Every season I hear… “Isn’t it great to see the sea trout back again”.
My usual reply is… “They never went away”
Connemara Co. Galway was without a doubt, the recognized sea trout fishery in the country and when the sea lice problem developed into the disaster it is, most anglers thought it was a nationwide problem.
Not so… there has never been a sea lice problem in the Moy/Killala Bay region.
The facts speak for themselves… I have been giving my sea trout returns to the North Western Fisheries all through these years.
As the Moy is around 100 km from the nearest fish farm my problems are different… the changing global weather and our water quality.
Up to the 80′s I would lose 2 or 3 days in a season from bad weather but these days my losses run into weeks. I do not believe in taking a client fishing and saying sorry at the end of the day! When I fish I catch fish!! We had our Summer in April and I was busy busy… then we had 6 weeks of cold northerly winds and rain. Conditions were so bad the sand eels and herring fry left the estuary and the resident trout deteriorated. There was little sign of fresh fish in the estuary until the weather improved and water temperature increased. Overall the rest of the season was enjoyable with some really exciting days. No matter how long I fish for these sea trout I always enjoy the thrill and excitement of hitting a school of fresh run fish. Have no doubt… they are special!
Judd