Posts Tagged ‘Kill Devil Spider’
Monday, March 18th, 2013
This morning she has the look of an English chalk stream, running clear, the first vestiges of ranunculus (a curse later in the season) waving in the current. A sharp, cold south easterly breeze blows upstream, not a rise to be seen, the trout are keeping their neb’s down and who would blame them. In the distance snow lies on Lugnaquilla, Leinster’s highest mountain, like a dome shaped Mount Fuji, standing sentinel over the surrounding countryside.
Making my way down to a get in point below the bridge I slip into the water, cold seeping through my waders, fishing just might be slow. Set up with a four weight rig, kill devil spider on point, greenwells spider covering center, with a partridge and orange taking up the rear, I cast at a 45 degree angle towards the far bank, throwing a mend before letting the flies swing around. Lengthening the line, third cast a pull, splash, and hop, diving and skittering towards my hand, a beautifully spotted 10 inch trout.
Spring regularly finds me on this river, flowing off Wicklow granite she first runs across bleak moorland before dropping quickly onto a rich agricultural hinterland where she meanders gently, eventually linking with her parent River Slaney. With a river bed comprising coarse sand and gravel ideally suited for constructing redds, this stream enjoys a run of salmon and it is not unheard of for early season trout fishers to unexpectedly connect with the king of fish. My five minutes in the sun occuring a few years ago while fishing a 1/0 copper Mepps with trout in mind, four pound b/s line being no match for a spring salmon when it decides to get its head down.
Back to the present, after my initial success things went quite, a couple more pulls signaled interest but nothing definite ensued. Flattering to deceive the day looked glorious, blue skies and fluffy clouds creating an impression of spring warmth when in reality it was Baltic. Time to go down, replacing the kill devil with a weighted nymph, instant success, of a similar 10 inch size, the trout shook itself free after thirty seconds.
Persevering down stream with no more joy I changed over to a dry fly set up tying on a dark olive klinkhammer, working a few runs on my way back towards the car seemed like a plan. With still not a rise in sight and fishing water more in hope then design I signed off, it being well past the witching mid day hours so important to fly fishing in early March. Tomorrow is another day with the Liffey, Mr Irish Fly Fisher Liam Stenson, and a master class in fishing the dry fly beckoning, bring it on…….
Tags: Angling, Down stream wet fly, Fishing, Fly Fishing, Game Fishing, Greenwells Spider, Ireland, Kill Devil Spider, Partridge and Orange, Soft hackle flies, Wild Brown Trout
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Saturday, June 2nd, 2012
West Cork has to be a kayak anglers paradise, what with all the bays, inlets, and little slip ways dotted around the place, sure you would be able to go fishing weather permitting whatever quarter the wind was blowing from. Also there are locations where rock hopping is completely out of the question due to sheer cliffs, so these marks would now become accessible. When one considers that depths can reach 100+ feet in places just yards from the shore, big deep water species like ling now become a real possibility.
Gary Robinson is a superb “thinking” angler who looked at the kayaks fishing capability about two years ago and subsequently has put together a formidable outfit kitted out with fish finder/echo sounder, anchor, rod holders, storage facilities, and all necessary safety features, an impressive piece of kit and no mistake. Our trip down to the south west offered Gary the first real opportunity to test his boat handling and angling skills over fishing grounds that are far from depleted. His first day on the water not only blew his mind but this seasoned anglers’ too.
That day I was fishing for wrasse far out on a headland and could observe Gary, about a mile further into the bay, paddling and fishing away. At days end we met up and you just knew by his face and of course the two large pollack, one of which weighed 9.lb plus, that his day had been a success. “Ridiculous” is how Gary described it, just fish after fish until his arms got sore. Initially using hokais searching for mackerel which were scarce, he did boat numerous big launce though, every time Gary hit bottom strings of three/four pound pollack would come up. Changing to a single 30 gram jig head he targeted larger stuff and boated pollack into double figures, all bar the two fish above being released. Gary said that he lost count of how many fish landed, now that is some day. Ground fishing at anchor with large fish fillets is the next logical step, I can’t wait to see the results of that exercise. Bugger it, I’m off to buy a kayak too…..
