fly’
s appearance . In many of the farm-housesnear the lakes lodg ings can be go t . They are no t luxurious
,
but some of them are clean,and from M ifl lingar everything
can be got (preserved meats, & c .) to supplement the fowl,fish
,& c .
,which are the native products. When next I go
1 Sometimes the rain comes in tropical downpour duringthe rise O f “ the Drake.
”A t such a time it is worth a
thorough soaking to persevere with fishing, but the effectivemode is to cast a heavy artificial May-fly (on fine cast) infront of the fall , and let it drown verymuch, and then drawit. This method secures the largest trout. I don’t approveof natural May—flies put up in pairs, but it is fair to saymany O f the best fishermen think otherwise. In this variousopinions guide in various localities. Mr. Stewart likes threeflies well wetted. I go for one as dry as it can float
,and
a dry-fly (touched upwith paraffin) will , in saving time t o
renew flies, beat all naturals if floated well, with cockedwings or wings spread out in imitation o f the spent gnat.
”
00 . L ong
G owna.
G ul ladoo.
Kinane.Berna.
go l lia.
A nnagh.
So ints’
Island.
Newtown
Forbes.C lan
dragh.
L ni gh.
Forbes.
G ou'
na.
G ul ladoo.
Shrule.
A rvagh.
l
passible hotel if
How andWhere to Fish in Ireland.
tO_Westmeatl 1 , if I ever go , which I doubt, I -shall cam out ,and for those who enj oy a tent
, I know nd‘
h’
é er p aah,if
one takes the precaution O f asking permission from the
occupier of the land, where he coul d pitch it.In theWestmeath lakes the perch grows very large , andgive excellent sport of their kind in the bays. Pike fishers
1 0 8 .
” wn;-m
out do themselves and the community half justi ce in
neg lecting these waters.In L ongford C ounty there are no first-rate rivers or loughs,
but L oughs G owna, G ullado o , and Kinane, to the northwest , border it , and L ough Ree is to the south-west . O nL ough Ree, O f the boatmen who supply boats and knowthe fishings on the L ongford borders, the Fox brothersat Dernago lia, the Mulrys and the Foxes at A nnagh, andthe C larkes at Saints’ Island are the best : and from the
village of Newtown-Forbes (where is a clean little hot eland lodgings) a guide can be got , and a boat at C landragh,for L ough Forbes, which holds salmon, feroces, g illaroo,brown- trout and perch, pike and roach, as does L ough Ree.For salmon, the E rne, not the b ig Shannon pattern fli es
,
must be used ; the latter patterns don’t suit above L ough
Derg . L oughs G ownaandG ulladoo are little known, exceptto local anglers, but they are worth exploration
,and I
have heard the brightest accounts of tham. The formerholds charr
,and certainly very large feroces. I know no t
of them personally. The E rne flies (side post) do bestthere . O f the L ongford rivers, which all held trout
, the
Inny is the best after it leavesWestmeath, and becomes ariver of weight. I t holdsmany fairly large salmon and the
nearest station for fishing it is Ballymahon, where I found ahotel, which I used on the recommendation of anative
,who
t old me of it with a twinkle in his rye.“ I t
’
s a veryye don
’t like it, and will be a very passiblehotel if ye do li ke it, and the bacon and eggs.
” Really itwas tolerably good, and by the aid of Jemmy Hyland
,
the only reliable butcher there, one easily appreciated thetruth of the western landlady, who declared that “ baconand fowls is ill egant trimmings, but there i s grand shelther in beef.” Most O f the best fishing there CaptainShuldham c laims, but permission is very enerally givenon application by holders of red licences, andon no part O fthe river are such licentiates interfered with by the Boardof C onservators. Near Shrul e Mills sport is certain in a
strong south wind. In L ongford (town) there is a hotelsomewhat better than ordinary, and many fairly goodlodgings ; and from thence the R inn and Black rivers onthe northern bounds can be got at , andafford sport on the
way to G ulladoo , should any one wi sh to try it, and stop atA rvagh, where there is a
“pub .
”with “
entertainment forman and baste. G ranard is the best quart er for L ough
E on/nis
1 1 0 How and t ere to Fish in Ireland.
which holds many and aldermanic perch. I have provedthis. Near C ootehill , and nearer Shercock
,are three little
lakes,which have the repute of holding the sweetest small
trout and many. In all this central district the price O fboat acc ommodation is already more or less fixed byc ustom, but the tourist should, in justice to others, if no thimself , always see to the charges before accepting servicesor ac commodation. Castlepollard charges may be taken asreasonable and on the average. In the lake district
, b ed,board, car-hire, andab oat can be got there for three guineas,or sometimes less,perweek. The boatmenand carmen shouldet douceurs, which are best given in a lump at parting ;ut luncheon andwhiskyare expected to be shared with theformer, and a bit of baccy freely g iven, or an occasionalshilling at the Obsequies of a big trout makes friends andsport . In King
’s C ounty,Westmeath, Meath, L ongford,and Cavan there are many lakes and tarns which I haveno t mentioned, nor indeed do I know of them more thanthat it is certain they only need to be fished in, and thoughthey are hard to b e go t at , I am sure they would repay anysportsman prepared to rough it, and ply them from ‘
a
collapsible boat.
THE (2 ) SO UTH-E A ST DISTR ICTembracesWickl ow, C arlow,Wexford. The nearest countyin this district to Dublin isWickl ow. I t may be c reditedwith no salmon river
,though salmon are said to be taken in
the Bray river, and breeding fish go up the Slaney everyseason by Baltinglass, Stratford , and so to the Hills ; butabove Hacketstown salmon fishing in these uppermostWaters does no t repay any one but local fishers (vide post).In the Bray river there were white- trout of such excellenceandnumber as to win them a distinctive name, the
“Braytrout.” 1 They are now neither very good nor verynumerous,and do not repay much work ; but Bray is a beautifulspot
,and tourists
,from its excell ent hotels, may do worse
than ask permission, which can be easily get from the bank
proprietors. In P owerscourt demesne there is a verynicerun of t rout
,and L ord P owerscourt (or hi s agent) is
sometimes generous in permitting many fishers there . The
hotels in E nnis-Kerry are moderate , and Mil ler, the propriet or of one O f them
,is a safe gui de as to how the fishing
1 I think the Bray trout is now extinc t—each yearfewer salmon run up to the feeding rivers of the upperSlaney or its own upper waters. I t is easy to see that, unlessmatters change andmeasures be taken to protec t the upperwaters and restrain the selfish depredations in the estuarywaters
,the Slaney, like the Nore,will soon cease to be agood
or even aDoor salmon river
How andWkere to Fz’s/z in Ireland.
of all the lakes is to be best managed. L oughs Dan Dan-L ugL uggelaw, the Vartry, (already mentioned in Dublin), gela
’w o
G lendalough, the Dargle, the A vonmore and A vonbeg (vici G lendarail), Rathdrum and the A voca river, from the excellent longhhotel atWooden Bridge , all afi
'
ord nice sport . The last DM gle‘
river abounds in small trout, none above a pound, a herring fivon
gwre.
size, a little above the average. In G lendalough andeg '
L uggelaw the fishing has improved lately some of it wasdgun;
spoilt by the lead works. I do no t know if the G lendalough A v o catrout continue vocal, but the tradition is that they lamentWoodenon capture their extradition from Bri dge.
The lake whose glo omy shoreSkylark never warbles o ’er.
”
In the Deerin, an affluent of the Slaney,which flows
through L ord Fitzwilliam'
s park at C o o lat in, there is very C oolatin.nice trout-fishing , which can be got for aday by a note in!advance
,and it is worth the asking . The Wicklow trout
flies need to be used small, and of the ordinary patterns,the wrens and grouses for preference . Flint
,of E ssex Quay,
has certainly most excellent patterns for these rivers,and
all the central district waters.‘Carlow,Wexford, and Kilkenny counties make,With the Carlow ,
foregoing , the South-eastern district. Wexford.d enny.
IN C A RL OWthe rivers are the Barrow and its affiuents, the L err, the Co.Carlow.
Burren, and the Slaney andDerreen or Derry (videWicklow),its tributary. The town of C arlow,
in which are goodlodgings, and a good hotel, commands the three former.Hacketstown is the best station for the upper part of theSlaney, and Tullow (with a fairly good inn) is near enough Tal low.
for the Slaney lower down, and theDerreennear its junction.
The whole of the Slaney yields good sport,2 and at Backets
town and Tullow there are local professionals who can giveadvice and guidanceworth more than any I can offer. The
Barrow yields better sport in this county than it gets Barrow.
credit for, but the fishing is generally not an agreeable sort .The approach t o the river is closed at many places along
1 Few people require to learn that theWicklow sceneryis charming . I know no place where the trout-fisher, whois satisfied to fil l a creel with nice little fish in the environment of bewitching pastoral pictures, can enj oy himself imore. The folk there are kindly and honest , and if theirshyness be broken through, show in their old-world lore gthat they have not lost the simplicity and poetry of hillmen iinspired by the gnomes of the clouds, the woods, and thatstreams.
See preceding page.
Baynala
town.
R .Nenagh.
Slaney.
Barrow.
“ 2 fl ow and H'
lzere to Fz'
s/z in Irelafzd.
the banks, and it is not easy to point out where in such abook as this (in C arlow and Bagnalst own all the freestretches can be settled on) ; but the railway almostaccompanies the river from A thy, in Kildare, throughC arlow and Kilkenny, to Ballywilliam, inWexford, andthe river is easily reached from Carlow,
which is thusc entral. Much of the fishing is done from cotts
, which can
b e engaged, and the flies are Standards,
” of small ish size,
even in early spring .“ The Doctor,
”the “ Black Fairy
,
”
the Blue Jay,”the Fiery Brown,
”and the “ E vangel ine
all represent those which a successful local angler hassupplied me wi th, and the Spade G uinea, which I describelater on for the Nenagh river, is perhaps the best of all .The trout flies are those standards which do on the L ifl
'
eyand Barrow,
and the Cavan rail (vide ante) is known to beexcellent . The small aflluents afford some sport, but donot require special mention. The Barrow is rather sluggishas compared to the Slaney, and holds many and b ig pike inits back-waters and stiller pools. The Slaney throughoutits course through C arlow is a bright, sporting river, andaffords excellent and varied sport ; but perhaps the bestabout the junction of the Derreen. The flies are the same
as those for the Barrow , with one or two not very valuableexceptions, which I abstain from mentioning. A t Backetstown, Bagnalst own, L eighlin—Bridge, andWexford, localartists are to be found and are known to the hotel-keepers,who are .in all these places quite trustworthy people.Following down the course of the Barrow we arrive in
KIL KE NNY,
which is an excellent fishing station of the second class.The Norel maybe said to be its special river, and is good forvery handsome trout and nice , medium- sized salmon fromthe Queen’s C ounty border on the nort h, to R ingwoodwhere it j oins the Barrow, which is the main easternboundary of Kilkenny, as is the Suir its southern. Northof Kilkenny city the river is called Upper Nore , and thereit is j oined by the Freshford stream and the Dinin
, nicestreams which hold trout. Below the junction of the latterthe fishing becomes better, or at least the fish run larger ;and I am informed that lately arrangementshave to be madein Kilkenny for permission to fish. Mr. Morris
,of the C lub
I regret to have to qualify all said here about the Nore.W’hat I said on a former page (104) is too pai nful to repeat,but if legislative action to curb the policy of kill ing the
goo se for immediate golden eggs be not taken very soonthere will be an end to salmon riversof anyvalue in I reland
R Boro.
Waterford.
Tipperary.
C ork.
Waterford.
KerryL imerick.
C lare.
1 1 4 How andW/zere to Fish in I reland.
a delightful book on the folk-lore of its banks, but it holdsnice t rout, like the Ura
,the Bannow,
the Duncormick riversin the south, and the Camolin river in the west.1 The Bann
harbours really good ones, a few salmonand grilse and the
Slaney many and sporting fish. There is,perhaps
,more
difficul ty about free fishing from the banks of the Slaney thananyIrish river but the Boyne. Below E nniscorthy, however,here is agood deal to be done from the c ott and in the
very tideway. When the fishi ng opensandat the commencement of the summer and late autumn runs
, good sport issometimes to be had from the cott. E nni scorthy andWexford are headquarters. In both are hotels ; and in the latte r,one (Whi te 's) that used to be excell ently kept . The troutfishing in the Slaney isnot so good as it hasbeen. In hotsummer weather the lit tle frog is very killing. The troutflies are of the standards, getting small as the seasonadvances. The rivers flowing throughWexford are veryc lear, and thus require the finest tackle. The Boro , nearL ord Carew
’s place
,was, and probably is, very strictly
preserved against all who _do no t ask for ada The Slaneyand Duncormi ck rifi fi b ldsome whi te-trout in July, andthe Camolin a few (
’
t is said) early and in autumn. h omthis co untythe step is easy toWaterford, but I shall reserveno ' ice of this latter county, and then only touch on it lightlywhen I have dealt with C ork, fromwhich county its greatestand best river, the Blackwater, runs to it, making ashortturn to the westward at L ismore.
THE (3) SO UTH DISTR ICT
tak es rank with theWest andNorth-West , and consideringits superior acc ommodation and accessibility
, most ang lerswill c onsider it the best of the three. I divide it into sixcounties
,—Tipperary, C ork, Waterford, Kerry
, L imerick,and C lare, and the first of these naturally (from its watershed) divides itself into two . The whole is intersected bythe G reat Southern andWestern Railway and theWaterford and L imerick lines, and the track of the formerseparates the North and South R idings of Tipperary veryapproximately. Tipperary may be said to have no lakes.There are a few mountain tarns
,and some of them on theWamrford side will be mentioned cursorily. The
“
riverswith anorthern andwestward outflow run into the Shannon
gL ough Derg), and all are breeding-beds for salmon. The'
rst of these is the little Brosna, whi ch separates, a little
I In all these rivers the expert dry-fly angler should doWell.
How and l cm to Fisli in I reland.
above the L ough, Tipperaryfrom the King’
s C ounty.
1 I t isnot as good a river as the Ballyfinboy, which runs from Bal lyfinBorrisokane by a short course to Derg . In autumn, about boy.
A ugust, the grilse commence to run into it and are mostlyk illed bynight poachers . Further on, with the late autumnand winter floods , the larger fish come up and find saferquarters in the fuller streams. The flieswhich do best arethose which suit the next river, which is naturally one ofthe best of those afiluent to the Shannon. This, theNenagh, having received the L attera and another stream
,
both of which have wound north-westwards from the
Devil’s-bit ” mountain range, runs into the Shannon byDromineer Bay. The L atteraand its sister-stream abound Drnmi zwfiin nice trout ; the Nenagh in larger and better, but so wary Bay.
from constant fishing that they require delicate angling .
I f one be prepared for this, the Ballyfinboytoo givesexcellentsport throughout the whole season.
ri‘he salmon angling at
Nenagh is no t good in the spring . In autumn the stretchesat the Fox- borough, near the town, then below Scott
’
s and
Dunne’s mills
,at Mr.Waller’s demesne , at Ballyartelagh,
and from thence to the Shannon,all afford capital grilse
fishing , and, just before the close of the season,heavy and
game salmon. In Nenagh are three hotels. G ood lodgingsare to be had (when vacant) , but they are few. The hote lis no t the best ; either of the
“ C ommercial s ,”especially
O Brien’
s,is better. There is a nice c lub
,o f which the
managers of the banks often make strangers honorarymembers . In Nenagh fair tack le can be go t at a gunsmith
’
s
and at awatchmaker’s , near the hotel, and there is a veryhonest old guide (P at Hayes) , a capital sportsman, thoughnow feeble , who ties the best patterns for trout and salmon.
The special amongst trout is the“ black rail ” and the
here’s-ear and c laret . For the salmon,the black fairy
,
”
the b lue jay, and the “ spade guinea.”
Since this book first came out , permission to fish hasbeen steadily and each season restricted in just asimilar ratioto the falling o ff in the fertility of the fishings. Where anyone might fish in old days and get fairly good sport there arenow few or no fish ; yet leave to angle iswithheld andoftenby
people who really have no legal title to restrain fishers evenIf they preserved (by regular keepers), which they do no t .A bout these parts in King
’s C ounty and North Tipperaryhappily there hasno t been much change e ither in quality ofthe waters or undue rest rictions : of c ourse there is some
falling off owing to the impolitic selfishness of the net t ingbodies on the lower Shannon of which the rivers I write ofare breeding grounds.
Dromineer.
L ough
Derg.
I I 6 How andWkere to Fis/z in Ireland.
The “ Spade G uinea,”
Tag—gold tinsel, blue silk.
Tai l—topping .
Butt—black ostrich.Body—deep plum-redmohair, ribbed fine gold.Hackle—near butt blood-red, then claret, thengolden ; blue jayat shoulder.Wing—mixed brown turkey, mallard, strips of tippet,blue, green, and red swan, andpeacock
’s herl ; overall a topping .
Horns blue.
Head—black (abit of chatt erer at cheeks does well).A l l these P at Hayes ties very wel l, but it iswell to supply
himwith good hooks (he sometimes runs short ). SergeantKi rby, a veteran Indian soldier
,ties all the Shannon
patterns beautiful ly,and for nothing , therefore he is not
always at command. Nenagh has a very great advantage,of which many avail themselv es. I t is easily got awayfromto Dromineer, from which boats can b e got on L ough Derg.
L ough Derg is frequented but little by anglers for salmon,though such fish are oft en ki lled there. I t has qui te a famefor other fishing , and the best authority tells me that fordapping with the natural fly it is each year better andmorepopular ; indeed, more anglers go there now than to theWestmeath lakes, heretofore so deservedly appreciated inthe “Drake season.
” Mr. Peebles has not got one troutover 8 -3 lbs. but C aptain Smi thwick (of Youghall) has creditfor several over 14 lbs . Mr. Pepper’s was a monstertrout (nearly 30 lbs. killed in winter and trolling), but aneighbour of C aptain Smithwick kill ed the latest recordfish, of 1 9 lbs. The Drake season ” here usually beginsbetween the 1 8th and 2 5th of May, and lasts some threeweek s. O n a “ fair ” day the sport is mostly very gO Ud.
The fish are seldom under 2 lb . and the average is probably35 lb. Portumna is now the best headquarters for Upper
'
L ough Derg ; Taylor’s,of two hotels, is themost frequented.
Both hotels are fairly good andmoderate in the ir charges.
Boats are easily go t except perhaps when“ the cream ’ of
the fishing is on. The price for boats is 53 . to 6a, includingboatmen
,and this is the price all over the lough. The next
station is also on the G alway side at Mount Shannon. ThereIsamoderately charging and comfortable hotel there (Waterstone ’s). I t has accommodation for about 2 5 anglers,but it is quite necessary to secure rooms in advance, asevery b ed is occupied at the best season. There are manyislands about which give shelter and enable one to fish ineven the stormiest weather. To the south-west of L oughDerg the river Shannon runs out , and there away, atKillaloe
,are several hotels, Hurley’s R oyal Hote l
Renaghan’
s. G race’
s,and one lately built by the Shannon
Q 4
,“ VW / J—a;KM
1 1 8 How and lV/zere to Fisk in Ireland.
