Blackwater Lodge Newsletter – Thursday, February 7, 2008

Opening Day
Sad to say, the expected break in the weather didn’t materialize. The river came down almost to fishable level for the 1^st., and stayed at 1.00m all day. That was the lowest it got for the whole of the first week, and it peaked at 2.44m on the 4^th.  So……………no fishing so far.

Prospects for the coming week………!
The good news is that there is high pressure moving in for the next week – dry with temperatures of 11-13°C until late next week. This should ensure that the river drops to fishable order. It has been so well flushed out that as soon as the level falls, it fines off very quickly to excellent clarity.  If you’re looking for a chance to encounter a Blackwater springer, this could be a great opportunity. With the recent reports of fish running right through the system, the chances of meeting a springer are excellent in the next week, both on our lower and upper beats.
Hopefully, I’ll be following this newsletter very soon with another to announce the first springer of the season!

Advanced Fly-casting Course at Ballyhass, Mallow, Co. Cork
Glenda will be making another of her regular appearances for casting courses at Ballyhass Lakes, Mallow this coming weekend. Her ever-popular Introduction to Fly-fishing course on Saturday is fully booked. On Sunday, she runs the first Intermediate Fly-casting course. This is designed as a follow-up to her Introduction course which will cater for the more experienced casters. There are a couple of places still available on this course, so contact Ballyhass direct to book a place.
Email:  info@ballyhasslakes.ie or  call Eileen on:  022 27773
 
Spring Quota
In a new move to preserve spring salmon, the Blackwater now has a spring catch quota of 517 fish for the period up to May 12^th., and a new limit of 3 fish for this period compared to only one last year. The one fish per day limit still applies. Any move to preserve the stocks of spring salmon is welcome, and the total catch will be monitored by the brown tag system. The purpose of this is to ensure that the spring quota is not exceeded.  Anglers obtain their license and blue tags and then present it at the Fisheries Office in Fermoy where they will be issued with one brown tag at a time.  Anglers who are not in possession of a brown tag can continue to fish catch and release only with single barbless hooks.

Underhand Casting Course on February 2^nd.
Notwithstanding the conditions on Opening Day, the season at Blackwater Lodge started with a bang.
Glenda hosted the Underhand Casting Course at the Lodge which was led by Swedish expert Thomas Berggren – one of Glenda’s fellow Loop No. 1 Pro Team members. It was a resounding success - a very informative day, with a presentation by Thomas on the theory, techniques and equipment followed by a casting clinic where all the participants got the opportunity to try their (under) hand under the watchful eyes of Thomas and Glenda.  An added bonus was the presence on the course of Dr. Ken Whelan – head of the Irish Marine Institute and President of NASCO. He gave a highly enlightening pre-dinner presentation on the present state of salmon science, and an overview of the forthcoming projects to further our knowledge and understanding of this most enigmatic fish.

Loop Double Handed Tackle Trial Day - Saturday, March 8
Glenda will be holding a Loop double-handed rod, reel & line trial day on the banks of the Blackwater.
During this day, she will be demonstrating each of the double-hand rods and lines from the Loop range.
Rods and lines will be available to try out yourself on the day.
There is no charge for this day, but booking is essential for either the morning or afternoon session as numbers will be limited.
 

Sweden here we come……………………….
The Swedish Fly Fair is being held in Stockholm from March 14-16.  Glenda’s sponsors – Loop Tackle – have invited her to be their demonstrator at this fair to showcase their product range. I shall also be hosting a seminar each day to showcase Irish spring salmon fishing. This should prove of great interest to Scandinavians as their season only kicks off in June. We will be present on the Loop stand during the whole fair, so it’s a great opportunity for Scandinavian anglers to meet us.

Tweed Fair at Kelso, May 3 & 4.
Eoin Fairgrieve has once again invited Glenda to be one of the star demonstrators at this prestigious event held on the banks of the Tweed. We will have a stand there so why not come & meet us?