A life in angling

Morgan Pembroke died at age 100 in October 2023. Morgan was a life long angler and fly tier and a member of DTAA for many years.

In April 2025, Morgan’s son Tony contacted DTAA as they were clearing out the family home and wanted to pass on Morgan’s fishing related equipment, books and materials.

DTAA Treasurer, Declan McKibben, met with Tony at his parents’ house one evening in April and the pair spent many hours talking while they reviewed the trove of fishing paraphernalia and many books.

Gazing at a stream from a bridge

The picture above captures Morgan gazing at a stream or river, looking for fly life or the tell tale signs of a feeding fish. A split cane rod to hand with perhaps an old Hardy reel targeting river trout. The picture below is from another day, maybe a glass fibre rob or carbon fibre; looks like the same reel and a heap of delicious brown trout. Nowadays with fish numbers under pressure from climate change and human activity, most anglers return their quarry so we tend not to see pictures like this anymore. DTAA encourages members to practice catch and release when possible.

Nice haul!

The collection was sizeable and had clearly been gathered over many years, and was not just limited to trout fishing: it was evident that Morgan cultivated a broad appreciation for game and sea angling. Boat rods for sea angling, spinning set ups for sea and salmon angling and, of course, fly fishing for trout and salmon.

Morgan was fastidious in how he stored, managed and labeled his gear. Capes and lines were classified and dated (some back to the 1970s!), notes were added to associate certain feathers or fur with specific flies patterns. There were several older fly lines, carefully stored and labelled on home made holders, several dating to the 1990s, while a number of reels are loaded with lines that look quite serviceable and a couple of lines on their original spools and boxed.

Capes:

Some of the delightful capes, carefully labelled and stored. Thousands of flies yet to be tied.

Older fly lines:

Before the development of advanced materials and fly line technology, the care of lines for fly fishing was much more of an effort, and this is evidenced by line cleaner and grease to ensure that your lines performed as intended for the conditions. The wax below was used to coat silk lines before widespread use of plastic coated lines

One fly line was labelled 1977! More recent ones from then 1990s were carefully stored and labelled, ready to be loaded on a spool for a days fishing.

Examples of careful labelling below: note the cherished hackles picture.

Support our Fishing shops:

Many of us will remember Garnetts and Keegans shooting and fishing shop on Parliament Street, Dublin. While sifting through Morgan’s fishing things, I found this paper bag from the said shop (pictured above). Pat Cleere’s was in the city at that time too, also Moorken’s in Middle Abbey Street and Watts Brothers, on Ormond Quay, which closed in the year 2000. When seeking more information on Garnetts and Keegans, I found that renowned Irish naturalist Éamon De Buitléar‘s first job was in this very establishment. It is so important to support our angling shops even if the internet appears to offer better value for money at times. Remember that it is not just the product itself, but the service and the knowledge available from our angling shops where the real value is. It’s great to see that Rory’s is still going strong in Temple Bar where Mary is continuing the legacy, while Dave McBride and the team have an excellent facility in Southside Angling up on Cork Street. North of the Liffey we have Henry’s in Ballybough, close to Croke Park; and ABC Tackle in Mary’s Abbey just off Capel Street. Dublin’s fishing shops need our support, please consider checking them out when you’re shopping next time.

The “Uncle Arthur” Fly

Morgan worked for 40 years in Guinness in St James’s Gate and when he retired he invented the Uncle Arthur Fly (pictured) and wisely recorded its provenance. Taking the legendary Guinness Pint as his inspiration:

  1. Daddy of All Drinks (knotted pheasant tail fibres like the Daddy Long Legs)
  2. Pure Gold (a gold tinsel butt)
  3. Ruby Gleam (a claret or ruby skirt)

When tied right, and presented well, this fly will prevent that sinking feeling when the fish are not showing or coming to the fly. I’m not sure what it represents, but no doubt this will catch fish, and fished on the bob in a wave must be irresistible!

Books:

A veritable library of angling books, covering game and sea angling, with many volumes dedicated to trout and salmon angling and fly tying.

A sample of Morgan’s angling library!

And Hooks!

I did not know hooks came as small as size 28. They’re barely visible to the naked eye! I cannot imagine how one could tie on anything but the slimmest materials. I can see, however, that this sized fly could be deadly in a small stream for small brownies.

And Flies!

More flies than you could shake a stick at. Single hook, doubles, trebles, tube flies, lures. These boxes contained dozens of assorted salmon and sea trout flies

Staying active:

Morgan lived in Santry and his son Tony related that up until he was in his nineties, he would walk into the city, conduct whatever business he had, get a fish and chips and then get the bus home! A lesson to us all: keep busy, be active and eat well! Keep fishing, and if you cannot fish then keep tying flies.

Reflection:

It was a very nice experience to spend time with Morgan’s son Tony as we went through his Dad’s fishing things. Morgan had two passions: family and fishing. Like many anglers and fly tiers, Morgan amassed a huge collection of materials and tackle over the years. I am sure that he found it hard to pass a fishing tackle shop without popping in for a browse, maybe to find that one thing he needed (which he probably already had!) or to buy yet another rod, line, reel or cape. Hopefully the tackle and materials will continue to catch fish and to bring joy to those anglers who venture out to bank, shore or boat in search of the elusive fish.

Rest in peace Morgan Pembroke.

33 words and phrases for not catching a fish

Reflecting on 2 days fishing on Lough Conn as part of the annual Lough Conn and Culling Anglers and DTAA weekender in Crossmolina, I’m reminded of the vast array of expressions we use to describe the act of not catching fish. In fairness, it’s far more common to not catch a fish and therefore it makes sense that we anglers have a rich vocabulary to talk through and unpack the normal experience of fishing. Sure as many an angler has replied when as how many fish they caught: if it was about catching fish they’d have called it catching and not fishing.

So let’s start, in no particular order, a dictionary of not catching fish:

I missed one

I had one

I lost one

I stirred one

I brought up one

I rose one

I had an offer

I didn’t even have an offer

I broke in one

It got off

It broke me

It came short

It followed me

It splashed at me

It came over my flies

It had a look

They weren’t up

They weren’t on it/them

They’re on the bottom

They’re on snails

They’re on hog lice

There’s too much weed

They are just not there

I had the wrong size
I had the wrong colour
I felt it on

I saw the boil

They’re not taking the fly properly yet

There’s too much blue in the sky

The wind isn’t right

It’s too bright

There’s no fly

There’s too much fly

If you have any other ways of describing a lost or missed fish please add it in the comments below.

Crossmolina 2025

Sitting here sun kissed and wind burned after two days hard fishing on Lough Conn, I can only say fair play to those who had fish. A harsh northerly, north-easterly wind and bright sun plagued us both days, with the first hour on Saturday 3rd offering the best conditions and results over the two days.

Esteemed Irish international and Mayo local Joe Ferguson knocked it out of the park, taking top spot both days and winning the Pratt Cup on Sunday and getting Mayo through to victory and the bragging rights of the coveted Dublin Bowl on Saturday. In addition, Joe took home the Ronnie Miley Trophy for best angler across both days, fishing with upcoming junior angler Cian Ferguson on Sunday.

Plenty of fly life and it was truely heartening to see the Mayfly up in good numbers. Overall the east of the lake and particularly Cloghans and Brackwanshagh performed well on Saturday and Sunday, with the Fir Tree shore, Gallagher’s and the Middle of Mayo offering up keepers on Sunday. Fish were also caught in Tolan’s but it was Cloghans that worked for Joe… on both days. The most successful flies were French Partridge yellow and green mayflies, and also the boobie mayfly.

On Saturday, the Dubs recorded 27 fish for 19 anglers while the wily Mayo men brought in 30 fish over 28cm, with all fish returned to fight another day. 24 of those 57 fish were over 13 inches, which was better than how things went on the Sunday with just 10 fish returned from 9 anglers. Mayo anglers represented 7 of those 9 with Gerry Heaslip (who has fish on both days) and Tony McGrattan sparing the Dubs total annihilation.

Donal Rafftery was the top DTAA rod on Saturday while Tony McGrattan was top DTAA angler for Sunday. Nice to see some new faces there too from DTAA: Niall O Hearcain, Pat Foley and Stephen Mulholland

The winners gallery for Saturday is below:

The bright sunshine contributed to the high spirits and camaraderie:

Joe Ferguson had two good fish from his 5 on Saturday:

Some pictures from Sunday:

What a weekend. This friendly fishing event is going now for more than 55 years with host Padraig Traynor and DTAA’s Gary Coakley being there from the start as their fathers founded it. Glad to see that it is thriving, thanks to the huge contribution of Orla Walsh, Padraig and Gary and others who lend a hand. To the Mayo anglers who give up their weekend to boat the Dubs around the lake, putting up with their tall stories, a massive thank you. We say it’s about the fishing, but really it’s about sharing the experience of fishing, talking about it, making up stories and of course deepening our knowledge and expertise. If there is one word to capture the Crossmolina weekend it’s Friendship. Thanks to the Conn and Cullin anglers for being our friends.

Anna Livia Trophy 2025

The temperature was good, no rain, plenty of fly life and despite a sometimes gusty southwesterly wind, plenty of fish were caught.

DTAA Secretary Cathal McDonnell won the day, with his fourth trout in the last 10 mins, and while casting under a tree ! Nymphs , lures and wets proved to be the best methods.

13 anglers turned out with eight weighing in fish and most of those heading to the upper lake having bagged two fish on the lower lake.

Results table below

With two of the 7 competitions for the 2025 season now completed the leaderboard for DTAA Angler of the year is taking shape:

Thanks to Tom Hipwell for organising with support from Declan and Alan. Next competition is the LM Byrne Cup on Lough Leane on 14th June.

Pasker Cup 2025 on Lough Owel

26 hardy DTAA anglers turned out for the season opener on Owel last Saturday. Not a cloud in the sky and a stiff Easterly wind made the fishing uncomfortable for some, with the Western shore more challenging than the other side of the lake.

7 anglers returned fish with only 3 of those weighing in 2 fish. The best of the fishing was across in Brabazon’s but Matt Clarke managed to come across fish a little outside of Srudarra.

Legendary DTAA angler PJ O’Driscoll came in first place with 2 fish for 4.38 Lbs and his boat partner Chris Meadows also returning 2 fish for 3.5 Lbs and securing 3rd position. DTAA Competition Secretary, Tom “Stormy” Hipwell came in 2nd place with his 2 fish weighing 3.82 Lbs. Special weight went to the aforementioned Matt Clark who, despite the wind, managed to get his flies down deep enough to temp up the fish.

PJ on top spot

Tom takes second place

Chris in third

Matt secures the special weight prize.

Full results below.

Thanks to Tom for organising and to Declan, Alan, Cathal, Clive and all who helped on Saturday.

DTAA Boats

DTAA have 4 club boats available to our members, 3 boats on Lough Owel and 1 boat on Lough Lene. Check availability in the calendar below and contact the boat manager Jim Guiney or John O’Neill by phone or email to confirm your preferred location and date. For their contact details, please see your membership card.
Please note that the booking will not be confirmed until the boat manager has confirmed

Life jackets must be worn at all times and please check the weather forecast before setting out.

NOTE: you might need to rotate your phone to landscape mode to view the full width of this calendar on mobile.

Boat Safety: Click here for useful information on boating safety

Please exercise care on the water. Life jackets must be worn at all times and please check the weather forecast before setting out.

Pulling up and locking the Boat after use:

Leave the boat clean and tidy and take all your litter home

Pull the boat well up on the shore

Ensure that there is a tyre under each side so that the boat is stable

Lock the oars with the chain and lock around the boat seat

Lock the ground chain at the bow (front of boat) to the designated DTAA concrete anchor point

Report any issues or damage to the boat manager

McCarron Cup 2024: stunning victory for Dermot Flynn

Perfect conditions: wind, cloud, temperature, sedge and olives hatching; the rain held off. 26 anglers returned 21 fish in this 2 fish limit competition to round off the DTAA season.