Mr. G race is a very good guide about them. The bridgefishing is all carried on in cotts (I have seen enthusiastswade). O n one side it is claimed by Mr. Spaight , of DerryCastle, but there isno difficulty for even a salmon fisher whois commonly c iv il. The A bbey water, the other side, is letto Maj or Scott , l a resident Sassenach,
”who hasdonemore
kindnesses in Killaloe than can ever be forgotten. He is
most generous with his fishing, and his boatmen (L yons isone of them) are very good fellows, and expert s. Thereare other co t tmen there , and all deserve agood word, thoughthey are inclined to a fisherman’
sbigotry as to their ownways and dodges. O f them I can recommend the J ohnsons,inwhose cotts I have had excel lent sport. The trout fishingnear the bridge is best early in the season, or after the firstautumn floods ; but there are t wo heureux quarts d
’
heure,
betweendaylight and dark, each morning andevening of theseason,
when the trout seem to take the flies as fast as theycan be served with them. A t such a time the only bother isthe number of small beasties, who won
’t let the b ig oneshave their ownway, andthe angler
’s. TheNewport , A nnagh,and Bilbo are all to the south of Killaloe. The first I havespoken of, the others will be read of in L imerick. In all the
streams of North Tipperary, and probably in the Shannon,
the worm flight ki lls perhaps more salmon (no t the biggest),and certainly more trout than all the other devices. The
Nenagh river holds minnow in quantities, and few of theothers any; therefore it should be used asa larder to deludethe fish of neighbouring streams. The Nenagh trout themsolves are so well fed and accustomed to minnow that theyrequire great delicacy of approach. L et me commend thisriver to dry-fly fishers. A t Kil laloe, and at themouth of thesmall rivers, the prawn is deadly. O n Derg , the blow- linemust be used when the May-fly drake is in ; at othertimes,all the standard white- trout flies (v ide Part I .) do well,but olives best.
IN TIP P E RA R Y (SO UTH)
the Suir is the main river,and swallows up all the others.
There are none of them so good as the Shannon affluents Ihave Spoken of, but the Borroso leigh, the Multeens
,the A ra,
and A herlow all hold trout ; and the latter is worth explo
rat ion for the supreme beauty of its glen. The Suir itself isasplendidriver, but it is dreadful ly hacked, andTemplemorearracks turns out more rod-fishers than its upper watersshould well satisfy. A t Holy C ross, however, it commencesto be agood salmon river, and above that, good and very
Since thiswaswritten Maj or Scott died, leaving behindhim in I reland a memory of a thorough, gracious gentleman,wi th ab ig and gentle heart.
How and IVfl'
ere to Fis]: in Ireland.
many trout lie in each deep. From Ho 0 0 . Tipmost of the river is open (to licensed rod permy.C ahir, which affordsbet ter fishing , there is little hindrance Cahir.which cannot be overcome by a request or a crown. Thurles
,
Tipperary, C ashel, and C ahir are all accommodating , andhave endurable hotels. I like of these Tipperary best
,and
the L imerick Junction Hotel, three miles o ff, more thananyof them. In the Upper Suir the Nenagh river flies do verywell but there isan artist, rod andwatch-maker, fly-dresser
,
and admirable C richton resident in Templemore,named
Hil liard, who dresses flies more attractive than any others Iknow on the Suir and all its tributaries : the best of these, onthe Tipperary side, is the A nner,which flows in from towards A nner.Fethard, being j oined by a stream from this little town, nearC lonmel, the headquarters of anglers on the L ower Suir. C lonmel.From the south, the Neir, a good trout stream,
flows in nearC ahir. A t C lonmel the fishing is open, but approach to thebanks is often barred ; and on either side of the town
,for
some miles, the best casts are secured under claims but
notwithstanding this, a stranger who puts himself into thehands of Mrs . Bradford,
” or “ J im Mara,” the local pisci
captors, is likely to get good sport, and with b ig fish. The
trout fishing is free on all parts of the river . The blackrail ,
”the hare’s—ear and claret and the orange grouse ,
”
and “ orange” or “ green wren, are the special favourites
,
but the other seasonable standards all come in, tied large,
as becometh big waters .
L IM E R ICK
is,for the salmon fisher, one of the most attractive of I rish t ime
counties. These reaches, which extend on the Shannon from ” Ck
a little below Killaloe to near L imerick,are all taken up,
land “
with more or less claim,by those who let the fishing to
anglers . Their advertisement is no t properly a part of aguide, and yet it would no t b e complete without referenceto them. These fine waters hold an abundance of salmon,
and running of a size no t surpassed by any in the UnitedKingdom. Harling (trailing) from c otts is their generalmode of capture, andw ith the largest andmost brilliant flies,forwith the prawn or large phantom.
”In the centre of this
superb stretch of water is Castle C onnell, where E nright‘
lcastlehas his rod factory, and a better managed hotel than isf onmngenerallyfound near good fishing . There are some lodgingsto be let , too, and at the IVorld
’
s E nd especially,com ld
’s
fortable ones. The charges for fishing are not exorbitant (ifthe right to charge at all be granted), as compared with
Since I wrote this he died, but his family keep his business going , and they (his sons) are most reliable people, andkeep a too small hotel next their tackle and rod factory.
1 2 0 fl ow andW'
kere to Fir/z in Ireland.
Scotch water-rents. The fishing is nearly all done fromcotts
,and the fliesand bait s used are very large. O f the
latter,very big phantoms ” and the largest prawns do best .
The salmon flies vary exceedingly, and are remarkable fortheir great size and splendour. Some Indian crow
, the
brightest silks, and from six to twelve toppings make up acommon gaudy yet harmonious fly. In preparation for thisbook, I asked some experienced dressers in L imerick tosupplement my own knowledge in the matter, and theirpat terns
,various
,but often called by the same name
, con
v ince me that colour and all you can of it,”are all the
oints in common which good fly—fishers there think well of.lzi estor, in L imerick, ties or gets t ied the best and cheapestsalmon-flies‘ I know of and I should recommend all anglerswho put up in L imerick to place themselves in his hands toobtain the fishin below Prospect Mr. Powell’s water ”)and above C orba y, where the charge for the rods andboat,will amount to about, and not much over, £1 a.day, with aprospect of kill ing, in spring , many large fish. Nestor himself , in 1884, broke into the seasonwith acatch of seven fish,of 153 lbs. weight and Maj or A rmstrong beat him by 9 lbs.next day. The spring fishing is of course the best, and thefish heavier than in summer or autumn but the latter arelivelier months. Within a few miles of L imerick are theMul caire, Bilbo, andDead rivers, all good from the openingof the season for brown- trout (very large in the Mulcaire) .The two former hold many grilse and a few white—trout int he autumn (July the earliest). The standard whi te-troutflies do. I know no one of special merit, but
Tag—gold or silver tinsel, andgold silk.
Tail—topping;Butt—ostric
Body—half golden silk, half dark purple, ribbed silverslightly.
Hackl e—purple, blue jayat shoulder.Wing—topping and summer duck.
Horns—toppingThere is admirable sport in the Mulcaire wi th minnow
andwith its imitators, the Caledonianand E xhibition baits.
The Devon takes well, but fouls too often. The Bilbo andMulcaire are quite first-rate for trout rowling, where I
A ll Shannon salmon-flies should have little or no hark‘eson the bodi es till near the shoulder. In fact, attenuat e dbodies are the “ acceptab les.” A nd this peculiarity beingattended to, I set little value on the variations which eachlo cal angler claims asneedful characteristics of each Shannonfly. Siz e, g lit ter and colour are the real needs. Nestor ’swindow shows the right indescribables, but every one believesin hisown particular bunch of c olour.
1 2 2 How and lV/zere to f ir/z in Ireland;
most of the inland waters andmost fishmigrating from the
sea. C oncerning the Blackwater, the upper waters of thisfine river have for the last fewyears gone back, but now strongefforts are being made to improve them andwith good prospect ive results. There are many fisheries (the better fromFermoy to L ismore) by the season or by the month. The
rents vary from £15 to £50 per mensem. Trout fishing ismostly free and excellent on the main river and its tributaries. Hotel accommodationat Milstreet , Mall ow, Fermoy,KilavullenandL ismore : at L ismore the Devonshire A rmsis the hotel
,A ll the waters belonging to the Duke of that
ilk are free, but the fish must b e given up. A very trustedcorrespondent writes to me (and I quite agree with him)A ll the salmon fisheries worth fishing are strictly preserved ,
”nearly all proprietors
,on all the rivers, let
their fisheries, and any really good pieces of water fetchfancy prices (from £2 0 to £530 per month ) but by taking apiece for the entire season a considerab le reduction is ofc ourse made. E xcellent fisheries can be had at from£50 to£100 for the season. Trout fishing is to b e had asof old.
I t is only necessary to ask for permission,to get it freely,
Fven from the few propriet ors who preserve it. There area few good free quarters(or nearly free)—these are attachedto hotels
,where by paying small sums one can get fairly good
sport,—salmon, sea trout , andbrown-trout. In this connection,Watervil le , in the C ounty Kerry, is notable (vide C o .
Kerry). The writer of the above adds to local remarks,
“ There has been a G overnment inquiry into the state ofhe Irish rivers , but whether anygood wil l result I do notknow . I f gentlemen who own large propert ies on the riverbank s, and who receive high rents for their fisheries would
subscribe a reasonable amount, and not trust thepre
servat ion to the paltry sum raised by l icence money, thingswould mend very rapidly. They pocket all they can
get , and let the lesseesdo astheyplease as to preservation.
”
For the upper L ee the C ork and Macroom railway serves ;for the middle and lower waters the C ork and C oachfordt ram lines.A s for the L ee , some few nice bits can be had for shortarms to £15 for a month ; good fisheries with waterenough for two , or even three rods
,can be had for £40 to
£80 for the season. Furnished residences are to be had (inconnection with fisheries) at (including some servants)£40 amonth. A t C ork and Macroom i s hotel accommodation,andfairly good at C oachford andDripsey. The seatrout fishingon the L ee is c onfined to a small stretch of water betweenthe waterworks weir and the city of C ork. Pleasure boatsdisturb it much, and it cannot be fished except from boats.
Messrs. Haynes, of 63 , Patrick Street , can negotiate forfishingsand are entirely trustwmt hy. TheBlackwater runs
How andW/zere to Fi le/z in Ireland.
out at Youghall, where it divides C ork fromWaterford. Co Cork .Its main affluents in C ork are the Bride and the G lan 137 1716on one bank, and the Funcheon
, the A rraglin, the 0 50 ”
A ubeg and the Dalia, on the other. The G lan and Dalia FWCM ?“
jom It high up, near Kanturk, are small, quite free rivers,A rreg len.
and of little worth except to“ locals.” There are several A L’bfif"
other small trout streams about Kanturk. The A rragl in foam.
”is within easy reach of Fermoy
,runs through lovelynizgo
m'
scenery, and aflords a trout—fisher beautiful sport with the y.
worm in spate , or in its few pools in bright weather. TheP uncheon, which runs into the Blackwater below Moore cheon.
Park, near Fermoy, holds a few salmon and grilse , and isquite free, though it is only courteous to ask permission topass through the Moore Park demense andC olonel Teulon
'
s
grounds, which bound the stream. From BallycloughBridge to itsmouth the Funcheon holds magnificent trout,but I never succeeded in making a grand creel with flies
,
except in agale (up-stream best). Dapping wi th the naturalblue-bottle I have done excellently
,and in a very dirty
freshet a great number of fine trout can be taken with theworm. A t night, the collagh (late in summer
,the small frog
and the white and lemon moth) kill well ; and the bankspermit easy night fishing, except under the rocks, oppositeC olonel Teulon’
s house , a place I always reserved for
(lapping . The best fishing does no t extend farabove Ballyclough bridge . The flies are the “ hare ’s—ears, the “Marchbrown, till May; the
“cow-dung ,
”the “
grouses, and“ wrens,
”the “
red-tail,”and the little “ blue dun and
“ olive ” (Despard’
s pattern). There are few rivers whichgave me as much sport as the Funcheon,
and it has thefurther advantage that it is so accessib le from Fermoy,where Sheriff keeps one of the best hotels in the south ofI reland, and charges very moderately. There are ofteno od lodgings to b e had in Fermoy , and it commands thev
pper Bride , which affords beautiful brown-trout fishingduring the whole season, but especially early and towardsthe close of the season. O ccasional fish, and pretty often
grilse . are to b e got above Rathcormick , but between thatand C onna there is better sport . A t C onna, Kirby
’s Hotel G onna.afi
'
ords cheap and comfortable quarters , and from there theriver fishing of the L ower Bride to and by Tallow is allfree. I t is often worth while to try a biggish olive whitetrout fly, or a
“ hawthorn,
”with a bit of b lue jayat the
shoulder, in the likely pools in this water. Salmon in theearly season, and grilse later on, often reward such an
experiment . The blue jay has more charm for even the
brown trout on this stream than any other I know. The
cream of the fly-fishing for trout on the Bride is only to be Bride,go t when it has just cleared from one flood, and just beforethe river dirties wi th another. When it is ful l and dirty,
Co. Cork.
Tallow.
Co. Cork .
L ombard’stown.
G ortmore.
C“f ord.
How andW/zere to Fish in Ireland.
spinning , or the worm, wi ll do better ; and the worm or
natural dap (blue-bottle), c ockroach, clock, andgrasshopper,answers when the river gets very low in bright weather.Night fishing , as in the Funcheon
,repays trouble . The
salmon fishing below Tallow is free to those who soj ourn atthe Devonshi re A rms, where one can be made very comfortable at moderate charges. The A ubeg is wi thin easyreach of Fermoy. I t j oins the Blackwater above Ballahooly, and is just the stream in which dry fly-fishing anddelicate , bright worming , will be rewarded. The writer haskill ed many score good trout in it . The fli es which itsdenizens love are the “
green wren”and orange grouse,
”
late in the summer ; the“March brown
,and very small
here’
s-ear and yellow, before then.
~L ocal flies,to be go t
from Haynes, of C ork, and in Fermoy, do very well . The
lit tle runs ” from its mouth to above Dr. Mansergh’
s household very lusty trout
,and I hope yet to try them with the
worm flight in bright summer weather. O n the whole , thereis not a better trout river in I reland than thi s little one nearwhich Spencer sung the noble Blackwater (the A win-dhu ofE lizabeth’s day). I t is little chang ed since he lived at
Kilcolman c lose by. Some years ago i ts pools were all freemuch of it now is, but the best are claimed, and their positions and rents are as follows
MA L L OW.
L ombard’s town,half-hour from Mallow by rail. Very
good in high water, but no t quite sport-yielding when riverclears and runs low. Rent about 50l. for season.
1
G ortmore , half-hour from Mall ow. Some good streams.C ondition as L ombard’s-town. Very easily fished. Rent60 1.
Near Castletown—Roche, which touches the A ub eg , isC arrigacunna, which is by rail or car half way fromMallowto Fermoy. E xcellent spring fishing , and some autumn.
L ength, one mile. R ent, 100 1.C lifford , which is the north side of the river (the last was
south). Two miles, with pretty house and offices. 2 001. forall .
C arrig . I do not know if this beautiful water be free ornot . I think it entails a small charge . I t is only two milesfrom C astletown-Roche, where one Mrs. Fitzpatrick has a
li ttle hotel where she puts up and does for anglers, t to omoderate a rate. The great drawback to these waters Is
the exi stence o f a local night poacher who never sleeps inhis b ed. When he has been “ tackled,
”the sport wi ll be
as good as any in I reland of the extent of water. If I
The rents given are those of 1 886—they are probablymuch the same now : not higher.
1 2 6 Howand LV/zere 20 Fz'
s/z in Ireland.
largo. The local fly-dressers are finished artists ; I give ,hcwever, a few patterns which I know to be good, though,perhaps, not of their list
Ta—gold lace and scarlet silk.
I
Ta' —toppin andmorsel Indian crow.
Butt—ostric one turn.
Body—in three : l st , light blue ; 2ud, green ; 3rd,very deep red, all dyed, seal
’
s fur or pig’s wool,
ribbed w ith gold lace (from epaule t) .Hackle—a.dyed hackle of deepest bottle green, nearlyblack, to red, and then black shoulder
, jay.
Wing —tippets two , and over these, mallard bustard,golden pheasant
’s tail,and a strip of red ib is
mixed.
Horns—t oppings. Cheeks, small bits of chatterer.No 2 . Tag
—gold twist, red silk.
Tai l—golden pheasant topping.
Butt—ostrich.
Body—green mohair, deep blue mohair, red mohair(underwing), dyed seal’s fur, mixed with mohairand of these shades, is even be
G old tinsel separating colours.Black hackle or plum hackle .
Mixed w ing . Bustard, grey mallard, over toppings;
shoulder, jay.
Pointers—blue and redmacaw.
Head—ostrich.
No. 3 . Tag—silver tinsel, purple silk.
Tail—topping , blue chatterer. Butt ostrich herl .Body—rough grey bear and pig ’swool half way, thenblue bear, all ribbed over with broad silver, bluejay hackle under wing . Mixed wi ng as in No . 1 ;
pointers as in No. 1 . Sides of wing, large-eyedjungle cock and small blue chatterer each side.
Head—ostrich.
E n passant , all Blackwater fiies may have blue jay at
shoulder, and there are no better flies than the “ JockScott " and Butcher,
” of Mr. F. Francis’ pattern, wi th the
jay added, and none so good the season through . A few
white- trout run up the Blackwater about the end ofJune ; I believe most of them get into the Tourig , the
Finesk , the L ickey, and C lashmore rivers, at least they arenot often kil led in the Blackwater or its C ork tributaries.Fish killed about L ismore are to be given up ; but a fairamount of them are always placed at the angler
’s disposal,free of charge.A fter the Blackwater, the L ee is the most fish—holding of
the C ork rivers, and gives good sport from G eugane~Barrato its dischar e in the C ove of C ork. I t rises amid lonesemest rugge
f beauty, and j oins the sea in scenery st ill
How afza’ W/zere to Fz‘s/z in Ireland.
bewi tching . A t G ougane,l all round the island, there is Co. C ork.
nice free fi shing for brown-trout, but I do no t think salmon
are often taken there. Boats can b e had. G ood trout areto be had in following the L ee down to L ough A llua (theInchegelagh lake of t O Il I iS
’
S), which affords capital trout Iachegahabing , and an occasional fish.
”The-re is a very fair hotel 10 97‘
at Inchegelagh, and nice boats. Brophy’
s is a fair hotel, jandInchegelagh is a oed 8 c t for ike ang lers. "
l‘
isall freefishing there, and fromMayno t badangling isto b e go t evenfor salmon, and it is a proper starting-point (from the C orkside) for theWhite-trout rivers which run into Bantry Bay(vide G lengarrifi
'
e in C o .Kerry notes). Macro om2(on railway Macroom.
from C ork) is, however, a better quarter for salmon fishers,for it not only c ommands the L ee , but its upper tributaries,which carry salmon. The trout fishing is free, and Haynes ,of Patrick Street, C ork ,makes easy arrangements for salmon 0 0 77‘fishers. Between C ork and Macroom, there is a capt al Macmo
’m
trout river, the South Bride, the best in west or south C ork.SW"
Near where it j oins the L ee is the Dripsey, which runs inB“
.
de'
from the north, as do the Blarney river (the Shournagh),
Drapsey.
j ,
and its fellow, the Martin. C oachford is no t a bad place for C OM MON
an early start to the L ee or Dripsey, but the accommodat ionmight be improved. Blarney is a delightful place, and the Blarneysanatorium there is a pleasant standpoint for the observat ion of the oddities of humanity. G ood stories aboundthere . The proprietor is one of the finest anglers in I reland.
