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Delphi Fishery Report - 2000

Good salmon catches despite dry year

Our catch predictions for the 2000 season, featured in last year's newsletter, again proved to be spot on. We forecast a "middling spring" and a "very good grilse run", which is exactly what we got. With a total salmon catch of 572, the millenium season will enter the record books as the third best in the history of Delphi, bettered only by the remarkable catches of 1997 and 1998.

Fired up by these forecasting successes, we now offer the following predictions for 2001. (1) The spring will be very good indeed, unless the weather is exceptionally dry. (2) The summer grilse run will be on the good side of medium - again, in the absence of severe drought.

These rose-tinted forecasts are not picked out of thin air but are based on a number of different factors, including the number of fish released in the hatchery, the genetic mix of those fish and, most importantly, the conditions at the time of smolt migration in relevant preceding years. Based on all the data, we will be disappointed if we do not catch at least 100 springers and 300 grilse in 2001.

Our confidence about the forthcoming spring is based on the large number of Delphi-origin fish released in May 1999 and the reasonably good survival rate of grilse from that year class. Our somewhat less bullish but still upbeat forecast in respect of grilse reflects further large hatchery releases in May 2000 but warm weather and high local sea lice levels at the time of (or shortly before) smolt migration.

The total catch for 2000 was particularly pleasing since the spring and early summer were, in general, very dry (see rainfall chart). Our tally of 572 salmon bettered (just) that of the neighbouring River Erriff and exceeded the total of all the other Connemara fisheries put together. The wild salmon catch of 139 was the fourth best since 1986, showing that Delphi's success is not just hatchery-based. In fact new records were set for wild springers in February (10) and for wild grilse in June (68).

The year started off very well with Hugh Brennan taking a fine 10-pounder on the second day of the season. This first fish of the new millenium, landed on fly from the Rock Pool, is now stuffed for posterity and on display in the Lodge. It was the product of careful planning and exhaustive divine imprecation on Hugh's part. A happier man has never crossed Delphi's portal.

Delphi has a habit of producing the first fish of the season in the West, or at least the first on fly. So when the Central Fisheries Board and the Salmon Research Agency offered a £2,000 prize for the first salmon of the new Millenium to be caught and released, there was always a fair chance that a Delphi angler might win it. In the event, Delphi produced a double whammy.

Michael Shortt, the flyfishing guru/instructor from Enniskillen, was actually the first to release a springer and has photographs to prove it. Alas, the rules required a human witness and, try as he might, Mike could not attract the attention of any passing vehicle as he lay on his stomach reviving the fly-caught fish in the Rock Pool. Rather than lift it out for a protracted period, he nobly let it go.

Just a few days later, local angler Ash Mathews got (and released) a fish - this time with witness and camera and, once again, on fly from the Rock Pool. The prize (to be donated to the charity of the winning angler's choice) was duly presented to Amnesty International, with full Ministerial fanfare. Ash himself was given some free fishing on the Erriff in recognition of his achievement. A nice initiative and a very pleasing outcome. (Ash actually caught two springers that day and released both of them).

Overall, the spring at Delphi was only moderate, but a large grilse run, greatly aided by the hatchery, redeemed the season and produced some good fishing in June and July when conditions permitted.

Delphi, along with the Marine Institute's fishery at Burrishoole, continues to lead the way in terms of not killing wild salmon. Though it is not fully compulsory, Delphi anglers are strongly encouraged to release all wild fish except for their first of the season. Happily, 73% of all wild fish were released this year - including some people's first fish. It must be said, however, that the main reason we are able to get such good support for the no-kill policy is the bountiful presence of hatchery fish, which can (indeed, must) be killed and which are more numerous than their wild counterparts.

Landmarks reached in the 2000 season included Werner Zirngibl's 200th Delphi salmon. Werner joins Walter Langenberger in this elite category. Super-ghillie Sandy Walker reached the 100th Delphi salmon mark, as did Laurence Lock from England. John Mills, Gerard Shine and Fred Possinger all caught their 50th Delphi salmon And 30 people from five different countries caught their first ever salmon during the season (see chart).

There were some fine big springers taken, the best being John Mills' 14½-pounder. In all, 24 salmon of 10 pounds or over were landed (see table). The average weight of the wild salmon caught was the highest since 1995 at 5.7lbs. The hatchery, which was responsible for 81% of the total catch, produced smaller grilse than the wild counterparts (3.8lbs v. 4.3lbs), but the hatchery springers, averaging over 10lbs, were bigger by a pound than the wild fish.

