2023 started off with an appearance (pre-recorded) on the Piscarifly live fly tying show on February 18th where I was the special guest so to speak as the episode focused on saltwater fly fishing. This was soon followed up with an article on saltwater fly fishing that I wrote for a new online angling magazine called Predator and Salt. If you haven’t yet come across this magazine it is well worth a look here.

March started off with a trip to Lough Corrib and Mask with my buddy Dave and meeting up with our great pal and top boatman Tom Doc Sullivan. The fishing in early March is always tough due to the cold water temperatures, normally inclement weather, and lack of hatches. However, if you persevere, you are likely to be rewarded.

April was a busy month with the launch of the Mackenzie FX2 range of rods. I got to do some testing on the both the 10ft 7wt and 10ft 6wt and they are fantastic bits of kit. I used them on the local reservoirs in Waterford on super hard fighting rainbows and also on my trips up West to Corrib and Mask.

Also in April I attended the 2nd Irish Spring Angling Fair in Mooncoin, Kilkenny at Ardaire Springs Angling Centre and the show was once again a fantastic hit with traders, demonstrators, fly tyers, and the general public. The highlight of the weekend had to be the kids zone with all the enthusiastic kids catching in many cases their first ever trout. These are the future of the sport!

The weather since early May has been very hot with little or no rain. This has left rivers in extremely low water state and lakes with very high water temperatures. Combined with a season of north and easterly winds river trout fishing has been very poor. Taking this into account I have really had to focus on my saltwater angling and guiding. Bass fishing has been OK and this year I managed to catch a bass during our saltwater fly fishing course. It was only a schoolie but a welcome one!

Mullet fishing has been very good of late for the golden greys although the thin and thick lips seem to be as frustrating as ever. We have enjoyed some excellent sessions for golden grey mullet on the fly and it was great to see and assist anglers in catching their first ever mullet on fly.

The other thing I have really gotten back into is my fly tying. I am really enjoying it and even started a YouTube channel with instructional videos on some of my more successful mullet and other saltwater patterns. Over the coming months I hope to add lots more fly tying and fishing content. Check it out here.

So what’s in store for the rest of 2023. Over the coming weeks when a lot of other fishing slows down, saltwater fly fishing tends to pick up and it can be a busy time for me. That said I want try get a few evenings in dry fly fishing for seatrout and if the weather breaks and the rivers come into order I wouldn’t mind trying for a salmon or some seatrout on streamers. Towards the end of the lough season I aim to have another trip up west to fish for the fry and daphnia feeders. I might even get some dry fly sport in on sedges and or dry daddies! Bass fishing will likely stay productive into late October at least and so long as the mullet hang around they are another target species.

Until the next update – tight lines everyone.