South of the L ee,and like it running mainly eastward, is L ee.
the Bandon, which is, I think, the livelier salmon river of Bandon.the t wo . The fishing can be go t through Mr.Haynes on
v ery reasonable terms. L ike the L ee it is a spring river,but no t so early. I t is said to be the least fickle of streams,and it certainly keeps up a fair head of water more con
stant ly than most I rish rivers. The fiies for it and the L ee L ee.are of the same patterns, but those who know these riverswell recommend smaller patterns for the Bandon.
3 O n both Bandon.
The scenery at G ougane is superb. The brown-troutfishing above the average, though the fish are no t generallywhat a L ough Derg man would call big. Mrs . C roninkeeps a “ shebeen ”
on the lake side , which I’m told is
comfortable,”and certainlyher charges for boats and boat
men are moderate .
3 The trout about Macroom run small,from i to 7} lb
The Bandon River is mostly preserved, but the best
stretches are to be let (by the season, from £30 toThe trout fishing , in places excellent
,is nearly all free .
The lowerWaters at Innisshannon (all tidal) hold sea-troutbrown and slob trout. The hotel there
at Dunmanwayare fairly comfortable andmoderate
CO. Cork.
How andW/zere to Fir/z in Ireland.
the size of the proper fly varies not so much between theearly and late season as between flood water (clear, ofc ourse) and very low water. Thus the “ yellow A nthony ”
may b e tied on No. 4 or even 3 for a ful l river, and aweek
later on No. 8 for low water, but medium flies generally dobest. Mr.Haynes supplies all the patterns in great perfection, and I append a list of them and a description of how
Dumnan'
a few of them are dressed. Dunmanway,Ballynean, and
w (1 11
Bal lynean.
Bandon.
b ki b
bervefn.
R . I lcn
G landare.
Bal lyde
ho t .
Rea/ r ingwater .
0 lassha
boy.
A w in-a
Curragh.
Cast le
martur.
Di nsrmr.
Hidd.
’eton.
Bandon afford quarters. Ballynean is the most central.In spring I shoul d take my chance for the best sport there ,but in autumn Bandon I think best , asmore white—trout arethere to vary the game. From Skibbereen or G landore ,capital white and brown-trout fishing is to be had afterearly July. From the former the R iver Ilen is got at . I tholds spring salmon, a summer run, gri lse, white and browntrout . There is a hotel asat G landore. The latter was amodel of cleanliness, c omfort, and cheapness
,and I have
not heard that it is changed. From the Ballydehob river ,near Roaringwater, to the old head of Kinsale, everystreamdischarging in the sea holds numbers of whi te-trout
,but
they must be sought for the moment the floods begin toabate. E astward of C ork the G lasshaboy, the A win-a
C urragh, the C astlemartyr, and Dissour all afi'
ord sportsome few salmon, white and brown- trout , but not so manyor so good as the westward rivers. Middleton is a goodcentre for these (rail to there).The L ee, Bandon, andWest C ork salmon fli esare1 . The Black G oldfinch (a low-water pattern).2 . The
“Blue Palmer ”
3 . The G olden O live4 The C laret Palmer and
5 . The O range A nthony6 . The
“ L ee Blue ”
(do. when tied wi th silk body and
small ) .
1 . TheBlue and O range and
(high water).G rey and O range2 . The Half grey and brown (high water).3 . The “ L ee Blue ”
(high t er).4 . The “ O rangeman
”G enerally good in all con
5 . Tandy ”dit ions of water (siz es
6 Yellow A nthony varied).O f these fliesThe Yellow A nthony is perhaps the most fatal.
Tag—silver tinsel, yellow silk of the exact shade of
the tail.Tail—topping.
hold lots of small salmon, 6 to 8 lbs., and fine sea t rout .Sk ibbereen and C lonakilty hote ls are better than one
expe c ts there.
Co. 0 t it.
ue e'n’s
00. Kerry.
I 30 How and lV/zere to Fz'
s/z in I reland.
Body—claret silk ribbed silver from below 2md rib.
Hack le,sky-blue or blue seal picked out shoulder
,
Wing- bitsof tippet, golden swan, claret swan, goldenpheasant’s tail under brownmallard.
Horns—blue macaw.
Head—black.
The “Half grey and brown,”the formula of which I know
no t exactly.
These six flies represent in some measure the modifica
tions and shades which prevail in the rivers near C ork.Haynes, in Patrick Street, is a very reliable man andmoderate. There are other local men about, whose dressingis probably good too. In C ork there 1 8 more than one goodhotel , the Imperial isfirst-rate Queen’
s-town is excellentlyprovided ; and .at Passage 1 8 one where they have very goodhot salt baths to boil m on an off day. The c lubs 1n C orkopen their doors readily to any introduced strangers. E x
perts all say the C ork rivers have the peculiarity of giv ingmost sport to salmon fishers who fish high withysomewhata less drowned fly than usual. In the Blackwater I can saythere is no trace of thi s oddity. In the L ower Bandon andL ower L ee the prawn does excellently, and the best tackleisdue to the invention of Dr. B a C ork man. C ork ishappily not infested with pike ; there are, however, manyo od erch lod ee ;s charr are said to be found in Inchegelagh.
fussi’m t ere are many, but I beli eve the mountainlakelets inWest C ork and the Kerry border should be
credited with some queer customers not unlike pollen. Inever saw but one, and the pseudo-captor called him a“ b obbin ” 1
(hibernics“ br1ac This was an evident
misnomer,as the fish was black (dhu), not yellow (bui).
Sea fishers shoul d trythis coast,which teemswith the spensthey seek.
KE RRY
1s a county fertile in fish.2 The salmon are not verymany
or very large, but their distribution is general. The whitetrout are excellent , and in all the streams. There are a fewferoces or b ig-headed brown trout of the ferox pattern,
1 Can this be the Hautin of old writers ?3 A c orrespondent who knows this county well warns me
that,like all I rish fishings, those in Kerry have fallen o ff
since I first wrote of them. I would add that atWatervilleand thereabouts the angling restrictions are said to havebeen extended, and I
’m told that now the keepers try t omake ang
l ers for ‘‘white trout ” take out the local salmonlicence.
How andWkere to Fir/z in Ireland.
numberless true brown trout , charr (probably) or a lake fish Cu. Kerry.like them,
and s c oial°
keand erch. Most of the fishing ispreserved in a sort of away, andthere is none of it whichcan
’t b e go t for a small charge . O wing to the streams oftourists which its scenery attracts, the accommodation is,for I reland, exceptionally good. L ong drives by carmust beundertaken to reach many good waters, though there are
railways to Killarney and Tralee. To the north the first Ki llam‘w'
important river is the Fesle,which we touched on in g
a
ge
,L imerick, whence it runs. Near its mouth
,after receiving 15 G
“
;e'
the G aly, it changes its name to the C ashen, and soon dis R
.
G igi/
é”charges into seanear Ballybunion. This little place affords Bally:lodgings ; but L istowel, a flourishing little town, is abetter bum” .
place to get to this river, and it covers easily the southern L istowel.tributaries , the Smeralagh and the Shanegh, which are all Smerabreeding rivers ,which hold some grilse andmanywhite trout lagh.
in autumn. The Feale itself has many salmon of medium Shanegh.
weight, and very game. L istowel furnishes guides and flydressers. The flies resemble the Bandon patterns, but witha little more c olour
,and the “ Jock Scott
,
”and Butcher,
with blue jay (side Blackwater) and the silver grey, and a
very deep orange grouse kill we ll -hooks 5, 6 , 7. The hotelat L istowel is comfortable, and cheap . The Feale salmon Feala.at low water seem to affect spinning (natural) minnows ,indeed low water seems generally the proper time for this lure.
In the Feale I first saw used a single fly shotted, and playedsink-and-draw ” fashion for trout andwhite trout at nightfor the former. I t is very killing , and they call this modethe “ C lare style, from the county where it was general .From Tralee the rivers L ee and Maine are accessible . Tralee.
Both rivers hold a few salmon,more white
,and many L ee.
and nice brown t rout. Thence too, access is easy to the Ma’i ’ne
barony of C orkaginny, apeninsulawhich, pushing out northof Dingle Bay, has many rivers (Finglas, for instance) fi l
my
which hold in autumn white trout in number,and ever so Fvnglas.
many brown trout . A tour through this wild barony wi tha pony and Berthon woul d repay a fisher of “ virgin
”
streams, and there is a b ig tarn to be reached from the
town of Dingle , near Beenaskee, another near A nauscaul ,and three or four further west which should be t ried Beenaskee,by adventurers provided with a Berthon, or collapsible A mus
boat. The Maine flows down to Castlemaine harbour caul .from about half-way (by train) from Tralee to Kil Maine.larney, and when it has been fished down to the sea, Killorghlan, which has an inn, is a stepping -stone to fish theL aune from Killorglan (on it ) back to Killarney . C olonelA mphlett exercises “ rights
” over the Maine,the lower L '
fW'M '
reaches of which are very good, especially for white trout ;A dm"
June, July, and A ugust being the best months. There is g’a’“
little difficulty in - mak ing terms by the week or month, I
I 32 How and lV/zere 10 Fish in [relami
Co.Kerry. believe ; but overmost of this river ‘Mr. Herbert ’s successor
Vi eforia.
Bay.
L alre ViewHnuse.
L awns.
Toomfg
.
L
Ki l lor
g lam.
G lenca'r.
71
L ake.
C loo 'n
L ake.
Bridagh.
Carragh
beg.
l‘
L ord A rdillaun,of Mucross, exercises a claim, which Mr.
H was wont to transfer to his tenant (C olonelA mphl ett , of C ahirnane , Killarney), who did no t permitfishing , except on terms which were no t high. From Ballymeall is pool down the fishing (as good asanyon the river) isfree
,except a short stretch
,for which the proprietor, Mr.
C harles Johnson,never refuses leave . The fishing on the lak esI A ..
is al l free. The accommodation there 1 8 excel l'
éi i t at seveb
ralhotelsfihe
“L ake,”the Mucross
,the “Railway,
”and others.
The tariff is about 1 2s.p er diem,o_
r from 41. a week. TheM
fi ’ 7~o
ch’
arA
g
‘
e'
fbr boats 1 3 735, but the propfi b tbfi ff the; L ake Hotela q
' s
says,but we cangi ve aboat free, so that the hire to an angler
would be simply~3a whic_h‘i_s onlnhehoatman
’
s—o—fhire .
” Such an arrangement can, doubtless, b e made withthe other hotels asamatter of found 6 3 . adaycover myboat expenses (whiskyno t indiuded—many of themen are total abstainers). The best fishing is got with thetrol l or spin. May to A ugust are the best months forsalmon,
but the cross lines get most of the not too numerousSalars.” Herring-siz ed, andnow and then b ig trout , are tob e got in any number on a good day, near Brown Island,VictoriaBay, and the north shore under L ake View Houseto themouth of the L aune, andround the O pposite (Toomies)shore. June and July are the best months for trout. The
Spoon,
”the “Devon
,the “ E xhibition,
”Caledonian,
”and
Phantom” blue and brown,all do well, the small natural
minnow best of all , unless where b ig fish are known to
harbour, and the acquaintance of the boatmen wi th them iswonderful. The small trout is not generally useful, but hereand there the troutling attracts his b ig brothers.
it FromKi llorglan to G lencar is about 7 miles, and the mail car
charge is 2 3 . 6d. for each passenger. A t the G lencarHotel,Mrs. Breen makes her customers very comforta e
, an t ey
get free fishing on the river Carra h from Carragh L ake toC loon L ake , and on the tribu ary ridagh and C arraghbeg
(over t en miles). The be st side of C arragh L ake is held byMrs. Breen,
and on the opposite side Mr. McG il licuddyE ager letshi s fishing , either by season or month. The bestsalmon fishing is no t aft er A pril . The C arraghbeg is a sweettrout stream. The gril se come in May, June, and July.
1 Sir M. J. O’
C onnell is lessee of the Dunloe portion, andMaj or O liver Day Stokes is lessee of Ballymall is, and leaveis given by them t o persons bearing introductions. I aminformed that under new arrangements the L aune andFleskfishings may be, this season, taken by arrangement by thet icket buyers. The L aune is best after June .
For convenience I refer my readers to list of Kerryspec ial fliesat the end of the notice of the county.
Co.Kerry.
Belmiagh.
1 34 How andWkere to Fisk in Ireland.
White-trout brooklets and the tarns in I veragh are
countless. I shall only mention the Fartagh, the westernmost river in this barony. I t runs in near C ahirciveen, andon it and other streams about, capital white- trout fishing isgo t , the Knight of Kerry making no objection. Turningeastward from Waterville through Sneem
,and having
crossed the A rdshellaun, the Sneem, Blackwater and theFiririahy rivers, one reaches Kenmare, at the head of anestuary into which those rivers andthe Sheene and Roughtydischarge close by. The L ansdown A rms is the best hotel
,
and there is good and cheap accommodation at the Blackwater Bridge , some six miles south-west. The fishing ispreserved
,but given on request . The Roughty is perhaps
the best salmon river, but it certainly is no t as good fortrout or white trout as the A rdshellaun or Blackwater. If
this river were looked after it would be excellent. I t is,however
,each season poisoned with herbs by poachers. The
white trout fishing is late in all these streams—Julyandsucceedingmonths. Mr. Dav id Mahony, of Dromore Castleis the local proprietor about L ough Brian, which has charrand good trout, but spinning is the onlymode to take thelar estfl of them.
ear Heai‘
tford (G . S . W. R .) runs the A nna C ree, agood brown trout river, which discharges into the Flesk, abeautiful salmon and brown trout river
,which passes
Killarney into the large lake . The river is preserved, but
arrangements can be made for it as far as P ap L ake (brownrent and charr). A little but good river (Belmiagh), joinsthe A nna C ree, and there are other (the L eo , the C lydagh)sporting streamswithin easy reach. For brown trout gaudygrouse seem to beat all others, andKerry trout love abit oftinsel. No county is more charming to fish in than Kerry.The poorest persons there are courteous to strangers. The
charges for boats and cars are very moderate,and that for
accommodation reasonably so. The local fly-dressers areunsurpassable, though it is very difficult to follow theirwritten descriptions. Mrs.McCarthy,w ife of TimMcCarthy,High Street , Killarney, supplies beautiful , durable , andmosttak ing flies for all the rivers of the county,andI think thereis more variety in the local patterns here than anywhere.Haynes and the other C ork tackle men have and t ie
excellent patterns. O range, green, blue, and claret prevailin Kerry flies, with dull wings and tinsel , in the salmon,white trout and brown trout. L ike the smiles and forms of
close to Waterv ille, grey “ home-made tweed of greatexcellence is to be bought for a trifle from the poor womenwho weave it. For its like one has to go to another wildc ountry, Donegal.
How and lV/zere to Fisk in Irel and. I 35
her lovely mountains , the rivers of Kerry are very fickle,a Co.KG ??
charnnng characterist l c , as there 1 8 no day there w1thoutsome few sporting hours . The last fishing I commend inKerry proper is L oughs G uttane, C o omclogherane , and G uttane.
C arrantwohill . A ll these hold noble red trout,for which C oomdog ‘
the small Fiery Brown,”O live and “Dun G rey (bodies), herane.
under claret for the first,and bottle green hack les for the C
urrant
others,is the charming fly ; but spinning is better for the
wohi l l.
largest fish. Kerry is reached in the centre by the G reat Kerry.
Southern andWestern Railway, northward from L imerickby A bbeyfeale or L istowel, and from the south-east throughlonely G lengarrifl
'
,which is in C ork officially, but in Kerry G len:
for fishermen,to whom it gives white and brown trout in garmfi
'
.
great numbers, andmany salmon of average size . There arevery go od hotels (E ccles
’and R oche’s) ; the proprietor of
one of them lays himself out to suit ang lers . There are atleast fiv e lakes which give excellent sport . The A drago o le ,
A dragoolo.
the Camoola, the O uvane, and the Mealagh all g ive sport , Camoo la.
and are specially good for white trout, which run from early O uvanein July to the end of season, and grilse with them. The Mealagh.
Barlylough, Ballilickyfishingsare to be got for nothing , or IE a'rl
fiy
a very trifle, through R oche, of hotel . The best salmonBdi
l' i ll ckfishing time mayb e said to be September. The prawn is y.
not often tried in Kerry ; I can’t but think it would do well,
and will try it in the Roughtyafter a spate in September,when that river is ever kind. The difficulty of describingsalmon flies from the descriptions of the best dressers isoften insuperable. I give a specimen which was sent me byan art ist
Body—orange floss silk.Hackle—jay hackle, red under.Wing—mixed.
This fly may be made with hackle blue or green if
required.
The following will, however, be understoodForwhite trout.
1 . G rouse hackle , orange or olive bodies, with or without mallard wing .
2 . C laret body busked big , mallard wing , black hackle.3 . Black body, blue hackle, silver tinsel,mallard wing .
For salmon.
G reys , asa rule , brilliantly tied andwith plenty of jay.
1 . Tag—silver ; tail topping and hood with sprig o f
green parrot.Body—two or three tw ists of orange pig wool, thena turn of blue, remainder greymonkey-ribbed goldtwist.Hackle—O range.Wing—brown turkey or bustard backed mallard.Horns—blue.
I 36 How andWkere to Fz'sk in Ireland.Head—black ostrich.
2 . Tail topping and.hood (strips).Tag—silver.
Butt—twist of purple and twist of black ostrich.
Body—a fourth yellowmohair, rest blue-ribbed gold.Hack le—jayup all body, orange hackle overall .Wing—mallard, red macaw, turkey, golden pheasantta1l, mixed.
Head—black ostrich.Mr. Haynes, of Patrick Street, C ork, has verykindly fur
nished me wi th seven patterns for the Kerry lakes andr1vers
Tag—silver tinsel
,orange silk.
Tail—tippet and topping (strips).Body—light blue hackle halfway, then light greyribbed silver tinsel over corresponding furs.
Shoulder—blue jay.
Wing—(mixed) tippet, very little golden pheasanttai l, red flamingo, over all brown Mallard.
Horns—blue macaw .
Head—one turn black ostrich.
Tag—gold tinsel, orange.
Tail—topping .
Body—very deeply dyed reddish purple seal, wi thb lu
gjay hackle from middle to shoulder, ribbed
go lWing—as in No . 1 .
Horns—blue andyellow macaw.
Head—asNo. 1 .Tag—silver and deep orange.
Tail, wing , horns, head, asNo . 2 .
