Light Line Worm Does the Trick

Summer time is well and truly here! We're enjoying some spectacular weather at the moment and the river as a consequence is dropping quickly. At least if the fishing isn't too great we can gorge ourselves on the 64 matches the World Cup has to offer or simply admire the beautiful scenery down at the river.

As I mentioned in my last post, good fishing was experienced as the flood water tapered off but from Wednesday on fishing fell away. I went out for a quick cast on Friday and scoping through a few pools unveiled very little. Just as I was leaving however, casting way down the pool along a long line of Ranunculus, I felt a solid tug and was surprised to see a big 3lb plus brown trout had taken my size 4 Flying C. That's the beauty of the Bandon, sometimes you just don't know what's going to strike your lure next!

Saturday came around and the sun was absolutely splitting the stones. Not the most conducive conditions for successful salmon fishing but if they are present there is always a chance. Casting a spinner over a fish which had splashed a couple of times yielded no response. A tactic taught to me by my uncle years ago came to mind, as it was applicable to the conditions before me. I rested the fish for a couple of hours and returned with my rod rigged up with 4lb line for fishing the worm. Employing such light line is a huge risk but can be the difference between blanking and scoring. The main advantage to be gained is the presentation, as the worm is trundled down the current in the most natural fashion possible. Using heavier line compromises the upper hand gained by this manoeuvre. However, it is not a strategy recommended for using over coloured fish or if you intend to release your capture. Covering the fish after half a dozen casts, I could feel the unmistakable draw. Giving line and waiting for the fish to run I struck into something a little bigger than I was expecting... 

The battle commenced and lasted 20 minutes before the fish ran down to the end of the pool for the umpteenth time and proceeded to exit into the next. Sprinting in chest high water after the fish for a few hundred yards and some nail biting moments later, I eventually netted the 13.5lb dazzler of a salmon 3/4 of an hour after the initial take. Of course, the hook fell out in the net, I kid you not.

Good Sport on a Dropping Flood

For the past couple of weeks fishing has been slow due to low water levels on the river. Salmon were present in good numbers but proved very hard to entice, with just a few fish falling mainly to the shrimp. Some sea trout were entering the system and I enjoyed a couple of nights out but unfortunately I brought nothing to hand. The best sea trout I hooked was pushing 2lbs but it just wouldn't stop jumping and eventually shook off my size 8 Stoat's Tail.

The Bandon took a turn for the better though on Friday with water levels rising rapidly which is exactly what it needed. Saturday saw the river bowling down and spinning was the order of the day for me due to the height, speed and colour of the water. I ventured out in the evening, trying to give the river a chance to drop, and was rewarded with a beautiful fish of 11.5lbs.

On Sunday the river was in fine fettle and acceptable for all methods. On my way down the river I had a quick chuck with a Flying C and 3rd cast I had a follow from a fish which gave the bait one quick rattle and was gone again. A few more casts yielded no more interest but the evening looked promising. The next pool down was perfect for the fly so I stuck with my intermediate tip and tied on a gold bodied Willie Gunn which served me well during the last flood. Just as I was coming down to the sweet spot I saw some people walking in the field across the way and I was thinking how great it would be if I hooked a fish in front of them. Next cast and... the strollers were stopped in their tracks!! 15 minutes later and I had a sea liced bar of silver for them to admire which I estimated to be around 8lbs before I gently slipped her back.

All in all from talking to other fishermen the general consensus is that there was a good run of fish going through. I heard of only one grilse caught with most fish weighing between 8-14lbs. With the river settling down now lets see what the week ahead brings.

Early Grilse on the Bandon

Joining in on the dawn chorus Saturday morning paid off with a sparkling, stocky grilse of about 5lbs on the fly. Its great to see these entering the system now, along with some good sized springers. The best fish I heard of at the weekend tipped the scales at 11lbs.

Once again the green butt cascade produced the goods and it is without doubt my favourite salmon fly, especially for fresh fish. Dressed in sizes to suit the water level you wont go far wrong with one tied to the end of your leader. When I started fishing with the standard cascade I couldn't conjur a pull but when I acquired a dressing which included the fluoro green trigger point there was no looking back. 

Hand lining, as the fly was  coming to the end of its swing across the main current, induced this fish to take with conviction. It pays to always retrieve a few yards of line before recasting as it just might inspire a following fish to pounce. Keeping the fish in the water while being unhooked made sure it swam away with gusto. 

Grilse, especially the early fish, don't take their time in ascending the river even when the water is low. Whilst having a quick flick with a spinner on Sunday a host of trout followed the flying c to my feet and next cast it was a grilse which had just entered the pool. Unfortunately it showed no more interest but walking back upstream I could see the same fish slowly creeping its way up at a leisurely pace.

The photo above is of a similar sized, very fresh salmon I observed last year in a lower volume of water just downstream of Dunmanway, approximately 35 miles upstream from where the river enters the sea. It will be very interesting to see how the fishing develops with the next rise in water levels!

Let the Good Times Roll

What can you say, the River Bandon really is on song at the moment! After banking my first springer on May 7th I went on to seduce 2 more fish in less than a week. Beautiful river conditions continued and fish were met on a daily basis by fishermen along the river. The biggest I heard of being caught, and released, was estimated to weigh 16lbs.

A few months ago I acquired a switch rod which I believed would be extremely well suited to fishing the Bandon. For early season and high water work, a 13 foot rod is advantageous when fast sinking lines are employed to dredge the river bed with heavy tubes. As the water warms and settles after the early season floods, a more subtle approach can come into play... cue the switch rod. I opted for an Airflo Airtec which is 11 foot 3 inches in length and very useful along the tree lined banks where space is limited. Teamed up with a RIO Scandi Short Versitip fly line and you have one amazing setup. Choosing the clear intermediate tip, a short 3 to 4 foot leader and a gold bodied Willie Gunn tied on a 1/2 inch copper tube, this fish was charmed into submission.

After unhooking the hen fish she was returned to the shallows to recuperate and continue her upstream migration. The lighter rod held its own quite comfortably even against this sea liced springer in relatively high water and I don't think I'll need to use the 13 footer on the local again this season!

To complete the hat trick another silver torpedo surrendered to a black and copper size 4 Flying C a few days later. Starting at the head of the chosen pool, a few casts over a lie achieved nothing but the first cast over the next lie down had the rod buckling over!

The quality of the fish this year is second to none and they obviously found good feeding during their time at sea. With the weather forecast relatively unsettled for the second half of this week hopefully we will get a top up of water to help prolong the excellent sport we are enjoying this month.

Lastly, for bass fishing enthusiasts, this years Irish Bass Festival will take place from July 25th to 27th. Closing date for registration is Saturday June 7th which is only 3 weeks away now. To enter look up the Irish Bass Festival website. For reports on last years festival, click here and here.