Ireland on the Fly

This week it’s the second part of our fascinating Book Club interview with Kirk Wallace Johnson, the author of the best-selling, The Feather Thief, about the heist of bird feathers from the British Natural History Museum by an obsessive American fly tier.

 

Johnson comes across the story whilst fly fishing in Texas and looking for a new direction in his life after suffering from PTSD due to time spent in Iraq with USAID.

 

He details how he followed the story bit by bit, uncovering the sometimes nefarious online world of classic fly tiers, which ultimately led to him confronting Edwin Rist, the man behind the heist.

 

Continuing our conversation, Kirk explains why he chose not to reveal the name that Rist now goes by………

 

  

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This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.irelandonthefly.com

We’ve a special book club episode this week for you – and indeed over the next two weeks – as we speak to Kirk Wallace Johnson, author of the acclaimed, best seller, The Feather Thief.

 

For those of you not aware of the story or the book, all I can say is go read it – and I’m sure after listening to the interview with Kirk you’ll be even more interested in it as it’s a story about a crime heist involving the fly tying world, and specifically those tiers wanting to get their hands on extremely rare feathers from the 19th century.

 

As for the Irish angle?  Well, there is of course the Irish influence on fly tying in the 1800s, and in the context of the crime investigation, it was an undercover PSNI officer who first became aware of the stolen swag that was being offered to the fly tying world.

 

Prior to becoming obsessed with the story and writing the book, Kirk Wallace Johnson had discovered fly fishing as a therapeutic sport that helped him recover from PTSD after time spent in Iraq.

 

And it was while standing in a river in the US that he first heard about the fly tying robbery of the British Natural Museum and the thread of the Feather Thief began to unwind…..

 

 

Rate, review and follow the show to keep up to date with all the latest Ireland on the Fly episodes on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.  

 

Plus you can sign up for our newsletter on IrelandontheFly.com and get regular updates on Instagram.com/IrelandontheFly.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.irelandonthefly.com

Last week saw the release of the EPA’s Water Quality report which provides an update on the water quality of Ireland’s rivers, lakes, estuaries, coastal, and groundwaters for 2022.

 

The main headline from it was the fact that there has been no improvement in water quality of rivers or lakes with nitrogen levels increasing in rivers overall and to find out more we spoke to Mary Gurrie, Programme Manager with the EPA who gave us more details from the report.

 

There has been a steady decline since 2012 she told us, which has been somewhat arrested in the last two years, however, farming and waste water are the key issues in the problem of water quality which must be addressed in the coming years.

 

You can read the EPA report at:

https://www.epa.ie/publications/monitoring--assessment/freshwater--marine/water-quality-in-2022-indicator-report.php

 

 

Rate, review and follow the show to keep up to date with all the latest Ireland on the Fly episodes on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.  

 

Plus you can sign up for our newsletter on IrelandontheFly.com and get regular updates on Instagram.com/IrelandontheFly.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.irelandonthefly.com

This week we’re discussing Lough Arrow, which if the mayfly season is anything to go by, is on the up in terms of numbers and size of trout being caught there.

 

So, what’s behind the great catches so far this year, what can anglers expect for the rest of the season and is Arrow going to rival Sheelin in the long term as a high-profile fly fishing lough's destination?

 

Jackie Mahon, the fly tier and guide on the lough explains why he saw the good, the bad and the ugly on Arrow so far this year.

 

 

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Plus you can sign up for our newsletter on IrelandontheFly.com and get regular updates on Instagram.com/IrelandontheFly.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.irelandonthefly.com

For this week’s episode we’re joined by Paddy Gargan, the recently retired IFI fisheries scientist who has a wealth of knowledge about fish conservation, habitat restoration and stock numbers.

 

Paddy talks to us about the huge changes he has seen during his career as well as his own love of sea trout fishing and he lets us know about a book he is currently working on detailing the sea trout fisheries of Connemara.

 

Paddy is also asking for help from people who have any archive material relating to sea trout in Connemara – be it photos, catch records, stories, maps, anything that will help him in researching and writing the book.

 

If you have something that you think might be of help you can send it on to him at [email protected].

 

 

Rate, review and follow the show to keep up to date with all the latest Ireland on the Fly episodes on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.  

 

Plus you can sign up for our newsletter on IrelandontheFly.com and get regular updates on Instagram.com/IrelandontheFly.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.irelandonthefly.com

This week’s episode sees us go to the eastern part of the country to find out about the ongoing fight to protect and save the historic River Boyne.