Body—first half blue seal, second half purple redseal, blue jayat shoul der.
A s 3 , but body deepest red purple seal under, goodred hackle from tail, blue jayat shoulder.
5. Same as 4, but with body of black seal under deepestdyed red hackle, ribbed gold jayat shoulder.
6 . Tail—tag asNo . 2 .
Wing—more topping than in 2 .Body—half blue seal , half grey seal, claret seal undershoulder ribbed silver.
Tag—silver tinsel, light blue.
Tail—topping.
Body—cri ey seal ribbed silver, blue jay hackle atshoul er.
Wing—mixed, as 1 , but abit golden dyed swan nextflamingo.
Head - b lack.
Co.WaterfordC lonmel.Car/rick.
C oo lna
muck.
A nner.
C lodagh.
G lan.
Sti l logues.
C oo :na
duallagh.
Co.
G alway.
A them'
yJ unct ion.
(Foraportion of the
fishv'
fngs
whi ch bo 'r
der G al
way[atMount
Shannon,Portumna]see Co .
Tipperary,North.)
1 38 How andWkere to Fisk in Ireland.
Kilkenny and Tipperary, is the only river which may beconsidered. Most of the fishing is quite free on both banks,andwhen it is closed on theWaterford bank, it is not at alldifficul t to obtain permission to fish. C lonmel
,with good
lodgings, excellent hotel, and G arrick wi th a very comfortable hotel and lodgings, are the best headquarters. The
C o olnamuck , the A nner, the C lodagh , and the G lan holdgood brown trout, but for heavy fish St illogues, C oomaduallagh, Mohr, C oomshuigaun, are lou hs whi ch reallydeserve to be worked, St ill ogues and C oomshuigaunespec ially.‘
G A LWA Y—MA YO—R O SC OMMO N, A ND L E ITR IM ,
make up theWestern District. I ts eastern watershed firstgoes to the Shannon, its western t o the A tlantic. The
feeders of the former hold salmon, brown trout , and pike.
The direct A tlantic-going rivers have white trout beside.The c ounty G alway is approached from the east by theMidland andWestern Railway, and from the south fromC lare by rail also (viaA thenry Junc tion). O n the j ourney from south no good river will be passed
,nor any
adjacent loughs, but O ughter (L ord G ough’
s) and R ea,
and neither are of much value. A t G alway one reachesgood fishing of a sort, and two fair hotels, Mack
’swhich is small and cosy, and the Railway which is largeand clean ; the provender in both is very fair, and the
charges not quite as unreasonable as in some otherC onnaught hotels. The salmon fishing in G alway properis actually in the town ; the prison behind the rod, and
high buildings on the other side the stream. The fishingis only over a few hundred yards, and is conducted from a
gravelled walk bounded by awall which drops sheer to thewater. A t the foot of this stretch ” is abridge, and in this
1 Did I believe much of the varieties of trout, I shouldput down the “ breac-mohr ” of the last lough asa corpu
lent ly distinct branch ofrlhe
sa
t
-
iln
l
i on
prqlnnect ion.
hThere is
lit tle fishing between A pr'
an u y. e pike fis ing aboutis t oo
fl gggfid. From C lonmel the Tar, Wt TI runs fromC IE)
"
gheen is easy. I t used to be a capital brown trout streamto end of season. The best trout on record at C lonmel waskilled last season on the Devonbait (8 A t present Mrs.Bradford, in C lonmel, is a very good guide in matterspiscatorial. The Duke of St. A lbans reserves , but no t
churlishly, some of the A nner. Mr. C ooke, L ord Donoughmore and Mr. Bagnell preserve the best salmon water.Withal C lonmel is agood fishing-station, espec ially to thosewho obtain entrance to the very hospitable c lub.
“ J imMara,
” if alive, is the best professional aide. The wormbeats all flies on the Suir. ( Vide ante C o . Tipperary .)
How and ”Were to Fir/z in Irel and.
bit of water one is privileged to fish at about £1 a rod perdiem (monthly or weekly terms can be made). The numbersof salmon seen, and sometimes sea trout, is prodigious , andnow and then one or both give excellent sport
, espec ially toprawn fishers, but it lacks the poetry of sport on awild loughor river.l No better place canhowever be selected for novi cesin salmon casting and lacking fish-lore
, asadepts in art andstory are often there, ready to relinquish theirnewspapers toput a tyro up to dodges—nev er,you know,
told other mortal !A ll the standard patterns used in I reland do well when theydo at all . The “ Jock Scott,
”the Butcher,
”and “ C aptain,
for choice. Mike Hearne’s G oshawk haskill edt here . In
earlV spring No. 3 is about the best size of iron later on thehooks should gradually be used smaller till just before theclose time. A pplication for a rod should be made to theHonorary Secretary of the A ngling C lub . The specials inwhich G alway fishers profess to place faith have olive oro range bodies, mixed wings, and a good deal of greenfeathers and blue jay about them. The local tiers makethem well and cheaply. A day or two spent in the picturesque old town is seldom thrown away
,as one can hear
there all the gossip and wrinkles of the western fishings t oBallina. C lose by and north of G alway is L ough C orrib ,in which
and for them,not salmon, I this lake to
tourists Indeed,Wheaexerraacamlsmrpfi srfislm rlfin
Jardine for example, _
tack1g thi make in winter, we mayexpect
‘
rss‘
afd’
to“
The biggestlakers are kill ed with the fly oftener here than elsewhere
,
but a small trout , aminnow,or gudgeon, kills them oftener,
and an eel-tail (large) has an advantage above them all,
as ferox a?) l i e ake it avidly,and it beats every other
fifi éTdrThe samon I believe most salmon arego t in early spring , but I should prefer the C orrib fishingfrom July to the end of season, when of course pike may betaken. The following five flies do for the lakers, the whitetrout, and now and then a salmon in C orrib , and generallyabout as good as any on any of the lakes in the westerndistrict .
1 . Tail—two filaments golden pheasant topping .
Body—floss silk (orange) ribbed with black silk.Hackle—largest grouse.Wing—largest grouse.
2 . Tag—gold tinsel.
- A
Hypercritical people saymany fish are hooked foul .2 Nicholas Browne and L ydon are the local quid-nunos in
G alway.
Corri b.
Co.
G alway.
A wo 'nm'
fi.
1 40 How and l’V/zere to Fix/z in Ireland.
Tail—gold pheasant topping.
Butt—ostrich herl.Body—maroon—red silk ribbed with black ostri ch andvery fine gold twist.
Hackle—claret.Wing—grouse with G uinea fowl over blue macawpointers.
3 . O liveW0 O 1, Body ribbed gold tinsel.
Brownmallard wing and tail.4. Tail—golden pheasant topping .
Body—red hackle over black bear.Wing—teal over two golden pheasant.Tippet—feathers, one each side.Head—black ostrich.
5. Body—black silk or horse-hair.Tag—orange silk .
Tail —golden pheasant topping.
Wing—grey water hen over a smal l hackle (red).Head —o strich (black).
A t O ughterard is a comfortable hotel, from which are
reached the best casts on upper C orrib about the islandsandunder A shford. The A wonrifl
'
river (at the door) is worthattention in a strong autumn spate, or after one, in a stormwhich woul d make the lake unpleasant . There is a lake(Ross) which holds ni ce fish ; I think the proprietor of theO ughterard Hotel arranges for it, andthe tarns, full of trout(a collapsible
,
” or coracle, is used for these).Maam is the next station
,and the north-eastern key to
C onnemara, as isBallinahinch the south-western, andC lifdenthe western. There is a snug hotel at Maam, within easyreach
,loughs and tarns without number, andall free and full
of trout .lFive shill ing s a day is the highest charge for boats on
C orrib . By the mail car from G alway to C lifden (8 8 . all thej ourney), the Ball inahinch fisheries are reached, O ughterardbeing about half-way to the Recess Hotel,
2 whi ch aecommodat es the ang lers. Besides the Recess, there is now, I
believe , ahotel at G lendalough, whi ch is very comfort able,and within an easy di stance of the Ballinahinch fisheri es.The quart ers here are very comf ortable, and the fishing
A s I write, some arrangements are said to be on foot toobtain rights for the soj ourners at Maam. I shoul dwant none there, but what a mountain pony, a gui de, and aport able boat would give me .
3 The R ecess Hotel is now run by the M . G .W. Railway.
I t is extended, improved andmoderate. O’
L aghlan’sHote l
(the Zetland A rms) at C ashel is very good, and in a sport
giving country.
142 fl ow and ”Men to Fir/z in Irelana’.
and lake , the O wenho l iska river and lake, and the L oughkipand linked river which run out at Spiddle ,
l are all bestgo t at directly from G alway. They should certainly befished before starting on the north-west
, m'
a O ughterard,Ballinahinch, and C lifden, beyond which the upper half ofC onnemarais reached fromthe upper Kylemoreand L eenaneroad.
2 Mainly on the left of this road,are several lakes not
much fished , and perhaps most accessible from L etterfrack,where there is some rough accommodation. Kylemore L akeaffords capital sport, and Mr. Mitchell-Henry, the kindlygentleman who hasdone so much for this neighbourhood, isnot too exigent to sportsmenwho are civil enough to ask permission in advance. L ough Mask, which touches G alwayC ounty,andis separated fromC orrib byanarrowneckat C ong ,will be dealt with in the notice of thenext county. The bestfishing on the eastern side of G alway is confinedmainly to theShannon alon Derg, and from Portumna t o Banagher.
3
In both these it t le t owns are hotels, and good boats andsk ilful boatmen, and at Meeli ck there are really some admirable casts, which in early spring and in autumn yieldsport. Farm-house lodgings are to be got there, and thereisa cosy little inn. Summer fish come upinJune , just afterthe disappearance of the May fly on Derg, and thereforeMeelick deserves attention. In any interval which mayoccur between theMay-flyandthe summer run, gillaroo mayb e killed in Derg , and capital brown trout in the run,
”and
about the islands,at Meelick.
4 A bove Banagher, the Suckruns in it holds salmon
,trout
,a (1 man eat pike, but is
dreadfully poached at night. I ts Best irlfiutari es‘ are theBunowen and Shivena. None of them deserve much attention from anglers, but no doubt winter ike
'
fishin in the
S2 91:l ould be excepti o‘
rialTy—m —fi—trm gs
gfma' d
oe, where is a good hotel,and presiding convivial soul s known to all C onnaught.
There is a lodge at Spiddle, which I am told affordsaccommodation onpayment. From it C ostello can be easilyreached. This is a nice salmon station, and no t muchsurpassed anywhere for white trout, espec ially Screebe.
2 There isaclean hotel now open at A sleagh which is convenient for the E rrive and lakes. The L eenane Hotel, onKi llartyBay, is good and central.
3 A number of salmon pass through L ough Derg and runup the Shannon ; the best place to try for them, of lateyears, is on the Ford at Portumna, but they are occasionallytaken in other parts of the lough—vide C o . Tipperary ante.
The Meelick grilse and trout like “grouse,
”and a
special , called the “Maj or ” (after the late Maj or DI t is claret pig
’
s-wool body, golden pheasant tail , and a bitof summer duck for wing (body, ribbed gold tinsel).
How and l 'l’
lzere to Fish in Ireland.
Into Mask from G alway run the O wenbrin and other rivers,
but theyneed only be mentioned as being near L eenane, bywhi ch the C onnemara road enters the
C O UNTY MA YO ,
and soon touches the E rrive, a beautiful salmon river, in Co. Mayo.which the fishing is let at very moderate prices (73 . 6d. a E rn
‘
ee.
day, or 8 1. amonth), through the proprietor of the hotel nearby. (The charge for trout-fishing is, I believe, abandoned.)Thence are reached L oughs Nafo oney (within the G alwayNafoony.border), G lendawaugh, and Tawnward, and the A windufl
'
G lendabelow,
and the G lendawaugh rivers above it , and the Fin, waugh.Deo
, G lencullen and C ullen lakes, at Delphi L odge, beloved Tawnand praised b many anglers. O n these
, and the river ward.
which j oins t em to the sea, large salmon in spring ,summer fish
, grilse, white trout and brown giv e sportas varied as excellent. I am t old there is now a
moderate charge made , but L ord Sligo, or Mr. Powe ll ,of Westport, his agent, are very generous with per
mission to fish and use the lodge , which is now tob e let . To the right of the Westport road, the upperA ille g ives exceptional sport to a worm fisher , andL ough Mohr to any owner of a collapsi ble boat . Westward,behind C roagh Patrick, are the C olony, the Carrownav iska,and the Bunowen (the L ouisburg ) rivers, and some mountain lakes—L ougall , Nacorra, G arveybeg , A ltora, andMuck.
A ll these lakes are full of trout, but lack boats, and can’t be
L ou al lfished without . O f the rivers the L ouisburg is the best, andNacgfrra:avery good one. Mr. G arvey
,of Tulley, makes easy terms G arvey-l
for some of the upper waters, and L ord John Brown gives beg.occasional permission for the L ouisburg , which is avery late A ltom ,
river, but , when it is no t too low, asgood for its length asMuch.any I know. Mr. Berridge, who purchased the remnant O f
the Martin property, has the bank on one side of part of thisriver
,and his agent, Mr. Robinson
,would possibly let the
fishing ; and Mr. Powell will probably do so on L ordSligo
’
s part. The Maj or (side Meelick , G alway), and theJock Scott
, with blue jay hackle at shoulder, are the bestflies for this stream I know. A light fiery brown and silvergrey do well too. I t requires astiff wind,and one up streamfrom the north is almost as good asasouth-west
,which is
best O f all. There is an inn,and lodgings over a shop at
L ouisburg fowls, andpotheen. Ned-port.bydriving round the bayunder C roagh Patrick, andthrough (
‘froaghWestport , a tumbling down,
but most picturesque O ld town,Patri ck
by L ord Sligo’
sPark,where runs astream intoalake ,both fullWeStP OTto
of small trout . There is little difficulty in obtaining leave t ofish these. Mrs. G ibbons’ hotel in Vl’ estport is one of the
Carrawnam
’
ska.
Bunowen.
L ouisburg.
1 44 How andW/zere to Fz's/z in Ireland.
00 . Mayo. best in I reland, with only one drawback, the beggars O f the
Bel tragh.
Bel tragh.
G lenhesk.
town,andthe unpaid at tacke’sO f the hotel. They are count
less as locusts, and as hungry. L ess than nine miles fromWestport isNewport,l w ith a cosy inn,
and some late springsalmon and late grilse fishing but it isasawhite trout fishing quart er that it c laims great attention. The Newportriver in the tide-wayvery often gives sport ; higher up, however, it runs down so quickly that little is done on it
, but
some seven miles o ff it emerges from its mother lake , Beltragh, and from about the first week in July to Septemberthe 20th, this lovely water affords such white trout fishing asno other place I know. The fishing cannot,without trespass,b e got to on the western shores, but on the east the lake isbounded by the public road to C rosmolina. Maj or Knoxowns one shore, andSirR oger Palmer the o ther. Sir G eorgeO
’
Donnel used to claimaseveralfisheryof the lake,and thoughit may b e let , there is no difficul ty in asking a permission,which I have no t heard O f his relative
,Mr. Thomas
,refusing ,
for he is good-natured. The brown trout in Beltragh are
small,and don’t take a spinning-bait , nor do the white trout
touch anything but the fly. A bout the mouth of the lake a
gril se is not unfrequent , but the whi te trout fishing is thesport there. They run from 1 lb. t o 5 lbs. Take this asanexample—Flies first wet after two o ’clock : on the way toC astlebar, at 7.40 p.m. Fish kill ed by one redin the interval
,
twenty-eight white trout, one of 5 lbs., four O f 4 lbs., two
between 2 lbs. and 3 lbs.,four under 4 lbs.
,and all the others
between 1 lb.and 2 lbs. ; add four herring- sized brown trout,and a grilse of 6 lbs., to complete the creel
,to remember
which is to think tenderly O f beautiful Beltragh.2 There is
but one comfortable boat on Beltragh, and that is the
property of the police ,who have astation at the pointwherethe lake touches the Castlebar road. O n the O pposite shore,near G lenhesk, a man call ed C olleran has a roomy and not
uncomfortable boat for an angler, provided with waders’
boots or trousers,and a four-gallon vessel for constant use,
1 A bout a mile from Newport is L ough Furnace, a loughvery good for salmon, and very good for white ”
(sea)trout , but leave to fishmust be O btained from the proprietor.The New Hotel, which is run by the M . G .W. Railway at
Mulranny, is excellent, moderate, and in the centre of sport .L ough Furnace is quite accessible fromWestport, as thereone of Balfour’s railways ” isnow running. I hear the railway hotel is fairly good, if not quite the rival of G ibbons
’
.
2 I have no alteration to make in myremarks onBeltraghbut that it is said not t o b e so easy to get permission aswhen Sir G eorge lived. Hisniece, Mrs. O
’
Donnel Thomas,succeeded him.
M01
1 46 How andW/zere to Fz's/z in Ireland.Co. l !ayo lately enlarged, and it is a delightful place for a short
sojourn. Fishing , 2 8 . 6d.aday, boat included. E xtrafor theriver. Rail to A chill Sound, car and sea thence to Dugort .
L .Foddah. O f the bog lakes, L ough FO -ldah (no t to b e confoundedwith its namesake west of Newport), on the Castlebar sideo f C ullen, is the best in Mayo that I know for very la
'
ge ,powerful, but ill-coloured trout . The orange grouse, afterthe 10thMay, is good all over the Mayo wat ers. A sarulwar1
,mohair, or seal does better than silk in Mayo t rout-flies.
Beyond Newpr rt are the Burrishoole lakes. Mr.Kennedyrents them
, but L ord John Browne reserves something fv l‘
his friends,and both he and the lessee are incl ined to be
most free in permitting fair angling for salmon or whiteL . Fur trout or brown in L oughs Furnace or Feeagh above it. Thenace.‘ salmon flies used with most success are Heame
’s patterns,
L . Feeagh. and that (Dr. L eonard) from Foxford. Forwhi te trout andL Belt brown trout those for Beltragh do.7 0 9”
0A bove these Burri shoole lakes the feeding rivers give
51 .
Burrzs
sport, asdO those (westward) along the coast to Mul ranny.
$0
1
9
] The best of these is the Tyrena river, which is new, I believe,u wm’y‘ bounded by the property of Mr. Stoney, of Rosturk C astle,
who makes no difficulty about fishing . Dr. Peard celebratedL akelet this first -rate whi te trout river. In a little lakelet, about abehi nd mile from Beltragh police barrack, and touched by the roadCastleLa/r to Castlebar, a gross of small but beautiful trout can heand killed in a short day, but there is no heat , and the reedsBel tragh. make casting from the bank impossible. In the “ halfL .C logher
? parish ”
(L ord L ucan’
s property) is a lake (C logherwhi ch the same i s true, and these two lakes almost just i fythe purchase and port erage of a collapsib le boat for themselves. The former is free . Mr. A l ick L arminie, O f Castlebar, permits fishing in the latter.
