UPDATED 6th January 2009

Its new year and we would like to wish all our patrons a very happy and peaceful new year.2008 was an unusual year with less than average sunshine and more wet days than normal. We also suffered from getting our only good weather in the very middle of the Mayfly!

The Mayfly was disappointing this year with beautiful weather spoiling the peak of the Mayfly hatch. For the first year in the past five there were great fall of spent gnat signalling a very good egg deposition for mayflies. This has been hindered in recent years due to exceptionally windy conditions during the Mayfly. This is very encouraging for 2009 and 2010 and we would expect a much improved mayfly hatch next year.

There was a great run of grilse in the Corrib this year and these are now making their way to their spawning grounds. We expect to see great spawning activity over the next flood as water is currently very low with frosty weather.

The Special conservation measures for wild brown trout were signed by the Minister into law in 2008. These apply to the three main lakes, Loughs Corrib, Mask and Carra and their feeder rivers and streams. The laws primarily are as follows:

All trout under 33 cms (13 inches) must be returned immediately alive to the water.

The daily limit of trout that can be retained by an angler is 4 this includes a maximum of one (1) ferox trout or brown trout over 4.54kg (10 lbs) in any 1 day. - Anglers are however encouraged to return all ferox trout alive.

An angler cannot use more than one rod when fly fishing or dapping and not more than 4 flies when fly fishing or trolling flies.

An angler cannot use more than 2 rods at any time when bait fishing, spinning or trolling from either the bank or a boat.

No more than 3 rods in total can be used when bait fishing, spinning or trolling in any boat at any time by two or more anglers.

The seasons on some rivers and the Cong canal have been amended.

. These are welcome and will hopefully influence anglers attitudes to catch and kill into the future. There will be a bag limit of 4 trout per angler - more than enough -  the day of killing everything you catch is gone. These beautiful trout deserve more than a bang on the head - although I, like everyone, would take one for the dinner - why not.

The fishing on Lough Corrib is closed for the winter and we have seen persistent high water since mid-August and its now December!

Time to reserve your place for May 2009 - we guarantee better hatches of Mayfly given the great fall of spent this year - lets hope for better fishing conditions next year.

Its also time to replace a few boats - after a good number of years service and great care in annual maintenance I am planning selling some of our fleet and replacing them prior to next season - best offers secures!!

The early season 2008 fishing forays were successful with anglers averaging a few trout for an outing. it is good to report that the fish were all in good condition.

In November 2008 we took a short break for a week in Florida and smuggled a couple of rods into the bags! We managed a few hours fishing and added another few species to our list of foreign fish!!

In 2007 we went fishing other species, both Christopher and I caught our first ferox trout - Christopher's is features on the home page. We also caught several really large bream.

We had our own break so just to make you jealous I have added a few photographs of Christmas in the Galapagos islands.

We have published our new brochure and a printed copy is available by request alternatively you can download it as a .pdf file on our website Home page .

The summer is a great time to take a boat out on Lough Corrib and go to an island for a picnic so it is a great option as part of a visit to Oughterard ad Connemara.

If you are intending coming fishing make sure you have checked the weather! To check the weather go to www.met.ie and click on forecasts then select Inland lakes this will give an excellent forecast for Lough Corrib.

We have plenty of boats available for the day tripper!

Bad news on the Zebra Mussel front. After years of campaigning this pest has been found to have settled in the upper basin of Lough Corrib in 2007 as well as in the small chain of lakes called the Moycullen lakes. A significant infestation has been found in Ross lake and specimens also recovered in Hamishmaconry and Drimcong lakes.

This picture shows Mr and Mrs Thomas Protheroe with their beautiful 3lb trout caught on the 24th March 2007.

Salmon fishing is subject to quota and the quota for keeping salmon on Lough Corrib is significantly improved on that for 2007. No brown tags will be necessary in 2008 - just the normal blue tag.

Some of the nice memories for last year were particularly Christopher's first Ferox trout which was safely tagged and released as part of the Ferox tagging programme - this fish is so good we put it on the front page!!

I also still have kept the picture of my lovely trout at Inchagoill which I successfully landed with the assistance of Christopher on a size 12 bibio! 

One of the favourite destinations on the Corrib is Inchagoill, however there are many very beautiful islands that are well worth a visit for a picnic.

During May 2007 boats caught from 0 fish to 15 per day!! - thankfully  most anglers are returning nearly all fish regardless of size with just a very small number kept for personal consumption. This is particularly encouraged for those fishing with buzzers in March and April as these take fish of spawning size and larger. We also encourage anglers to keep fish in moderation and to "let them go let them grow" !! Following an excellent spawning season everything is looking up for the year ahead. 

Last year Christopher had his first trout on the buzzer from his favourite bay - Kitts Bay.

 A superb trout was caught last summer in sunny conditions at Inchagoill - See Photo:

As with many seasons some of the best fishing is had in the early season with some lovely trout caught in late March and early April on the Duckfly. The Duckfly and Olive fishing are underrated in terms of fishing and excellent days can be enjoyed from the 17th March until May each year.

As some of you already know, we have made major improvements over the past three years. We have extended the dining room to ensure everyone is catered for at the same time if desired at breakfast. We have added a timber floor in the sitting room and an antique marble fireplace! 

To crown it all we have built on a major activities room this will be completed in time for the Mayfly with the addition of a full size snooker table, a fly tying area, a piano and a reading  / relaxation area.

Its all a bit cold this week but we expect an improvement in the weather towards the weekend and better conditions for Duckfly fishing.

By the way we have a new addition to the family. After Christmas we adopted a dog in the GSPCA and her name is Spud. So in case you have allergies we now have a dog as well as a cat. Minxie the resident cat for the past 8 years is tolerating this new addition somewhat reluctantly!  Spud constantly plays with her ball.

No excuse for not coming to visit us in the Summer and Autumn of 2008 for an activity based holiday either.Looking forward to season and seeing you at Camillaun.

In January 2007 we returned from our own holiday where some very interesting fish were caught by Christopher and myself!

If you wish to make an enquiry please contact Deirdre by phone, Fax or email to check availability.

Tight lines and remember there are already places booked for April and May 2009!! - don't forget to book well in advance!  - But why go fishing when everyone else does, some of the best fishing is to be found on Lough Corrib in March and April.