weight. I bought some really good fly

My plan was to get a couple of days doing the family things and then take a few short fishing trips. On my family holidays I generally get to fish when the weather is not too suitable for much else; fortunately the occasional shower is not too rare in Ireland, hence I get to the river or estuary quite often!When my wife left home for university her parents swapped North London for North Kerry, and went to live in a small town called Ballyduff just south of the world famous Ballybunnion links golf course. It was in the news a few weeks ago as ex-president Clinton played three and a half holes there. (Bill Clinton is actually the area’s favourite “lost son” as, during his presidency, he played some golf on the course. This fact was seized on by the locals who soon had a twelve foot high bronze statue erected in the main street!)The southern end of the golf course has the river Feale as its boundary; this is a marvellous spate salmon river and once boasted a fine run of sea-trout. The Feale is sadly no longer as prolific as in the past; this being the case since problems associated with sea-caged reared salmon off the coast of Ireland occurred. The western side of the golf course is flanked by a golden strand, from which I have caught many fine bass and a few good flatfish – especially brill.Across the other side of the river is a small fishing village called Cashen, and this is from where the estuary takes its name. Each time I visit I find completely different sandbars, rocky outcrops and lugworm beds. The place screams sea-trout in the surf, and I am certain that if I could spend a few days on it I would find have some seriously great sport.Alas, the sun shone! You do not often get a trip to Ireland when suncream is in more demand than raincoats, but this time it certainly was. Each day I hoped for a few hours of rain (even drizzle would have done), but the sun continued to shine, and so off I had to go to the beaches with my family. I have to grudgingly admit that it was, nevertheless, a pretty good holiday, as I have been away from home a lot recently, and even guiding at Chew Valley at this time of year often means that I am home after my children have gone to bed. So it was good to do the family things. My daughter spent most of her time in the rock pools, and I must say that it is a pretty close hobby to fishing – after all it was small fish that we were trying to catch!Still I harboured good expectations that I would get to the river one evening for the evening rise; except for the fact that the good weather had been with that area for three weeks previous to my visit, and this meant that the Feale was really quite “rotten” as the locals call it. Indeed it was so low that the slime on the bottom was thick enough to have been coming to the surface and a putrid smell was the result. I consulted the locals for advice and they told me that unless I was prepared to drive about thirty miles upriver I would be wasting my time. I declined that option and decided on a couple of brief sessions in the surf. My son had more luck than me: he used the light spinning rod, whilst I fished the fly to absolutely no success! I think that I should have brought the beachcaster, but it is always easy with hindsight to arrive at these conclusions. The holiday was a good break all the same and I saw enough of the estuary to make me want another trip later in the year, though I will be armed with a bit more firepower than my six-weight. I bought some really good fly-tying materials from a marvellous shop that goes by the name of ‘Landers’ in Tralee, the county town of Kerry. The pound being so strong against the punt (Irish pound) meant that prices were favourable for us English visitors. Unfortunately, the only jungle-cock cape that I use available in Landers was not in good condition and, in spite of its good price, I didn’t buy it. I am planning another trip to Ireland early in September, but with a couple of fishing companions this time. I think we will concentrate on Carra or Mask, but I would love to give those bass and sea-trout at the Cashen, North Kerry, another go. I guess this is what is so special about our sport: the fact that you can go home from a holiday filled with more ideas, dreams and plans than when you set off!Next week I will give a report on last weekend’s home international.Tight lines,

Martin Cottis