Cast lebar. Castlebar is the county town of Mayo. There are lakeson both sides, but since some drainage Operations theyhave been destroyed for trout fishers. Time was when
I “ L anach. either L anach C hurch L ake ”) or Sauleen StationL .bauleen. L ake ”
) afforded beautiful trout fishing ; now there are notrout , except perhaps some monsterferox which dominatesthe ilgesabout him.
2 In C astlebar there is a very comforta e hot él where may be met many personswho will give reliable and ni ce information as to the whereabouts of fishing ; and Mr. Sheridan, the postmaster, is asure
guide and amost O bliging gentleman. The “ C hurch
L ake extends from the riverwhich cuts the town to otherswhich run to Island E ady, below the road toWestport, for
1 Vz'
rle ante, p. 138 .9 Th is hotel has changed proprietors (possibly no t for the
better,but it is sure not to be much below par, and maybe
excellent).
How andW/zere to Fir/z in Ireland.
season the spin mayvery occasionally secure one of the verylarge trout, remnants of the declining race. No salmonrun up there now, but from opposite the prison down theriver to Ballynew mill there are a few very nice trout . In
Sauleen, near the railway station, there is some of the bestperch fishing in C onnaught, which
“no one bothers theirheads about.”
In the first part a friend describes the flies for theircapture. I do not know that there is aboat on it, but thepike would certainly
,and a big trout might, repay the
t rouble of transferring one to it. A t Rehans, on the rightof the road to Beltragh, is Mallard L ake—a capitmilw r L ough
ike and about the same’
distance from town (two miles), Mal zard.on t e Pontoon R oad, isTucker
’s L ake (boats there), whichaffords, morning and evening , beauti
ful sport to trout
fishers with red hackle, olive, or silver magpie fl ies. The
trout are small (apound fish the largest), but they are veryplucky and pretty on the side away from the road near itthey are earthy in flavour and dul l in colour. In the littlelake behind the bridge they are still smaller and morenumerous, and there are legions of small perch. O ver thehill to the right of this, Ballavi lla L ake hasbetter but fewtrout, and ab ove it, on the Mountain Road, in L oughNasplenagh,. are beautiful golden trout, only to b e kil ledwith bright flies from aboat. Near the end (at the rocks)are beds of fern, rare even in fern-bearing Mayo, and
rivalling, perhaps surpassing , those of Killarney. The
C lydagh, which runs down from this on its course to theMoy, is a lively little stream,
holding trout and an occasionalsalmon
, but except for an artist , its c laims are, in such afishing neighbourhood, no t worth much attention fromanglers. Between Turlough and Bal lyvara the C astlebar TWIO ’
Q
’
Q"
river harbours large, and to eat , remarkably good pike as“WWW"does the Broad at Ballyvara, glorious in autumn for its ableflapper shooting, and in winter for its waders
,snipe, and
round
ducks. Back from Cast lemar (fourteen miles) is Ballinrobe, 33 3i
”
a comfortable quarter, and the headquarters for fishing1 e'
L ough Mask, and the sweet little rivers, the Robe, the A ile, L . Mask
and the Tourmakeady, which feed it northwards.‘
Since this book first came out the fishing on L oughMask has been populari zed
,espec ially because aMr. Joyce
has buil t a most excellent hotel on its shore at MountG able (C lonbur), and provided a much-needed retreat foranglers and tourists . I have the most gratifying accountsof the hotel, the charges, and the superb Sport at all
Co. Mayo .
l
fl ow and ”7 am to F551: in Ireland.
The flies described for Beltragh do best , the Dev on bestof art ific ials, and the minnow and troutlet best of naturalbai ts. O f late years a few green drakes rise on Mask ;when they do , nothing else does much gmorning is the best time for gillaroo in Mnoon. Mask is aplace where fish seem tothemselves—more than any I know,
and the stranger istherefore very dependent on hi s boatman. I think underC aptain Boycott
’s home , around the islands,near the mouthof the A ile and Tourmakeady rivers the best spots, but thepart icular runs can only be learned from the locals orexperience. Ballinrobe has a tolerable hotel, and i ts chargesand boats are moderate.
Near Ballyhaunis, a li ttle town on the railway, are two
lak es holding trout, but with more attractions for winter
pike fisherswho care fdf fi i x ed sli oot lng aw nE ight miles from Castlebar by car is “ Pontoon
,
”where
the little out which separates L oughs C onn and C ullen isbridged over. Before reaching the bridge is the Pontoon“Hotel
,
” bui lt by the late L ord L ucan to aid sport.lBeside it is a police station, behind, Benrevagh, lovely inthe purple and green brocade which covers her breast like aVenetian lady’s robe. A self-planted oak copse backs thebuildings, and C ullen smiles in front .There are capital boats and capitally well kept , and the
boatmen who serve them are admirable fell ows. The elder
seasons,but specially at May-fly time, but even O ctober is
no t too late for sport.1 This hotel hasnowbeen remodeled, and
'
is outfittedwith aspecial v iew to serve anglers. I ts proprietor does a greatdeal for them in boats
,& c .,
and at reasonable rates. A s Ispeak of hishot el I should not pass over other “accommodation to be got on L oughs Cullen and C onn, especiallyMrs.McHale
’
s (very good for the .upper part of L ough C onn),and Fitz gerald
’s,at E rrew,
and C larkes’
s, at C loghan. A
friend praises both. Mrs. Murtagh, of the Moy Hotel atBallina, had also a house at R inagry devoted specially tothe use of anglers. I t is to be let as I write . Those whoprefer to stop at her hotel in Ballinaare conveyed by car tothe lake each day free of charge. A nd the managers ofFlynn
’s Hotel , at Ballina, are equally accommodating.
Both hotels deserve more praise than the run of I rishhotels ; yet the arrangement, which a correspondent (anE nglish yearly visitor) gives me , as now adopted at MountG able (see above) shoul d prevai l in all, i .e. a fixed weeklycharge. I t is only £7 (t o c over all ) at Mount G able, whichis about seven miles from Ballinrobe and three from C onnt o where the L . C orrib steamer runs from G alway.
Drowned, alas !since I wrote of him.
1 50 How and l'V/zere to FM in Ireland.
0 0 . Mayo ,The patterns for C onn. the Moy, and all the lakes and
May and ri vers in Tyrawleyand E rrisare for salmonE rrisfl ies. The G oshawk,
” 1
The Black G oshawk ,The G rouse and O range,
”
The “ L ightning ,The G reen G osling ,The Caraamore Owenmore of Francis),The “ Dr. L eonard,A nd the Maxwell ’s Memory.
” 3
Three -o i four of these have been put together byHearns,
o f Ballina, andhe hasmore claim to their invention thanhave fly—dressers usually. The goshawks
”and“ lightning
espec ially, he ties beautiful lyand cheaply, and is the bestBal lina. guide to the fishing at Ballina.
a There are three hotelsthere, which anglers find satisfactory (I stopped at Flynn
’
s
and waswell treated). The fishing is open, but it is understood that the fish caught belong t o the Messrs. L ittle, thelessees. They are, however, most generous—ten shi llings aday about covers all expenses for boats, men, & c., atBall ina. The spring fishing is best in A pril, but Junecommences the season proper to Ballina and lakes combined. The Beltragh patterns do well in addition to avery
1 Moy flies are dressed in j oints, and from each of thej oints awing (of mohair), which sits under the real winglike amane, is often tied.
2 This fly was tied by the late Mr. J . M. S a fineMayo angler, in honour of Maxwell, author of Vi
’
ild Sportsof theWest,” who chronicled L ouisburgh and Ballycroy.
l ts formul a isTag—silver,
Tail—topping,Butt—ostrich.
Body—alternate j oints green and black silk.R ibs—silver separating j oints.Hackle shoulder, ginger (golden) and jay.
Wing—topping over mixed bro9 The Bunree river barely touches C o . Mayo, but as it is
always fished from Ballina it should be mentioned here asvery good spring salmon, gril se,white andbrown trout. The
proprietor of one of the Ballinahotels, the Moy,”haslately
acquired the exclusive right to fish a stretch of the R iverMoy (Mr. Vencoyle
’swater) two miles long, from above the
weirs. The charge is three guineas aweek, exclusive of cotts,which cost 53 . per diem at Ballina.
The Imperial Hotel at Ballina also runs that on L oughC onn, the G ortner A bbey.”
Walshe , a baker inFoxford, ties excellent flies for C onnand the Moy River.
How andW/zere to Fz'sh in Ireland.
large orange grouse with a tail of gold and tied with the Co. Mayo.largest feather, especially the wing, which maybe increasedwith golden pheasant tail.For brown trout the grouse andwrens after May, before
then the olives,” hares’ ears andyellow ,
” March brown,
”
and red brown hackle are best . Hearns in Ballina,Devanny
in Foxford, or Mart in Tierny (a shoemaker and artist inall crafts he adopts), in the latter town dress beautiful flies.Hearns and Devannywork professionally—Tierny only forsportsmen he likes. Foxford may be said to be central forMoy fishing. A bout there are few good throws, in whatused to be the late Mr. Standish McDermot t
’
s water—henever refused an angler. A bove him I hav e seldom heardof spor t, thoughwhybeyond the BallylahanBridge the sweet Bal lytrout stream does not gi ve upmany salmon is incomprehen M '
gm
sib le. What used to beMr.McDermot t’
sfishery extends from Bridgethere by his house at C loongee to Foxford. There is a fair[C loongee.hotel at Foxford and comfortable lodgings overshop near the hotel. I was very well treated in a roughway in Foxford. Many anglers in summer, and pike-fishersandwild- fowlers inwinter, stop there.andwith afia
'
ed scale ofcharges for car, boat, boatman, bedand board, M i
’
sl‘
er P at’s
HotelWill be found comfortable. Within a short distance(four miles) is Mr. E vans
’ lake Callow ”—it g ives abundant L . Cal low.
sport. The fish run to about half-a-pound, but t here are
some larger. No stranger is prevented fishing . The fliesare “ olives,
” “grouses,
” “ b ig wrens,”all busked full. The
Kiltimagh, the G ueestaun, O wen G arvey, and C harlestown R. Ki lt
rivers, all cover salmon grilse and brown trout (sea- trout mayhbut few), but they scarcely demand notice fromanybut local R G uees
anglers, nor does the L ung near Ballahaderin. Below Fox tau"
fordBridge the salmon fishing with red is freely given away,P“ owe”
nor is Captain Pery,1 who owns the next stretch,wont to
'
ga
gzey-
Lrefuse a c ivil applicant. Devanny, the water-bail iff, and tCW6 8 ”
his son are capital coaches.” “ P at”
(the Hotel) andanother man,whose name I forget, are capable and O bliging . u
coachesFrom KillalaBay on the east to Broadhaven on the west North
there are numerous little known but nice riverswhich afi'
ord Tyrablysalmon, grilse, and trout brown andWhite, but they require and E rris.to be caught at the happy moment as they go down quickly.The C loonymore is the least fickle river of these. A ll ofthem are crossed by the coast road to Belmullet
, ma.Bally Thecastle, where there is an inn. Beyond this
, most of the Mullet.rivers and streams are preserved till Belmullet is reached.
In the wild peninsula of which this is the fitting chief town,here are but two rivers which yield sport. They are those
1 Captain Pery (some time since he added Knox-G ore t ohis paternal name) has just died, to the grief of manysportsmen.
Co. Mayo.
Bal lycroy.
How and PV/zere to Fish in Ireland
in G lendarraand another near Bingham Castle. E xcept asachange from superb sea-fishing , the fishing in the Mul let ”
is no t valuable. Back towards Ballina is Bangor, in the
centre of E rris,which has many good rivers and one fine
lake . The fishing has, on most of them,to be paid for, but
the terms are no t unreasonably high. Mr. Smithwi ck, ofC roy L odge, Ballycroy,
l makes arrangements for the lettingof the O wen-duff and the southern fair-sounding river, withthe euphonic name Thaursagaunmore. The terms are nothigh considering the excellence of the fishing , which is best(I think) after the l oth July. Mr. A chill O ’
Mally, to b efound in Ball ina,will be useful to consul t as to these fishings,and aMr. Scott (brother to the late Mr. James Scott, whohadmost of the land agencies and fisheries of E rris) thesewill doubtless be abl e to let the fishings of the O wenmore,
the G lenamoy, the Munhiu rivers, and the sporting rightsof Messrs. A tkinson or Shaen-C art er. The inn at Bangor isnot insupportable, and is the centre for the above rivers andL ough Carrowmore , or C arramore, which is, I believe, free .
There are few good boats on it The Munbin end of thelake gives excellent gril se andwhite trout after l st July.The b ig trout there are veritable feroces. There are nonehere of those called gillaroo. The Maxwell’s memory
,
”the
O wen More,”and Doctor L eonard,
"are perhaps the best
flies for L ough Carramore and rivers. O n the lake, largeflies do better than elsewhere. There are several otherrivers which afl b rd sport, but the tourist angler needs no ttheir names. To aman who wil l rough it and explore thecounty wi th aportable boat the fishing resources of Mayoare ill imi table . A ll classes are hospitable, and it is perhaps,externally and internally, the wettest county in I reland.
L akes ea“ There are several lakes and a few nice rivers eastward ofof Bal l ina.
L aughs
Ballina which properly belong to county Sligo, but whi chare most accessible from that town. L oughs E asky and
E 0 3 16?!and Talt are perhaps the best . They lie about t en miles eastTalt.
A thlo 'ne.
md. The pike fishin of the latter is, I hear excellent,and
its hereabouts are ofMayo rather than those of the north. In Mayo the eel-tailand prawn are little known, yet there is nothi ng so good.
O f ari ificials the Devon is the best bait. I have not seenMay-fli esnort h of L .Mask.
RO SC OMMON
canscarcelybe considered agoodangling county,andyet thereare many good loughs in it , and its whole western boundaryis the Shannon. The station for the lower port ion of theShannon
,which “marches ” this county, is A thlone, where
Now (I hear)“ there is no free fishing near Ballycroy or
Belmull et there certainly is not so muchasthere used to be.
L . Rinn.
I 54 How andWlzere to Fisk in Ireland.
and moderate in char cs per diem, never more than73 . To the sout -east the Castlerea district opens.There is a ood hotel there, and like A thlone, L ongford,Carrick, an Boyle, it is touched by the railway, but neitherL ou h O
’
Flyn or the o ther lakes north-west of it arewort much, except L ough G lin, on which the May-flyrises and creates sport , and after that G lynn yields b igtrout to the spinners. In the south of the county, L oughFinshannagh is within easy reach of A thlone
,and has, I
’mtold, been provided, and not an hour too soon
, with a
c ouple of useful boats,which can be hired from the owner
in A thl one.THE C O UNTY L E ITR IM
is the last county I include in the western district. I t isnot generally spoken of as a good place for fishing, but itslakes afi
'
ord sport, and the Shannon bounds it to the southwest. O f the former, L ough R inn isthe best, in the southernbarony ; it is free, and the May-fly rises on it in somenumbers a little later than inWest Meath. G arrick-onShannon, or Mohil, afi
'
ordsaccommodation ; Mohil is close byit. The boats are pretty good, the boatmen better, and theprices moderate (ab out 58 . a day). From Drumshambo,whichhasaccommodation,anumber of smaller lakes, excellentfor brown trout, is easy to reach, and Ballinamore c oversL ake G arradice, famous for good pikes, beautiful gi llaroos,and brown trout. The spoon bait still slaughters there (Iam told). Drumshambo is at the foot of L ough A ll en, thelast of the large lakes through which the Shannon runs.I t affords good sport as L ough Derg , and late in the seasonthe Foorish, A rigna, Yellow and other in-flowing Shannonrivers give lively sport to the indefatigable local fishermen.
The fli es have, however, changed t o the E rne patterns(wide post). Manor-Hamilton northwards, on the SligoR ailway, isa cozy little place, and gives access at some few
miles to G lenade and Belhavel loughs, the former to thenorth, the latter southwards. There are charr in both
, and
good trout fishing.
THE NORTH-WE ST DISTR ICTis quite first-rate . I include in it the counties Sligo, Fermanagh, and Donegal. G eographically, Nor t h L eitrimintervenes between the two former, but for only a littleb readth.
SL I G O
G o . Sl igo. it self has great advantages, asbeing easily reached by t rain,
L . G ara.
and its best waters are within short drives from goodquarters . To the South L oughs G araand A rrow areWi thin
L . a fewmiles fromBoyle (vide ante, Roscommon), whi ch is in
How andW/zere to “
is/z in Ireland.
a triangle, of which theyand L ough Key (Roscommon) are Co. Sli go.apexes. G ara is said to send up its May-fl ies earlier thanA rrow or Key; I don
’t think it does. The 1 5th to 2 0thMaymay be said to date the earlier ephemeral rise on all
three, but a beneficent natural arrangement produces avariation in the Drake season onall three too. O n A rrow Drake
the Drake rises till 20 th June at least . G ara is a good deal mason.
”
poached,and its trout run smaller than Key or A rrow,
but
any“ b ig ones ” which reward industry will be really
whoppers. Bait kills most of them after the Drake is off,
or asa change then. The best fishing is round the islandsat the mouth of the Boyle river, and by the old Castle on
the Sligo side, according to the wind. The trout seem toknow that the delicate May-flies can
’t go far against it, T’j0 1 l t , th8therefore in the west wind the western shores are best, and w ’ Mdg f
" d
in the east vice versa. Very few salmon are taken on L oughG ara, and I doubt if any on L ough A rrow. The fli es forthe trout on both are those which suit Meelick and the
Upper Shannon. In my notice of Mayo I spoke of twolakes which are within easier t ouch of Ball ina than ofany as good quarters in Sligo. O f these I prefer Talt
,
because of the exceeding beauty (they don’t run large) of
the trout of this rock-bound little lake . E asky is anice laketoo, but the pony and collapsible boat equipped here should P m?! (1 1701follow down the river of its name, and fish out all the rivers co l lapswlefrom E nniscrorce
,on Kil lalaBay, to A ughris Head
, on Sligoboat.
Bay. White trout abound in all of them, after spatesespecially, and they are only fished by locals. A ugust isperhaps the best month. The hamlet of E asky affordsshelter, and E nniscroree has lodgi ngs designed for
“say
E asky, Talt, and all three rivers are practically E asky.
free, the exceptions are only t o be learned on the spot. E 'n'nis
E astward again, towards Sligo town, comes the BallisodareWOT??
river and i ts tributaries, all holding spring salmon (no t Ban” ?much before May) and a fine run of grilse andwhite trout dare:rwerafter 1 2 th July. Mr. C ooper
,of Markree , exercises some M d ”3
rights, but the terms, which can be learned (I believe) fromeffluents.
Mr. A lexander, in Sligo, are not at all onerous,and the riveris avery good one. I t depends on the arrangements madeannually whether fishing for short terms can be got exceptby the grace of Mr. C ooper, who reserves some rods for
hi s friends.1 The little lakes at Tobberscanavan and BallyDawley hold trout and perch
, but I only mention them on
accou nt of their splendid pike,which give excellent winter
sport . L ough G ill is just above the town of Sligo . I ts L oughbeauty is entrancing , and its fishing was at one time not G i l l.
