The season is well and truly over, it was time to spend some time with my family before the tying started. I had a lovely week in the sun and now I am back at it again. I am starting winter orders while trying to top up my own guiding boxes as well as trying to get some dyeing done in between. What I find in October is customers are thinking about early season patterns like Claret Dabblers and Silver Dabblers, and of course the early season favourites the Minkie and the Humongous, and with Christmas orders thrown into the mix it can be quite mind-blowing tying everything from early season to mayfly patterns.
Some of the patterns that keep coming back to be tyed are the dabbler belonging to Brain Hallet from Lough Melvin. Brian lives on the shores of Lough Melvin and has fished Lough Erne and Lough Melvin all his life. He also has guided on both. This pattern has worked well for me on all the western Loughs. It's a fly you can fish from start of the season to the end. I have had some great fishing in March and April on this fly for Gillaroo and Sonaghan.
Irish Style Hoppers
Black and Pearl hopper, Blood hopper
Irish Style Hoppers- Picric Olive hopper
A finished order for Lough Conn
The Deavin Olive Dabbler
The Hallett Dabbler
Another great fly is the Olive Dabbler Deavin. When olives are around on Melvin for me it is necessary to have them on the cast. Tyed in size 12 it is a fish catcher and necessary to have in any box. As the season has ended I always get a bit of the fishing blues, I think back to the start of the season for me on both Arrow and Melvin. There are few places where you can find 5 species to fish for Char Browns, Ferox, Gillaroo and Sonaghan. There is something special about this water with these fish being smaller in size but make up for it in the fight.
March on Melvin last season was mixed, when the conditions suited the fishing was lively. Pulling duck fly patterns, the likes of Red Arrows, Bibios and Blae and Black. When the weather was cooler, especially that cold northern wind I found fishing slowed down and the likes of pulling Dabblers started to work over the shallows and along the islands. We had good fishing the other days on dry duck fly patterns and buzzers.
April started off in Melvin with strong easterly winds for most of the month and the fish switched completely off until later in the month when the winds eventually moved back to a more westerly wind. Olives started to appear, and the fish moved well on them. I had some clients over from the United States for a few days and the Browns, Gillaroo and Sonaghan did not disappoint from pulling wet dry olives and Nymph patterns we managed to boat eighteen fish in two days- All fish were safely returned. They were lucky enough to catch all three species on their trip to Lough Melvin.
At present I am just after finishing a box of Irish style hoppers. The last few seasons Irish style hoppers have been doing well in both Ireland and Scotland for both Browns and rainbow trout. They are all tyed using rich Irish colours. I found when fishing these patterns and a light ripple they can be deadly on the day.
For guided fishing please use my contact page to get in touch. Now taking bookings for the 2025 season.
Tight lines,
Jackie Mahon