This month saw the close of the fishing season here at Mount Falcon on our two miles of River Moy fishery, and Fishery Manager Michael Egan says it was a good one. Between bait and fly fishing Egan reported 345 Atlantic Salmon caught with strong numbers of releases. Egan, who has been fishing on the Moy since he could hold a rod and reel, knows that this year’s total may not sound like a big number historically, but in recent years with fish populations under stress from multiple sources, the catch is more than respectable, it is a sign of the enigmatic and emblematic fish of Irish rivers’ ability to bounce back from hard times.
The 2024 fishing season started slow with low river levels early keeping fish downstream stacking up in the angler-friendly pools in Ballina town. It was in those pools that Egan, a few decades younger, caught his very first fish at the age of 9. Egan won the annual cash prize and bragging rights that year with his first ever catch being the first of the season on the river. The lifetime of fishing which followed, including in Co. Mayo, Scotland and the United States, has given Egan experience and perspective.
The rains finally did come, as they usually do in the West of Ireland, which raised river levels allowing salmon to continue their migration upstream through the Mount Falcon fishery. Egan has dubbed this years’ run the first “COVID run”. Fish which were spawned in the winters of 2017-2019 were due to come back to their ancestral spawning grounds this year, and they did in greater numbers due in part to the reduction in commercial fishing in 2020.
Atlantic Salmon face many hurdles in their lifecycle, not least of which their lived environment. Water quality, chemistry, and temperature are crucial aspects of conception and survival. After hatching the little and vulnerable fish, now known as fry, feed and grow in the lakes and deep upstream pools in which they were spawned. By Autumn the fry have grown into what are called parr, a more camouflaged and suitable fish for the conditions, though they remain under constant pressure from predators. From here the fish continue to grow before their final fresh-water adaptation of smolting where they prepare themselves through internal and external physiological changes for their next stage of life. Once smolted the fish, now called a smolt, performs an about-face in the river and instead of facing upstream against the current turn downstream so it can head out to the salty waters of open ocean. Growing fast is key to a salmon’s ultimate survival. Only around 1% of smolt ever complete their lifecycle and return to their spawning grounds to propagate the next generation. (Marine Institute, 2022)
Smolt will spend 1-3 years at sea feeding and growing before returning to the exact river where they were spawned. The fish which return after the first year are called grile and stay relatively small, while the ones that spend an extra year or two at sea come back 3-4 times larger. These larger adult salmon are what attracts anglers from the world over to come to the rivers of Ireland and to Mount Falcon. Egan said that while this year’s numbers of visitors to the fishery were about the same as recent years, or maybe even slightly less, the fishing itself was more attractive than it has been recently because the returning fish never had to face the commercial nets at sea.
“It has been a better season all over,” Egan said, noting that in 2023 the total fishery take was only 125 catches.
As Fishery Manager Egan is responsible for maintaining the fishery itself, ensuring visitors to Mount Falcon are shown the best spots on the river to fish, or pairing up the guests with ghillies who spend the day with them on the river, and reporting catches to the relevant regulatory bodies. Guests arrive to Mount Falcon from all over the world, according to Egan, including England, Spain, and the United States this year. Some return year after year, following the patterns established by the fish themselves.
A typical day for a guest visiting Mount Falcon’s fishery starts around 8:45 a.m. at reception where Egan meets them and kits them out with appropriate equipment from the rod room. A quick jaunt across the Foxford Road that connects Foxford and Ballina towns and anglers arrive at the Boathole, the fishery boat launch – also the name of Mount Falcon’s bar in the century and a half year old manor house. Whether guests have a favourite haunt on the river or it is their first time everyone is welcome. Other than deciding to fish on the fly or on bait the only tough decision left to make is whether to stay on the river, pack lunch in hand, or to come back up to the house for lunch in Tom Doyle’s Kitchen Restaurant. Plan ahead and you might even be able to have your catch of the day prepared for dinner.
Anglers who opt to move up and down the fishery with a ghillie will be rewarded with all the best views and fishing beats, not to mention the experience and expertise of the ghillies themselves. “They’ll see more of the beats when they have the guide,” Egan said.
Egan was a ghillie before he was made the Fishery Manager. Even before working at Mount Falcon he took guests on rivers around Co. Mayo, including the Easky River where he taught himself how to cast a fly. Casting on a fly rod takes practice, but Egan says in his experience, “It’s probably the nicest way to catch a fish.” Part of what he does at Mount Falcon is to teach people wanting to learn how to cast a fly. “There’s a bit of an art to the fly casting side of it,” he says.
One of the ways Egan keeps current on his fly-casting skills is to compete in distance casting competitions locally and abroad. From Belfast to Scotland and the United States Egan has competed at long distance fly casting competitions for years. One of his best casts came about 10-years ago at a local Ballina competition on the Moy where he put up a distance of 60.4 metres, a record at the time. But it was not always smooth sailing. When he first started in casting competitions the fraternity of competitors kept their secrets to long casts close to their chest. A last place finish in his first official competition and a tight-lipped community of casters did not deter Egan. He kept at it, kept seeking advice, and finally made the trip to the home of Spey Casting, a special technique developed on the banks of the River Spey in Scotland. There Egan took lessons from former world champion distance caster Scott McKenzie. Upon returning to Ireland Egan said he began winning competitions. “It’s not down to strength,” Egan says, it is technique and timing.
Knowing a river, it’s twists and turns, the rocks and pools, quick flows and deep pools, is what it takes to fish it well. Seeing a river change over time also provides insight into where and how the fish come and go. A lifetime spent on Mayo rivers has given Egan and his small team of ghillies that insight allowing them to provide the best possible experience to visitors on a world class stretch river. It is also in that lifetime that fishermen like Egan have seen the ebb and flow the salmon’s life in the river. It is still within living memory a time when the numbers of fish caught in a season were counted in the thousands not hundreds.
The numbers of fish keep changing, Egan notes, adding, “It’s a shame to see it declining, because it’s the main asset to Ballina.” People who make their living out-of-doors, like Egan, are unsurprisingly well placed to witness these changes and to report back on the conditions of our environment. Calling this year’s run of fish a COVID run is both hopeful and cautionary. “It’ll be interesting to see the numbers next year. I hope it doesn’t go to a four-year cycle,” Egan said referring to the lifecycle of the salmon and their 3-4 year migration pattern.
The river has a draw for many, something that pulls people back following the fish. In his role as Fishery Manager Egan says it is his job keep the fishery in good condition and to create “a good experience for the people that come.” “You couldn’t walk into a better place,” Egan says of Ireland’s salmon capital, adding “It’s on our doorstep.”
The fishing season at Mount Falcon runs from the 17th of April to the 30th of September. If they come, early rains next year will reward early anglers, but good fishing can last the entire season depending on conditions. To book accommodation at Mount Falcon go to www.mountfalcon.com/, and to book your time on the river contact us as fisheries@mountfalcon.com
See more here: https://troutandsalmon.com/where-to-fish/ten-fantastic-fish-stay-options
