Baron Bandon, Blackie and Sea

Haven't had the chance to update the blog in a while as access to a laptop has been very limited and I've started  an internship. Well for the last month I have put in a good effort to say the least, but rewards at this time of year can be hard to come by when it comes to spring salmon. I have spent a good bit of time on the Bandon and fished a day up at Blackwater Lodge at the end of February. Allocaton of beat to me was Kents which I had never seen or fished before. The beat starts with a lovely riffled section, aided by croys on Kents Island. This section, known as the Island Stream, is then followed by the Hut Pool, Gorman's Pool, Beach Flat, the Boulders and lastly Tommy's Pool, so plenty of water to cover for your days fishing. Below are photos showing the beat from the top down.

I gave it the full lash using fly and spinner. No fresh fish were evident that day but one was caught a couple of days previously and another lost at the net. The one bright not was Glenda Powell catching her biggest ever salmon on her birthday, a 16lb kelt on the fly! Alas no more spring fish were to be caught until March 15th.

After time spent on the river I gave the sea fishing a bash looking for an elusive bass or sea trout on the lure, trying marks around Cork Harbour and West Cork. Visits to the marks were met with less than brilliant conditions however and myself and a buddy were drawing blanks. The weather at the time was mightily cold, definitely contributing to the lack of action. As they say fish bite the least when the wind is from the east! It is still early days for the bass also though and at least getting out on some marks I've never fished before gives me experience of them so I'm more prepared for when the water warms up and the fish are in.

On the Bandon not a whole pile has been happening as it is still early days. I caught a couple more kelts and saw 1 more fresh fish after the rise on the 11th. No sign of fresh sea trout yet and just before the deluge yesterday the brownies were beginning to creep out of the deep holes. Just like the sea fishing I've been looking at new spots on the river and I cannot wait to fish them when the fish are in. Rather than sticking to the usual spots it is nice to get out and look for the new places to try and you get a better picture of the river as a whole. To finish off the update, a photo of Baxter's Bridge.