Wrestling a Predator- Pike fishing in Ireland

The trout and salmon season has closed. So recently, on a Sunday evening, dad and I went pike fishing. We went to a close by river. As soon as we arrived we saw lots of Roche jumping. Every second there were lots of Roche in the air and then the water splashed as they were falling back in. In the winter Roche come to spawn in Lough Corrib. This lot were on their way.

When we saw the Roche jumping we figured there would be pike around. I used a savage gear articulated bait which mimics a perch moving in water. As soon as I cast I saw a huge wave follow my bait! He didn't bite though. But we knew he was there.

Third time I cast, there was a tug on my rod. First I thought that I may have gotten caught in weeds.
But then, my rod began to move. Then I knew that the pike was hooked. The fight began. My rod was bending hard as if it was about to break. Dad instructed me to keep the tension on and to use side strain at different times to tire him out.

There was a lot of splashing and jumping when the pike tried hard to get the hook out. At one point he almost pulled the rod from my hands and into the water. I was worried I might lose him. But eventually he got a bit tired and I managed to reel him in close. We had misplaced the net so my dad had to pull him out holding him by the neck.


The pike was still fighting, even on dry land. I was trembling from the effort and with excitement. This was the first pike I ever hooked and reeled in all on my own.

My top Five Favourite Baits for Pike, Trout, Salmon and Perch

I haven’t had any fishing adventures of late, so here is a piece about my favourite baits instead.

Number Five

SHAD soft lure by “Fishhunter”

My favourite thing about this bait is how it swims in the water. It looks so super natural. It also has a scent of something ‘fishy’. My dad bought me this great bait for a treat. He thought it looked so attractive and I agree. So far, I have used it for pike fishing and it helped me to bring home a nice pike. If I was to name one weakness- it’s made out of soft rubber. Pike could easily break it with their super sharp teeth. I was lucky. The pike I caught got the hook stuck in its gum.

Number Four

“Fishhunter” 11grams jointed plug

This is a bait I bought myself, from my own money.
What I like most about this bait is the way it moves in the water. It’s going to be very fish- like. The mid line has a lovely silver shine which looks just like what you’d see on fish in real life. The only reason it’s only my number four is because I haven’t had a chance to use it yet. I think once I do though I will get a bite in no time.

Number Three

“Mikado” Trython Double Spoon 25g

My dad gave me this bait as a present. I was using it and I really liked the way it moves in the water. It sends vibrations through the water that look as if a fish is zooming by. I think salmon, pike, trout and perch will all like it. As far as simple spinners go, this is as good as it gets. I like it a lot but not enough for the top two places...

Number Two

“Savage Gear” 4D Line Thru Trout

You should see the pattern on this baby- it’s so realistic. It was copied from real trout, and it looks just like a trout. It’s a Savage Gear, and they make the very best baits. Savage Gear baits have the best action in the water. And, not only does it look like a real trout (3D), but it also SMELLS like a real trout (4D). You can’t beat that. Despite the joints and some softness it is quite sturdy, too. You would get that bait out of a pike’s mouth no problem. Santa brought me this bait. (Thank you, Santa, if you read this.)

And finally now for my...

Number One

“Savage Gear” Shine Glider, 3D perch jointed plug

As well as being jointed this bad boy has an extra bait which looks like a prawn. Pike, salmon, and trout of all sizes, even ferrox (a very large trout species) would love this. I have already caught three pike on this bait. My dad bought it for me as a Friday treat which is something we get if we behave well all week. We bought it from Ken in Corrib Tackle, at Number 2 Kilkeerin Park in Galway, which is my favourite tackle shop.

All these of my top five baits can work together as a team. You could start with number five, and then work your way up to number one, and eventually you are bound to catch something, hopefully something very big.

Pike attack

My dad and I caught this beautiful pike last November in a small river near us.
It was a really cold, windy and rainy day. We had to wrap up in lots of layers and wore out best rain gear but the rain got through and before too long we were soaked.

