Community College Anglers visit Salmon Hatchery
On Dec.1st we made our first trip to a fishery. Mike O’Shea of the Upper Caragh Fishery gave us a guided tour of their salmon hatchery.
We learned all about the life cycle of the Atlantic Salmon and how Mike and his team help augment the stock of fish in the river by raising them from egg to alevin, to fingerling and on to smolt. Mike then releases the smolts back into the river where they will migrate as far as Greenland in search of feeding grounds. After two or three sea winters they will return to the river as fully grown silver salmon. Last season a salmon of 18lbs was caught on the fishery!
With us on the trip was Aideen Kane of Inland Fisheries Ireland who kindly paid for the bus and Denis Cronin of Lough Lein Anglers who has given us lessons on fishing knots and casting. Aideen and Denis have really helped us get the club off the ground and we are now planning our first fishing trip as soon as the season opens in February.
In the meantime, we are asking Santa for fishing tackle!!!