Some great fish weighed in including Dermot Flynn’s fish of 5.59lbs, which with his second fish, gave a bag of 8.16lbs well ahead of nearest rival Willie Scully with 2 fish for 5.7lbs. Donal Monahan was in 3rd place with 2 fish for 5.56lbs

Full results table is here:

Fish were caught all over the lake but Srudarra performed well with opportunities for dry flies later in the afternoon. Fish were caught too near the railway line past Jack’s shore and Dermot Flynn had excellent fish late enough in the day at Lady’s Island. As well as winning the McCarron Cup, Dermot had the heaviest fish on the day AND the year! His fish was almost a pound heavier than Jim Keeshan’s fish during then Ian Rowand Trophy on the same lake.

DTAA treasurer, Declan McKibben, had a great day’s fishing with Terry O’Keeffe. Declan’s strategy was to follow Tom Hipwell around the lake and to do what he did. This paid off and Declan bagged up before lunch. Declan switched to dries later in the afternoon, catching and releasing two further trout. Terry O’Keeffe had a great fish just before lunch. It was the second heaviest fish at 3.71lbs.

Despite the possibility of an upset to the overall DTAA Angler of the year leaderboard going into this final competition, Dave Canning was secure with Alan Doherty’s 2 points not being enough to bridge the gap that Dave earned throughout the season.

Here are a selection of pictures from the day, with DTAA President Fran Nugent at the prize giving.

Most of the anglers joined the end of season dinner in the Greville Arms, where the prize giving took place. Thanks to competition secretary Tom Hipwell, Declan McKibben and Gerry Heaslip for their support with the organisation and running of the competitions through out the season. For many of us it is the activity that we most look forward to. Trusting you all had another good season, and best wishes for the off season; a chance to sort of the gear, restock fly boxes and dream of the new season in March 2025.

McCarron Cup 2024 Preview

As far as we can tell conditions for this Saturday’s McCarron Cup will be good. A moderate westerly wind, cloud cover, low chance of rain but it will be chilly out there for those of us who have been benefiting from the warm weather earlier this month.

The leaderboard as it stands has Dave Canning with a strong lead of 7 points on nearest rival Alan Doherty.:

Dave has been doing great all season with a win in the Elvery and two 3rd place positions. Dave represented Ireland last year in the Internationals and is through to next year’s final having qualified earlier this month.

Dave Canning Capped for Ireland in 2023

SO the bookies’ favourite must be Canning to become the DTAA angler of the year for 2024 but let’s look at potential routes to the coveted title for those currently lagging in 2nd and 3rd positions. The rank outsider is Irish International and master-tiler Eoin Dunne currently on 22 points. If Dunne takes the top spot on Saturday and Canning is not in the top 10, then both anglers will tie on 32 points apiece. The adjudication panel will, in that situation, pore over the results for the previous 6 competitions to identify the relative catch performance of each angler in order to separate the two. The more likely challenge to Canning’s dominance, however, comes from DTAA Competition Secretary, Alan Doherty. Doherty lies 7 points behind Canning and so if he comes 3rd place or higher on Saturday and Canning blanks then the title goes to Doherty. Even if Canning gets into the top 10 picking up 1 or 2 points, then Doherty can still find a path to victory if he comes first on Saturday. In any of these scenarios the Angler of the Year title will go to an angler who has never previously held the title which is a sign to be sure that talent continues to be cultivated and to flourish among those DTAA members who take part in the competitions over the season.

We are looking forward to a good turnout this Saturday on Lough Owel. Always a highlight of the season, the day promises excellent fishing (Owel has fished well this year) and an opportunity to catch up with friends over a meal in the evening in the Greville Arms, for prize giving and to celebrate the end of another season.

Doherty Does it! Ryder Cup Champ

Very tough conditions at Bohernabreena last Saturday 7th September for the Ryder Cup. It was hard fishing but despite that 3 top rods had five fish between them. 15 anglers turned out for the day with most returning no fish.

Congratulations to Alan Doherty who won the day with 2 fish for 2.805 Lbs, followed Fran Nugent also with 2 fish (for 2.305) and in third was Dave Canning with one fish. This was Alan’s first DTAA competition win (he’s often placed well in previous competitions however so this comes as no surprise!).

With just one competition remaining this season Dave Canning has a very good lead on nearest rival Alan Doherty. There is a route to victory for Alan, and indeed for Eoin Dunne (to tie with Dave on 32 points) but Dave must be the bookies favourite! Current leaderboard is below. Next competition is the McCarron on Owel on Saturday 28th September.