Rainbow’s End at Rathcon

I am not mad keen on fishing for stocked Rainbow’s, preferring to target wild Trout. The fins of hatchery fish are usually damaged and larger fish give the appearance of being overweight and unfit. Not so at Rathcon Trout Fishery, Grangecon, Co. Wicklow. The Rathcon Rainbow’s are lean, fit, healthy, fully finned, and behave like steelheads when hooked, exploding into life and pulling yards of line off the reel, again, and again, and again.

Mark Corps, Game Angling Advisor CFB, with a perfectly formed Rathcon Rainbow

The Paige family own and run Rathcon Trout Fishery. Dermot Paige maintains that the Rainbow feed on the crayfish that thrive in the lakes that were formed when, a number of years ago the Paiges dammed a small stream that ran through their land, so forming the fishery. Fly life is also prolific with buzzers very evident, along with terrestrials such as hawthorn flies and daddy long legs.

Shane O'Reilly, angling advisor CFB, and his colleague Ronan with a monster Rathcon Rainbow

Having received a call from Mark Corps of the CFB that a group were heading over to Rathcon late Friday afternoon, I threw the rods in the car arriving about 16.00pm. Parking beside the clubhouse I could see a chap playing a good fish. Grabbing the camera and legging it over I was able to witness Shane O’Reilly netting a whopper Rainbow for his colleague Ronan. Caught on a viva, it was Ronan’s first ever trout on a fly!

Mark Corps playing a good fish, Rathcon, Co. Wicklow

With trout visibly rising to buzzers I put up a viva plus a bibio, with Mark Corps duplicating the bibio while fishing a shipman’s on the point. In that period takes came rapidly with Mark landing three fish in quick succession. The last one, on the bibio, jumping clear of the water on numerous occasions. A fish rose close to me which I covered, the water exploded and with a shout of “fish on” the reel screamed and ten yards of line shot through the rings, as the Rainbow bolted down the lake towards the clubhouse. A lively fight ensued with the fish boring deep and heading off on numerous shorter runs. When netted there was the bibio firmly embedded in the scissors, a quick extraction, photo, and away.

Perfect Rathcon Rainbow

After that a cuppa was in order, so over to the clubhouse for a biscuit and a chat. Rathcon is a fine place to spend a few hours, the location in a pastoral landscape, great facilities, and of course the fishing. Those Rainbow’s are special.  The next hour saw a couple more fish on the bank for members of the party as buzzer activity increased. It had been a year since my last visit to Rathcon, graced by a ten pound fish, I will not be leaving it so long next time around.

Rathcon Rainbow

Further information: Rathcon Trout Fishery.

Click on: Autumn at Rathcon.

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