Read Gary Robinson’s account of the above trip in his excellent article titled; Pollack Perfection in South West Ireland.
Tags: Angling, Fishing, Ireland, Kayak angling, Kayak fishing, Kill Devil Spider, Launce, lugworm, Lure Fishing, Mackerel, Pollack, Sea Angling, Sea Fishing, Snow, West Cork
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Saturday, April 28th, 2012
Wind angled off my left shoulder as the weight forward number four line snaked out at a forty five degree angle to the current. Fishing a long line the twelve foot leader uncoiled depositing the kill devil point fly and its spidery team mates in the still water beyond the gut close under the far bank. Feeding a foot of line to sink the flies, entering the seam a boil followed by a heavy tug and a tight line, the fish bored deep and my reel screeched, zzzzzzzzzzz a good trout.
Twisting and turning the brownie gave a good account of itself, running towards a bed of ranunculus I applied side strain, the fish turned, a few hops more and it was in the net. Between a half and three quarters, a fine fish for the Derreen, two plump trout in three casts from the same deep run, the God’s are smiling. Ten minutes earlier a riffle further upstream had delivered three fish, all flies had scored from the kill devil to the greenwells but the partridge and orange had its nose in front and was to keep it there.
Although bright and sunny a stiff north east breeze blew and with snow lying on Lugnaquilla, the highest mountain in Leinster, it was chilly to say the least. Gusts ruffled the surface and although a few terrestrials were flying about there was no hatch as such, that said a few trout were rising. The Derreen flows down off Lug’ crossing the border into Co. Carlow then flowing past Hacketstown before meandering through rich farmland towards Tullow. The river bed is gravely well suited to spawning salmon which run up from its parent River Slaney. Today however the target was trout and although not giving themselves up they were on occasions obliging.
My tactics given the strong downstream wind were to keep low and cast a long line down and across keeping false casts to a minimum. The wind helped in this matter by ruffling the surface so breaking up the trouts field of vision. By combining the broken riffled water, where the trout would be positioned along the seams with the disturbed still water while keeping low I could get close and cover potential fishy lies. The system worked, it’s great when it does, with at least a half dozen wild brownies to the rod for a short two hour session. Later in the month as the weather warms up evening dry fly, in particular to the black gnat, should come into its own. I’ll be back…..
Click on: Guided Fly Fishing for Wild Trout.
Tags: Angling, Fishing, Fly Fishing, Game Fishing, Greenwells Spider, Ireland, Kill Devil Spider, Partridge and Orange, River Derreen, Wicklow, Wild Brown Trout
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Friday, March 23rd, 2012
The rumble of artillery rolled across the hills as shell after shell thudded into the boggy landscape, interspersed with heavy machine gun fire I now have an idea what the poor unfortunates dug into their trenches in Flanders fields had to endure close on 100 years ago. Carried by a south east wind from nearby Glen of Imaal where the army were on manouvers, the noise on occasions was very loud and the air shook, God knows what it was like for those living in the vicinity. A weak sun shone through the haze and it was bloody cold, my chosen stream was decidedly low now due to the current dry spell, in short fishing was tough.
On the other hand it couldn’t escape me that I was out and about in the heart of the Wicklow Mountains, glaciated dome shaped granite covered by a green, russet, and purple blanket. Coconut scented gorse flowering, lambs everywhere, farmers going about their business, the river snaking through, and me, 20 miles from O’Connell St alone with the trout. Walking upstream to fish wets back down, it being fruitless to dry fly due to the sharp east wind blowing in my face, I chose a run flowing out of a boulder field into a long flat and commenced.
Immediately a head and tail rise followed by a tug, instinctively setting I missed but continued the movement recasting to the same spot. The trout came again and this time took the kill devil on the point, diving and darting in the swift current, silver with black and red spots it could have been a sea trout, unusual. Returned, I connected with another standard coloured fish from this lie before moving on.
