LURED Herman Molenaar winkled out this lure-caught pike for Bob

Bob shows that our neighbour is far from nished as an angling destination with four fabulous days in the republic
OUGH Derg is big. Hang on, better make that massive. Its over 40km long and more than 11km at its widest point. Thats over 32,000 acres of water running to 36 metres deep. The River Shannon ows in at the northern end (Portumna) and out again at the southern tip (Killaloe) yet with the exception of pike anglers, very little coarse angling takes place. In a whole day trolling I spotted just two anglers fishing from the bank. Back in 2002 I dropped into TJ OBriens tackle shop in Killaloe and he refused to take payment for a couple of tubs of split shot. It was a small but genuine gesture of friendship that left me feeling to this day that I owed him, so it would have been rude not to make contact and organise a days fishing together. TJ keeps a number of swims baited on the Lough that are only accessible by boat. It means he can pretty much guarantee to put his guests on fish and some massive catches are made. Hundred pound bags of bream are nothing exceptional if you know what youre doing. Two hundred pounds barely raises an eyebrow. I met up with TJ on Monday morning and we shot across the Lough in his high-powered boat to a prebaited swim. Simple groundbait feeder tactics were the order of the day, casting out between two markers spaced maybe 50 metres apart. The key is to get into a regular casting rhythm and try to keep everything

It's a pleasure fishing Ireland

accurate. With no carp to worry about its perfectly safe to clip up at the required distance. That way you shouldnt under or overcast. Sadly, two hours in, no-one had raised a bite and the weather was deteriorating. White horses were already crashing on to the shore when TJ decided to go and investigate a second swim hed baited on the far side of the Lough where it would be much calmer. I soldiered on and then, out of the blue, I had a bite which produced a cracking hybrid, nearer 3lb than two, and boy, do these beauties fight hard. Next cast I had another, then a bream. Things were looking up but in the distance I could see the plumes of spray from TJs boat as it tracked back across the turbulent waters. The bad news was that wed better pack in and head for the sheltered bank as the Lough was cutting up rough and could turn dangerous. The

Bob Roberts

Bob Roberts Diary

Angling tales from a retired civil engineer who can turn his hand to any type of shing

good news was that TJ had already caught two bream and we hadnt yet reached the key feeding time. The far bank was a different world. Evening sunshine warmed our shoulders, the wind deected by trees and hills I could think of no place Id rather have been at that moment. After barely five minutes my tip pulled gently round and a sweeping strike was met with the thump of a heavy fish. It was a slab of around 5lb. From then on we caught bream steadily until it was time to pack up. Plenty of feed is needed though, because these shoals are massive and I doubt you could actually stop them for very long. They just move in, hoover up and move on. We rested the following day and went to Limerick. On Wednesday Id invited Shane OReilly, from Inland Fisheries Ireland, to join me (email: shane. oreilly@fisheriesireland.ie).
ROOMY Finding a space to fish on gigantic Lough Derg is never a problem

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Bob Roberts Diary CONTINUED

Bob Roberts

Originally we were going to fish the Shannon but Id been steadily introducing a bit of feed into a swim barely 600 metres from the cottage, just off an island, so it seemed a shame not to give it a try. Once again we endured a slow start. Shane explained the Shannon system has become infested with zebra mussels resulting in the water going very clear. The fish are still there but now they tend to feed early and late. The weather was typically Irish, very windy with a few showers, and frustrated by the lack of action we decided to rest the swim and head back to the cottage for a warm bowl of soup. An hour or so later we returned to the very same swims and I had a bite first cast. I turned to tell Shane and, blow me, if we werent both playing a fish at the same time. From then on it was as if the fishing Gods had thrown a switch and we were getting a bite every cast from the most fabulous hybrids imaginable. They were immaculate specimens of 2lb-3lb and for all the world they looked and fought like big roach, except Id say these kiddies fight a good deal harder. You can count 17 big hybrids laid out on my unhooking mat (above right). There were as many again in my keepnet and we didnt select the biggest or the prettiest. These were just a random sample and what you see is pretty much what I caught in the space of a single hour. It was mental fishing and I kept wondering what folk are on about when they say that Irelands finished and the fishing isnt what it used to be. Have they actually been? By all accounts we were unlucky with our timing. The Loughs roach population disappears into side streams to spawn in late May but when theyre around they can run very big. Two-pounders are not uncommon and two different people swore to me they had previously caught fish over 3lb. I certainly couldnt argue judging by the photographs they showed me. The following day Shane had arranged a spot of pike fishing with Herman Molenaar (see www. fisherman.nl). Herman is Dutch, came to Ireland for a holiday and loved the

Lough and the fishing so much he now lives there permanently. Hermans a pike nut. He lives, sleeps and breathes pike, so much so he attracts pike anglers from all over Europe to his guest house which is above the specialist pike tackle shop he owns on Killaloes main street. I was so looking forward to this day. On average his clients catch something like ten fish a day. Sometimes, when the pike are on the rampage, it can be many, many more. His best lurecaught pike from Derg is 36lb but he recently lost one much bigger, right at the boat. I do not doubt him. Alas we ran into the worst weather imaginable for pike fishing. The clouds ran away, the sky turned Mediterranean blue, the sun beat down and temperatures soared. But worst of all, the Lough dropped calm. Our chances of catching were practically zero but somehow the old Dutch master managed to winkle a small one out for me while we trolled between jerk baiting spots. For my final days fishing Id arranged to hook up with Feakle guest house owner Mike Daly, and Tim Queally, Chairman of the Tulla and District Coarse Angling Association. We fished a small lake in the East Clare Lake District, about 20 minutes away. Youll catch loads of roach, Bob. Good fish, too. Weve had em to well over 2lb and fish to a pound, maybe a

JUST A SAMPLE Bob had just as many hybrids in his keepnet. Fab fish of 2lb-3lb

THANKS TO Stena Line, www. stenaline. co.uk. Lough Derg Holiday Houses, www. loughderg holiday houses.com TJ OBrien, www. tjsangling. com. Mike Daly (B&B): Tel + (353) 61 924304 Tulla Anglers at www. fishingin tulla.com Tourism Ireland, www. discover ireland.com

pound-and-a-half, are quite common, promised Mike on the phone, with a passion and enthusiasm that belied his 70-odd summers. Its deep mind. We fish eight metres out in anything up to six metres of water. Unfortunately the heatwave raised itself up another notch. Bright sunshine and scorching heat do not make for great roach fishing although its hard to complain when youre beside such a beautiful lake. Well, I did catch roach. In fact I was catching one every drop in the early stages, but mostly small fish on double maggot. The better fish are normally caught on corn but I couldnt raise a bite on the stuff. To be honest I was simply glad to be catching. And then two feet of elastic popped out of the end of the pole as a sizeable roach decided to set my knees shaking. So there the trip had to end. Four very different days fishing but each one a real treat. The people were absolutely fabulous, genuine and very helpful. Ireland is like stepping back in time. Empty roads, no litter, friendly and welcoming. Best of all, the fishing can still be sensational if you adapt to the changes. And Ill sing its praises from the rooftops because I cant wait to go back. Roll on next year. For more details of Bobs Irish fishing contacts see www. bobrobertsonline.co.uk

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