FISHING IS MY HOBBY

I am waiting for the 17th of march to come. It is the first day of the fishing season here in the south east for the barrow, nore, and suir rivers.

Last year, 2010, I finished up my fishing by using a 15 foot salmon fly rod which is more enjoyable than spinning rod fishing. My plan this year for 2011 is to salmon fly fish all year.

Salmon fly fishing is an art that will not be learned in a short space of time it takes great patience.

Safety first. This topic is often overlooked as we all think that accidents will happen to someone else and not to ourselves. For anyone going salmon fishing then I would suggest at a minimum that they should have:-
1. glasses for eye protection,
2. a wading staff to test how deep the river is before stepping forward,
3. a properly fitted life jacket.
The First Obstacles to Overcome.
The name! Double handed rod.
For some people even the name alone will prevent them from picking one up. Double handed, this must imply doubly as difficult as a single handed rod? Thankfully this is not the case; it is sometimes easier to teach people how to cast the double handed rod than the single handed rod.
Length and strength.
The double handed requires only a small move on the hands to create a huge impression on the top of the rod therefore the single handed person usually starts by moving the hands too far and with too much energy. A short move with as little energy as possible is what is required in the beginning.
Think – short moves, bottom hand, with as little energy as possible.
Try to avoid reaching or stretching, and also try to avoid having your hands too close together. It is easier for most people to work a lever at shoulder width apart, and if the hands are too close together then it is difficult to get the leverage of the rod working at all.
Need to knows!
The following are a few things that all fly fishers need to know before any of their casting becomes efficient.

1. Avoid slack line and try to keep the tension of the line against the tip of the rod. Close your eyes and think about pulling the line, not throwing or pushing.
2. Mel Krieger’s word Whuuummmmmp, teaches us that we start slowly, build in speed and the fastest part of the cast is just before we stop.
3. The line will follow the rod tip. It has no choice, it is attached to it therefore if you are moving straight ahead when you stop the rod then the line will go straight ahead, moving downwards then the line will go downwards etc, ………………… Remember the leverage; even if you are moving downwards ever so slightly with your hand then the action is magnified at the top of the rod.


The Overhead Cast

The overhead cast consists of two casts; the back cast and the forward cast.
The six stages of the overhead cast are:-
Back cast = lift, stroke and stop.
Forward cast = stroke, stop and follow through.
Or in simple terms:-
Dip the paint brush in the paint tin; lift it to the ceiling and whuuuuump along the ceiling. Stop!
Wait for your line to unfold then whuuuuuuump back along the ceiling. Stop!
Wait for your line to drop, and then bring your paint brush back to the paint tin.

Common casting faults with the Overhead cast
1. Rod tip too high before you start.
One of the most common casting faults and one of the reasons for me failing my APGAI-Irl exam
the first year was starting to cast with the rod tip too high.
If you start with the rod tip too high then you have created slack line before you start to cast.
You have to move the rod a little bit before you get a straight tight line.
Remember every time you move you must be pulling the weight of the fly line to make the rod bend (load).
If the rod is not bending when you are moving it then you are not bending the rod.
2. The WHAM effect.
Use the word whuuuuuuump from the start of the back cast.
Start slowly, gradually build in speed and the fastest part of the cast is just before you stop.
3. The Elephant Trunk
This is when the bottom hand sticks out too far on the back cast.
This will drive your rod tip downwards when you stop and your line will follow hitting the grass or the water behind.
Remember only the ceiling not the windows and doors.
4. Not using the bottom hand at all.
This usually happens when the single handed caster picks up the double handed rod for the first time.
When the caster starts to realise that the bottom hand is as important as the top then they will really start to feel the benefits.


Last year it was all spinning rod fishing for me but not this year, as the good is gone out off spinning for salmon. The reason being is that you have more sport in fly fishing for salmon and it takes more rod time and skill to land a salmon with a 15 foot fishing rod.

The first step for me to do now is get my salmon licence from the South East Fishery Board. The cost of the licence will be €58.00.
My second step is to get my salmon flies all in order. I hope to get the right ones for this year at the right price as well.

My third step is my fly rod reel. It needs a service after last year with the hardship that it got from August to September.
My forth step is that my fishing rod needs cleaning and varnishing to keep it dry for this year. I hope to have everything in order for the 17th of March and have tight lines (this means always with a fish on the line) for 2011.
I decided this year that I will get the south east licence only.

The Munster Blackwater is Ireland’s second largest river next to the mighty Shannon. It rises in the mountains of east Kerry. It flows eastward for 75 miles through Counties Cork and Waterford, until it enters the sea at Youghal, in east Cork. It has a catchment area of more than 120 square miles. The best of salmon fishing is to be found between the tidal limit just below the bridge at Lismore and up as far as Mallow, 45 miles up-stream.