1 Sir R . G ore-Booth is said t o be easily dealt with as areother local proprietors.
I 56 How and lV/zere to Fis/z in Ireland.
unw orthy its beauty.1 To the north is G lencar L ake,
t eeming trout water, with flies corresponding to Melvin, and
lust as reliable for the troll or spin. The troutling is theest for large trout , and now and then a salmon will not letit pass. A n eel- tail is murderous, but unfortunately attractsthe large pike, which is its only drawback from the v iew oftrout fishers. TW rge baits,and gape to be 0 0 e to bywinter anglers, o w om thereare few about . A bout the same distance from G lencar isthe Dromcl ifi
'
e river,and another which runs (also into
A tlantic ) by the Police Barracks at G range. O f theirmerits as white trout rivers after rains, I have had greataccounts. There are at least two hotels in Sligo , the“ Vic toria”
and the “ Imperial. In one of them I havebeen nearly comfortable. Sligo has better lodgings thanmost I rish towns, and more than one club hospitab le tostrangers. The boat charges in Sligo wil l not be (allincluded) more than 103 . per diem, ano t unreasonable sum,
as the boats are very nice , and there oft en is an influx oftourists during the fishing season, of which on the whole theautumn is the best part . L ough G ill is not supposed to be afree lake , but the trouble of asking leave, which is neverrefused
, should not be too much for strangers only passinglyinterested as to whether several, or any, rights of fisheryexist there.
FE RM A NA G HCo.Ferma IS blessed with fishing very superior to Sligo. Southwardsl agh.
Kosh.
Bwndoran.
Bel leek.
from C avan the river E rne runs in, and recruited by theC astle Sanderson andWoodford rivers, spreads itself intothe many tortuous bays andwindings which make up the
Upper L ough E rne . This upper loch holds here and therea spring salmon
,autumn grilse, and everywhere good brown
t1 out . O f its trout flies later. Newt on-Butler , L isnaskea,Maguires Bridge , and E nnisk il len are all near. The last hasvery good hote l and lodging accommodation ; the othersallhabitable inns . The fishing 1s practically qui te free . FromE nniskill en the Ballyshannon railway runs round by Kesh
,
Bundoran,andBelleek to its terminus. In its course the
railway rounds all the north side of the lake, and drops
There are now no salmon in L ough G ill, and (I’
m told)few trout if any. .
2 The salmon fishing of the E rne is most strictly preserved by the Ulster Fisheries C ompany. To get even a rodfor smart payment
, one must (at least for the best months)“engage a season in advance, but the Messrs . Mo ore
,the
managei s, are at least rigidly impartial , and the ang ling 1s
generaliy as good as in the more lax time when Dr. Sheilrul ed the water. Belleek is of course headquarters .
1 58 How and lV/zere to F ir/z in Ireland.
Wing—two tippets‘ extending to butt under fivetopping s.
Shoulder—deep c laret hackle.C heek—chatterer.Horns—blue and redmacaw,
black head.2 . The Black and C laret.”
Tag—silver twist and orange.
Tail—a t opping, and b it of chatterer.Body—black silk, ribbed geld tinsel, silver twist.Hackle—dark claret from 2ud tinsel ribVi ing—mixed tippet, pheasant tail , ibis, green parrot,
macaw, gall ina, and brown mallard,under two
toppings.Shoulder—jay.Horns—blue.
Head—black.No . 3 . Pink and O range.
”
Tag—silver and ruby.
Tail—sprig s of tippet, green parrot , and a tepping.
Bedy—one- third orange silk, two—thirds light c laret,ribbed go ld and silver twist.
Hackle—claret, from above orange.
Wing—mixed gallina, ib is, t ippet, pheasant tail, mal~lard and green parrot, under two toppings.
Shoulder—jayHorns—blue.
Head—black.
No . 4—Tag—silver tinsel, blue silk.Tail—topping , Indian crow.
Body—orange floss, covered with golden hackle, andnear wing red hackle , then ov er these, l st c larethack le
,then blue hackle, all ribbed silver tinsel.Wing—two t ippets, under golden pheasant’s tail , wood
duck, and brownmallard, over all tepping .
Horns—blue.
Head—black.
C heeks—chatterer.No . 5 . G olden O live .
”
Tag—silver twist, ruby
Tail—a t opping , and spr1gs tippet.Body—golden olive fur, ribbed flat ge ld -and silvertwist.
Hackle—golden olive from second rib.Wing and shoul der —asNo. 3 .
1 Regan describes the wing in this fly as C ock of theRo ck .
”I presumed this was tippet, which I have always
seen in Parson,
”and I waswrong.
3 I do not know if R egan ties this pattern. I hear greataccounts of it. I t is difficult to dress.
How andWkere to Fz’s/z in Ireland.essrs. Regan, of Ballyshannon, t ie at moderate prices, Co. Ferma
excellently, and I have preferred giving their patterns t o nagh.others. In Ballyshannon anglers areable at moderate prices at the “ Impehete
be had. A t L eughside, at Kingleugh, or at R ossinver therare inns.The Bundoran fishing comprises, besides the lake, the Bundoran.
Bradogue, the Drewes, and fourmiles of the Bumidufl'
. The By‘adog
'
ue
latter is a small river, but in A ugust and September it ”WT
affords nice sport, though the salmon are small. RunningDrowes
through a bog as it does, it requires dark flies. The prerm”
:
priet ors are Captain Barton,Maj or Dixon, and the Hon.
Bf’m’dufi
’
E velyn A shley. The two latter give, I am informed, lave fi ve"
for the axin,”and Captain Barton’s keeper levies a small
daily fee andacts asguide.
I append three successful patterns.No. l . —Tag—silver and orange .
Tail—tepping and tippet sprigs.Body—dark fiery brown, ribbed gold.Hackle—dark fiery brown.
Wing—small tippet under brownmallard.Shoulder—jay.
Head—black.No. 2 .—Tag —silver and orange .
Tail—topping and sprigs gallina.Body—dark c innamon
,seal ribbed oval gold.
Hackle—light cinnamon.
Wing—asNo. 1 .Shoulder—little fiery brown hackle.Head—black.
No. 3 .—Tag—asNo. 2 .Tail—asNo . 2 .Body—black seal , ribbed oval silver.Hackle—deep claret.Wing and head—as in Nos. 1 and 2 .
Hooks from 2 to 4,aswater call s for.
The hotel at G arrison is the true headquarters forbeautiful G arrison.
Melvinand L ough Na V eigh (Mr. Maude’s), and Scott or
1 The Drewes is the bestwhite trout river about here,and
a small copy of this fly is the most generally killing on it.The Beltraghpatterns do well. C uriously the rivers here arenot asgo odas in Mayo , to S.
,or inDonegal , to N.
, (for whitetrout). A s on all o ther I rish waters permission to fish isnot easily get near Bundoran aswhen this book wasfirstissue
f l ow andW/zere to Fis/ain Ireland.Co .Fsrma his successor does all he can to make his clients comfortable.nagh. L ord E ly, Mr. Johnston, and Mr. S tubbs, the proprietors,
have agreed to issue a j oint ticket for all their reservedwaters at 2 3 . 6d. per diem, or 108 . aweek. The R ogans, atBallyshannon, or the hotel, issue the tickets. I t is well towrite in advance to Scott, who makes acheap arrangement
Boats. 2 53 .aweek forboats andmend—“The early fish at Melvin areno t large, and the grilse fishing there, though good, is no t
I mago perhapsquite up to that in the Kil coo river,whi ch runs intori ver.
it . In dead calm weather more salmon are taken in MelvinNatural with natural andart ific ialminnows than with fly. O f courseand other the natural is best . A mongst local anglers I hear of parrbai ts. tail, but hope none of my readerswill adopt it. I f they sub
st itute the eel-tail or prawn, they will deserve more luck .
I accept Rogan’s patterns for salmon as the best
,though I
know all the standards, andmost of the Kerryand L ee fiiesdo well .(Regan
’s) Ne . 1 .—The G ill .
Tag—geld twist.
Tail—mallard, gall ina, and pheasant tail (strips)Body—three-quarters black seal, one-quarter honeycoloured pig
’
swo ol .
Hackle—red (cook ’
s) dyed olive.
Wings—mixed strips gall ina, tippet pheasant tail ,sword feather
,teal and ibis, under brown mallard.
Shoulder—jay.
Horns—blue.
Ne . 2 .—The O
'
Donaghue .
”
Tag—silver and yell ow.
Tail—tepping .
Bedy—three—part s : l st yellow, black middle, claretat shoulder.
Hackle—medium claret ever black and claret body.Wing—tippet, under mallard.Shoulder—jay.Horns—blue.
Head—black.No . 3 .—The Robber.”
Tag and Tail—asNo. 2 .Body—three-quart ers honey colour (pig), one-quarterdeep claret (pig), ribbed oval silver.
Hackle—c och-y-bondhudyed olive, only run on underri se of wing.
Wing—asNo. 2 , jay at shoulder.Horns—blue.
Head—black.- This is possibly changed.
Since commencing“How andWhere to Fish, I learn
that the Melvin g illaroo rises freely to the fly.
1 6 2 H ow andW/zere z’
o Fz'
s/z in Ireland.
Horns—two redand two blue macaw.
Head—black.No . 3 . O range grouse.
Tag—silver and orange.
Tail—topping and sprig tippet.Body—medium orange silk ribbed oval gold.Hackle—mottled cock grouse.Wing—asNo . 2 .
Shoulder—jay.
Horns—redmacaw.
Hooks to fit water, 1 t o 4.
I should recommend all Bundrowesfishers to tryHayne’s
Kerry and the Blackwater patterns for change.
In dealing with those fishings I have really trespassed onsome which geographically belong to the
C O UNTY DO NE G A L ,C l Dene which affords the wildest shooting and fishing, and at theg 41. most moderate rates. From the little town of Petti ee closeL . Derg. by the nort hernmost part of E rne , L ough Derg an half-af
dozen lakelets are get at , and as for some fishers there is acharm in departure on little trodden parts these watersafford them a nice change. Their trout are excellent
, andsome of the Derg ones very large. Minnow or small troutdo b est. Rogans
’ “ fiddl e ” is said to be excellent. The
little hotel at Pettigoe is comfortable and cheap. The
Donegal. town of Donegal is away N.W., some fifteenmiles. Halfwayone crossesa river (the Ball intra, I think) which ho lds gril sein June, and a few fish in late autumn. I say nothing ofSpring , but it has white trout in A ugust and brown troutthroughout the season. Probably the Ballintraaccommodation woul d not be go od, but at least there is some, andPettigoe or Donegal are not too far off. A t the latter oldtown there are really good lodgings and very fair hotelaccommodation. Into Donegal runs a little river which
The E ask connects L ough E ask wi th the sea. The river holds salmonlake and and plenty of whi te trout in and after autumn spates. Theriver. lake itself g ives sometimes very fair sport, no t before Jul y,
but the grilse are small. The white trout fishing is excellentand the brown trout (feroces too) very numerous and game ;charr abound there, and no t fished for. There are two goodboats. None of these fishingsare free, and there are manyclaimants of the fishing rights, but asojoumer in the hotelthere hasno difficulty in getting permission to fish. A littleway westward the E anymore and E anybeO
'
near MountC harles, yield a few salmon andmany white t
z
iiout h
I Indeed,
The Famymore, 0 7
‘
[near
rw er. 1 To save writing, I may say that in every water inDonegal are more brown trout than are needed for sport.
How andW/zere to Fz’s/z in I reland.
when these are full no better little rivers can be found,and Co . Done
the . salmon are very game. L ord C onyngham,mainly the gal .
proprietor here, is very open—handed with permission, but itmust be ask ed. From the Inver river round to A rdara A rdara.
there are numerous little rivers which all partake of thesame character, and hold a few spring salmon
,and less (if
any) spring white trout ; but in the autumn run they allg ive delightful sport in fitfullywet weather. A t A rdara isNeil MeNele
’
s Hotel,and the place is the centre of the
Donegal C ottage Industries, which has done more good tothe poor people than more pretentious nostrums. The
Dunglee, A rdara, and R osses fishingsmay be summed uptogether. They are mostly in lakes, namely Dungloe, Tully,Meenuknat ore, Meenmore
,Meenbam’
d, L ough-na-more, and
the R ivers C rolly and Derrydruel or O wenmore, and all ofthem hold white (sea) trout, though in some of the lakes ithas been found hard to catch them. The fishing last yearabout Dungloe beat all former records. Boyle’s andHanlon’ sHotels g ive excellent accommodation, and at reasonab lerates. £2 amonth is the char e made by Mr.Herdman ofL ion Hill for all the Rosses fis ings. There is athird hotel
,
Sweeny’s, I daresay as good as those already mentioned.
Fintona (Donegal light railway) is the nearest station. The
best parts of the C rollyR iver have as proprietors G eneralTwigg, L ord C onyngham, and Mr. Peebles . There is asmall inn at C rolly Bridge. There is very good salmonfishing on the Inver R iver, but permission is no t easi lyattainable . L eave to fish for brown trout is sometimes givenby Mr. Doringlen, the owner. Killibegs, six miles off, is the Ki l l ibegs.nearest town, and there is agood hotel there, but the railway from Donegal crosses the river within a few yards ofthe bank . I cannot leave Donegalwithout telling of Carrick,where is the best rural hotel I have seen in I reland. Whenthere is water there are countless sea trout in the adjacentriver. Killibegs should be the headquarters for these rivers,of which perhaps the G len river is the best. I t is about tenmiles westward, and further off towards G lenco lumk il lethere are some wild lakelets, which are simply stufied withfish. Hithert o they have scarcely been fished (for most thecollapsible boat is needed). In Kill ibegs is a very snuglittle hotel
, and at A rdaraanother to accommodate anglersof numerous little lakelets towards Sleeve-toey and the
O wen- to cker and O wenea rivers , which are crossed by theroad to G lent ies
,
l a hamlet,with a nice inn. A bout nine G lenties.
From the G lenties,L ough Fin, on the L etterkenny road,
is go t at , and should not b e neglected. I t holds charr andthe largest gillaroos and feroces. In G lentie s can be purchased home—made tvfieedandhosiery which are just suited toanglers.
Co Done
L . L agha.
L aughs
Beag"1 and
G len.
Church
Hi l l .L . Fern.
1 64 How andW'
kere to Fisk in Ireland.
miles o ff is Dunglee, the UltimaThule of anglers in I reland,and surrounded wi th lakes full of fish and practically -nu
courted. There is an inn there now. When I knew it thecoastguard
’s or police officers’ or his rev erince’s hospitalitygave the only assured hope of shelter. With a collapsibleboat one can have supreme enj oyment there. E ven withoutit there is some of the best autumn fishing in the island.
O lives and clarets do best here for trout, and one of theformer dre sedwith seal with a golden hack le over it, and asymptom of gold thread ribbing and brown mallard wing ,was productive of a great creel for the writer. In brightestcalmest weather (seldom seen there) aminnow spun in theloughs about Dungloe is very killing . Dung loe for mostanglers is untried. G ueedore the next station
,is better
known, andhasa hotel, built by the late L ord G eorge Hill,which leaves little to b e desired by sportsmen.
l I ts chargesare verymoderate , and the fishing , which iswell looked afterin stream and lough , can be had for ano large sum by theday or for longer. There are very good boats andmen at
unusually low rate. So much is honestly done for anglersat G ueedore that it is unnecessary to be prolix about thefishing there, but there is a little lake, seldom tried, east ofDerrybeg , whi ch shoul d not b e left '
unfished after heavyautumn rains. From G ueedore to the east, to Rathmeltonor L etterkenny
,it is difficul t to guide on account of the
wealth of waters and fish in them,but the Beagh on one
side the main road, the river to the G len L ough, and theL ough itself, afford splendid sport. O n Beagh at leastthere is aboat. I believe that some rights are claimed bythe trustees of the late Mr. John G eorge A dair, but there isno practical difli cul tyabout leave to fish. The real drawback about here is the want of where to lay one
’s head atnight . Some sort of accommodation is to be get near G artenL ough (at Church Hill), and from there the L eannan rivercan be fished down to sweet L ough Fern and Rathmelton
,
by a route with reaches for salmon, white and brown trout,
Mr. A .Robertson manages this hotel very well , and one
can fish during the best months (for four weeks) June, July,A ugust, at 103 . a day. Week ly or monthly tickets areissued at greatly less rates, but none except to those whoput up at the G ueedore Hotel,
”which is moderate in its
charges. During A pri l, May, andO ctober the fishing is free.In September the rate s are low. Boats are boatmen2s.6d. for the day, and for the lakes above the hotel (for browntrout and always free) one must have aboat . O ccasionallythe salmon fishing is extraordinarily good. For the presentthe nearest railway station is at L etterkenny, but the
extension t o G ueedore is in actual formation.
0 0 . L ou
donderry.
Newton
L imcwady.
.Bann.
Co leraine.
P ortrash.
Ki lrea.‘
L oughBeg .
1 6 6 How andWizere to Fish in Ireland.captures rather than by number
,is to be got in
“ L oughNeagh,
”which is an inland sea spoken of later on. Beside
Newton Stewart , Dungiven, Omagh, and C astlederg affordaccommodation. No county has agreater variety of water,rapids , turns, and deep pools. L ord Cast lestuart , Maj orHamilton, and all the proprietors give the fishing freely.But before leaving it I would draw the attention of anglersto the A ugnacloyriver, which I can personally vouch holdslustybrown trout .1
THE C O UNTY L ONDO NDE RRY,to the west hasafishing river running out nearBallinagardstation
, whl ch is a good autumn river of the second c lass.I t is easily reached by rail from Newton L imavady,2 as is thebetter river, the R oe. Spring salmon, with white trout andgrilse in autumn come up this ; but this county is raisedfrom second c lass by the Bann, which discharges belowC oleraine. Below the town, which hasgood hotels, the fishingis quite free, but only practicable from boats and they areverywellmanned, and cheap. A bove
,the charge for fishing is
to be arranged locally, and amounts to something like (I amtold) about six shil lings aday. A t Portrush, about sevenmilesaway
,there is a capital hotel, and the fishing of the r1ver
above C oleraine, where the preservation is very strict , canbe arranged from there (the landl ord being empowered) onvery easy terms . The Bann is
,perhaps
, one of the bestrivers in I reland, and its fish were heavier than most ofthose on the north or north—west coast of I reland.
3
The upper waters are very sporting . From the 2 5th Juneto the 8 th A ugust is the best time. A t Kilrea there is alittle hotel
, and about there capital sport is to be go t inL ough Beg . But this latter can be reached from L oughNeagh.
The Bann fiies locallyused are peculiar, but I think theStandard
,Jock Scott,
”Doctor,
”doc , are as good asany ,
and I am sure the E rne and May-flies do well. The eel-tailand prawn are excellent lures there.
I pass over in a short way the counties
MO NA G HA N, A RM A G H, A ND Down.
The two first have many rivers and a few loughs whichafl
'
ord sport , but only with brown trout ; and I don’t know
1 The Der is a splendid breeding salmon river, but it isremarkable t at no salmon ever runs out of it into the lakeof the same name , from which the river issues.
2 Made immortal by Thackeray and P eg .
3 I hear that the Bann fish are not large now,but in
greater number than ever.4 The hotel here isno t at all the worst in Ulster.
