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Beat 2 - Ballinlovane

Under Construction

Section 1

Beat Map: (click here to view)

Description:
                This beat is one of our longest, comprising about one mile of water.  It can be accessed at a number of points:-

- at the Bottom Boundary, parking on the space on the right hand side of the road & going through the gate opposite.
- at the Shrine, parking in front of the Shrine & going through the gate opposite and walking straight down to the river.
- in front of the farm, by parking on the roadside & going through the second gate on the left, marked Ballinlovane.
- at the lay-by, driving past the farm and parking on the left.  (Sign on gate - All fishing Ballyduff Hotel)

                Parking at the Shrine brings you down near the bottom boundary (marked by the hedge above the row of terraced houses), after walking down a steep field.  Parking by the farm, you follow the track down to the river, & the Hut is to your right.  From the last parking at the lay-by, you walk down through a field ( take care there is not a bull in the top field) separated by three electric fences, which brings you to the Hut just above the croys.
                The upstream boundary begins at the yellow Gauge Pole three fields above the Hut, which is also the start of the Pipe Pool, a great spot for running fish, either with the upstream Flying Condom (especially close under our bank, or at almost any angle upstream towards the shallow water. The bank is at the head of the pool on our side, with several stands to cast a spinner, worm or spun shrimp.  You cannot wade under the bank on our side as this is the deepest part.  The river flows over a shallow gravel sill (splitting into many small streams in low water) as it enters the pool which has a depth of 5-7 feet in places.
                You can also fish this pool from the sill by crossing the upstream limit into the private Mocollop beat above, going up past the trees & then coming back down to below the limit. In low water, you can also walk down from the Lodge & cross at the head of the Pipe Pool to enter the beat.  Do not fish above the limit!
                The tail of the Pipe Pool is a narrow fast V formed by the stony beach on our side.  Running fish will often lie just off this beach, & it is an especially good lie for a springer.  It is also a superb spot when grilse are running.  It is best fished by standing on the beach & casting up into the pool with a Flying Condom, flicking it across the neck, or casting from the tail of the beach upstream, & bringing the spinner straight down through the fast gully just off the beach.  Once through the neck, the flow spreads out and becomes quite shallow in the Pipe Stream down as far as the end of the next field, where a large overhanging bush marks the start of the deeper slower water of Cloonbeg.  This run is excellent for trout fishing with the fly, & the tail of the run just above the bush is very good for White Trout (the local name for Seatrout).
                The next stretch down to the Hut is more difficult to fish due to it's width, but it can be good in high water with a spinner.  Floated shrimp can be successful, especially in the backend, particularly just above & below the bridge over the field drain just above the Hut.  This stretch is wide and featureless, but once at the Hut, it deepens off and once past the Top Croy, it gets faster.  At the Second Croy, the water really speeds up and flows through a V into a nice ripply stream known as the Planks. 
                A fly fishes beautifully from the Top Croy (which makes an excellent casting platform) down past the second croy & the Planks & on to the Cattle Drink Croy.  Spinner and spun shrimp can also very effective here.  The depth at the Top Croy averages 6-7 feet, and shallows nearer the Second Croy to 3-4 feet.  In higher water, the Croys can be used as casting platforms, whilst in low water, wading is easy on the stony bottom.  There are no sharp drops in the bottom except around the ends of the Croys.  The river bed is a mixture of stone and gravel with few snags.  The far bank is lined with small trees ending opposite the First Croy. 
                Just at the Cattle Drink Croy, the river deepens sharply under the rocky outcrop on the far bank, a productive lie particularly for the spun shrimp, & also for the floated shrimp, which can take fish, particularly from June on, well down into the flat below under the small trees on the opposite bank, in an area which is otherwise wide & flat, and provides few holding spots for salmon.
                At the end of this flat, there is a small stream coming in on the opposite bank, the river shallows through a slight "S" bend & then deepens under our bank into the Sunken Tree Pool just above the Bridge.  The Sunken Tree is just over halfway out, (evidenced by turbulence in the water), & provides an excellent lie, fished best with spun or floated shrimp in low water, or spinner in high water. The Sunken Tree is never exposed, even in low water, but ripples and boils in the water can be seen as the river flows over it in the middle of the pool.  The bank on our side is high, with several places to stand.  It is too deep to wade under our bank.  This pool is around 7-9 feet deep, and the Tree provides plenty of shelter and security for the fish that lie around it.  The Tree lies parallel with the bank, and is about 40 feet long.  A shrimp carefully fished in front & alongside the tree, even close to our bank, can do well, but a clumsy cast and the Tree spares no mercy. At the end of this field, there is a deep drain, crossed by the bridge, & a hedge, & just outside this, a shallow shelf pushes the flow out towards the middle.
                Crossing the bridge, there is a cattle drink just below the drain.  The water outside this is quite shallow, and you can wade out a few yards to the edge of the deeper faster water in the centre.  This is an excellent place for spinning in medium/high water.  Floating the shrimp at about 4-5 feet from here down along the current under the bushes on our side of the river can also be extremely productive, especially well down towards the tail of the flat.
                The far side then begins to get shallow, the river speeds up and rushes through a narrow channel close under our bank.  It then spreads out into the Village Pool, which is fast, with a back eddy of the gravel bank in the middle. It deepens somewhat and slows down to the Bottom Boundary at the hedge.  The far side is very shallow, so you only need to cast about halfway with a fly or spinner.  Casting must be done from the high grass bank on our side, but nearer the Boundary, some wading is possible.