List of Largest 35 lb+ Irish Salmon ever caught/found (Not in Fred Buller's)Books

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tmca

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A list of the largest Irish salmon over 30lbs ever caught/found

I thought I'd put up a list of the largest Irish salmon I've researched online or in print ** the vast majority of these fish are not documented in Fred Buller's Books on Salmon**.

I'm posting this as there is a massive wealth of experience and knowledge on this forum about large salmon in Irish rivers.

The thread was initially posted as fish at 35lb+ but I've brought it down to fish at the 30lb and up mark.

This list is about Salmon both rod caught, netted and also poached and found dead such as kelts - I'm trying to be fairly exhaustive here to pinpoint rivers for anglers that produce multi sea winter salmon (3-4 years +) on the island (there's very little information on this) - this is the reason why I am including poached, netted and dead salmon as well as rod caught fish.

There seems to be very little research on very large salmon (30 lb +) caught in Irish rivers. I suspect that it's not because we get worse runs than Scotland in terms of large fish but that on our island big Salmon caught or found have not been properly documented for various reasons including people being prosecuted for illegal fishing etc. More than anything i think we have been parochial in terms of recording large salmon and that is entirely natural as it goes back to the turn of the century and beyond. As a result of the historical appropriation of river and land rights by some, people were perhaps reticent of reporting very large salmon in localised areas. Fred Buller's book is very, very scarce on Irish Salmon I think for this reason and also the fact that Scotland has some larger rivers, (producing larger fish).

I think there are very low numbers of salmon (at my guesstimate - maybe 400+?) weighing 30 lb + running Irish rivers each year but anglers are not catching them for various complex reasons. I read an article an Article in Angling Ireland magazine in the early 90's (hence again my fascination) but I've lost it - about 30 lb + salmon caught on rod and line. I'm speculating here but I truly think these reasons may include that they run after the season is over for survival. I read a recent article on BBC News (Autumn 2013) that said that research had been conducted that shows that animals including fish can pass down genetic memories to aid survival.

Could there be very large salmon running our rivers after the close of the season as they have adapted to bypass the extra threat of a season of anglers? Maybe. I hope this thread is of some use to you all out there including any foreign anglers wanting to fish here on the right rivers at the right time of year for very large salmon.

List of largest Irish Salmon caught by any method or found please Add...

Here's the list - weight, year , river,method & source if known ......

64 lb River Shannon Unknown - 1920's? Rod caught Great Salmon of Ireland - YouTube

62 ½ lb River Barrow 1970 Netted large salmon

59 lb River Foyle 1939 Netted Picture of 59lb Netted salmon caught on the Foyle

56 lb River Shannon 1914 Fly Great Salmon of Ireland - YouTube

54 lb Splink Pool, River Fane 1937 Poached Rivers of Ireland, Peter O’Reilly

49.5 lb River Shannon 1927 Fly Great Salmon of Ireland - YouTube

48.4 lb River Shannon 1928 Fly Great Salmon of Ireland - YouTube

48.5 lb River Nore 1933 Fly Old pictures of big salmon

45 lb River Erriff Early 1960’s Fly Rivers of Ireland, Peter O’Reilly

42 lb Mill Pool, River Shannon 1911 Fly Great Salmon of Ireland - YouTube

40 lb River Shannon 1941 Fly? Great Salmon of Ireland - YouTube

40 lb Mill Pool, River Shannon 1911 Fly Great Salmon of Ireland - YouTube

40 lb River Blackwater Co.Cork 1912 Fly The Ahern Family - Newspaper Reports 1910-1920 (half way down)

40 lb approx River Shannon 2008 115cm Salmon Stripped at Parteen 30lb Salmon

38 lb River Moy 1983 Fly? Rivers of Ireland, Peter O’Reilly

38 lb Mill Pool, River Shannon 1911 Fly Great Salmon of Ireland - YouTube

36.5 lb Approx River Bundorragha 2010 Kelt Found Dead (112 cm - Salmon Fishing Ireland
used letsflyfish.com for weight estimate)

36 lb River Nore 2007 ? www.noresalmon.com

36 lb River Shannon 1952 Fly? Great Salmon of Ireland - YouTube

35.5 lb River Shannon 1953 Fly? Great Salmon of Ireland - YouTube

35lb River Slaney 1990 Unknown Method
Slaney catches | Slaney River Trust

35 lb River Nore 2010 Rod caught www.noresalmon.com

35 lb River Dee, Castlebellingham 1985? Worm Angling Ireland Magazine edition early 90’s

* I am not being 100% prescriptive in my sources but taking them on good faith - I think all of these sources are accurate*

Please add..

Best
 
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tmca

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Sorry have a double - please discard the 35lb salmon caught on the Nore in 2010 - it's a repeat of the 2007 fish that is actually 36 lb as per the website source
 
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Salmo salar is the man on here with regard to your query, he is a wealth for knowledge!! p.m your email and i will send you on some useful information on the Shannon!
 
