What is it with nature, the colour yellow, and May. Our cold winter has finally left us and the past few days have been humid and close. A little spot of rain turned the grass green overnight, and the countryside came to life in various shades of yellow. Rich Gorse yellow with that wonderful coconut scent, bright fields of rape seed, broom, dandelion, and buttercup.
The Blackstairs mountains shimmered and the higher peaks were lost in isolated low cloud as I drove through Kiltealy and Ballymurphy on the way to fly fish the river Barrow at Goresbridge. The Barrow south of Carlow is predominantly a coarse and pike fishery, however trout reside in the fast water below the weirs, and there is a nice riffly stretch below the village of Goresbridge.
Goresbridge angling association control the game fishing on this stretch of the Barrow, and day permits at €5.00 can be purchased from the Barrow Breeze Bar on the main street. Pike, Dace, and Bream populate the still water above the weir, while below the river is one long riffle for about a quarter of a mile. Access is limited due to bank side vegetation, wading though is an option but only in low flows.
Running a hares ear, partridge and orange, and black and silver spider through various runs yielded a number of trout to eight ounces. One cast delivered a double header which for a fleeting moment felt like a good trout. No matter, the sun was shining, the trout were taking, and all was right with the world. Happy days.