How and lV/zere to Fz'
s/z in Ireland.
of any in A rmagh which deserve spec ial mention but theBlackwater river (which divides this county from Tyrone),and its neighbouring loughs, and L ough G ulli on by the
Bann above Portadown. But in the
C O UNTY MO NA G HA N
are L ough Muckno , and near it L ough R oss , whi ch holdgood trout and capital pike . E very stream here has trout
,
but none of a size to attrac t a t ourist fisher, even in streamsrunning through the grounds of landowners.
TH E C O UNTY DOWNhas plenty of small brown trout fishing , but I don
’t knowone of them worth much attention but the Ballinahinchriv er, on which I believe C apt . Ker makes no objection tofair anglers. The best of its lakes used to be L ough A ghery,between Dromore and Ballinahinch
,and I know that near
a little watering-place called Newcastle there is one whichgives excellent sport to brown trout fishers . Most of thelakes are enclosed in private parks . The Blackwater river
,
which runs into Strangford L ough , justly celebrated for itswi ld fowl shooting , gives a few white trout in spring and isbetter in autumn. I believe the fishing is L ord Dufi
‘
erin’s,
but there isno difficul ty in getting the needful leave to fish.
I cannot say that I know any“ special ” for the trout of
L ondonderry, Tyrone, A rmagh, Monaghan,or Down. I am
told the L iffey patterns and, for a change, a green grousedo best. In the
C O UNTY A NTR IM,
which closes the NE . district , and my tour of I rish fishings,the Bush, the Bann, the Ballycastle, the G lendun, the
G lenarrifi'
,and G lenarm rivers all hold spring salmon grilse ,
andwhite trout . The Bann (side ante) and Bush are,of
Co .
A rmagh.
L .G ul l io 'n.
Co . Momghan.
L .Mwokno.
A utrim.
G lendun,
G lenaw r‘
fi,course , the best of them. Both hold good salmon, but with
G lem rm
ablusterousnorth-west breeze I think the palm should goto the Bush. The fishing on it cannot be got free , and itlets well, but all things consi dered it is worth looking to,and I don’t know any late season fishing in I reland which isbetter. The flies should be smaller than inwestern streams.Mr. C who hasbeenmost successful on it
,kills on E rne
fli es,but hi sbest daywaswi th the L ightning
”
(aMoy—fiy,vide ante). From Ballymoney, where is a comfortable inn,the Upper Bush can be fished out .1
1 Mr. Hutchinson, of the Manor House, or it maybe thetrustees of C aptain MacCartney, of L issanoure C astle,makeeasy terms for the fishing . Bradford of Belfast suppliesgood fishing appliances to North of Ireland fishermen.
The Bush.
Co.A ntrim.
L . Neagh.
1 6 8 How andWhere to Fix/z in Ireland.The G lenarm river holds spring salmon andwhi te trout
,
and autumn salmon and white trout too. L ord A ntrim’
s
agent makes no objection if leave be asked. The Ballycastleriver gives good sport
,and Sir Frederick Boyd and Mr.
John M cG ildoney, who , I hear, claim the sporting rights,are not difficult in the matter of leave. L ough Neagh isbest go t at from the A ntrim (E .) side. Randalstown
,
A ntrim, L isburn, L urgan and Dungannon (this in Tyrone),all arepointsd
’
appui for it. But Toome Bridge,1 which ison the railway, and beyond Randalstown, is perhaps thebest station of all
,as the li ttle lake (Beg) just above it
affords capital and constant sport when the G reat (an inlandsea) Neagh is too boisterous or sullen. Taken on the whole ,the A ntrim shores are much the best . The flies whichattract the Bodagh (great lake trout are so called there)must be of grilse size, but spinning is really the onlymodeby which they can be oft en circumvented. I t is said thatthe Mayfi y sometimes rises on the Shanes Castle shore. I
doubt it ; but the number of small trout in Neagh whi ch can
be captured in all the little bays, with a chance of a charrnow and then in the deeps, and the certainty of monstroustrout at the edge of the deeps (spinning), makes Neagh areallydelightful place for those who wish to fish with everlasting expectation and a certainty of surprise. There arevery large pike and perch in all the still bays. The boatmen are theworst I have met in I reland, presuming to knoweverything, and very ignorant. They are, however, honestand kindly, and no t extortionate if they be no t encouraged.
Parts of the lake are full of pollen, andhow to take them ina sport in way is a problem I would set out for anglers.This nort -eastern district, with which I end my tediousvolume on tours , isnaturally no t so good asmany others inI reland, but being better preserved it will repay a tourist,espec ially a trout fisher who is fortunate to know somebodywho knows anybodyamember of the hospitable Ulster C lub,in Belfast, where are found most of the proprietors who
good-naturedly protect waters and seemingly for the
advantage of strangers by the way passing.
”
The kind spirit thi s C lub’s members show, is but of a
piece with what any gentleman may expect from rich orpoor in I reland.
I rishmen are no t identical with E nglishmen ; great illshave occurred to both from an impossib le endeavour to force
1 The O’
Neill A rmsHotel at Toome Bridge isc omfortable ,with amoderate tarifi
'
the fishing, however, of L ough Neaghhas fallen off, and will never be restored without activemeasures be enforced against the not men, especially thepollen nef men.
1 . Dublin Sk erries to BetweenHowth and Dalk ey Island, b e Same asTidal , save b eWick low. tween 15th A ug ust and 1st February. tween Daisey IslandBetween Dalkey Isnand andWick low and Wick low Head,Head,
between 3oth September and which is between1 st A pril . For remainder of District , A ugust and l st A pri l.between 1 5th September and zud
March.Wexford Wick low to Between 1 5th September and 20th A pril , Same asTidal.Ki ln Bay, sav e in Ri verSlaney, which isbetweenE ast O fBan 2 9 th Septemberand 1st A pri l.now Bay.
3.Waterford Kiln Bay to Between 15th A ugust and l st February. Same asTidal.H e l v i c k
Head.
4. L ismore 15th A ugust and 1st February. Same asTidal.
5. C ork From Bal lycotto n to Barry'
sHead,‘
O s Same as Tidal.tween i 5th A ugust and l st February,
and from Barry’
s Head t o G alleyHead, between i 5th A ugust and 1 5thFebruary, save in Bandon and A rg ideen R ivers between 15th A ug ustand 1st March for Bandon , and b etween 31st A ugust and l st March forA rg ideen.
S k i b h e Between 1sth September and 1st May,.Betw een 31st July and
rec'
n save inMths Ilen R iver, 30th September l st May, save in Ilen.
2 to 1st ay.
6 Bantry Between 3oth Septemberand l st May.Same asTidal '
6 3 . Kenmare 15th Septemberand 1st A pril . Same asTidal.
Ki llarney. BetweenDunmoreHeadandI nch Point , Same asTidal.embrac ing t he Blask et Islandsandal lL akes and R ivers and their Tributari es running into the sea betw een
said pomts, 3 1st A ugust and l st May.
etween Inch Po int and Cang las P omt ,andall L ak esandR iversand thei rTributari esrunn ing into the seabetweensaid po1nts, save the R iver Main andi ts Tributaries, 3oth July and 1 7th
January .
In R iverMain and its Tributaries, 15thSeptemberand 1st May.
Between Cang lasPo int andBolusHead,and all L akes and R i vers and theirTributaries running ih -o the sea between sai d points, 3oth Septemberand 1st May.
Between BolusHead and L amb Head,and all L ak es and Rivers and theirTri butaries running into the sea b etween those two pomts, save the R iverI nny and the Watervi lle R iver andthe1r Tributaries, 14th A ugust and1st May.
Norm—The z l st section of the 2 6 th 27thVie , c. 1 14, requires there shall not be fewerthan 108 daysC lose Season in each F ishery.
.
A S the districts”in Ireland chang e their Seasons, and the publi cat ion of chang es
are often belated, these pagesare onlyapproximate, but are sure to be an
L ine.
Same as Net Between 31st O ctober and l st dayo f February, save BroadmeadowWater andWard R 1vers, between14th O ctober and 1st February.
Between s0th September and 1 5th
March, save R iver Slaney and
Tributaries, between 30111 Septemb er and 1st March.
Between 3oth September and 1st
February, save R iver Suir andTributaries, between 1 5th O ctoberand 1st February.
Between 31st O ctoberand 1st Febru
From Bal lycotton to Barry’
sHead,
between 1 2 th O ctober and l st
February, and from Barry’
sHeadto G alley Head, between 1 2 th
O ctober and 15th Februai y.
Same as Net Between 31st O ctober and 17tht ing . March. 2 oth O ctober, 1 886.
Same as Net DO . 2 9th January, 1 873.t lng .
Between 15th Between 31st O ctober and l st A pril . 7th Februarv ,1 856 .
O ctober and l 4th November, 1 88 2 .l st A pril
Net Between Dunmore Head and InchPoint , and embracing al l L ak es
and all Rw ers ah ' l their Tr1butaries runni ng into the seabetween those points, 3l st O ctoberand l st A pri l .
Between Inch Point and L ambHead, and includi ng all L ak es
and all R ivers and the ir Tri butaries flowing into the sea be
tween those po ints, save the
R iver Main and i ts Tributaries,1 5th O ctoberand 1st February.
In R iver Main and i ts Tributaries,31st O ctober and 1st A pril .
1sth O ctober, 1 874.2 1st July,
1 8 82 .
27th January, 1 883.
26 thDecember, 1 873.zud O ctober. 1 8 8 2 .sth June, 1 883.
1 2 th November, 1 874.1 7th February, 1 883.
2 1st A pril , 1 880 .
8 th January,1 885.
2 0 1h December, 1 875.
1 1 th December, 1 88 1 .
30 th June, 1 878 .
November, 1 880.
1 . L id‘
ey, BrayVarty.
2 . Slaney, C ourtown, Inch, Drrin, Boro.
3 . Suir, Nore, andBarrow.
4. Blackwater.
5. L ee, Badnon,A rg ideen.
Den.
G lengarifl'
e,
Snave, & c
0
7. Iuny,Rosbehy,
Currane, Va~
lenc ia, Maine .
L aune, Cari a.
WrsKL Y C L O SE SE A SO N.—By the 2oth section o f the 2 6 th 8: 27th Vic., c . 1 14, no Salmon orTrout shall b e fished for or tak en in any way, except by Sing le Rod and L ine, betw een six ofthe clock on Saturdaymorning andsix of the clock on the succeedi ng Mondaymorning .
Boundary of
Distric t. Tlda‘l‘
Killarney In the River Inny and its Tributaries,(c ont inued and al l L ak esrunn ing into said river,
30th September and 1 3 5 May.
InWaterv i l le R iver and i tsTributaries,and all L akesrunni ng mto said river ,
15th July and 1st January.
8 . L imerick . Dunmore to Between 31st July and 1 2 th February, SameasTidal.‘Bags Head. save Maigne R iver and River C ashen
and Tributari es, and save betweenKerry Head and Dunmore Head , anc l
between L oop Head and Bags Headand all R ivers running into the sea
betw een those pomts.
For R iver Cashen down to itsMouthandTri butari es, between 3 l st A ug ust andl st June.
Between Dunmore Head and KerryHead,
and al l R i vers fl ow ing into sea
between those po ints, between l 5 thSeptember and l st A pril .
Between L oopHeadandBagsHead, andal l R iversrunning into the seabetweenthose po ints, between 1 5th Septemberand l st May.
or Maigue R iver, between 1 5th Julyand 1st February.
9. G alway BagsHead to Between 1 5th A ugust and l st February, Between 15th A ugustSlyne Head. save in C om b or G alway R iver and and 1st February,
L ak es and Tributari es, which is b e save in C orrib or G al~
tween 3 l st A ugust and 1 6 th February. way R iver, between31st A ugust and 1 6 thFebruary.
101 . Be l l ina SlyneHead to Between 3l st A ugust and l 6 th Same asTidal.k i ll P ig eon Po int. February, save in L ouisburgh and
Carrownisky Riversand E stuaries.ForL oni sb urghand CarrowniskyR i v ersand E stuaries, between 1sthof Septemb er and l st July.
102 . ang or P igeon Point Between 31st A ugustand 1 6 thFebruary, Same asTidal.m Benwee save in Newport and G lenamoy, BurHead. 311 8 11 0 0 18 and O wengarve Rivers and
E stuaries.For Newport R iver and E stuary, Bl stA ugust and 2 0th March ; G lenamoyR iver and E stuary, 15th Septemb er
and l st May ; Burrishoo le and O wengarveRiverand E stuari es, 31st A ugustand 1 6 th February.
11 . Ball ina Benwee to Between 1 2th A ugust and 16 th March,Between s1st July and
C oonamore. save P almerston and E ask ey R ivers, l st February, savewhich is between 3 l st A ugust and Palmerston and E 4 5
l st June. k ey R ivers, which is
between 31st A ugust
and lst June.
C lose Season forFi xed E ng inesfor the capture o f E els, between the l oth Januaryand l stother rivers in the L imenck District between 3 lst December and l st July in year fo l low ing
the C oleraine District, whi ch is between l oth January and 1st J 11110 111 each year, and save
Tidal .
C o onamore to Between l 9th A ugust and4th February,
Mullaghmm'
e. save Sli g o R iver, i ts E stuary and
Tubutaries, which is between 3 l st
Julyand 16 th January.
1 3 Bal lyshan Mul laghmore Between 1 9th A ugust and l et March.non. t o Rosean. save River E sk e and
which isbetween l 7th Septemberand between 8 1snJl st A pi i
'
l . 1st February.
Rossan to etween 19th A ugust and 4th February,
MalinHead. and one mi le above T ideway, saveC rana or Buncrana, and G c barra
Rivers, Trawb reagaBay, and O weneaand O wentock er R ivers.or C rana or Buncrana R iver, between Tidal.14th Sept . and 1 5th A pri l ; for G wee
barra, between3oth Sept.and l st A pri l.For Trawbreaga Bay, between 3oth
rept <mb er and 1st July. R ivers, betweenFor O wenea and O went ocker R ivers, A ugust and l st Jubetween 3 1st A ugust and 1st June.
1 51. L ondon Mal in to Between Sl st A ugust and 1 5th A pri l . Same asTidal.derry Downhi ll
Boundary.
C oleraine Downhi l l 1 9th A ugust and4th February. l 9th A ugust andBoundaryto March.Portrush.
1 6 .Ballycastle Portrush to 1sth Septemberand 17thMarchDonaghadee.
DI O gheda Sk erries to Between 1 5th A ugust and l st February. Same asTidal,C l gher Head
Between C logher Head and Bal‘
yghan
P o int , C ounty L outh, embracmg all
L akes and Rivers and their Tri butari esflowing into the coast betweensaid points, save in the A nnagassan,
G lyde, and Dee Rivers and their Tributaries, 1 9th A ugust and l st A pril .n the A nnagassan, G lyde, and Dee
R ivers and their Tributari es, 19th
A ugust and 1 2 th February.
etween Ballaghan Po int in C ounty172 Dundalk C logher L outh, and Donaghadee in C ounty
Head to Down, embracmg all L akesand Ri versDouagha and their Tributaries flow ing i nto the sameasTidal.dee. coast between said po ints, 1 5th Sep
tember and 1st A pri l.
THE D FFE RE NT DISTRICTS IN IRE L A ND O N 3 l st DE C ., 1 895.—C o‘n.L ine.
3oth September and l st February,
save in Drumclifi’e R iver and
G lencar L ake, between 1 9th O ctob er and 1st February, and in
G range R iver, between Slst O ctob erand Let February.
Same as Between 9th O ctoberand 1stMarch,
save Bundufl'
, Bundrowes, and
E rneRiversandTributaries Bundun
‘
R iver, 3oth September and1st February ; Bundrowes, sothSeptember and 1st January, and
E rne R iver, 3oth September andl et March.
Between l st November and l st
February, save in C rana or Buncrana, between 31st O ctober andl st March, and save O wenea andO wentock erR ivers, between 3othSeptemberand l et A pril.
28 th September Between 15th O ctoberaudl stMarch,
and 15th A pril . save in Foyle and Roe, betweenl st Novemberand 3 l st March.
28th September Between 1 9th O ctober and’
1 6 th
anl thMarch.‘ March, save R ivers Bann,
Maine,Sixmi lewater, Moyo laand Bal l in
derry, between 31st O ctober and1 st March.
2 8th September 1st November and 1st February.and 1 6 thMarch.
Same as Net soth September and 1st February.
Between C lo eher Head and the
Southern Boundary of the mouthof the R i Ver Faue,
and embrac ingall L ak esand al l R i versand the irTributariesfl owmg in to the coastbetween said pomi-s, 3oth Septemb erand l et February.
Between the Southern Boundary of
the River Fane and BallaghanP o int , and embracmg all L ak es
and all Ri vers and their TribuSame as Net t im es flowing into the coast b eting . tw een the said po ints, including
the RiverFaneand i t sTributari es,31st O ctober and 1st March.
Between Bal laghan Point, in C oun
ty L outh, and Donaghadee, in
C oun tyDown, and embracing allL akes and all R i v ers and the irTri butariesflowing into the coast
and 1st March.
Neagh, between l st November and 3lst Jannary.
2 4th A pril , 1 871 .
2 7th September, 1 877.3oth January, 1 886 .
1 1 th O c tober, 1 88 6 .
24th November, 1 871.2 6 th June, 1 875.3rdDecember, 1 884.
2 nd September, 1 857.28 th February, 1 8 74.2 5th November, 1 874.z 1st March, 1 876 .
3rd A ugust, 1885.26 th A ugust, 1 885.
27th January, 1 862 .l gth July, 1 8 77.30 th December, 1 8 8 1 .1 5th December, 1 8 56 .3 lst March, 1871 .2 3rd A ugust, 1 875.l eth January, 1 876 .
1sth December, 1 8 36 .
17th A ugust, 1 88 2 .2nd June, 1880.
3oth O ctober, 1880.
12 . Sligo , Bal lisodare, Di um
151. Foyle, Roe.
152 . Bann.
1 6 . Ballycastle,G lenarm
, Bush,G lendun
171. Boyne.
173 . Fan0 , A upa.
gassen, G lydc,Dee.
P RINC IP A L IRISH RA ILWA YS.
A thenryand E nnisJuncti on.A thenryand Tuam.
A thlone Branch.
Bal lycastle L i ne.
Bal lymenaand L arne.Bal lyroney andKatesbri dge.Banb ndg e and ScarvaBranch.Banhr dg c and L isburn L ine.Banb ridg e Junc ti on.Belfast C entral L ine.Be l ’ast and Northern C ompanys’.Belfast and C ounty DownHo lywoodand Bang or Branch.
Belturbet Branch.
Bundoran L ine.C arrick fergusand L am e Branch.
C astleislandand G ortatleaJunction.C avan Branches.
C laraand Banag her,C laraBranch.
C o leraine and P ortrush.C ookstow n Branch.C oo tehi ll BranchC ork and Bandon (West C ork andKinsale Sections) .
C O rk ,Blackrock , and Passag e and
Steamers.C ork and L imeri ck Direc t.C ork and Macroom do .
