Mourne/Derg report, week ending Sunday 3 October 2011
Posted by admin on October 3rd, 2011 - Comments Off on Mourne/Derg report, week ending Sunday 3 October 2011
Conditions The river was in lovely order all week up to Friday. Plenty of high clean water, mild weather and high air temperatures! Persistent heavy drizzle Thursday night and early Friday morning forced the river up and over the rotten rock at Victoria Bridge, rendering most pools unfishable up to Sunday when the high water throws began to fish again.
Mourne Perfect for the time of year: clean, high and pleasantly warm with plenty of fish in every pool and a sprinkling of newcomers arriving every now and again to keep things fresh. Everything was perfect for a good week. “They’re not playing!” “Has anybody got dynamite?” “I’ve tried every fly in the box.” These quotes were repeated time and again along with a few unprintable up and down the river from Strabane to the Snaa. The fish were not particularly interested in anything other than finding a mate and it will stay that way, says a few older hands, until they are ready and in their own good time. There was the odd one caught each day, a take would come on, and two or three would be landed within a twenty-minute spell; then it was back to throwing the dummy out of the cot and “we’re not playing again”. Let’s hope they are in the mood next week!
Derg The river around Ardstraw was in good order all week but there was little angling effort. Above Castlederg it was a bit low for any serious angling effort and it reflected in catches being low for the week. On Sunday I witnessed an angler kill an 8/9lb hen fish which was as red as a carrot. He informed me, “It was for the table.”! This same angler is often heard crying about no fish in the river, “What are you going to do about it”. When is the penny going to drop?! Traditionally, Derg fish start spawning from late November given the right conditions; the last few years have been a bit later. Fish that are in the river now could spawn in about six weeks’ time and are by now heavy with spawn. All Derg anglers should follow the example set by Castlederg Angling Club, banning the taking of any fish after the 1 September: this would surely be a positive step in the right direction to ensure any fish in the river are given the best possible chance to spawn.
Outlook The forecast doesn’t look promising with rain and high winds for the middle of the week so make the best of it now when it is fishable. Still plenty of fish in the Mourne!
Mark Gough-NM Tackle, Sion Mills
Web: www.nmtackle.com
Email:[email protected]
Tel: 0044 (0)28 8165 9501