The ferry from Fishguard delivered me to Rosslare in Ireland’s south-east corner at first light. As I breakfasted in the pale dawn light my pulse quickened as I made yet another perusal of the Pike Angling in Ireland guide, which I had obtained from the Central Fisheries Board. I had booked to stay in County Longford that night, so had all day to make the drive. My idea was to try and find a spot of pike fishing to enjoy en route.

Irish pike are plentiful and grow big, and the sheer volume of unexploited water means that every cast is potentially going to connect you to a monster. The current record of 42lb 12oz stands only because of the stringent requirements of the Irish Specimen Fish Committee (for many years, a 53lb fish taken from Lough Conn was regarded as the European record). The abundance and quality of the preyfish population means that, in rich Irish waters, pike can reach 20lb in their fifth year and 30lb in their seventh year.

For the keen pike fly fisher, Ireland is the promised land. There’s a vast array of waters to choose from. There are hundreds of loughs varying in size from a few acres to thousands of acres. There are rivers ranging from the medium sized river Inny up to the major rivers such as the Shannon, Suck, Erne and Barrow. I’d got the special pleasure of fishing unspoilt waters for wild fish. My problem was: which one should I choose?

Having consulted the map, I headed for Carlow, a town on the River Barrow. The official Irish river pike record, a fish of 42lb, had been caught from the Barrow. I sought out Murph’s Fishing shop.

The proprietor, Jim Murphy, found the idea of fly fishing for pike intriguing. He showed me maps and pictures. He offered advice on where to fish. Then, he made a snap decision to give me a quick, guided tour. He whetted my appetite by telling me about that record pike, and after I was dropped back at my car I mused on how helpful and hospitable people are in Ireland. Ten minutes later, my car was parked on the bank of the river Barrow and I was tackling-up.

Gillie
I left my fast-action ‘casting machine’ safe in its tube in the boot of my car. The river was eminently fly-fishable but the trees, just back from the footpath, meant that I wanted a rod that would load quickly and let me cast without needing to aerialise too much line. I’d only been fishing for a few moments when Jim returned – he’d found the idea of someone fly fishing for pike too entertaining to resist coming to watch. My new found gillie patiently coached me on where best to cast and after a fishless half hour, suggested trying the navigational channel. There are several canal sections which circumnavigate this big river, linking the many weirs. A change of spot brought a change of luck and we both whooped with delight, as my first pike of the trip slammed into my fly right on the surface, splattering water in all directions. It wasn’t a monster but – like all Irish pike – put a very satisfactory bend in my rod and fought like fury before being expertly netted by Jim. I knelt astride the pike, lifted its jaw and easily removed the big, barbless single hook.

I was startled by the sudden appearance of a water official who enquired if I could speak English. I replied in my best exaggerated upper-crust accent, saying, “Of course I can old chap – I am English!” Jim, my new-found gillie, had a good laugh but explained that there were problems with Eastern Europeans removing too many sizeable pike for the table. (In Ireland, all pike over 50cm must be returned and there is a bag limit of one pike in any one day).

The pike was safely returned and I fished on, enveloped in a warm, self-satisfied glow, secure in the knowledge that there would be plenty more pike to try for. Jim returned to his shop. I couldn’t resist a few more casts, landed another hard fighting pike, packed up and hit the road for County Longford.

As I drove, I pondered on how a foreign angler would have fared had he just turned up at a tackle shop in England. Ireland’s reputation for hospitality is fully deserved.

Fortunately, Mark Corps of the Central Fisheries Board, had supplied me with good directions, so I reached my destination without mishap. It’s as well to allow extra time when driving in Ireland. Although the roads aren’t crowded, the whole pace of life is slower and more relaxed than back in England.

Mark met me at Melview Lodge, a B&B run by an émigré English angler especially for fishermen. Well fed, we swapped fishy stories, drank too much whiskey retired to our comfortable rooms and slept soundly – as all fly fishers should. Our host, Kevin Lyons, was happy to serve breakfast early. (This is an important point. If you’re fishing in June, then normal B&B mealtimes can mean that you’re not on the water until well into the morning, which could mean that you miss out on the pikes’ feeding time).

Kevin took us to a nearby lough – I’m sworn not to reveal its name. It was one of his favourite, ‘secret’ waters, hidden in the gentle countryside. From the lane, there was no clue to its existence, just a stone bridge across the small river which drained the unseen lough. Kevin launched the boat into this river and we motored upstream and into the open water. Kevin landed the boat in one of the few gaps in the reedbanks bordering the lough. He left the boat for Mark and me and walked back to his sturdy 4x4.

Mark and I re-embarked. We needed chest waders for this as there was no convenient jetty. Kevin had advised us to fish the drop-off in from the reedbanks. Mark positioned the boat to allow us relaxed casting and we anchored to enable us to fish our flies slowly, enticingly and methodically.

Mark had the first hit – a lively, ‘pike-sized’ pike, which was unhooked in the water. A few minutes later, I had a dramatic, ‘sideways’ take and connected with a powerful, heavyweight pike. I can’t weigh fish with my rod but felt sure that I was into the 20lb fish Mark had set as a target for my visit. I spent too much time feeling elated and not enough time concentrating and setting the hook. The pike came adrift. I swore loudly. All pretence at being nonchalant dissolved.

