Talk
to anyone in Northern Ireland about Dollaghan fishing or Fly
Fishing and Fly Tying and the name Of Stevie Munn soon
comes up. Hes also a well-known figure on the Game Fair
circuit throughout Ireland and the UK, where he gives fly
tying demonstrations, he runs the fishing web site
www.anglingclassics.co.uk specialising in Worldwide fishing
trips and tackle.
He
has fished in Canada, Norway and throughout the UK, but he
is most at home fishing for Wild Trout and Salmon on loughs
and rivers all over Ireland. I caught up with him at
the Field Studies Centre in Derrygonnelly, Co Fermanagh where
we were both attending the inaugural National Angling Guide
Certificate course being run there by Michael Shortt, Dr Ken
Whelan and Mark Corps. I took the opportunity to quiz
him about Dollaghan fishing, this exciting branch of angling.
DD:
Stevie, I guess the first question is what exactly is a dollaghan?
SM:
They are a wild brown trout from Lough Neagh; I suppose you
could call them Lough Neagh sea trout as there behave very
similarly! They spend most of their adult lives feeding
in the lough which is essentially an inland fresh water sea
and run up the in-flowing rivers to spawn from around July
onwards.
DD:
Are they a separate species of trout then?
SM:
They are a brown trout native to the Lough Neagh, that grow
pretty big due to the feeding in the Lough
DD:
So what got you started on dollaghan fishing?
SM:
My father, George. He was fly fishing mad and started me off
at a very early age. He made me a fly rod from a WW2
tank aerial which I still have and taught me to cast in a
field. His methods would probably have the social services
down on him today, but they worked for me. I had to
cast a fly into a bucket while holding a book under my rod
arm. If the book fell I got a clip round the ear!
You have to remember this was Belfast in the early Seventies,
at the height of the Troubles, and I suppose it was his way
of keeping me off the streets. He also taught me to
dress flies and I knew I was getting good when he started
stealing mine!
DD:
Where did you fish in those days?
SM:
The same rivers as I still fish now the Main, the Ballinderry,
but most of all on my beloved Six Mile Water. We'd fish
for the river trout during the day and when the dollaghan
were running switch to them in the evening and into the dark.
We didn't have a car in those days and I remember having to
run to catch the last bus from Antrim back to Belfast.
I was so jealous of the few locals who were turning up to
fish as we were running for the bus. One of those locals
is now my friend and fellow National Angling Guide, Alan Kirkpatrick
who is the River Keeper at Shanes Castle (River Main) and
a Six Mile Water bailiff.
DD:
Did you catch many in those days?
SM:
We got our fair share! I can remember coming home and
parading those big trout around in a basin for my mother and
sisters. Nowadays I practise and promote catch and release,
although I still take the occasional one for the pot.
DD:
What sort of flies did you use?
SM:
Back then we mostly fished traditional wet trout patterns
– Peter Ross, Dunkeld, Black Pennell, Invicta and Da's
favourite, the Greenwells Glory. And those patterns
will still catch their share of fish. But over the years
I and a few of the locals I fish with have experimented a
bit, both with other standard patterns and with a few new
developments. Surprisingly enough, we have found that
salmon patterns can be successful, especially the Irish Hair
Wing and Shrimp flies, fished slowly. And like sea trout,
dollaghan will often take a stripped surface lure at dusk.
I've also come up with some interesting patterns of my own
which have caught fish for me and my friends.
DD:
As you would expect from such an accomplished fly tier!
We'll take a look in your fly box later and maybe unveil some
of your secret patterns, but for now I'd like to talk about
the fishing itself. Can you take us through a typical
dollaghan session?
SM:
If you get a fresh from around the end of July there will
be fish in the river, but August, September and October are
the best months. I like to fish the river a few days
after a flood when the fish are fresh in and the river is
dropping, running clear. If you get a cloudy evening
and the moon is not too bright then you should be in with
a very good chance of a fish or two.
DD:
What about tackle? Would normal trout gear do?
SM:
Fly tackle is very much a matter of personal preference.
You could use heavy trout gear, but I prefer a very stiff
9 to 10 foot rod that throws an 8 -9 line. These are
powerful fish I like a rod that can put a bit of pressure
on them. Otherwise you can lose them in weeds and snags,
especially at night.
DD:
What about tactics?
