Bleach Lough Anglers Competition

experimenter

I spotted this on their website the other day, anyone looking to fish it??


http://www.bleachloughanglers.ie/page_32.html


All-Ireland Rainbow Challenge

Open Trout Fly-Fishing Competition

October 23, 24, 25 (Bank Holiday Week-end)

ironbluedun

nice prizes.....

Kess73

Nice lake to fish, with some lovely fish, both game and course in it.

experimenter

I am going to have a go, but I am sure they have 100 anglers already...

We'll see.

experimenter

I am entered for this, anyone else going?

gary29428

Can you get a day ticket for this fishery, can you hire a boat. I've never heard of the place but would like to give it a go. Anybody on here fished it recently.

experimenter

Will be fishing it for the first time in a few weeks.

All the info is here,
http://www.bleachloughanglers.ie

Kess73

gary29428 wrote: »

Can you get a day ticket for this fishery, can you hire a boat. I've never heard of the place but would like to give it a go. Anybody on here fished it recently.

Yep you can get a day permit which comes with a three fish limit. Boats are available to hire as well at €20 for the day.


Have not fished it since June, but I have always had good sport there. There is a good head of coarse fish there, including one lovely pike in particular who is just shy of 20lbs. Have caught her twice in the last three years, the last time being in June, and she is easy to identify as she has very distinctive scars just behind her head that look to be the reminders of a heron strike when she was a smaller fish.

There are some good perch in the lake as well as plenty of rudd and roach (mostly small). I am convinced that there are a number of tench there too as I spotted one in the shallows last June.

For the game fisherman there are some lovely trout in the lake, both brownies and rainbows. Some of the rainbows are real slabs of fish, and there are plenty of brownies in the 2lb to 8lb mark in the lake. Note that all trout of 3lbs or over must be returned to the lake though.

gary29428

Does the usual fare of Buzzers and Blobs do it for the rainbows or do you have to be a bit more inventive over there. Sounds like a top class fishery all round, will def pay it a visit next year.

experimenter

I have no idea as to what to use, suppose I will try the usual fly lures.

Kess73

Daddy dry, Montana Nymph, shipmans buzzer, Orange Fritz, and Ginger & gold are some of what has worked for me there in the past. Mind you I prefer the lake for coarse fishing, but I do fly fish there a few times a year.

The first three for rainbow and the last two for brownies.


Damsels are fairly popular with many of the lads that fish there on a regular basis.

Although when rainbows are in the mood, pretty much any fly can do the job on a small fishery.

experimenter

Kess73,

Hi, can I ask are the fish deep in October?

Damsel and Montana, I agree are good patterns for Rainbows.

This time of year, i find rainbows chase fry, so Muddlers should work well too.

Kess73

experimenter wrote: »

Kess73,

Hi, can I ask are the fish deep in October?

Damsel and Montana, I agree are good patterns for Rainbows.

This time of year, i find rainbows chase fry, so Muddlers should work well too.

The temperature pretty much decides whether the fish go deep or not come October. From what I have experienced there, if the temp is pretty much as it normally is around Oct, then they do not go very deep in the lake, and can be tempted readily to the surface. A lot of people fish their fly with a float there, but I think a lot of that comes from it being one of the tips on the sign there.

There can be a lot of activity in the shallows during sept and Oct with fry being chased by larger fish, and some very big fish can be seen in literally 12 inches of water.


It is the comp in November that interests me more to be honest as I am more a pike man that a trout man.

experimenter

Grand, thanks for reply. Looking forward to the bank holiday weekend comp, as this is a new place for me to fish. It will be great if the weather and temps keep as they are.

Kess73

What it can be, is a great spot to bring the kids/godkids etc to give them a taste of fishing.

I find it a little small, but that is because my favourite local-ish haunt in Lough Derg where I have been on an Ahab-esque quest for a few years now to catch a very big pike that made bits of a 7lbs to 8lbs pike I had hooked.:)

Some massive pike in Lough Derg and in the Shannon between Lough Derg and O'Briens Bridge, and for the trout man, during the season, there are some huge trout in Derg, with a good head of fish in the 10lb to 18lbs range. The larger ones tend to be caught more on pike lures than on more conventional trout methods though. Have had a fair few trips where I was trolling for pike there with a big copper spoon end up in a battle with a big trout.

experimenter

Is it not a 55 Acre Lake??

I see the closing date has been extended!

Kess73

Yeah it is a 55 acre lake. I was calling it small compared to the lake I fish the most, which is some 45 square miles in size.

experimenter

All-Ireland Rainbow Challenge

POSTPONED :mad::mad: