Mike Shanks of Irish Angler magazine sent me this picture of a 7lb 8oz brown trout he caught on Loch Corrib at the weekend. It was taken on a buzzer, shown inset.

The fish looks in great condition for so early in the season.

Very nice ,Did he say where on Corrib he caught it ?

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Come when the leaves come,angle with me,Come when the bees hum,crossing the lea,Come to discover the angling delights,of the Melvin with me.

cracking brown.fits into bugsys thread 'stuffed'
jim

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The Fishermans Friend is the Flirty Fly,Fickle Food for Fleeting Fish.

He is getting it mounted Jim.

I'll ask him for you but my guess it was up the north west corner somewhere as his boat is moored at Roy Pierce's jetty at Corr na Mona.

Bill

Many thanks Bill.

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Come when the leaves come,angle with me,Come when the bees hum,crossing the lea,Come to discover the angling delights,of the Melvin with me.

Mike caught the fish on the sheltered side of Ribbon Island, which is just out from Roy Pierce's house.

Bill

Is that really over 7lb?? Doesn't look that big, but is it worth getting a 7lb-er mounted, when they come out on a daily basis. I personally wouldn't even have a cast done unless a Corrib fish was plus ten lb, as every day on the great lough, you would expect to land at least one or two 6lb plus trout.

And it may have looked in good condition, but what's the point if its been cracked on the head. After all the threads on Corrib conservation on here!! Nice one.......not!!!!

Have to agree with that one... take the 2 pounders and leave the prime breading fish. People like Mike should be setting an example... although who knows how many he returned that day or what his outlook on C&R is... before we pass judgment. I think expectations of a 6lb fish on Corrib every day is a little high for one angler unless you mean the chance is always there which is very true.

J.

As far as Mike is concerned this could be his fish of a lifetime from Corrib and there certainly isn't, as you say, 6lb plus fish coming off Corrib every day. In fact, plenty of the locals in Mike's neck of the woods on Corrib have yet to get a brown trout beyond the 5lb mark and I believe Mike's catch kept the celebrations going on late into the night at O'Malley's, the local pub.

I know for a fact that Mike is an advocate of catch and release and champions that particular cause actively and is therefore unlikely to keep many of what he catches.

As far as setting an example is concerned, what is the reference point for setting such an example? And where do you draw the line? Joey, you mention keeping the 2lb'ers and leaving the prime fish. Who says that this is the right thing to do? Does this mean that 3lb, 4lb, 5lb fish and upwards are the prime fish and any fish les than 2lb is not? And what is your view at the top end of the scale, where the very biggest of the trout caught may be coming to the end of their lives?

As far as I'm concerned, every reasonably minded angler should be left to make their own judement on such matters, where no hard and fast rules exist.

Bill