Joint top rods for the season were Urs Liebundgut from Switzerland and Delphi's own Sandy Walker , each of whom took 26 salmon, narrowly pipping Fred Possinger with 25 (see table). Seven people caught five fish in a day, while three - Ash Mathews, Werner Zirngibl and Sandy Walker - landed two springers in a day. The smallest fish, at just 1lb 7oz, was lured by fishery manager David McEvoy - the second year in which he has achieved this feat.

The river accounted for 341 fish, Finlough contributed 206 and Doolough offered up a modest 25. The best pools on the river were, in order, the Whin, Turn, Rock, Meadow, Quarry, Deadman's and King's. But, in all, 25 different pools delivered fish - including a new hot spot discovered by Sandy Walker below the bottom bridge. The best fly was once more the Collie Dog (101 fish) followed by the Ally Shrimp (69). Other shrimp fly patterns and variants of the Stoat's Tail also proved popular and successful.

The total of 572 fish required 1789 days of rod effort - an average of 3.13 days per fish over the whole season. For June and July this average improved to 1.35 days per fish - or just over 5 fish per rod per week. The best day was June 22, when 26 salmon were caught. For comparison, the estuary draft nets took over 3000 salmon in 8 weeks, well over half of which were Delphi fish.

Weatherwise, the year was bizarre. A dry spring, particularly in March and (yet again) May looked like the beginning of a serious drought. But a fortuitous flood on June 10 got fish in and redeemed the grilse fishing, so that even another spell of hot dry weather in July could not kill off catches. August (10 inches) was wet, but it was as nothing compared to the post-season deluge of October which saw storms and floods throughout the British Isles and a new monthly record rainfall for Delphi of a staggering 18.8 inches.

Best Delphi salmon of 2000

Serious seatrout reversal

The low point of the 2000 season was yet another major wipeout of seatrout. The catch for the year of just 345 fish, 231 of which were little finnock of under 1lb, was bitterly disappointing. The only highlight was Geoff Lucas' fine 4½ pounder on the dap from Doolough in September.

Two years ago we were beginning to think that a near-full recovery might be possible. In that year we caught 769 seatrout, 60 of them over 2lbs. We reckoned then that that was about half of what we needed to get back to the low end of the normal range. But the major reversal this year, with just 22 trout over 2lb, is utterly dispiriting. It now seems likely that the great days of sea trout fishing at Delphi are well and truly over.

It is a fact that the Killary Salmon farm breached its licensed sea lice levels in March, just as our kelts were leaving Delphi. It is also a fact that large numbers of big kelts returned prematurely to Delphi in early May and were totally infested with lice. Fishery manager David McEvoy said it was the worst he had ever seen in terms of fine sea trout being knackered by lice.

Depressingly, it is also a fact that the salmon farm has been given permission to expand over coming years, in the face of strident objections from all fishery interests. What can one say?

Peter O'Reilly's courses for 2001

Our highly successful fly-casting courses with Ireland's top expert, Peter O'Reilly, are being slightly expanded for 2001. We will now have two full-week courses and three weekend courses, as follows:

Dates Duration Max Price Euros
Thu 8 March to Sun 11 March Weekend 8 £445 (sgl supp £60) €565
Sat 7 April to Sat 14 April Week 6 £995 (sgl supp £140) €1263
Thu 10 May to Sun 13 May Weekend 8 £445 (sgl supp £60) €565
Fri 14 Sept to Fri 21 Sept Week 6 £995 (sgl supp £140) €1263
Fri 21 Sept to Mon 24 Sept Weekend 8 £445 (sgl supp £60) €565

The price includes all accommodation, meals and tuition. Equipment is supplied. The weekend courses are suitable for complete beginners, while the full-week courses may better suit those with a small amount of previous experience.

At the time of going to press, it looks as if the first two courses are already fully booked out.

The Top 10 Anglers in 2000

Monthly Rainfall 1999/2000

First ever salmon in 2000

Anthony Bower Portugal
Scott Bryson England
Morgan Cooney USA
Jane Cromley-Hawke England
Nikolas Diesler Germany
Manfred Egerer Germany
Andrew Eschenbacher Germany
Aaron Faith England
Graham Fielden England
Chris Foreman England
Harry Foreman England
Matthew Fraser Ireland
Sarah Fraser Ireland
Dominic Hunten Germany
Lennart Konvalin Germany
Linus Konvalin Germany
Iltyd Lewis Wales
Jeff Maloney USA
Jim Maloney USA
Mark Maloney USA
John McSheffrey England
Roger Nicholson England
Mark O'Donnell Ireland
Chip Parham USA
Martina Poxleitner Germany
Charles Pscheidl Germany
Barbara Roth Germany
Hans Roth Germany
Christopher Underhill England
Thomas Underhill England

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