C ork, Youghal , and Queenstown Direc t.
Draperstown L ine.Droghedaand Kel ls.
Dubhn and A ntrim Junction.
Dubl in andHow th.Dublin and Meath.
Dublin,Wick low , andWexford.Do. Kingstown L ine.
Dunclalk and G reenore.Fermoy Branch.
Fermoy and L ismore.Finn Val ley.
G reat No rthern.
G reat Southern andWestern.K i lk enny Branch.
Kil larm.-
y and Tralee Branch.Ki llorg l in Branch.
L etterk enny.
L imavady and Dung iven.L imeri ck and E nnis.
Do . and Foynes.Do. Castleconnell , Kil laloe,
L ondonderry C entral.L ondonderryand C o leraine.L ondonderryand L ough Swi lly.M idland G reatWestern.Mayo Branch.
Navan and Kingscourt .Newry,
Warrenport , and R ostrevor.Omagh Branch.
Parsonstown andNenagh Branch.
Parsonstown and P ortumnaBranch.Sal l insand Bal ting lassBranch.Sl ig o Branch.
Sli g o , L eitrim, and Northern C ounties.Waterford, and C entral Ireland.Waterford, Dungarvan. and L ismore.Waterford and L imeri ck.
Do . SouthernBranch.
Do . Newcastle and Tralee L ine.Waterford and Tramore.Waterford andWex fo rd.West C ork and l ien Valley.West Donegal L ine.
TOURIST TI CKE TS FROM DUBL IN TO
KIL L A RNE Y A ND BA CK
WIL L BE ISSUE D BY THE TRA INSWHICH RUN DIRE CT To KIL L A RNEY,A T A BOUT THE FO L L OWING FA BE S, VIZ.
Single Ticket for O ne PassengerDi to Two PassengersDitto ThreeDi tto FourDitto FiveDi tto Six
Dit t o SevenDit to E ight
l st C lass. 2nd C lass.
£2 1 0 0 £2 0 0
4 1 0 O 3 1 2 O
6 7 6 5 2 0
8 O 0 6 8 0
9 7 6 7 1 0 0
1 0 1 0 0 8 8 O
1 1 7 6 9 2 O
1 2 O 0 9 1 2 0
A w ilab le for Return on anydayWITHIN O NE C A L E NDA R MONTH.
The t ime of these Tickets can be extended upon the terms stated in the
C ompany’
sTourist Programme.
N .B.—Tick ets to KI L L A RNE Y can be obtained at the princ ipal
Stat ions on the L ondon and North-Western, Midland, G reat Western,L ancasl i ire and Yorkshire, Manchester, Sheffi e ld, and L inco lnshire, NorthStsi fYO i 'dshire, Caledonian, and North Brit ish Railwa) s, and Railways in
Ireland.KI NG SBBIDG B
,DUBL IN.
I 78 Index“
.
Be igh, R .,1 33 .
Belhav el , L . , 1 54.
Bel lc o o , L . , 1 57.
Bel leek ,1 56 .
Belmiagh, 1 34.
Belmul let , 1 51 .Bel tragh,
L . , 1 44.
Belvidere , 1 05 et seq.
Bertraghb oy, 1 41 .
Bi lbo , R .,1 1 8 2 0
Black , R . ,1 08 .
Blackwater (Boyne) , 101 .Blackwater (C ork ), R . and fl ies
1 2 4 et seq.
Blackwater (Kerry) , 1 34 .
Blarney,1 2 7.
Blessington, 98 -9 .
Bodarg ,L . ,
1 53 .
Boro , R . 1 1 3 et seq.
Borrisokane , 1 1 5.Borroso l ei gh,
1 1 8 .
Boyle , 1 53 .
Boyne , R .,1 0 1 .
Bradford, 1 1 9.
Bradogue, R .,1 59.
Bray, R .,1 1 0 .
Brian,L . , 1 34.
Bridagh, R .,1 32 .
Bride , R . , 1 2 6 -7.
Broadhaven,1 51 .
Brusna, R . ,1 04, 1 1 3, 1 1 4.
Bumiduif , 1 59.
Bundoran, 1 59 et seq.
Bunowen,R . , 1 42 et seq.
Bunratty, 1 37.Bunree , 1 50 .Burrishoole, L ., 1 46.
Bush , 1 67.
C A HIB, 1 1 9 .
C ahirciveen,1 34.
C al low , 1 51 .
C amoge , R . , 1 2 1 .
C amol in, R . , 1 1 4 .
C amoola, R ., 1 35.
C appal l , C ummeragh, L s.,
C appoquin,1 2 5 .
C ar-fares, 1 77 .
C arlow , C c . , 1 1 1 ci seq.
C arrabeg , R . , 1 33 .
y C arragh L .,1 32 et seq.
arramore ,1 52 .
C arrantwohi ll , 1 35.
G arrick , 1 63 .
C arrick -on-Shannon, 1 53.
C arrick -ou-Suir, 1 38 .
C arrig , 1 2 4.
C arroonav iska, R .,1 43.
Carysvill e , 1 2 5.
C ashel , 1 1 9 , 1 40 .
C ashen,R . , 1 3 1 .
C ashla, 141 .
Castlebar , 1 46 et seq.
Castle C onnel l , 1 1 9 et seq.
C astlemaine , 1 31 .
Castlemartyr, 1 2 8 .
Castlepollard, 1 05, 1 06 , 1 08 ,C astlerea, 1 54.
C astle Sanderson , 1 56 .
C astletown, R . , 1 01 .
C astletown-Roche , 1 2 4.G avan, C o . , 97, 1 07 et seq.
Hotel,1 09 .
Black Rai l ,”1 09 .
C elbridge , 98 .
C entral District , 97 et seq.Charlestown, 1 51 .
Church, L . ,1 46 .
C iamalthe , R ., 1 1 7 .
C landragh Point , 1 08.C lare , C o . , 1 37 et seq.
C lashmore , R ., 1 2 6 .
C l ifford, 1 2 4.
C l ifton, 1 40 et seq.
C lodagh, R . (Kerry) , 1 34.
C loghan, 1 48 .
C logheen (Waterford) , 1 38 .C lonbur , 1 47.
C lonmel , 1 1 9—1 38 .
C lonaki lty, 1 2 8 .
C loomadual lagh, L . , 1 38 .
C loon, C oos, L s. , 1 32 et seq.
C loon, R . , 1 37.
C looneymore , 1 51 .
C lydagh ,R . , 1 47.
C oachford, 1 2 2 , 1 27.
C olony, R . , 1 43 .
C ong , 1 42 ,
C onn, L . , 97, 148 et seq.
C onna, 1 2 3 .
C onnemara, 1 40 et seq.
C onvanmore , 1 2 3.
C oolat in,1 1 1 .
C o o lenagh, R .,1 37 .
C oo lenahelagh, 1 37.
C ooleraine , 1 66 et seq.
Index . 1 79
C oolnamuck , 1 38 .
C oomeragh, 1 33 .
C oomcl oghrane , L . , 1 34.
C oomisharne , L . 1 33 .
C o omshigaun, L . , 1 38 .
C oorclare , R . , 1 37.
C oot ehi ll , 1 08 , 1 53.C oppal , 1 33 .
C orballyweir, 1 1 9.C orkag inny,
1 31 .
C ork , C o ., 1 2 1 et seq.
C ork patterns, 1 2 3 , 1 2 4 , 1 2 5.
C orrib , L .,1 39 et seq.
C orrofiin, 1 37.
C ostelloe , R . , 1 42 .
C rag ,North , 1 2 5 .
South, 1 2 5.
C reagh, R .,1 37.
C rolly, R ., 1 63 .
C ul len, L ., 1 48 et seq.
C ummeragh, 1 33 .
C urrane , L . ,1 33 .
Cnrrantwohi ll , L . 1 35.
DA L E,R .
,1 0 1 .
Dan , L .,1 1 1 .
Dargle , 1 1 0 , 1 1 1 .
Dead, R ., 1 2 0 .
Deerin , R .,1 09-1 0 -1 1 .
Delphi L odge , 1 43 .
Delvin , R . , 97 , 1 00—1 0 1 .Derg , L . , 1 1 3 -1 4 1 6 , 1 57 et seq.Derg , R . ,
1 65.
Bernag o l lia, 1 08 .
Derravaragh, 1 0 5 et seq.
Derrybeg , 1 64 .
Derrydruel , 1 63 .
Dheel , 1 48 .
Dheel , R . , 1 2 1 .
Ding le , 1 31 .
Dissour , 1 2 8 .
Dodder , R ., 99.
Donegal , C o . , 1 62 et seq.Doo , 1 43 .
Doonb eg , 1 37.
Down, C o . , 1 6 6 et seq.
Dripsey, R ., 1 2 7.
Drogheda, 1 0 1 .Dromc lifi e , R ., 1 56 .
Dromineer Bay,1 1 3 -14-1 6 -17.
Dromore,1 67
Drowes, R .,1 59.
Drumshambo, 1 53-54.
Dub l in , 97.Dugort , 1 45 .
Duncormack , R ., 1 1 4.Dung iven ,
1 66 .
Dung loe , 1 6 2 et seq.
Dunleer, 1 0 1 .Dunmanway, 1 27.Durrow , 1 04.
E A NYBE G , 1 62 .
E anymore , 1 62 .
E arly white trout on easterncoast
,1 01 .
E ask , L . , 1 62 .
E asky,1 52 et seq.
E hernagh, 1 2 1 .
E ngfield, 10 1 .
E nnel , L . , 1 05 et seq.
E nnis, 1 37 .
E nniscrone , 1 55.
E nnisk erry, 1 1 0 .
E nnisk i l len , 1 56 .
E nnist imon, 1 37.
E rne fl ies and baits, 1 57 et seq.
E rne , L . and R .,1 09, 1 56 e t seq.
E rrew , 1 48 .
E rris, 1 52 .
E rriv e, R . ,1 42 et seq.
FA DDHA , L . , 141 .
Fane, R . , 1 0 1 .
Fartagh , R .,1 34.
Feagh,L .
,1 46 .
Feale , R ., 1 31 .
Fergus, R . , 1 37.
Fermanagh , C o . ,1 56 et seq.
Fermoy, 1 2 2 .
Fern , L .,1 64 et seq.
Fethard, 1 1 9.
Finea, 1 09.
Fing las, R . , 1 3 1 .
Finesk , R . , 1 2 6 .
Finn , L .,1 43 et seq.
Finshannagh,1 54 .
Fiririahy,R . , 1 34 .
Fish (names of) , 95 c i seq.
Flesk , R . , 1 32 .
Foddah, L . , 1 45.
Foorish, R .,1 54 .
Forb es, L . , 10 8 , 1 53 .
Foxford, 1 51 et seq.
1 80
Puncheon, R 1 2 3 et seq.
Furnace , 1 44, 146 .
G A LWA Y, 1 37 et seq.
G aly, R .,1 2 1 , 1 31 .
G ara, L ., 1 53 et seq.
G arradice , 1 54.
G arrison, 1 59.
G arryhinch, 1 03 .
G ertan,L .,
1 64.
G arvegbeg , L ., 1 43.
G i llaroo, 1 08 .G i
_l_l,L ., 1 55 et seq.
G landore , 1 2 8 .G lan, R ., 1 18 , 1 38 .
G lasshab oy, 1 2 8 .
G lenabeigh, 1 64.
G lenade , L ., 1 54.
G lenamoy, 1 52 .
G lenarm, 1 67, 1 68 .
G lenarriff, 1 67.G lencar, 1 32 -3 .
G lencar (Kerry) , 1 32 -3 .
G lencar, L . ,1 56 .
G lencolumki ll , 1 6 3.G lencul len, L ., 1 43 et seq.
G lendalough,1 1 1 , 1 40 .
G lendawaugh,L ., 1 43 et seq.
G lengarriff, 135.
G lenhesk , 1 44 .
G lenriver, 1 6 3.
G lenties, 1 63 .
G l inn, 1 54 .
G l inn, (Knight of) , 1 2 1 .G lore , L .
, 1 05.
G lyde , R ., 1 0 1 .
G ortmore , 1 2 4 .
G ongane-Berra, 1 2 6 et seq.
G owna, L . ,1 06 -8 .
G raighnamanagh, 1 1 3 .
G ranard, 1 08 .
G raney, L . , 1 37.
G reese , R .,1 03 et seq.
G ueedore , 1 64.
G ueestaun, 1 51 .
G ulladoo , L . , 1 08 .
G uttane , L ., 1 35.
HA CKE TSTOWN, 1 1 1 , 1 1 2 .
Indeaf.
Hi-Regan netbow , 5.
Holycross, 1 1 8 , 1 1 9.
Hautin (Hobb in) (Kerry) , 1 30 .
Headford (Kerry) , 1 34.Hearne’sfl ies, 1 50 et seq.
Hil liard (tack le) , 1 1 6 .
L A G HA , 1 64 .
L ahinch, 1 37.L attera, 1 1 5.
I L E N , R .,1 2 8 .
Inchicronin, L . , 1 37.Inchig elagh, L ., 1 2 6 .
Inchiquin, L .,1 37.
Innishannon, 1 2 7Inny, R .,
1 05-6 -7.
nny, R . (Kerry) , 1 33 .I rish names, 95 et seq.
I ron, L ., 1 05.
Isknagaherig , L 1 33 .
I veragh, 1 34.
KANTURK, 1 2 3 .
Kell ishandra, 109.Kell s, 1 01 .Kenmare , 1 34.
Kerry, C o ., 1 30 et seq.
Kerry flies, 1 35 et seq.Key, L . , 1 53 et seq.
Ki lbarry, 1 2 5.
Kil co lman, 1 2 4.
Ki ldare, 97 1 02 .
Ki lk ee , 1 37.Ki lk eirran, 1 41 .
Kilkenny, C o . , 1 1 2 et seq.
Ki l lak ee , R ., 99.
Ki llala, 1 51 .
Killaloe , 1 1 6 et seq.
lessees, 1 1 8 .
hotels, 1 1 6 .
boats, 1 1 7.
Kil larney,1 3 1 .
Kil larty, 1 42 .
Kil lorg lan,1 31 et seq.
Killyb egs, 1 63 .
Kilmallock , 1 2 1 .
Ki lmurray, 1 2 5.
Ki lrea, 1 6 6 .
Ki lrush, 1 37.
Kil t imaugh,1 51 .
Kinane , L . , 1 05-6 -8 -9King
’
s C ounty, 97King
’
sRiver, 99 .
‘
Kinsale , 1 2 8 .
Knots, 9 , 1 0 , 1 1 , 3‘Kylemore , 1 42 .
O’
G rady, L . , 1 370O ldcastle , 1 09.
O magh , 1 66 .
O ola, 1 2 1 .
0m», R ., 1 2 1 .
G uel l , L . , 106 et seq.
O ughter , L ., 1 09 , 1 38 .
O ughterard, 1 40 et seq.
O uvane , R . , 1 35.
O wena, R . , 1 63 .
O wenb ol iska,R . , 142 .
O wenbrin, R ., 143 .
O wen-dufi,R . , 1 52 .
O wen G arvey, 1 5 1 .
O wenmore, R ., 1 52 .
O wenskaw , R . ,1 2 1 .
O wen-tooker , R ., 1 63.
O wnes, R ., 1 03 .
P A P L ake , 1 34.Passage , 1 30 .
Pet t igoe , 1 62 .
Pik e (Ball yfin)Pil town, 1 1 3 .
Pontoon,148 et seq.
Portarlington, 103 .
Portmarnock , R 1 00 .
Portroe , 1 1 7Portrush , 1 66 .
Portumna, 1 17 , 1 42 .P owerscourt , 1 10 .
QUE E N’
S C ounty, 97.Queenstown, ride C ork .
Ramos, L ., 107-8 -9.Randalstown , 1 68 .
Rathangan , R .,103 .
Rathk eale , 1 2 l .Rathmel t on ,
1 64 et seq.
R ecess, 140 et seq.
R ee , L .,1 05-8
,1 53 et seq.
R inagry, 1 48 .
R ings, 6 .
R inn , L . , 154 .
R inn ,R .
,1 0 8 .
R oach (Bal lyfin) , 1 04.
Rathcormick ,1 2 3 .
R oaringwater, 1 28 .
Bebe , R ., 147.Rock ingham, 1 53 .
Roe , 1 66 .
Rogan’sflies
,1 57 at seq.
1 52 et seq.
Roscroe , L ., 137.Ross
,L .
,140 .
Ross, L . , 1 67.
R osb eigh,1 33 .
Rosses,The
,1 62 .
Roughty,R ., 1 34.
Roundstone, 1 41 .
SA INTS’ Island; 108.Sal l ins, 98 .
Sant ry, R . , 99.
Saul een, L . , 1 46 .
Screebe , R . , 1 41 et seq.
Shannon Bridg e , 1 53 .
Shannon, R ., 1 1 5 et seq.
Shanough, 1 3 1 .
Shercock , 1 10 .
Shiel in, L .,1 05 et seq.
Shiv ena, R .,1 42 .
Shrule , 1 08 ,Six-mi le-Bridge , 1 37.Sk erri es, 1 00 .
Skibbereen, 1 2 8 .
Slaney,R . , 1 1 0 , 1 1 1 , 1 1 3 .
Sligo, C o . , 1 54 et seq.
Smeralagh, 1 3 1 .
Sneem, 1 34.
South C rag , 1 2 5.
South District , 1 14 et seq.
South-eastern District, 1 1 0 et seq.
Spiddl e , 1 42 .
Sti ll ogues, 1 38 .
Stratford 1 10 .
Suck , R 1 42 .
Suir , 1 1 1 , 1 1 9 .
Sutton , Sir R ichard, 107.Swords, R .
,1 00 .
TA DA NE , L . , 1 37.
Tal t , L ., 1 55 et seq.
Tar, R .,1 38 .
Tawnward, 1 43 .
Templemore , 1 1 9.
Thaursagaunmore , R . , 1 52 .
Thomastown, 1 1 2 .
Tipperary, C o .,1 1 3 et seq.
Tol ka, R . 99 ,Tob b erscanavan, 1 55.
Toome Bridg e , 1 6 8 .
Tourig , R .,1 2 6 .
Tourmack eady,1 47.
Tralee , 1 31 .
Tri ogue , R . 1 03.
Tuck er’s L 1 47.Tul lamore , 1 04.
Tullow , 1 1 1 .
Turvey,R . , 1 00 .
Tyrena, R . ,1 46 .
Tyrone , C c . ,1 6 5 et seq.
V A RTRY, L . , 99, 1 10 , 1 1 1 .V irg inia, 1 09.
Wennas, 1 2 . YE L L OW, R., 1 54.
Waterford, C o ., 1 37 et seq.
yWatervi l le 1 2 2 , 1 33 -4 .
West District , 1 33—1 48 .
Westmeath, C c . , 97, 1 05.Westport , 1 43 .
Wexford, C o ., 1 1 3 et seq.
Whi te ’s, Mrs. R ., 99 .
Wick low , C o ., 98 , 1 09-1 0 et
Wooden Bridge , 1 1 1 .Woodford, R . , 1 56 .
Woodstock,1 1 2 .