SM:
I fish small flies on a floating line until the light fades,
then change to a sink tip or intermediate line with Irish
shrimp or hair wing flies. Takes can vary with the Dollaghan
from a stop or gentle pluck to an arm wrenching thud - the
rule is if in doubt hit it a clout! The beauty with
Dollaghan fishing is that you don't know whether it will be
a 2lb or maybe a 10lb fish. In a season I will take
a lot of fish over 5lb - big brownies in anyones book.
My pals Alan Kirkpatrick and Bobby Bryans have had them to
12lb and above.
DD:
What's your best so far?
SM:
My biggest to date is a cock fish just less than 10lb.
I have hooked much bigger fish, but the big ones shake their
heads violently, falling back all the time so you lose quite
a few. There is not much you can do but pray.
However most of our fish will average around 3lb - 4lb.
DD:
Good fishing by any standards! Where can you find Dollaghan?
What are typical lies?
SM:
You will find them throughout the river system, but like
any large trout they like a bit of cover - overhanging trees,
undercut banks and so on. They will also lie around
rocks and in deep runs and pools.
DD:
You've been a bit coy about the flies so far! Let's
see some of these patterns. Knowing you I'm sure they're
not just any old shrimps or hair wings!
SM:
Well, I have made one or two modifications! But basically
they are fairly standard patterns. When the fish are fresh
in, bright flies or silver patterns like my Stevies Shrimp
or The Fox Fly, which was developed by Bobby Bryans, are great
patterns. When the fish have been in the river for a while,
a couple of my Hairwing Variants work well, like the Blue
Butt. Also my Bruiser shrimp as well as many of the
standard shrimp flies including, Curries Shrimp, Bann Special,
Orange GP and Apache Shrimp. Also don't forget the odd
floating pattern coming into dusk.
DD:
Any other advice for anglers wanting to try their hand at
Dollaghan fishing?
SM:
I love fly fishing at night - there is something magical about
it, the stillness, the smells and the sounds of the river
and the sights you see - for me it's wonderful. But
make sure if you're doing this that you know where you are
walking - you don't want to end up swimming in a river at
night! Wear a life jacket. Do a thorough recce
on the stretch you intend to fish during the day. And
I don't advise wading unless you know the river very well.
For first timers I'd recommend hiring a guide. I learnt
by growing up on the rivers, fishing with my father and trial
and error, but then I had the time. If you are on holiday
or just visiting and want to maximise your chances of hooking
a Dollaghan, a guide who knows the water and the tactics is
essential. And if you're not used to the rivers and
have never fished them at night before, a guide can help from
a safety point of view as well.
DD:
Good advice Stevie. Its amazing how the imagination
plays tricks on you in the dark! But why do you have
to fish for them at night?
SM:
They will take during the day and many good fish are caught
in the day time but the majority of the bigger ones on our
rivers seem to take the fly better in the dusk and dark.
Like Sea Trout, the Dollaghan are a very light sensitive fish
and are quite easily spooked while they are in the river so
much so its even a good idea to turn your back to the water
when lighting a torch to change a fly or even when lighting
a cigarette or pipe. They are not easily caught. I would
not fish for them if they were. As with all fishing,
there is an element of luck and many nights you won't think
there is a fish in the river. I am happy if I have a
fish or two, but there are some nights when you hit it right
and you can expect a pull or a fish every other cast.
Such nights are rare but you remember them! They can
do this for two or three hours then they stop taking and won't
come on again the rest of the night. I think they take
better when they are moving around a pool looking for a lie.
DD:
Thanks for that, Stevie. The Dollaghan certainly sound
challenging, but then as you say, they wouldn't be worth catching
if they weren't. You sell fishing trips all over the
world. How would you rate Dollaghan fishing against
some of the more exotic stuff?
SM:
Its right up there! People talk about the large brown
trout of Chile or New Zealand that run rivers from their lakes,
and they are wonderful, but I just think we are incredibly
lucky to have these uniquely beautiful large, wild brown trout
right here in the North of Ireland, running our rivers.
It is something that needs to be treasured. For me,
an evening on one of our local rivers when the Dollaghan are
in a taking mood is hard to beat. And if you're not lucky
enough to catch a Dollaghan there is also excellent wild river
trout fishing or a chance of a salmon, which I will maybe
tell you about another day.
DD:
I'll hold you to that Stevie!
David
Dinsmore, Qualified National Game Angling Guide, runs
West of Ireland Angling, a comprehensive guiding service in
the West of Ireland.
Stevie
Munn, Qualified National Game Angling Guide and professional
fly dresser. Runs
www.anglingclassics.co.uk specialising in worldwide angling
holidays, fishing tackle and angling gifts. He can be
contacted on all aspects of fly fishing. |
