FEBRUARY ROUND-UP · 2 March 2010
In an exceptionally cold, dry month at Delphi, just three spring salmon were caught – the most notable being Rudi Groener’s near-15-pounder from Morrisons Pool.
Rod effort was very low, as was the river itself for most of the time. Rainfall was little more than two inches, making it the driest February since 1986. For 21 of the 28 days the grass minimum temperature was below zero centigrade.
At different times a few fresh fish were seen, risen or lost, but the only other two actually caught were those of Werner Zirngibl (7.75lbs, Kings Pool) and Armin Helbrecht (7.5lbs, Finlough).
There is no rain of consequence in the current forecast. Until it comes, catches – and effort – are likely to remain depressed.
— Peter Mantle
RUDI'S ENCORE · 26 February 2010
Rudi Groener, who also featured prominently in the early spring fishing reports last year, has just landed a cracking salmon from Morrisons Pool.
Weighing 14lbs 11oz, this is easily his best salmon to date and will be hard to better this year at Delphi, where fish rarely top 12 pounds.
The lovely fish took a Willie Gunn.
— Peter Mantle
THE FIRST SALMON OF 2010 · 26 February 2010
At last. Despite the bitterly cold weather, the first salmon of the 2010 season has finally been landed – and from Finlough of all places.
The river has all but disappeared after all the cold, dry weather of January and February. But this fish clearly sneaked up into the lake before the river dropped too far.
And, best of all, the fish was the first ever salmon caught by Armin Helbrecht from Germany. His persistence with a Collie Dog in highly adverse conditions (cold North East winds) finally paid off. Sitting in a boat on Finlough in near-freezing conditions merits considerable respect – or psychiatric confinement.
Fishing effort since the start of the season has been exceptionally and understandably low due to the wintry but surprisingly dry conditions. It will take a good bit of rain to stir things up and bring in more fresh fish.
— Peter Mantle
WINTER AT DELPHI · 12 January 2010
Following a wonderful, record-breaking year for spring salmon at Delphi and a correspondingly dismal run of grilse, attention in the winter months turned, as usual, to netting out the hatchery-origin fish. This extensive exercise, centred on Finlough and to a lesser extent Doolough, has two main aims – to prevent the hatchery fish from inter-breeding with the wild fish (just in case they are genetically different) and to provide broodstock for the next generation of hatchery smolts.
The netting results also tend to confirm whether the angling results represented an accurate picture of the salmon runs in the year. Both the number of fish netted and the split between grilse and springers are carefully monitored.
There are normally proportionately less springers netted than in the rod catch, since the exploitation rate of springers by anglers tends to be higher than for grilse (partly because they are fished over for longer and partly perhaps because they are easier to catch) and also because the springers tend to be more difficult to net, lying in deeper water.
The netting exercise was hampered this year by very heavy rains and high water in November, when over 18 inches of rain fell. Nevertheless, 742 salmon were extracted, of which 292 or 39% were multi-sea-winter fish or “springers”. In the rod catch, 72% of the 404 salmon caught were springers. The corresponding numbers for the previous season, which featured a much better grilse run, were: total netted – 1,502, of which just 122 or 8% were springers; total rod-caught – 489, of which 93 or 19% were springers.
Encouragingly, a handful of fresh wild springers were accidentally taken in the nets (and released), which bodes well for the coming season.
Very good sea trout spawning took place throughout the catchment – the best for many, many years. Ominously, however, the local salmon farm, which had ceased operating in 2008, has now been bought and is to be reopened. Lice control on the farm will be closely monitored, but there are few grounds for optimism.
The extremely harsh weather of late December and early January caused Glencullin Lough to freeze over for weeks. And a ferocious easterly storm on December 30 blew down over 50 trees, young and old, around the Delphi demesne and turned the angling hut on Finlough upside down.
The last – and worst – chore of winter at Delphi, before the angling season starts again on February 1st, is to tag and fin-clip the next generation of hatchery smolts. This has to be done by hand, over 50,000 times, in freezing water. Not for the faint-hearted…..
— Peter Mantle
THE FINAL COUNTDOWN · 29 September 2009
With the end of the season in sight, angling pressure is slowing down. The river has fallen to 10cms on the guage and the weather has been less fishy. Nevertheless, seven salmon were taken in the week for little fishing effort, last Saturday afternoon was the first time since 12th February that nobody went fishing at Delphi.
Elizabeth Bingley had the first fish of the week, a wild salmon of about 5lb, taken in the Quarry Run. Pressure then increased from midweek on with the arrival of Mike Shortt’s party. The group included Mark Corps from the Central Fisheries Board, who had five fish in three days. All bar one were taken off the river – four grilse and one stale springer of 8.5lbs. The fish were taken on weighted shrimp flies, collie dogs and one on a bomber. Then, not to be outdone by his wife, Robert Bingley had a 7-pounder off Finlough on a Yellow Ally.
Sea trout fishing was quiet as the main angling pressure was on salmon. Thenonly exceptions were John Campbell and Vincent Rigney from Westpoirt, assisted by Sean Moogan, who had nine trout off Doolough for an afternnon, two at 3lbs, three at 2lbs and four at 1lb.
The total salmon catch for the year stands at 391 and the seatrout tally is about 600.
— Peter Mantle