Shrunk due to the lack of rain, clear with that reddish tinge, if I was a trout the deep holes and flats is where I would be. The strong wind made upstream fishing practically impossible so I persevered on down. At days end my rod took five wild fish averaging six ounces, with a number of rises and tugs to keep interest. The kill devil, coachman, and greenwells all scored, and other than a couple of stone flies and a lone sedge I saw no fly life. Happy with my lot and heading for the car I considered the different personalities of the stream, all connected with one unifying strand, rain…
Tags: Angling, Fishing, Fly Fishing, Game Fishing, Ireland, Kill Devil Spider, River fishing, Trout fishing, Wicklow, Wild Brown Trout
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Tuesday, March 13th, 2012
There are day’s when you are reminded why you chose to go fishing, spring starts to show its face, the air is warm with just a little zephyr of a breeze, a hazy brightness fills the landscape, and trout dance with your flies, pulling and cavorting as you work down the runs. Low,almost to the bones my chosen stream diverted and sluiced between the boulders, trout sat in the back eddies waiting for morsels to drift by, and my spiders twitched irresistibly enough to lure a fish at regular intervals, a man couldn’t wish for more.
In his 1959 published treatise on angling “Fishing and Thinking” Dr. A. A. Luce, Professor of Moral Philosophy at Trinity College Dublin wrote of his best day on the river. Casting a line on the same stream almost 63 years to the day I couldn’t but feel a sense of deja vu. Commencing fishing around noon after having walked a step upstream I felt confident as my initial cast snaked across the stream, throwing a mend the flies worked along a seam whence simultaneously a boil and a tug signaled my first trout of the afternoon.
A little six ounce brownie, perfectly formed, yellow bellied, and brightly spotted, taken on a Greenwells spider it tricked and darted in the swift current not out gunned by my four weight wand, a nice start. Carefully wading down stream I placed my flies in runs between rocks, into back eddies, and through likely pockets searching out ambush points where a wily trout might lie up, the pool head runs being very productive.
Newly born lambs suckled and gamboled in the fields and the smell of coconut drifted from gorse bushes high up on the bank, other than the chatter of the stream there was complete silence. An hour or two had flown by and noticeably rises to my flies had slowed down. Taking advice from Dr.Luce I switched the point fly for a Coachman his successful pattern from 63 years ago and bingo a gut produced three trout on the bounce.
Making my way around a long meander I came across a nice riffle with a constant depth, casting my flies towards the far bank at a forty five degree angle, as they swung around BANG my best trout of the session took the coachman. At half a pound and in great condition the cake had been well and truly iced, time to call it a day. Eleven trout all returned along with numerous rises, a busy afternoon for sure. County Wicklow has some wonderful trout fishing in beautiful locations, the best of it found in the most out of the way places. You have to work for what you catch, but the rewards, a picture paints a thousand words….
Click on: Guided Fly Fishing for Wild Trout.
Tags: Angling, Fishing, Fly Fishing, Game Fishing, Ireland, Kill Devil Spider, Stream fishing, Wet fly fishing, Wicklow, Wild Brown Trout
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Thursday, August 4th, 2011
Ace fly dresser and passionate salmon angler Denis O’Toole couldn’t believe his eyes at the end of a twenty minute battle with one of the Avoca Rivers migratory visitors. On reaching into the landing net to cradle his prize, incredulity took over on recognition of the heavy set head and broad shovel like convex tail, a sea trout of lifetime proportions, Denis was in dreamland. Experiencing all of the emotions, both Denis and his fishing partner Dean Kennedy (who netted the great fish) were shaking as they carefully removed the hook with a view to weighing and returning the superb specimen.
The needle bounced down to 16.75 lbs, taking into account the weigh net, officially the sea trout weighed in at 16.lb, the largest recorded Irish fly caught sea trout and one which will be very hard to better. Denis has to be commended for releasing the fish, the action being a reflection of his passion and love for the sport, “Respect”. His fishing partner Dean Kennedy has to get special mention also, for it was he that netted the bruiser and did the photographic honours, for which I and many others who read this post are very grateful, “good job Dean”.
For the record Denis’s 16.lb sea trout of a lifetime was tempted by a 1.5 inch Lava tail aluminium tube fly designed and created by himself. He used an eight weight Partridge Switch rod, a large arbour Orvis Battenkill reel, and a weight forward 8 line.
