Sea trout of the little silver stream

In deepest Cork, join Jason Nash on balmy summer’s night as he goes fly fishing for sea trout 

 Issue 5 (Jul-Aug 2015)    Jason Nash    Jason Nash & Bill Brazier

As summertime grips the country, many game anglers turn their attention to the enigmatic sea trout. Sea-going Salmo trutta will begin to migrate into our rivers in late spring but it is those mild, dark, settled summer nights that offer fishermen the cream of the fishing, as larger numbers of fish are present.

Many rivers and streams in my neck of the woods, west Cork, such as the Bandon, Glashaboy, Illen and Owenabue to name but a few, hold healthy stocks of sea trout. Recently the Argideen River caught my attention due to some encouraging catch reports, with fish up to 4lbs being grassed. The Argideen, translated from the Irish meaning “little silver stream”, is an acidic river which starts its life in the peat bogs of Reenascreena, north west of Clonakilty. Murmuring its way through the countryside, it flows seawards for some 14 miles, entering the tidal estuary at Timoleague before mixing with the salt water of the Celtic Sea a further three miles out at the picturesque fishing village of Courtmacsherry. The river maintains one of the best wild, naturally producing stocks of sea trout in Cork, if not the entire country. Fishing in the lower few miles of the river, the upper estuary and above the tidal limit, is controlled by Argideen Anglers Ltd., who in conjunction with Inland Fisheries Ireland, are maintaining and developing the Argideen Fishery.

Prior to embarking on a night time expedition, one must walk the river banks to familiarise oneself with their surroundings and this cannot be stressed enough on a small river such as the Argideen. Short, deep, tree-lined pools characterise the fishery and to maximise chances of sport, notes should be made of where the head of a pool starts, where the main body of the pool is and where the shelving tail is located. Overhanging branches not only provide great cover for resting trout but are also fly magnets! Wearing polarised sunglasses will enable the angler to detect which pools are holding fish, so in turn, they can aim for those areas once nighttime falls.

Anyone wishing to fish the three miles of river controlled by Argideen Anglers should meet up with Peter Wolstenholme, whose knowledge of the waters is encyclopaedic. Peter started fishing the river in 1974 and since then has caught nearly 3,000 sea trout, with 99% coming to the fly at night. Needless to say, a fisherman with a record like this should be listened to intently and all advice taken on board! Peter and I tackled up for an evening cast at Inchy Bridge, where anglers habitually and excitedly congregate before commencing their fishing. Those who arrive first get to pick their pool and if enough anglers are present a draw takes place. You are allocated a pool at the beginning of the night and you are free to roam the rest of the river if and when other areas become available. Peter decided we should fish the ‘Big Flat’ which is a long pool, by Argideen standards, at the lower end of the fishery.

Peter started off by asking what fly I intended to use. With my own choice of fly being turned down poste-haste (!), he produced his own box of tricks and encouraged me to tie on a fly of his own making. Featuring a gold bead head, the pattern itself was a Teal, blue and silver adaptation tied sparsely with a subtle touch of lure-flash. Synthetic materials have been introduced into traditional patterns, resulting in improved catches. With this trusted fly tied to the point of an 8lb fluorocarbon leader, I attached a favourite fly of mine to the dropper; an Alexandra variant with jungle cock cheeks. Since it was a relatively bright night we opted for brighter flies; as the saying goes the brighter the night the brighter the fly, and vice versa. Stick to this general rule when after sea trout and you won’t go too far wrong.

Strolling down to the river bank with bated breath I was met by a beautiful pool. A small deflector at the narrow head helps the current along, before it broadens out into a slow body of water which gently gathers pace at the tail, where an island splits the river in two. This is a comfortable spot to fish as one can cast overhead, as long as you keep the rod up high to avoid the tall marsh grass behind. Peter drew my attention to a small stream which exits an oxbow lake and instructed me to start there. Beginning with a short cast, a slow figure of eight retrieve was the order of the night, with a small downstream mend to counteract the slight back eddy in the margins. Wading is not encouraged on the Argideen if at all possible, as fish can be lying very close to the near bank. Sea trout are extremely shy creatures and a stealthy, heron-like approach should be employed. After a couple of casts Peter knowingly directed me to slow down the retrieve as he really wanted the flies to come around at a snail’s pace. I had to be continually reminded of this for a while as I’m not used to fishing so slowly. The trick was to keep the fly on the move and never let it pause.

Working my way down the pool, a couple of fish began to show, which boosted confidence levels. Sea trout don’t always betray their presence by continually lunging out of the water but when they do, anticipation of a take is drastically multiplied, especially in the gloomy darkness of night. Considerate casts elevate one’s chances of a take. On the other hand, repetitive casting in the same area without change is discouraged. The angler is better served by moving downriver if no interest is shown and fishing the lie again once the pool has been fished through. As I moved down towards the tail, Peter notified me of a particularly good taking area. Concentrating as the fly neared the end of its swing, I felt the unmistakable hit of a sea trout nailing my fly. A snappy lift of the rod and the fish was on. Line disappearing, the trout tore down river to the sweet tune of the reel. Several jumps and head shakes later, Peter slipped the net under a solid fish over 2lbs in weight. Adrenaline pumping, I was elated to see such a pristine, wild fish fresh from the sea. That is what fly fishing for sea trout at night is all about, and in such a charming, idyllic setting you simply couldn’t ask for better.

Confident in the knowledge that he had passed on enough advice for the night, Peter left me to my own devices at midnight, as I made my way upstream to fish “The Nooks”. Recalling Peter’s guidance as we walked the pool earlier, I made a short cast to start proceedings… and I flung the flies straight into the tree opposite me! A moment of madness as I must have thought I was on the much larger Bandon again and sure enough I parted company with my flies, which sadly included Peter’s gift. With no messing about (as I had to leave soon) I quickly retied a leader with a half inch aluminium squirrel, blue and silver tube fly on the point and another Alexandra variant on the dropper. Without another bead headed fly in my armoury, I hoped the tube would have the same effect. Ensuring casts were only a rod length in distance, I had a take almost immediately and another trout immediately shot downstream in double quick time. Rod bent over, this seemed to be a better fish as it played stubbornly after its initial run. Gaining control of the trout as it tired out, I slid down the bank to land my prize. Another beauty, this fish must have weighed two and a half pounds or so. Admiring it on the bank and taking a few quick photos, I slipped him back and he shot off on his merry way in no time.

This visit was at the beginning of this month (July) when sea trout fishing was described as being very good. A flood has since hit the river but prospects remain promising as more “schoolies” or “juniors” weighing between 6oz and 1lb 4oz will enter the river from now until the season’s end on October 12^th. Larger fish, which have spawned every year, will return in the late summer and autumn. My sincere thanks to Peter Wolstenholme for guiding me on a night out and sharing his vast knowledge of the river.

Tight lines,

Jason Nash