My Cavan Girl
As I walk the streets of Killashandra, weary I sit down,
For it’s 12 long miles around the Loughs, to get to Cavan town.
This is the title and opening lines of a song imortalising the girls and attractions of Cavan Town and the small centre of Killashandra.
A young American, lived in Sligo for 2 years, but on visiting Co. Cavan, wrote this song that you can hear on most nights, sung in the pubs and bars of Killashandra.
The village consists of 2 streets, one leading to Cavan Town and one to Ballyshannon and Belturbet.
Every other building seems to be a pub, none of them ever empty and populated with the friendliest welcoming people in the world.
Coupled with the fact that it IS surrounded by beautiful Loughs and River stretches, it is my idea of heaven!
The Craic in every pub is Mighty and none more so than in Hayes bar.
Run by Jim and Joe, It is not a noisy bar, as both brothers are in their 60s or 70s, but it is so friendly and unwittingly funny, with a cleanliness the brothers continuously work at and nothing is ever too much trouble!
My last visit this trip was on Saturday afternoon, prior to heading home and just to say farewell, hopefully aurevoir.
A little lady entered with her son? And daughter –in law? And announced to us “Good day, I don’t know you, but I’ll talk to you anyway”
She then proceeded to order a bottle of stout, a brandy and 4 more stouts “in case he forgets”!
She must have been 80+
“And did you hear Sean Boyle’s Father’s died” she demanded of old Jim as he served her drinks.
“Indeed is that so” said Jim calmly, “And I was hearing it was his mother”
“Ah Whisht” she said, “That’s not important, but will you be going to the Chapel as well as the wake?”
It would appear that the Community is still so close that the whole village attends the passing of each inhabitant.
How I wish I belonged to such a Community.
Just over a day prior to this incident, I had made my way at dawn to the lakeside peg that I had occupied at the start of our holiday, for my last full days fishing of this week.
Anticipation was there, coupled with a regret that the day would go only too quickly.
Simon was late and Dean scuttled into his peg in the hope that the 2 middle pegs were again going to be the Bream pegs.
I commenced by massacring a mackerel, mounting it on a larger trace than yesterday and cast out, further this time, to the depth that the baitfish seemed to occupy.
Setting up both Sidewinder and Quiver on feeder rigs, I started with the Quiver, as the water was again flat calm, the wind non-existent and the sun rising in a cloudless sky!
On April 12th in Ireland! When I choose this week, before Xmas, The anti-curse must have guided my choice!
My feeder efforts produced immediate response from the Roach, with unmisable quick bites, producing a jerky action on the tip.
As pleased as I was with these, Greg, in the next peg was experiencing the slower knock, knock, followed by a short wait and then the deliberate pull round, so typical of the Bream bites.
The Bream were again from what must be a massive shoal of 1 to 2 and ½ lb fish.
Simon joined us about 8.30 and the banter with Dean (Also steadily catching Bream from Simon’s ‘stolen’ peg was fierce.
I think Simon was secretly pleased, as he could set up a Pike rod easier at the extreme right swim.
Talking of Pike!
At 11.30, I experienced an unusual take and drop run!
1 blip from the buzzer and then the line inched the drop off indicator up. AND STOPPED.
Moving quickly to the rod, I unclipped the drop-off and watched as Greg scrambled across to join me.
Thankfully, the loose line, hanging almost to the floor, suddenly moved again and as soon as the run stopped, I tightened down and struck into my searched for Lake Pike.
He, (Here, I am not sure) gave a fair account of himself, but soon was in the net.
Weighed at 7 lbs, I got Greg to hold him in the way John had shown me, to display his Blind Eye!
This caused many comments that a Pike would have to be Blind to take my butchered Mackerel, but I noticed Simon quickly set up a second rod, with similar bait!
We carried on happily catching on the feeders and Greg again experimented with his Slide lock float ledger system, pleased to be able to catch on the float at 40+ yards and over 15 feet of water.
Dean was nearly matching Greg’s Bream catch on his feeder and Simon was catching a bigger stamp of Bream, although less often!
As for my swim, I was Roach King and as some ran to nearly a pound, was not unhappy!
However, the 1 Bream in 8 fish I was experiencing was very welcome.
And then my day was made!
A second run on the Pike rod and this time a screamer!
Classically she stopped, I wound down, felt her, struck and because of the buzzers scream was joined by the lads and Pippi, who had just arrived from the final big house hoover!
Thus it was that we all witnessed for the first time, a classic tail walking display across the surface of the Lough, by an angry female pike!
I only wish I could have brought you a picture of that moment at 3.30 pm on that beautiful venue!
Although subsequently found to be just 9lbs 12 ozs, this lady fought long and hard for freedom. She only exploded from the depths twice, but made several runs before she succumbed to the net.