But we were determined to catch a pike that day, and so we powered on.
My dad had given me a very special pike bait by Savage Gear. It looked just like a perch and I wanted to try it out.

So I fished and fished for what seemed like a very long time. No bite.
Then we moved a good bit higher up the river because we figured by now that there was no pike hanging out here.

The whole river is full of weeds at this time of year but once a year they cut the weeds from a boat with a suspended blade. The weeds had just been cut but there were still plenty which is great for the pike because they love hanging out in the weeds.

Just after we changed spots I saw a fish jumping. I cast to where that fish was. Nothing happened.
But, with the next cast it happened. My special bait was attacked. The rod was bending down hard. Almost immediately, the fish started jumping. I felt so excited, but I was afraid I would lose him. He was fighting really hard.  It was tough to hold on to the rod.

Thankfully after a while he got stuck in weeds. Dad brought him in using his chest waders, while I held on to the rod which was really difficult to do. He was just under the size limit of 50 cm.

After gutting the fish, my dad marinates pike in a mix of lemon juice, salt and olive oil, and after a couple of hours in the fridge he barbecues it. My mum says, pike done in this way is better than salmon or trout. I disagree, but I do enjoy barbecued pike.

My First Salmon License

On the photo you can see me with my last season’s salmon license. This was a kid’s license. It’s called a juvenile license for anyone under 16.  This was my first salmon license and I was so excited when our friend Frank bought it for me in Kevin Duffy’s tackle shop in Headford.

We bought a license for the Galway district. Having this license means you can fish for salmon in waters in the Galway district (which includes parts of Mayo) where the fishing rights are publicly owned. If you were fishing in private waters such as around Ashford Castle in Cong or in parts of the Clare River, fishing rights are private or club owned and then you also have to buy a ticket.

My dad and I only fished in public waters this year. But often public waters are not the best for catching salmon. Next season we may get a private ticket for some place.

The license entitles you to catch salmon and sea trout, but in Galway you can’t keep any sea trout. You have to release them. Until May 1st you can keep one salmon a day, after that you can keep up to three a day. But during the entire season you can only keep a total of ten salmon. The rest have to be released. So you have to think about how to use your license well.

If you catch a salmon you have to immediately insert a gill tag into the fishes gills and make a note in your log book how you caught it. If you forgot your pen and there’s no note in your log book, and the fishery officers come by (which they do on boats or jet skis) you can be fined or prosecuted. So always bring your pen.

The next salmon season starts on February 1st, so it’s just around the corner. Before it starts and before you can get a new license you have to post the old license with gill tags and log book back to your local fisheries office. That’s what we were doing here when that photo was taken.

An adult license for the Galway district costs 56 Euros. But a juvenile one is only a tenner. This year we didn’t catch any salmon, my dad lost two. But imagine if next season I catch a load of salmon, and the license was only 10 Euros!

A Strong Gust of Wind

One day my dad and I wanted to go fishing for a couple of hours in the sea. You can only fish from the sea shore when the tide is high. The tide was high at the right time, in the afternoon, but it was very windy. It was my first time sea fishing, so I didn’t want to miss the opportunity despite the wind.

Down at the pier I could really feel the force of the wind. The wind pushed me backwards and I found it very hard to hold my ground. It wasn’t really a good day for fishing but the excitement pulled us through.

The rods were set up quickly. After ten minutes, my dad got his fishing line caught in the weeds. He worked hard trying to pull it out but when he finally did, the tip broke off his rod. He was not happy. And I wasn’t happy either. We were one rod down.

Dad was now casting with my rod. I was counting waves. Next thing, dad called me over because he had a bite. He gave me the rod to reel in the fish. I took the rod and started reeling, but he was fighting hard. I could see seaweed under the water. He was trying to head into the seaweed to try and get away.

I had to work really hard. My dad told me to keep the tension on the line.  It took a while but finally I did manage to bring him in. The fish had a lovely silver colour back and a bronze belly. We decided to keep him although he wasn’t very big.