This wonderful angling feat highlights the potential of the Avoca river as a game fishing location and hopefully will spur the decision makers, clubs , and stakeholders with an interest in the system to fast forward action plans regarding its restoration and future management. In the meantime lets celebrate Denis’s great feat, sea trout of this calibre usually only enter our lives in dreams. Denis O’Toole will dream happily for the rest of his life.
Footnote: Denis O’Toole is a professional fly dresser specialising in tying top quality salmon and sea trout flies. For advice and information email Denis at , otooledenis96@yahoo.com.
Tags: Angling, Avoca, Denis O'Toole, Fishing, Fly Fishing, Game Fishing, Ireland, Kill Devil Spider, River Avoca, Sea trout, Wicklow
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Wednesday, August 3rd, 2011
It takes a Yorkshireman who lives and works in Holland to come to Ireland with the purpose of writing what will most certainly be the definitive book on Irish Sea Trout. Chris McCully lives and breaths this wonderful, mysterious, sporting, and ultimately fascinating species, and it is with real pleasure that I say, “thank you Chris for the last couple of days spent in your company. Your passion for white trout has reinvigorated within me the reason why I took up fly fishing, and I look forward to exploring my local rivers and streams, on a regular and more diligent basis, with a view to hopefully encountering this most magical of fish”.
Chris has spent three years on the project, visiting and fishing over sixty fisheries across the length and breadth of Ireland, north and south, meeting local characters, anglers, and clubs, garnering knowledge and making many new friends, the final draft will be worth waiting for. Until then I will visit the optician with a view to improving my night vision, and cast a line into that deep shadowy pool after midnight, letting it swing around before slowly figure of eighting that surface lure in the hope of, BANG, the stuff of dreams.
Thank you Chris, and best of luck with the book.
Tags: Angling, Avoca, Chris McCully, Denis O'Toole, Fishing, Game Fishing, Ireland, Kill Devil Spider, Sea trout, Sea trout fishing, Slaney, Trout and Salmon, Vartry, Wexford, Wicklow
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Friday, July 8th, 2011
Fished the Slaney yesterday evening for sea trout below Scarawalsh old bridge accompanied by visiting angler David Balsdon. A native of Devon who fishes the famous River Torridge, David was looking forward to casting a line on this equally famous Irish river. Conditions were not great, with a cool south easterly wind blowing upstream driving a constant mist of rain before it. Perseverance though did pay off, with David netting a three quarter pound sea trout tempted by a Kill Devil Spider as dusk closed in.
In good condition, fat and beautifully spotted, the sea trout took with a bang giving a good account of itself before being netted, photographed, and returned. David fished on until close to mid night catching parr and small brownies, along with a few tentative plucks from their migratory cousins, however the brace alluded him. Conditions were tough it has to be said, the upstream wind in particular making life difficult, but hey that’s fishing. David appreciated the experience, and if the opportunity arises would most definitely make a return visit.
Tags: Angling, Butcher, Fishing, Fly Fishing, Game Fishing, Ireland, Kill Devil Spider, River Slaney, Sea trout, Wexford
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Saturday, June 4th, 2011
In Ireland we call them white trout, in Wales they are termed sewin, colloquial names for a migratory species much loved and revered by game fishers world wide, the sea trout. In the week that a new local record for the species was set with a 13.lb 5.oz fish on Lough Currane, Co. Kerry, I made my first of many evening forays to the River Slaney. Sea trout run the river from mid June to mid August but with reports of sea trout in the system below Enniscorthy an early visit was hard to resist.
The Slaney is showing its bones but there is certainly enough water to allow sea trout make their way up. For sixteen consecutive years I have fished my chosen stretch and seen the catches diminish to the point where two years back I didn’t cast a line once. With the nets off returns hopefully are on the way back, time will tell. This evening is perfect if a little bright, I rig up a floating line with a butcher (size 10) on the point and a kill devil spider (size 12) on the dropper. My rod is a favourite 9′ 6” Daiwa Whisker Fly (the original two piece) taking a six weight line. Walking downstream to a wide gravel bar which pushes the current to the right hand bank creating a deep steady gut I position myself and wait for the sun to set.
