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About the River Bandon
 The River Bandon rises in the Shehy Mountains in west Cork and
flows east through Dunmanway, Ballineen, Enniskeane, Bandon and
Innishannon to Kinsale Harbour. This is primarily a salmon and
sea trout river but there are also plenty of brown trout on all
stretches of the river system.
The salmon fishing extends all the way from Innishannon upstream
to Dunmanway. There
is a good run of spring fish which peaks in April.
The grilse run occurs at the end of June and water levels can be
critical for good fishing. There is also a very good run of big
fresh fish in August and September, and this is again dependent
on good water. The
most popular local flies are the Hairy Mary, Silver Wilkinson,
Silver and Blue and Garry Dog.
The river gets an excellent run of Sea Trout commencing in early
July and lasting through August. A large number of sea trout are
taken on the free waters of the estuary right up to Innishannon
Bridge and Bandon Town. The usual sea trout flies are the most effective - Peter
Ross, Teal Blue and Silver and Bloody Butcher.
Salmon Fishing
on the Bandon River
Salmon fishing on
the river Bandon is at its best during a spate (a sudden flood
in a river caused by rain). When the river is in spate, from the
moment it peaks (and sometimes when it is rising), you could
contact fish pretty much anywhere as the fish strive to reach
the holding pools or the spawning beds.
The fishing will
continue to be good until the river is back to normal levels. At
this point salmon have a tendency to become stubborn and take
nothing that's put past them. Having said this it's still
possible to catch them but its totally on the fishes terms
whether they decide to take the fly or not. This is when the
fisherman's patience and persistence comes to play. Remember we
are fishing for a creature that stops feeding when it enters
fresh water. I believe its down to a number of factors that
decide on a salmon taking your fly during normal water
conditions:
1. There has to be
an element of luck.
2. Locating the fish is a big advantage.
3. Successful presentation of the fly and fly type/size.
4. Weather conditions are an important factor.
There are a number
of well documented theories and ideologies over the centuries as
to why a salmon decide to take a bait or fly while in the river
system and why they don't. One thing is for certain, they are
the King of Fish and well worth the effort to catch by rod and
line.
Brown Trout
Fishing on the Bandon River
The Bandon river
has no shortage of brown trout. These beautiful fish are
obliging takers of flies and will readily take on dull cloudy
days. If the weather is to bright the fish go down and can be
difficult to catch.
Early morning and
evening can be great times to catch these fish or during insect
hatches. Fly fishing at night time can also be highly rewarding
with the bigger predatory browns coming out to feed.
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