Blackwater Pike

beer enigma

Not sure how many of you have fished the Blackwater, but there sees to have been a huge increase in the number of Pike in the Fermoy area over the past year.

Whilst I welcome any increase in fish population, it must have affected the number of fry surviving the growth period and would give me concern for the future sport on the water.

Does anyone know why this might be happening ? - what conditions could lead to the Pike thriving ??

Personally, I concentrate on the roach, Dace & occasional bream, but the number of fish (esp. roach/bream hybrids) suffering pike attacks is worrying.

LastIrishMonkey

I remember somewhere had a competion to catch pike in the winter and the pike were put in a net and taken elsewhere i dunno where but i remember it was a good way to get reduce the population of a fish

beer enigma

Problem with the Blackwater is that there are very few Pike anglers on it - certainly at the Fermoy end anyway. Its well protected by the Fermoy Salmon & Trout association, but I suspect that something will only happen if the trout & Salmon take a decline

Illkillya

Where exactly would be a good place to fish for pike on the Blackwater near Fermoy?

I'm about 30mins drive from Fermoy when I'm back in Cork this weekend and wouldn't mind doing some pike fishing there. I don't know the area well at all though... any spot that might be a good place to start looking?

beer enigma

You need the deeper swims ideall - the ones on the town centre are reasonably shallow.

Best stretch is probably the hospital stretch, although you'd need annual insurance cover (€5 from Toomey's ports on the main road). For the Hospital stretch, if for example you were coming from Cork - go straight through the town - just keep going, you go past a Supervalu on your right & a Lidl (or Aldi) on your left - about 1/4 mile past on the left hand side there's a pull in area with a fishing sign - just follwo the path over two turnstiles & when you get to the river (you'll see an old brick arch) turn left & you have a wide stretch of river with some reeds on thefar bank. Most of the pike sit in the deeper channel in the middle - there's a very weedy gravel bar down there. You'll also hit into salmon & trout there if you're spinning or deadbaiting.

If you don't want to get the insurance - then oits only really the town stretch available. Best place there is on the far bank below the weir - the Pike often try their hand at the young trout who tend to congregate there.

Its a georgous spot even if you dont catch !!

any questions, dont hesitate to ask - I almost LIVE on the banks around Fermoy !

Illkillya

That sounds great - will definitely head out there next time I'm home, thanks.