But that wasn’t the end of the adventure. Dad told me to mind the fish while he would fish a bit further away. Now the wind grabbed the fish and pushed him into a hole in the rock where I almost lost him. It took me ages to get him back. I got him back when I got hold of his tail deep down the hole.

With all that wind the tiny pollock was the only catch of the day. Back home, my dad gutted him and then steamed the pollock. We served the fish with a wedge of lemon and a slice of bread. On a scale from one to ten with ten being the most delicious food you’ve ever had, I gave him ten points. Here he is.

My Favourite Things About Fishing

My mum asked me what the best thing about fishing is.

The best part about fishing for me is the feeling when I am reeling in a fish. The feeling starts like a ball of excitement in my tummy the moment I get a bite. Then it becomes a huge feeling. I feel it like an energy rushing through my whole body. When the fish is almost brought in, I start to tremble with excitement. I will still tremble when the fish is on the bank. It takes the splashing of the water against rocks and the river bank to calm me down.

That leads me on to my next favourite thing about fishing. Those sounds of the water against the river bank, the sounds of birds singing, and the sights and sounds of fish jumping out of the water I find calm me down. Being in nature is a bit like meditating and I love it because it makes me feel happy. It’s a different kind of excitement.

So, sometimes when there’s not much happening and there’s no bite and no action, my dad and I both sit down, or even lie down, we look into the sky, look at the clouds, or close our eyes and listen to the sounds around us.

Sometimes when I am doing my homework and I don’t like it, and it makes me feel crabby and frustrated, I recall those sights and sounds and all my favourite fishing memories and they make me feel better.

My least favourite thing about fishing is losing a fish. I feel this huge excitement after the bite, and the BANG it’s all gone. Then I feel so disappointed and frustrated. Sometimes after that I want to pack it all in and will say to dad we should call it a day. My dad will usually suggest staying for another while because he thinks we will get more fish. But I usually start feeling bored. But the sounds of the current and the sounds of nature will calm me down.

Cooking and eating the fish we bring home after a long day is my reward for staying with it. My dad says catching and cooking your own fish tastes so much better than buying it from the shop. I think that’s 100 percent true. My dad fries trout and salmon in butter. I would say that’s my favourite food in the whole world.

The photo is of the bank of Lough Mask. You can see the lovely current.

If you like fishing, what’s your favourite thing about it?



Regards, Cillian

Adventures in one of my secret Connemara hotspots

One of my adventures last summer brought me to one of my favourite Connemara lakes. Connemara lakes are great for trout, and some also have salmon but you’d have to be extremely lucky for a salmon to bite.

We called in to say Hi to my granny who lives in Connemara. She minded my little sister while dad and I took off fishing with a packed picnic. It was a warm overcast day early in the summer holidays. There was a lovely smell of flowers in the air.

We parked the car and while my dad got all the gear out of the boot I made friends with two donkeys who wanted to be rubbed. We then had a bit of a walk over fields, crossing walls. At one stage we had to climb over a boat.

I was spinning while my dad was fly fishing. As I was about to do my first cast I saw a nice size trout jump out of the water. I cast in his direction. No bite.

After a little while I got some bites but lost the fish every time. My dad had better luck. He hooked a nice size trout on a fly he made up and tied himself. I asked him could I reel it in. Dad handed me the rod and I reeled. My dad netted him. I was feeling so happy because there was my trout for lunch.

 We took a break at this stage to have our lunch. While we were eating we were listening to some moorhens who were making very loud noise. It sounded almost like dogs barking.

When we started fishing again there was no bite for ages. I start feeling a bit bored when there’s no action. I then got my rod into a tangle and had to give up casting. I spent a bit of time throwing rocks into the water and singing a few songs.

Only as it was nearly evening my dad finally got another bite on his fly. I had to run quickly for the net to give to my dad and as I did I almost fell in the water. So much excitement!

My dad handed me the rod to reel in the second fish. The fish was very strong and went into the weeds where I almost lost him. My dad directed me how to bring in the fish. Finally I succeeded. By then, it was time to call it a day.