Large olives and sedges fill the air and four swans keep me company, small trout slash at flies and I am itching to cast. However I wait, it’s dusk now and my surroundings visually lose their natural sharpness while my senses become more acute. A silver bar clears the water not fifty metres from me, they are here. I commence fishing extending my line to cover the water. A few small brownies and parr take the kill devil as I work the seam. “On the dangle” I start to strip and bang the rod arches over and a bright, fresh sea trout spends the next thirty seconds more out of the water than in. Running to and fro, upstream and down, after a couple of minutes and still full of life I grasp the fish in my hand. Three quarters of a pound and smelling of the sea, sweet…..
Tags: Angling, Butcher, Fishing, Fly Fishing, Game Fishing, Herling, Ireland, Kill Devil Spider, River Slaney, Seatrout, Sewin, Wexford, White trout
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Friday, September 10th, 2010
The River Slaney rises on the slopes of Lugnaquilla, the highest mountain in County Wicklow, flows westward down through the saucer shaped Glen of Imaal before breaking out and heading south to eventually meet the tide at Wexford harbour. Primarily a salmon river, the headwaters down to Aghade bridge below Tullow can produce some quality wild brown trout fishing. Although not big running six to eight ounces, fish to over a pound+ show up from time to time.
The Glen of Imaal although close to Dublin is a place apart. Home to 1798 rebel hero Michael Dwyer, the cottage where he outwitted the redcoats still stands today, the Glen is also of great importance to the military, a large section of moorland being utilised as a firing range and training area. Flat and wide the central area is quite fertile, with the Slaney meandering over a sandy soil past villages with names like Seskin, Knockanarrigan, and Davidstown. Enclosed by willow, mountain ash, and sycamore along certain sections there are enough open areas to make fly fishing interesting.
Driving past the shop at Knockanarrigan I took a right turn into a lane about a mile past the village. Continuing on for a few hundred meters eventually the youthful Slaney came into view as it flowed under a hump backed bridge. Putting up a team of spider patterns to include a kill devil on the point, a partridge and orange on the middle dropper, and a greenwells spider on the top dropper, I hopped over a dry stone wall and headed up stream. The sun was shining and apart from an occasional south westerly breeze the air was still.
Fishing the tale of a run which flowed into a wide pool dominated by a large willow, small trout and parr came to the flies. Increasing the line and staying low I let the team sweep around into the shade under the low branches, a solid take gave hint of a larger fish. Played carefully due to the strong current a beautifully spotted brownie, taken on the kill devil, was soon on the bank. Continuing downstream towards the bridge other than parr no more fish showed.
Although peat tinged the water was crystal clear with the gravel bottom clearly visible. Salmon spawn here in the winter high up in the Wicklow mountains, having swam upstream easily eighty miles from the sea. Working my way down below the bridge a long straight run ends in a dog leg left, undercutting the bank so creating a back eddy. Working the flies along the seam a flash/splash take results in a spirited fight. Moving on I fish where two channels divided by a gravel bar meet. With a long line out the surface bulges simultaneous with the pull. I strike, feel the fish and see the broad tail break the surface as it turns, then nothing. The best fish of the day, I cover the lie for five minutes to no avail. Another time.
And so the day progressed, a spot of lunch and a pint of stout in a local pub, then out again for a few more casts. As the afternoon wore on the air got warm and still, small trout rose to the flies but nothing more substantial. However there is no doubt that most pools hold a good fish as angling pressure is light. Hidden away, the River Slaney as it flows through the Glen of Imaal is a little gem. For the angler who likes to search out new wild waters this is the place, combining moor and farmland and totally under fished. In the shadow of Wicklow’s highest mountain, the upper Slaney brownies offer great sport in a very picturesque location. Practice catch and release.
Tags: Fly Fishing, Game Fishing, Glen of Imaal, Greenwells Spider, Ireland, Kill Devil Spider, Partridge and Orange, River Slaney, Wicklow, Wild Brown Trout
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