This time I’ll hold my fish!
Recently, we have been discussing spawning, so I took this close up of her heavily marked with white spawning nodules and then returned her quickly and I’m pleased to say safely, as she swam straight off.
Had she spawned and was subsequently hungry? Or do the spawn nodules indicate she was ready to spawn?
Certainly none of the Bream carried these expected marks!
Incidentally, many of the fish we caught from the Lough, although in fine condition, bore old and fresh scars, indicating a high level of Pike activity!
My wife Elaine had elected to stay in the North with Greg’s Christine whilst Greg had returned on Wednesday to allow Pippi to fish and at 6.00 O’clock, Christine arrived with Elaine, pale and shaken from the longest drive (120 miles) she had ever undertaken!
Driving for several years, she is a worse navigator than Les or John!
So, we decided to fish until 8 and then the Company would separate as Greg led his lady home in Convoy for safety.
The match! Was just declared in Greg’s favour with this lovely last days bag and the gang gathered round!
Simon had produced brilliantly from his end peg and scored with the biggest fish of the day, whilst I had to rest on my combined weight of nearly 17 lb of Pike and 30 lb of mixed Bream and Roach (not forgetting the occasional Perch) to creep in 3rd!
Dean had certainly out fished me on Silvers.
And so to the highlight of my week!
Greg is a really accomplished Angler and for next season has been invited to join Team Erne Sensas at Enniskillen by Jack Tisdale (Well if you don’t know him, Northern Irish match men will put you right)
The teams (and Greg can only hope for B or C initially) are sponsored by Sensas of course and Garbolino. During our week, I learnt much of new match methods and the loop-sliding feeder on braid proved a tangle free innovation to me.
BUT Greg is no Pike man, and had listened avidly to my stories of Rudyard and what John has taught me. To see his face on the River Erne, when as he said, “Everything worked Perfectly” as I caught the 1st and smallest Pike and to witness the expression and excitement caused by the Tail-walker, did my heart good.
I have a shopping list of Pike gear for him and such was the impression created, that I received a phone call on Sunday evening.
Far from Dean and him having enough fishing, after getting home late Friday, they prepared Saturday and on Sunday, Pike fished Lough Enogh in Londonderry!
The result, 2 pike to Greg, 3lbs and 5 lbs! (What is it Norm? It isn’t the size?)
Thus, I leave that holiday, knowing that what John taught me in January, has been successfully handed on to my son and will continue to provide him with pleasure.
Could I have asked for a better result?
So sadly at 9.00 we waved goodbye to Greg, Dean and Christine as they set off Northwards to that other Ireland.
Simon packed his kit away and I abandoned mine under the pretence that I needed it to dry thoroughly in the morning. (I had already learned from Geraldine that the new arrivals were not expected until 6.00 pm tomorrow and she was happy for me to fish well into Saturday afternoon if I liked)
Simon was only too keen to join me in a last fish-in and it was arranged that Pippi would take Elaine into the village at about 11.30, whereupon Simon and I would slowly and neatly pack the gear away and join them at Hayes Bar for a farewell drink at about 12.00.
I arrived at the peg for the last dawn raid alone as usual! To discover that, far from dry, everything was covered with ice!
The Lake was clear, calmer than ever before, with a millpond impression for as far as you could see, which wasn’t far as the Lough was covered with mist!
Even in those conditions, the minute I fired out my bomb (no ground bait left for the feeder) I caught a beautiful shiny Roach.
I also put out my Pike Rod and sat back, gently catching on the bomb, in a totally placid sun warming solitude that made me glad to be alive.
Simon arrived at the peg about 8.30, and we shared alternate casts, usually alternate catches and reminisced over all things, but particularly our enjoyment of the week.
Probably, with the distances involved, work etc., this would be our last group fish-in.
At 9.30, I returned to the house for a bath, shave etc., saw Geraldine and arranged a revisit for Greg and I in June and having cleared the house, waved a brief farewell to the Girls and returned to the peg.
I would like to say I made it by 12.00, but Simon and I found it difficult to pack up quickly!!! And so it was 1.30 before we arrived to say goodbye to Jim and Joe!
Well the Bream came on again! As I caught the 1st fish, perhaps it only fitting that I caught the last, so here he is!
Alright, there was 1 more, because I couldn't resist that last cast!
A meal in Cavan, Arrival at Dublin Docks (Where the tickets included vouchers for £100.00 off my next trip) a pleasant journey on the massive 3/4s empty Ulysses and arrival back at Holyhead at 1.15 am Sunday.
So that’s all folks! I hope you enjoyed the story just 1 tenth as much as I did and if you EVER get a half chance to go to that wonderful Country, I hope I have made it sound interesting enough, but I fear I will never do it Justice!
Cheers Ireland and now I can look forward to the U.S of A.!
Trev