Grey Monkey

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Very interesting thread.....the best of luck with the project,

There seems to be very little research/info on very large salmon (35 lb +) caught in Irish rivers. I suspect that it's not because we get worse runs than Scotland in terms of large fish but that in the island of Ireland big Salmon caught or found simply have not been properly documented

Perhaps part of the problem was the HUGE clatter of commercial nets which festooned every Salmon river for years past? including the clatter off shore netting which took place and to a lesser extent is still operating in places to day.

Its a bit hard for a large Salmon to pass through the small mesh of a commercial net ( and poachers net) and still be available for a rod angler.....?

Locally even the small Sligo Glencar river and Easkey river had commercial netting at their river mouths ......and these are only a couple of feet wide.

I suspect as I say part of the problem was the HUGE commercial netting activity for donkeys years past......

PS, if the number of large fish have been culled year on year by the commercial nets ( and poachers) and your breeding stock are mostly SMALL size fish, I suspect you will mostly get SMALL size off spring....( usually)...?
 
hurricane

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I know of a 50+ pound fish caught on the once mighty river maine, northern ireland.

I found a picture of it in an old book, if it is still in the wee shop I will grab it and scan a picture in.

An old hand on my local river, who used to fish the maine 50 years ago always tells me the of time they gaffed a fish coming up a weir, he told me when they weighed it, it came in at 58lbs.

Some mighty big fish used to run that river.
 
TheDerg

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Close but no cigar, eh?

Will try again - I seem to remember a photo of Danny Hunter with a foyle fish of around 35/36lbs taken in the nets a few years back.
 
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tmca

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Hi many thanks for the replies - Hi Grey Monkey you are right no doubt re netting activity and then salmon decrease in size but what about Norwegian rivers and some Scottish rivers - even historically there seems to be a lot less numbers of Irish Salmon documented. Scottish and Norwegian rivers have always had commercial nets too I thought and there have been many more documented from those rivers - though perhaps this is just genetic and larger salmon run those rivers as a norm?
 
arrowloopboy

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Big fish from Nore/Barrow

Theirs a picture in the pub at the Enniscorthy side of the New Ross ring road,it was netted just below the pub near the ferry bridge.
Cant remember exact weight,40 maybe 50lbs.
Do you have this one.
 
Dabbler.07

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David Gilfillian had a fish around the 35lb mark about 15 years ago, fishing the feddons on the mourne, along with David Campbell of Mourne Tackle.

Davy Campbell has a photo of it in his shop behind the house if anyone has seen it. Davy had a fish the same day at around the 20 mark, and the two of them are pictured together
 
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Grey Monkey

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tmca said:
Hi many thanks for the replies - Hi Grey Monkey you are right no doubt re netting activity and then salmon decrease in size but what about Norwegian rivers and some Scottish rivers - even historically there seems to be a lot less numbers of Irish Salmon documented. Scottish and Norwegian rivers have always had commercial nets too I thought and there have been many more documented from those rivers - though perhaps this is just genetic and larger salmon run those rivers as a norm?
Click to expand...

There are a few Salmon experts about the forum who maybe able to comment on these issues, I dont have enough knowledge on other fisheries just to observe that it is fortunate that any large Salmon of 30lbs plus makes it up our rivers, and more so years ago when the commercial netting was in full swing. I recall reading there were seven "fresh water fisheries " besides those at the river mouth and at sea many many years ago on the River Moy.

As we know the amount of illegal netting is still being carried on at levels that makes one fear for the future .
 
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Cheers for this - netting is no doubt a big factor maybe genetics too? Not sure myself. I thought it'd be good to start this thread up as there isn't much info on 35 lb + fish. The Dee is the only river in Peter O'Reilly's Rivers of Ireland book that is mentioned as getting any sort of run of 3 sea winter salmon
 
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knocklofty estate suir

here is a list i have from the suir . i dont know if they are in fred bullers book ,who i had the pleasure of meeting in mayo a few years back .so here it goes .
knocklofty estate
1904 35lb
1905 36lb
1909 44lb
1912 45lb
1914 36lb
1917 35lb
1919 35
1923 42 &43.5lb
1925 36lb
1927 36lb (2)
1928 40lb
1929 40lb
1930 35.5lb
 
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list continued

1933 41.5lb & 36 &42lb
1935 40&38lb
1938 41lb

and from other parts of the suir.
1962 37lb
1960 38lb
1927 40.5lb
 
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its mad to think the shannon had so much great salmon and huge ones at that until they decided to play with hydro dams,idiots


just add a 40lb plus til the list as i am going to get one this year;);)

very interesting thread
 
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Salmon Weir at Athlone on the Shannon

 
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i have omitted many fish just under 35lb from that list .67 salmon between 30-34lb. also i have these extra i found.1935 40lb(bubble). 1937 38lb. 1938 41lb
 
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