Angling
for Salmon on
Ireland's Cork Blackwater
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The Season & The Runs of Fish
| Salmon Fishing Season: | February 1 - September 30 |
Four Distinct Salmon Runs
| Spring: | From Opening Day on
February 1st. through April, spring salmon from 8 - 20 lb.in the deeper, cold water lies. |
| Grilse: | Late April to the end of July. The early run is mainly fish in the 5 - 7 lb. class, dropping by late June to 2 - 4 lb. when the prolific run is at its peak. |
| Early Summer: | Late May/early June.
Salmon in the 10 - 15 lb. class run for 2 - 3 weeks, coinciding with the onset of the grilse run |
| Backend: | Through August & September. Larger salmon from 8 - 20 lb. |
| Seatrout: | From late May on - fish to 3lb. or more, especially in the lower beats. |
Spring fishing
The
prospects for spring fishing from the Opening Day on February 1st. can vary with
the conditions in January.
The lower river – from the Careysville weir downstream to Lismore is
renowned for spring salmon fishing.
The perfect conditions for spring fishing are low cold water. This
means that the fish only run very slowly and tend to remain below the
Careysville weir. They are then concentrated in the Lodge's lower seven
beats which are situated between the tidal limit and the first weir.
In years when the river is high and temperatures are mild in
January, we would expect an early run of spring salmon. The higher warmer water
encourages the spring fish to run further – often as
far as Ballyhooly and Castletownroche in the middle reaches, and even as far as
Mallow.
Fish are then often taken on the Lodge's upper beats from Fermoy to Mallow in
this case.
These conditions spread fish more through both the lower and middle
reaches of the river, which can make them less easy to find.
It is also good for the survival of the spawning
fish, as many of the kelts should be washed back out to sea in
the high water, helping the recovery rate.
Springers are mainly fish in the 8 - 12
lb. class, but with a good share of fish to 18 - 20 lb. February can be a
contrary month, but the river and the run are usually settling and more
consistent by March. The
best spring fishing is normally in March and early April.
Under way in May
The prolific grilse run gets under way in mid-May, though the
first grilse can usually be spotted from Mid-April. The early grilse tend to be
larger (5-6 lb) and their arrival is accompanied by a run of double figure fish
which appears for the latter part of May and the first week or so of June. These
fish are in the 10-15 lb class. Thereafter, the grilse run builds up and peaks
in late June and early July.
The grilse fishing is excellent on the lower
river in low water, when the fish run more slowly.
In medium or high water, the wonderful streams and runs of the middle and
upper reaches fish best when fish run hard through the whole river system.
Throughout the summer, sporadic runs of large summer salmon can provide a
surprise for anglers mainly concentrating on grilse fishing.
Backend Sport
There is a superb autumn run of larger fish, usually in late
August or early September. If
there is a summer flood, these backend fish can move in as early as the
beginning of August.
The run consists mainly of fish in the 8 - 12 lb. class, but with a good share
of fish to 18 - 20 lb. - similar to the spring run.
This continues right up to the end of the season on September 30th.
These fish mainly concentrate in the beats on the lower river (below
Careysville).
