Is There A Flood Around The Corner??

The days are slipping by as the dark nights are drawing in and the evenings are that bit cooler. Indeed autumn is beginning to set in and still the Bandon hasn't had an appreciable rise in what feels like the whole summer. Water levels have pretty much being at a low summer level since the start of June, except for a very short rise of a foot in mid July. 2013 was a real test for salmon anglers in West Cork but 2014 is turning out to be even tougher. Nevertheless, moaning will get you no where and if you want to catch you have to persevere. Its a time for stealth and using light gear if ever there was one and although takes are very few and far between, a trophy fish is still achievable. Last month, Dad released a whopper of a sea trout and this month he landed one of his biggest ever salmon on worm weighing in at an impressive 17lbs.

The fish was just off the tide and covered in long tailed sea lice. With September 30th fast approaching its going to be hard for us to better this poundage! Try as I might, I've landed 2 more fish on the worm also, which both went back to continue their trek to the headwaters. Both fish were in the 4-5lb bracket and swam off strongly.

On the nocturnal side of proceedings, sea trout have made a most welcome, and relieving, resurgence. For the last few years returning numbers have been quite low but not so this summer. My best night so far yielded 9 sea trout with many more lost and takes missed. Nothing huge, with a lot being of a small size and a couple going to the pound. Most of the bigger trout went through earlier on in the season but there is still the chance of the odd, bigger fresh salmo trutta. Sport seems to be coming in pulses of late with trout seemingly coming on the take all of a sudden and switching off just as fast. The usual flies are producing the goods and from now on darker flies will be coming into their own.

At this stage of the season a flood would be a blessing for fish and fishermen alike. Just look at the fish in the foreground of the photo I took at Galway Weir last weekend! If it does materialise there is nowhere I'd rather be than on the Bandon as fishing should be fantastic. It would also be nice to take the switch rod out again for a final whirl!!