TROUT FISHING IN TIPPERARY
Annual Holiday
I arrange a fishing trip to Ireland at least once a year. In previous years I have fished for trout in West Cork, Kerry and Connemara and enjoyed the experience enormously. I like the lonely, almost inaccessible rivers and lakes that abound in Ireland and which are, for the most part, well populated by sporting brown trout.
For the second time I opted for Tipperary to fish the river which is the boundary for part of its course between ‘Tipp’ and Waterford, the River Suir (pronounced “sure” as in “sure thing”). I could not have been luckier in my choice this year.
Knocklofty
My eye was caught by an advertisement on the internet for a converted stately home, previously the country residence of the Earls of Donoughmore, the Knocklofty House Hotel near Clonmel. Knocklofty House overlooks the River Suir and owns the fishing rights for approximately 1 mile of bank fishing. The magazine, “La Peche” described Knocklofty as a dry-fly paradise but also commented on the well-defined salmon pools in that stretch of river.
The hotel is a unique blend of history and technology with a strong dash of Irish in the mixture. The manager, John Veale is a local and his wife, Margaret, is from Stockport. In fact, for many years I discovered that John and Margaret lived about a mile away from me in Manchester and my wife had taught one of their children in primary school for a while. Coincidence! The chefs, Steve and Wesley, are culinary magicians and presented dinners to rival any hotel in Ireland. Steve is a real ‘True Blue’ Manchester City fan, so we were never short of a conversational topic but the rest of the staff support the other team with a ground just outside the city.
River Suir
The Suir was running at a fairly high level during my stay and it was more difficult to make an accurate assessment of pools and lies. The banks were partially under control without either denuding nature or letting it run wild completely. Thus in some areas casting was quite difficult because of steep banks, trees and shrubs and other vegetation.
I fished during the last week in June and each day there was a big hatch of emerald green (what else?) mayfly. They really were magnificent insects, big winged and gorgeously coloured. I fished dry imitations and got lots of near-takes. I started out with a 9ft rod and WF5 floating line but I managed to tangle enough times to make me hot and bothered. I swapped gear and put up a Reddington 7 ft rod with a DT4 floating line and life became easier immediately. I also scaled down a size with my flies and began to hook small brownies up to the half pound mark. Even at this size they provided worthy opposition for the tackle and I was more than pleased to land the fish and then, after an admiring look, return them to the river.
These fish were all hooked in the shelter of little bays or the occasional tree trunk that had temporarily lodged itself. I raised no fish to the fly when fishing the open and fast flowing main river. The little Reddington rod performed admirably and was well suited to the Orvis large arbour reel and light line. It was a combination about which I had doubts before fishing but which came good.
In a more open banked area I reverted back to the nine foot rod and tried fishing into the main current with weighted GRHE nymphs for want of any local advice. I don’t think the fly was getting down quickly enough or deep enough most of the time but I had a couple of takes that felt substantial, a hard tug and then a release. Bigger fish were certainly present and I spotted one on the opposite side of the river, some forty yards distant that was continuously surfacing, sipping down flies and then sinking back only to reappear again. Between the current, the wind and the backdrop, I could not manage to land a fly anywhere near it.
Otters and Deer
My main opposition was a little gang of otters who were fairly busy one late afternoon between bank and river. As soon as they appeared even the little brown trout dived for cover and the beat went dead.
Salmon up to 24 lbs have been landed along this stretch of river. John Veale said that there was a problem with illegal netting and poachers along the whole length of the Suir but that good fish are landed by hotel guests each year.
There are deer in the vicinity and the careful observer will catch a fleeting sight of them. Walking down a quiet road Mrs C and myself were confronted by a large deer which was happily loping along in the centre of the roadway; I do not know who was the more startled, the deer or Mrs C but both jumped up in the air and dived for shrubbery!
In Conclusion
Knocklofty House Hotel is a trout fisherman’s ideal holiday base. There are many other lengths of the Suir available but at a moderate fee. The Knocklofty stretch is currently free of charge to guests for both salmon and trout fishing. There are other rivers with available fishing, too. A favourite of mine is the Tarr at Clogheen about half an hour away.
The hotel is a couple of miles from the next small village and about four miles from Clonmel. It’s three hours drive from Dublin, two hours from Rosslare and one and half hours from Shannon Airport. There is an excellent leisure centre/health club with a good sized pool, sauna and jacuzzi. The hotel has a tennis court and croquet lawn. There are also apartments and mews cottages for hire. It is very peaceful with 35 picturesque acres of mainly wooded grounds. The bar is open on demand and serves, among other things, excellent Guinness. If you want peace and quiet in lovely relaxing surroundings with first class food and service, this is the place for you…….. I’ll be going back again next year.
CONTACT: John or Margaret
Tel: 00 353 052 38222
e-mail: knocklofty@eircom.net
Tight Lines!
Eddie Caldwell
