We had a great afternoon at Kilkea Castle Hotel and Golf Club on Saturday finding out about the lifecycle of bugs and how we can use that information to catch more fish.
Ray O’Reilly gave a very interesting talk after our lunch in the club house and then the ‘team’ took to the river. Many thanks for coming along to Ray Creighton and his 2 nephews, Gary Reville and his 4 children, Sinead Pullen and our 2 boys plus their friend Conor, Jimmy Norton and his daughter Aoife, as well as Chris Mac Kenna, Johnny Griffen and me! Despite a blustery wind we were all able to practice our casting using nymphs, wet flies and dry flies.
A quick thanks at this stage goes to all the people at Kilkea Castle. Everyone was very helpful and we couldn’t have had better hosts. Passing golfers were very sociable and several said how good it was to see people fishing. Fran – the Club Captain – came out for a chat and we’re looking forward to working with them to keep the river in as high a standard as possible. Facilities in the Club House, Bar and Restaurant are great and is open to all comers. If you’re looking for a new place to go for lunch or a meal – this is it.
I have to say that this is possibly the most impressive way to start your afternoon’s fishing!
We had rigged up most of the rods before lunch but once on the river Ray showed us how to cast and fish with a selection of different flies. The youngsters did very well to pick up the casting techniques and there weren’t too many tangles and snags.
The assembled crew!
Organised chaos? Well – actually it all went really well!
Chris took charge…..and whilst not fishing himself gave a lot of moral support.
Ray was tireless as he went from person to person giving tips and help.
Total concentration as we chase the fish! Conor strikes a big one – or is he just snagged on the other bank?
Ray had explained at the start that stealth is a key skill to learn so as to not scare off the fish and that we should examine the bugs that we found on the river so that we could ‘match the hatch.
It is safe to say that the enthusiasm of the anglers soon meant that every fish withing 200 metres went into hiding!
Waiting for the fish! 
Johnny Griffen – what a fantastic location to spend an afternoon.
…and in full casting action! Sooooo relaxed!
Ben – where’s the fish? Jimmy (in the red camoflague jacket) is scouting them out….
Did you have a good time?
More pictures to follow….
Don’t forget we’ve got a session at Rathcon Lake in Grangecon on the 29th April!
If you’d like to come along let me know as soon as possible.
Tim Pullen