Mayfly Madness

Every year around this time fishermen become preoccupied with the mayfly. The usual greeting at this time between fishermen is, "Are you going west?" or "Are you going to the mayfly?". What they are asking is are you going to the great western loughs such as Corrib or Mask to join in with the annual mayfly hatch with takes place from mid May for a couple of weeks.

The trout go crazy for the mayfly and often the big wise old trout who cannot be tempted to take your hook at any other time of year throws caution to the wind and gorges on this seasonal treat, often to his own demise!

Arguably the hub of the excitement is Oughterard, with every boat and gillie long since booked out. As for finding a bed, good luck! The whole place feels like it has gone mayfly mad.
Traditionally it was called "duffer's fortnight" due to the fact that no matter how bad an angler you were you couldn't but catch trout at this time of year.

The method most often used is called dapping. Dapping is a very simple method of fishing. The main prerequisite is wind which blows out your line ahead of a drifting boat. Attached to the end of your line is a hook with two or three mayfly impaled to it. You keep the flies tripping across the surface of the water until hopefully a big wild brown trout throws caution to the wind and makes a lunge for it. It is truly spectacular to see a big brownie appearing out of a wave to attack your fly. It always catches me by surprise a little bit no matter how hard I am concentrating!

A typical mayfly day on the lough begins with a leisurely breakfast. People hit the water from about 10 until 12. Usually you fish for a few hours before pulling in on one of the loughs islands for lunch. Lunch is a very important part of the day with wine always playing a big part. Some people go the whole hog and bring a BBQ to cook steaks, however we usually tend to have something cold and easy to eat. It has been known to have a snooze at this point before heading back out to try and tempt another few trout. Some people fish right on into the night but most people will finish up around 6 or 7, just in time to head home for a shower and then out for dinner and a few pints.