Posts Tagged ‘Watsons’

Fly Fishing in Wicklow, Dabbling in Roundwood

Friday, March 16th, 2012

A grey heaviness enveloped Roundwood as, pushed by a warmish southerly breeze, we drifted down the annexe. Lines swished rhythmically and casts, ahead of the moving boat, uncoiled across the surface, sinking a foot before being stripped back at a pace. Top dropper dibbled for a few seconds creating a wake, then lifted for the procedure to start again. Yes, I’ve got one, my fishing partners rod bends to a nice fish which takes to leaping and hopping before diving down so pulling the tip over hard.

The annexe dam at Roundwood reservoir, Co.Wicklow, Ireland.

Played, brought to hand plump and in great condition, a little over half a pound the trout was quickly photographed then gently released to fight another day. The first of three trout and a couple of rises all to a silver dabbler, my card was marked. Swapping a wicklow killer point fly for a size 10 dabbler I recast. Instantly a pull coupled with a surface bulge, recasting, stripping, dibbling, another hard pull. Lifting, recasting, stripping fast my line locks, a trouty splash, fish on. Boring deep but soon in my hand, another half pounder to you’ve got it, the dabbler.

Trout on the dabbler.

Later my rod took another similar fish this time to the wicklow killer, in position now on the middle dropper. With himself landing four and both of us rising numerous fish it had been a busy three hours. Six fish to the boat and it not St.Patrick’s day yet, what has happened to the world. Roundwood they say is a dour lake not prone to giving up its inhabitants easy, it does though as you have learned have its good days, and as for large bushy flies, sacred heart sure what would you be wanting to use them for….

Fly Fishing in Co.Wicklow, Hailstones and Trout.

Saturday, May 14th, 2011

Sporting early summer colours Lough Dan looked beautiful as we drifted along its eastern shore pushed by a stiff north/north west breeze. The unseasonal warm weather of recent weeks has morphed into a chilly showery pattern more akin with April than May. In between when the sun shines temperatures can reach 16 – 17 degrees, but boy when the wind blows and the grey clouds close in, it bites. Around lunchtime today a haymaker passed over bombarding Gary and I with hailstones, any wonder the trout dived for cover.

Lunchtime on Lough Dan Co. Wicklow, or could it be an olive grove in the Med'.

The lake has a personality that changes with the wind, fly fishing being totally at its whim. Last week we were drifting up the lake in front of a south east breeze, today a stiff wind from the north west pushed us in the opposite direction. Located high up in a steep sided glaciated Wicklow valley, Lough Dan, the largest natural lake in the county, is dog legged shaped and this feature allied to a number of conjoining valleys causes the wind to behave in mysterious ways. Respect is the key word on the water.

A half pounder from Lough Dan, Co. Wicklow, typical for the water.

We had a great day, fishing a number of drifts all told we had a dozen trout to the boat supplemented with visual displays of every rise imaginable from boils and swirls to full on splashy rises to Polaris missile becomes flying fish. Now that was special, the trout  clearing the water by at least six inches while arking over a metre through the air, missing the flies of course. I recast in the vicinity receiving an immediate savage take but failed to set the hook. Lough Dan trout are free rising and fight hard, give me this kind of lake fishing any day. You could drive to the west and flog away on more famous waters for one or two larger trout, or experience regular fireworks in a gorgeous lightly fished location less than an hour from home, for me it’s a no brainer.

Click on: Lough Dan.

Click on: Becalmed on Lough Dan.