03-16-2009, 01:25 PM
[quote Bluegillman] [#bf0000]While TD and TB are out and catching those cats...what is it like where you are in Ireland? In Illinois we can fish but I'm not set for the cold water yet, I would wait until I can dip in when it is warm, for now it is the canoe.[/#bf0000] [/quote]
In Irish loughs we are nowhere so cold, or having such extremes hot in summer to cold in winter. It's due to a sea breeze and ocean currents that originate in the Gulf of Mexico and warm us up way beyond what our relatively northern lattitude would suggest if you looked at a map.
So medium to large lough don't freeze over enough to walk on except maybe once in 30 years. I fish pike all winter.
We're windy - "fresh breeze" average wind of 12-15mph beaufort wind force 3 [#000000][size 2]1/2[/size][/#000000] which cools and makes good taking temps during a lot of summer, and less thermocline stratification due to wave turnover of wider windswept "stillwaters". We only get thermoclines on smaller sheltered waters, or on a big open water during calm periods for maybe a month.
And we're rainy from the ocean moisture laden winds bringing rain, which gives the country that "green isle" name - no yellow brown desert grass anywhere. It keeps the rivers and lakes fresh much more of the time, and reservoir drawdowns are much reduced compared to the mid-west US.
Tubing is a minority sport due to wind and wave, an 18' boat with outboard is considered more normal by the 95% of anglers.
No high power bass boats due to no freshwater bass.
Jet skis banned on many fishing loughs, and restricted on many others.
Against that there are cold water species (trout, salmon, pike) but fewer warm water species. Carp for example cannot over-run a water because their spawning is only successful to a lesser degree, and their numbers stay reasonable.
Our perch is different but looks the same, Perca Fluviatilus. No pike-perch,zander or walleye. Brown trout are natural wildies, all rainbows are introduced stockies. No steelies, but migratory sea run browns that run the rivers are called white trout or sea trout. The salmon are all Atlantic salmon, (greatly reduced in numbers by over fishing). Drift net bans have been legislated and some species are crawling back from the brink of extinction.
I'll take plenty of photos of the next few trips out and put up a few reports, so you can get the feel of how it is here.
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In Irish loughs we are nowhere so cold, or having such extremes hot in summer to cold in winter. It's due to a sea breeze and ocean currents that originate in the Gulf of Mexico and warm us up way beyond what our relatively northern lattitude would suggest if you looked at a map.
So medium to large lough don't freeze over enough to walk on except maybe once in 30 years. I fish pike all winter.
We're windy - "fresh breeze" average wind of 12-15mph beaufort wind force 3 [#000000][size 2]1/2[/size][/#000000] which cools and makes good taking temps during a lot of summer, and less thermocline stratification due to wave turnover of wider windswept "stillwaters". We only get thermoclines on smaller sheltered waters, or on a big open water during calm periods for maybe a month.
And we're rainy from the ocean moisture laden winds bringing rain, which gives the country that "green isle" name - no yellow brown desert grass anywhere. It keeps the rivers and lakes fresh much more of the time, and reservoir drawdowns are much reduced compared to the mid-west US.
Tubing is a minority sport due to wind and wave, an 18' boat with outboard is considered more normal by the 95% of anglers.
No high power bass boats due to no freshwater bass.
Jet skis banned on many fishing loughs, and restricted on many others.
Against that there are cold water species (trout, salmon, pike) but fewer warm water species. Carp for example cannot over-run a water because their spawning is only successful to a lesser degree, and their numbers stay reasonable.
Our perch is different but looks the same, Perca Fluviatilus. No pike-perch,zander or walleye. Brown trout are natural wildies, all rainbows are introduced stockies. No steelies, but migratory sea run browns that run the rivers are called white trout or sea trout. The salmon are all Atlantic salmon, (greatly reduced in numbers by over fishing). Drift net bans have been legislated and some species are crawling back from the brink of extinction.
I'll take plenty of photos of the next few trips out and put up a few reports, so you can get the feel of how it is here.
[signature]