Ireland on the Fly

This week, with the hot temperatures we’ve been having and the noticeable lack of rainfall, we wanted to speak to renowned fisheries scientist, Ken Whelan, who gave a talk at the recent Irish Spring Angling Fair, called ‘Trout in hot water’.

Ken details the impact and consequences of rising temperatures on our freshwater fish as well as their food sources and he challenges anglers to start thinking and adapting to the changing habitat and waters that we are going to be seeing.

As always with Ken, he’s got some thought-provoking and fascinating insights well worth listening to and considering.

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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

This week, in honour of the midsummer solstice, we’ve recorded a midseason review to find out how the fishing has been so far, the highs and lows, and what we can expect for the second half of the season.

It might be the height of summer but it won’t be long before the long days start getting shorter so make the most of your fishing while you can.

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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

This season we’ve heard about the disastrous spring salmon run and there hasn’t been much to report yet for the grilse run – all in all, our worst fears about salmon numbers seem to be coming true – and not just in Ireland.

One of the worst culprits of course is aquaculture and the effects that sea lice from salmon farms has on migrating salmon, which the industry – and the Government via the State body, the Marine Institute – try to lessen by quoting from a dubious scientific paper.

However, the hugely respected fishery scientist, Paddy Gargan, has led and released what’s been called a landmark study which shows that, contrary to the Marine Institute and salmon farming’s stance, sea lice does have a major and significant effect on the mortality of salmon.

This paper has just been released and its implications will be far reaching as Paddy discusses on the show.

Plus, staying with salmon, we also speak to John Murphy, from Salmon Watch Ireland. John is back from last week’s NASCO conference where the stark reality about the future of wild Atlantic salmon was laid bare.

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For more on Paddy Garagan’s sea lice study:

https://salmonwatchireland.ie/2025/05/29/issue-number-14-30-may-2025-salmon-watch-ireland/

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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

This time last week the Ireland fly fishing team was in the Czech Republic getting ready for their shot at the World Fly Fishing Championships and with a very respectable sixth place last year in France, hopes were high for the team that they might even medal – something that has never been done before by an Irish team in the World Championships.

Team Captain, Dec Conlon, joins us on the latest show to tell us how Ireland fared.

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And you can also check out Joe Quinn’s videos from the Championships at:

https://www.youtube.com › @JoeQuinnFollow_the_fln

Irish Youth Fly Fishing Team Fundraising Raffle

We wanted to also mention the Irish Youth Fly Fishing Team Fundraising Raffle with prizes of a lake boat, fly rods, engine, hotel stays, angling vouchers all up for grabs.

Tickets are €50 each and limited to just 500 and all proceeds go towards the youth team costs for attending the World Youth Fly Fishing Championships in the USA later this year, so all for a great cause and tickets are on sale now from Frank Dempsey on 087 2351830 or email [email protected]. The draw takes place on June 21st.

Keep up to date with all the latest Ireland on the Fly on https://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

We’re nearly into June and the mayfly is finally petering out. It’s hard to believe that it began at Easter time on Corrib, whilst recently, Sheelin has been described as being ‘polluted with fly’ where fly anglers have been left with pretty much only suntans this year.

So this week, to find out more, joining us for our annual mayfly season review is Jackie Mahon, fly tyer and guide on Lough Arrow, and Ronan McWilliams, who embarked on a month long road trip taking in Corrib, Arrow and Sheelin.

But all did not go to plan as you’ll find out in the episode.

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And get regular updates on https://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

Ballisodare Fishery is a name that’s probably familiar to you from the salmon fish kill last summer that hit the headlines but after the deaths of one thousand plus salmon, why did it happen and how can we ensure it doesn’t happen again?

Despite the events of last year, the fishery is determined to showcase what it does have – namely great fly fishing water in Sligo throughout the entire season.

Gerry Merrick, chairman of the Ballisodare Fishery joins us on this week’s show to tell us about the fishery, the fish kill of last year and why there can be a silver lining to it all.

For more from the fishery visit: https://www.ballisodarefishingclub.ie/

Plus, Tom has an update on the mayfly from Corrib and we bring you news of salmon fishery closures this week due to warm water temperatures.

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Keep up to date and get regular updates on https://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

With the salmon run beginning in earnest this month, the Blackwater’s Conor Arnold joins us this week to tell us about the unique May salmon that arrives in the river, and whether the spring run’s decline could actually herald an increase in the back-end?

Plus, Tom has a mayfly update from Corrib, and we'll be bringing you more mayfly updates from across the country over the next few weeks so stay tuned for those.

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Keep up to date and get regular updates on https://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

Stan Headley is a fly angler and fly tyer who would be known to so many people in Ireland and the UK. A regular contributor to Trout & Salmon magazine down through the years, the Orkney angler also penned three books - The Loch Fishers Bible, Trout & Salmon Flies of Scotland and Reflections on the Loch which became the go to source for Scottish lochs' fishing – but he was also a fan of fishing in Ireland too and was a regular visitor to these shores. However, due to illness, Stan says that his fishing days are now behind him and so this week’s interview with him is one tinged with sadness but also fond memories as he joins us to look back on an incredible life in fly fishing, what it meant to him and the similarities and differences fly fishing Irish loughs and Scottish lochs.

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Keep up to date and get regular updates on https://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 delighted to bring you our first episode from the river bank. Only a few days ago Daire was lucky enough to fish the Slaney River for the first time on the Ballycarney Fishery beats in the company of the fishery manager, Peter Wadding.

Spring salmon fishing on the Slaney has been on our bucket list for a while now and although Daire travelled in hope rather than expectation, things couldn’t have turned out better…..

Plus, there’s an update from Salmon Watch Ireland on their Freedom of Information request in relation to the salmon farm licence applications and why the government is refusing to divulge mortality rates from these farms as it’s not in the ‘public interest’.

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Keep up to date and get regular updates on https://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 it’s a book club episode with Patsy Peril, who co-wrote (with Deirdre Nuttall) ‘Swimming Upstream: one man’s fight to save the Atlantic salmon’.

It’s a fascinating memoir about the life of a netsman on the River Shannon. Patsy talks to us about the importance of the salmon to the communities and villages along the Shannon and how the building of Ardnacrusha decimated a way of life for so many.

He talks about his work as a netsman and the increasingly difficult years, dealing with industrialisation, pollution, salmon farms and overfishing which led to the decline of salmon numbers before his eyes.

But he also details his efforts to fight for the salmon and a friendship with the lifelong wild salmon campaigner, Orri Vigfússon, that developed along the way.

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‘Swimming Upstream: one man’s fight to save the Atlantic salmon’ is available in all good bookshops.

Keep up to date and get regular updates on https://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