 

Pat O’Toole is from the Trim Athboy & District Angling Association and he joins us to highlight how local clubs have been tirelessly working to reverse the damage done by drainage and pollution down through the decades and why the fight still continues to this day.  To find out more visit SavetheBoyne.org.

 

Pat also talks about the large numbers of brown trout and the importance of the salmon run on the river, especially for springers, with his own personal best of 23lbs caught in 2015.

 

 

Rate, review and follow the show to keep up to date with all the latest Ireland on the Fly episodes on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.  

 

Plus you can sign up for our newsletter on IrelandontheFly.com and get regular updates on Instagram.com/IrelandontheFly.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.irelandonthefly.com

It really feels as if the season is now kicking into gear – from the mayfly season on the Irish loughs to the coming grilse run – and for this week’s episode we focus on the salmon on the River Moy.

 

It’s Ireland’s iconic salmon river, as well as being its most prolific, with the Ridge Pool in Ballina standing out as a special and unique place to land a salmon on the fly.

 

To find out more about fishing the river, how the spring run went and what to expect for the coming grilse fishing, we’re joined by Garrett Ruigrok who is a casting instructor and guide who guides in Ireland, Scotland and around the world and is also a committee member of the East Mayo Anglers Association.

 

To find out more about fishing the Moy go to:

https://eastmayoanglers.com/

https://fishinginireland.info/salmon/northwest/river_moy_system/moy_fishery/ 

 

 

Rate, review and follow the show to keep up to date with all the latest Ireland on the Fly episodes on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.  

 

Plus you can sign up for our newsletter on IrelandontheFly.com and get regular updates on Instagram.com/IrelandontheFly.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.irelandonthefly.com

Continuing our mayfly episodes, on this week’s Ireland on the Fly we hear how the season is going so far on Lough Sheelin and we’re joined by Eamonn Ross from the Lough Sheelin Trout Protection Association to talk tactics, nymphs v dries and the incredible spectacle that is the spent gnat on the lake.

 

 

Rate, review and follow the show to keep up to date with all the latest Ireland on the Fly episodes on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.  

 

Plus you can sign up for our newsletter on IrelandontheFly.com and get regular updates on Instagram.com/IrelandontheFly.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.irelandonthefly.com

If you’re a loughs angler, there’s probably only one thing on your mind for the next few weeks – the mayfly fishing - be it on Derg, Corrib, Mask, Sheelin or elsewhere.

 

Later this month we’ll hear how Sheelin is doing and we will also be reviewing the mayfly season on all the major Irish waters, but for this week we’re focusing on Lough Corrib and to tell us how it’s been faring so far with tips on set up, tactics and flies, we’re joined by friend of the show and well-known Corrib angler, Mike Keady.

 

 

Rate, review and follow the show to keep up to date with all the latest Ireland on the Fly episodes on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.  

 

Plus you can sign up for our newsletter on IrelandontheFly.com and get regular updates on Instagram.com/IrelandontheFly.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.irelandonthefly.com

For our latest bucket list episode we catch up with Galway man, Ronan Creane, whose love of fly fishing and big brown trout led him to New Zealand where he hasn’t left and is now firmly established as a full time guide during the season.

 

So just what is the life of a guide really like on some of the finest brown trout waters in the world and does he miss the Irish fishing at all?

 

Ronan discusses the sight fishing on the rivers, the need for speed in one’s casting and why the lakes are an untapped resource that deserve more time from any visiting angler.

 

Also on the episode, Tom talks about the expectations of the coming week for the mayfly on Lough Corrib, why the jungle drums are starting to beat and we will be hearing those immortal four words, ‘the mayfly is up’ very shortly.

 

 

Rate, review and follow the show to keep up to date with all the latest Ireland on the Fly episodes on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.  

 

Plus you can sign up for our newsletter on IrelandontheFly.com and get regular updates on Instagram.com/IrelandontheFly.
 

To find out more about Ronan Creane’s guiding service go to: https://www.ronansflyfishingmissions.com

 

You can read Ronan’s blog at:

https://www.sexyloops.com/blog/author/ronan/

 

And Ronan’s NZ flies can be purchased at:

https://www.fullingmill.co.uk/s.nl?search=Ronan

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.irelandonthefly.com