We fished on. I tried the ‘induced take’ method, using my rod to lift the fly in the water. The tactic produced the desired result as a good pike rocketed onto my fly and engulfed it in a spectacular swirl. (I love the exciting visual surface takes, which are such a feature of fly-fishing for pike).

The pike tailwalked. My powerful, ten-weight rod was unceremoniously yanked under the boat. Oh yes, Irish pike fight! She made several hard, unstoppable runs before I was able to bring her over Mark’s deftly wielded net. I unhooked her in the water and carefully lifted her for the photograph. She wasn’t a 20 but a good, double-figure fish in absolutely perfect condition. I held her in the water for a few moments before she kicked and swam off strongly.


Xavier Lafforgue holds the pike caught from the sheltered lough adjoining Lough Muckno.

Greatgrandma Pike
We caught some more pike – no monsters but the good average size implied that there could well have been a ‘population control’ in the shape of a hefty ‘Greatgrandma Pike’. The following day saw us fishing the same water. I had the pleasure of sharing a boat with Terry Jackson, a renowned Irish specimen hunter. We experienced all four seasons in the same day – sunshine, howling gales, torrential rain and stinging hail. It didn’t matter! We all caught a fish or two and enjoyed the pleasure of fishing in good company.

The following morning, I drove to Castleblayney in County Monaghan. I met Xavier Lafforgue on the bank of Lough Muckno. Xavier is an émigré Frenchman, a chef of high renown and a qualified pike-fishing guide. Muckno is a big pond with a reputation for big pike. Fish over 20lb are recorded annually with the occasional fish over 30lb.

We launched the boat and motored off into a stiff breeze which was whipping-up some quite impressive waves. Xavier handled his craft expertly and found us some shelter where we could fish the drop-off comfortably. The wind abated, the sun shone, the sky darkened, the wind howled , the rain lashed us and the hail stung us! Through gritted teeth, we discussed masochism and the perverted pleasures of extreme fly fishing.

We were fishless until the evening when the weather improved and we fished a smaller, sheltered lough, reached by negotiating a connecting river. Like many Irish loughs, this was reed-fringed with no real access points for bank fishing.

Again, my B&B was perfect. My hostess at Arradale House near Carrickmacross greeted me with a large, hot whiskey and agreed to serve me breakfast at the crack of dawn.

The following day, we fished Rahans Lake, just a few minutes drive away. Again we had the services of Xavier who helped us locate some more pike. Rahans is a smaller, more sheltered lough, bordered by reeds and lilies, making boat fishing the only practical way to tackle it. The weather was kinder but we were still caught by a squally hailstorm which arrived unannounced from what had been a clear blue sky. It was the last fishing session of my trip.

The evening was spent in a friendly pub in Carrickmacross drinking Guinness and swapping fishy tales with Mark and Xavier. It rounded off what had been a thoroughly enjoyable week where the fish caught were just a part of the whole, pleasurable experience.

The combination of great fishing, beautiful countryside, wonderful hospitality and the unique Irish ‘craic’ is irresistible. I’m already planning the capture of monsters on my next visit.

Planning an Irish pike tour:
If you’re contemplating sampling the delights of fly-fishing for pike in Ireland, the Pike Angling in Ireland guide produced by Tourism Ireland provides much useful help and information. It lists centres of excellence where the pike fishing is consistently good and identifies ‘angler friendly’ accommodation approved by the Tourist Board. The many, qualified guides listed in its pages, can help you to find waters ideally suited to your tastes. I believe that it’s best to book a guide (who will normally have his own boat) and take his advice on where to fish.

Having a ‘back-up water’ available is always a good idea as the weather can make some loughs hard prospects on the wrong day – a huge Irish lough is not a sensible place to try to learn how to handle a boat when it’s blowing hard. Neither is it sensible to struggle with a poor casting technique. If you can’t double-haul, it’s worth learning before you set off. Big flies and strong winds demand good line-speed and the ability to cast without endangering your boat partner or the guide.

I’d opted to sail rather than fly because I was uncertain as to where I would be fishing and had brought equipment to cover all eventualities on my tour of Ireland’s pike fisheries.

Although Ireland is a popular destination for pike anglers, the amount of good fishing available means you will often have a water to yourselves. I only saw a handful of anglers (other than my fishing companions) during my visit.
 

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Planning your trip to Ireland
Tourism Ireland:
Tel. 0800 039 7000 www.discoverireland.com
Ferry: Stena. Tel. 08705 707070 www.stenaline.co.uk
Central Fisheries Board: Fishing information for Ireland including fishing maps. Tel. +353 1 8842 600. www.cfb.ie
Accommodation/boat hire/guides:
Kevin Lyons, Melview Lodge Guest House, Drumlish Road, Clonrollagh, Co. Longford.
Tel. +353 43 45061. www.melviewlodge.com
Xavier Lafforgue, Lake Wood, 8 Kingscourt Road, Carrickmacross,
Co. Monaghan. Tel, +353 42 9663207 or email: xlafforgue@yahoo.co.uk
Arradale House, Kingscourt Road, Carrickmacross, Co. Monaghan.
Tel. +353 42 9661941. www.arradale.com