The Moy River rises in the Ox Mountains and flows approximately 68 miles to where it enters the Atlantic ocean at Killala bay. The river Moy is rated as one of the best Salmon rivers in Europe, with catches of between 8,000 and 10,000 Wild Atlantic Salmon annually to the rod and line. The Spring fishing is at its best from mid March until mid May. Spring Salmon are considered to be the King of Atlantic Salmon with weights ranging from 8 lbs to 20 lbs and there are a few Salmon in excess of this landed each year.

Today is Tuesday the 15th of March. It is only 2 days from the start of the salmon fishing season. I am hoping the first day is fine and dry and I have a tight line some part of the day? It would make my day very enjoyable. I am waiting now for the 17th of March.
The 17th of March came and went it was not my day on the river for I caught no salmon. Hoping the next day on the river I will have more luck than the first day.

Month by Month Garden Maintenance

January

Clean up all flower beds. Sweep up all leaves. Please feed the birds and other small creatures which may not be able to find food due to snow on the ground. If you don’t have a feeder, a simple piece of plywood or a scrap of carpet will create a very good feeding area. Use your fireplace ashes and tea bags under fuchsia to fertilise the roots.


February


If you're cleaning out the garden shed and come across some chemicals that you no longer want; DO NOT pour them down a drain, or toss them in the dustbin or they may contaminate the water! Consult your local authority.

March

As soon as possible start cutting the grass. If it has not been cut since last autumn it will be long and tufted and hard work. Choose a dry day, cut it to three inches and remove the cuttings. The same day, or soon after, cut it again to half its height. Don’t put it out of your mind. It will be easier to cut when short in about 10 days.

April

When they have finished blooming, you should deadhead your spring flowering bulbs. Do not cut off the green leaves yet! These leaves continue to grow for a few weeks, and provide the bulb with food for flowering next year.

Split apart the root of plants such as Daylilies, Delphiniums, Iris, Chrysanthemums, Daisies, and Phlox. The additional plants you create can be traded or given to friends, or moved to a new area of the garden.

May

Place banana skins on your house plants to feed your plants.
For better blooms next year, resist the temptation to cut back your daffodils until they have almost completely died back.
When planting your annuals if you loosen up the roots a bit before planting it will stimulate stronger growth.
Once all danger of frost has past, you can move your Easter Lily plants out into a sunny spot in your garden. Be sure to mulch the roots of the plant over winter and remove the mulch again in spring. You'll enjoy your Easter Lilies for years to come.



June

Deadhead plants regularly to promote more flowers.
Remove suckers from roses. Don't cut these off at ground level as this will encourage them to grow back even stronger. Use a trowel to dig down to where the sucker starts and tear it out.



July

Lawns
Don’t cut your lawn too short during hot dry weather. Frequent mowing that takes a smaller proportion of the blades is less stressful to the grass. If you haven’t sharpened you lawn mower blades, since the beginning of the season it probably needs it now.




August
Keep tall flowers staked and cut dead flower stalks.
To reduce the number of pests on your fruit trees for the coming year pick up and destroy all fallen fruit.


September
Plants and trees that provide colour in the month of September include Cotoneaster, Hydrangeas, Potentilla, Pyracantha and Butterfly Bush. Potentilla nepalensis
Butterfly bush. Pyracantha

October

Time to dig Gladiolus. Remove the tops and let them dry for two weeks. Dust them with Sulfur. Store in dry peat moss or vermiculite at room temperature.
Time to transplant peonies or divide them if you wish to multiply your plants.

November

Mound five to six inches of soil around the bases of your hardy fuchsias and roses. Use soil from another part of the garden, rather than risking damage to the roots by digging around the base of the plant.




December

As long as the weather remains dry you can continue planting evergreens. Clear up any fallen leaves and cut back perennials if you haven't already done so.

Take hardwood cuttings of currants and gooseberries. The cuttings should be about 25-30 cm (10-12 inches) long and should be buried in a trench in the open ground to about half their length.
Curl up in front of the fire with lots of colourful catalogues to give you lots of ideas for next year.

The Feeding of the Cattle

When I was small me and my family had to feed all the cattle and in the winter it was very hard work.
I always loved it, and I still do. It is all about what you grew up with back then. I remember getting up on winter mornings to go and feed the cows and when you went outside the cold would hit you like knives piercing your skin. I remember having to go to a high field to hunt in the cows for feeding and the snow was like a blanket of sheep’s wool on the ground. There were tracks of hares and foxes all around me, I decided to track one of the hares just to see where it went to. It went on for at least a mile. The Hare must have been very hungry because it made so many holes in the snow to find grass.
It even ate some bark off a tree, what damage hares can do. When you are out in the country side you will see all types of strange things, like you will see foxes with rabbits on their backs just after a successful hunt, they’re like a cat that got the cream. It is all about the nature of the beast, let it be hares, foxes or even humans we are all the same, we will all eat to survive whatever that may be.

JC