Roy Orbison's torch song I Drove All Night came to mind last weekend as I arrived in Ballina, Co Mayo, at sunrise. The cathedral bell struck five times as I pulled up alongside the Ridge Pool on the River Moy. To my surprise, the Pool was already a hive of activity with salmon jumping freely and anglers busy fly-fishing.
It wasn't too long before I was chest-deep in the river, ready for eight hours of pleasure. This year more than ever I felt ready for the task that lay ahead - double-handed rod, sink-tip line, cascade fly and a faint-hearted attempt at spey casting.
As Michael, the resident gillie, arrived at 6am, I was into my first fish. The line screeched from the reel followed by a few spectacular somersaults. Slowly I coaxed the fish back towards the shallows until safely netted. Yippee! My first salmon this year, a bar of silver sea-liced wild Atlantic grilse.
High water at 9am meant a two-hour break, sufficient time for breakfast and a visit to Ballina Angling Centre on Ridge Pool Road. "The Cascade range of flies are extremely popular. As soon as we get a supply, they're whipped up immediately," according to sales assistant Michael Wilson. I settled for a Yellow Ally's Shrimp.
As part of the Ballina Festival, 150 swimmers took advantage of the high water with a swim from the Ridge Pool to the Ash Tree Pool and back. Surprisingly, this disturbance had little effect on the fishing. "And where else could you possibly catch salmon in this heat and bright sunshine?" said Declan Cooke, River Moy fishery manager.
The restart on the ebb tide brought a fresh run of fish and within minutes I was in again. Unfortunately, as the line poured out, my reel jammed and the fish was gone - hook straightened, otherwise all intact. The line had become entangled in the reel spindle.
Numerous "half-takes" followed and for the last hour of the session I put up the Yellow Ally's Shrimp and "bingo" I was in again. An audience had gathered at the far bank as I played the fish for at least five minutes. "Get him out of the fast running water and into the slack," Michael said. Safely landed, a round of clapping ensued.
As I headed home I thought how lucky we are in Ireland to have such a wonderful amenity. Facilities at the Ridge Pool are first class and the fishery is very well managed. To add to all this, a new angling centre opened recently downstream at the Cathedral Beat.
Last week the river produced 563 salmon, with 227 accredited to the Moy Fishery at Ballina. This brings the overall total so far this season to 4,358. At the conclusion of our session the tally was 13. The Ridge Pool caters for five anglers at any time, with two sessions per day. The first is from sunrise to 2pm and the second from 2pm to sunset. An additional Weir Pool rod operates separately.
Declan Cooke is heading for Chicago next month to participate in a triathlon to raise funds for Our Lady's Hospital for Sick Children, Crumlin, Dublin. Along with his brother Eamonn and Nick Breen, the trio hope to complete a 1,500m swim, 40km cycle and 10km run. All donations towards this worthy cause will be gratefully received on tel: 087-6792292.
Bernard Devenney, chairman of Dundalk Salmon Anglers' Association, highlights a major problem on the River Fane and Lough Muckno system. For the second consecutive year, Muckno has become dangerous to fish due to a loss of oxygen caused by pollution.
Last year, Louth County Council dismissed this event as a "once off" - a natural phenomen, they said. The Department of the Marine, on the other hand, said the problem would recur annually and indeed get worse as time went on. Understandably, the four main Fane angling clubs, representing 2,000 members, are concerned that fish life in the river will be wiped out if there is a sustained heatwave.
A further problem due to the pollution on the Fane is that it turns dark green as it loses oxygen and the discoloured water spills onto the beach at Blackrock on Dundalk Bay. The entire beach is now covered with green seaweed caused by the nutrients coming down the river from Muckno coupled with the residue from five sewerage plants, Devenney said. For information, tel: 087-1322873.
The Central Fisheries Board (CFB) team won the Allergan Interfirms one-hook boat angling competition at Clew Bay, Westport, Co Mayo, recently. This is the fifth time in 20 years that the team won the event, fending off competition from international and local teams.
This year's competition was special as the host club was celebrating its 25th anniversary and many stalwarts including Seán Moogan, Vincent Rigney and Andy Durkan took part in the celebrations. Norman Dunlop, CFB captain, thanked Allergan SAC for contributing so much to sea angling in Westport over the years. CFB team: Norman Dunlop, Joe Caffrey, Willie Roche, Michael Hennessy.
Howth Sea Angling Club will hold its Annual Open Boat Competition and incorporate the 4th leg of the Leinster League next Saturday at Howth, Co Dublin. First prize of €500, sponsored by EBS Howth/Sutton Branch, will include the Dr Woods Perpetual Cup. For entry details, tel: 01-8321683.
angling@irish-times.ie