Kells, Connor & Glenwherry Angling Club
Angling On The Kells Water & Glenwherry Rivers
Angling On The Kells Water & Glenwherry Rivers
Atlantic Salmon
These iconic fish begin their life cycle in the upper reaches of the river. Here they spend around 2-3 years growing and developing before migrating downstream to the sea as "smolts". Between 1-3 years later these fish return as mature adults. They enter the river Bann at Castlerock on the North Coast then swim upstream through the lower Bann, lough Neagh and lower Maine eventually arriving back at the Kells river. As the salmon readapt to freshwater their bright silver livery fades and they become "coloured" providing effective camouflage in the river.
Salmon numbers have declined significantly over recent decades due to a combination of factors including overfishing of the prey species which the salmon feed upon at sea.
Traditionally salmon are targetted on a falling spate using sink-tip or full sinking lines with larger flies which aim to imitate shrimp and baitfish. Heavier tube fly patterns are often used in higher water to help get down to proper depth. Modern upstream nymphing, originally designed to catch trout, has also come to be known as an effective method for salmon even in very high water levels. Salmon are regularly caught on wet flies at night by dollaghan anglers and will, on occasion, rise to take a dry fly.
Dollaghan
Indigenous to lough Neagh and the surrounding rivers, these fish begin their migration from the lough in mid June to spawn in the rivers where they were born. Do llaghan are much prized and sought after by anglers around lough Neagh due to their impressive size compared to the non-migratory brown trout found in the rivers. They are also highly regarded as an eating fish but nowadays our anglers release the vast majority of their catch to help sustain future generations.
Dollaghan have come under increased pressure from commercial netting on lough Neagh over the past few years. This is certainly a concern considering that several other fish species in the lough have been overfished to th e brink of population collapse in recent times.
These fish often prefer to feed at night time and can be caught using wet flies on warm summer/autumn nights when there is little moonlight. Popular patterns include Bloody Butcher, Green Peter, Invicta and sedge patterns. When the river is falling after a spate, dollaghan can readily be taken on salmon flies fished round at a reasonable pace. Upstream nymphing is another effective method popular among "catch & release" anglers for the minimal stress caused to the fish which are lightly hooked every time. Any standard nymph pattern will take dollaghan if presented correctly.
Brown Trout
Resident Brown Trout can be found in all areas of the river even up as far as the smallest feeder burns. Fully grown adult specimens can reach 14+ inches but the majority of the population is fairly small in size due to constant competition for food. Dry flies, wet flies and both upstream/downstream nymphing are all effective methods for these handsome little fish.
