The heading on this blog refers to Mike Shortt, who on the 22^nd landed a magnificent fish of 14lbs11ozs from the Turn pool on a Comet. It was Mike’s largest Delphi salmon in his 30 years fishing here. Two days later he managed to stumble getting out of the boat on Finlough and fell into the landing net. His supposed friend and fishing partner, Mark Corps then proceeded to take a few photos of Mike in the landing net. Gladly Mike was uninjured (physically anyway) and he saw the funny side of the episode, as both he and Mark were in stitches of laughter. This definitely is a first ever for Delphi.

Since my last fishing update we have managed to land eighteen fish. At the time of writing my last update, we had just experienced the biggest flood of the year. As I said previously we recorded 51.8mms on the Monday morning. Just for the record a weather station in Claddaghduff near Cleggan actually recorded 125mms the same morning.

Kit Westropp kept up the family tradition when he landed a fish of 3lbs4ozs on the 14^th from the Grilse pool on a JW nymph. His cousin Richard Vaux managed one off Fin in the afternoon of 5lbs13.5ozs on the same fly. Jack Browne had three on the 15^th, one of 4lbs6ozs and the others, both of approx. 6lbs, all on a Willie Gunn from Finlough. Paul Sims had the fish of the week when he landed a fish in the Stream on Fin of approx. 12lbs on a Claret Dabbler.

There were three on the 20^th, all off Fin. Barbara Ceillier had one of 3lbs2ozs on a Tosh, Mike Shortt, one of 2lbs4ozs on a Collie Dog and Mark Corps, one of 7lbs11ozs on a Red GP. Two were landed on the 21^st, with Martin Ceillier landing a fresh fish of approx. 2.75lbs in the Whin pool on one of Barbara’s Willie Gunn needle tubes. Mike Shortt had one off Fin on a Minkie of 3lbs11ozs. On the 22^nd he landed his big fish. He had another on the 23^rd in the Bridge pool of 5lbs10ozs on a nymph. He followed this up with one off Fin on the 24^th on a Collie Dog. Mark Corps also had one on the Deadman’s of 5lbs6ozs on a Golden Reach. He then landed two on Friday, both from the Turn pool, the first of 3lbs15ozs and the second of approx. 4lbs, both on a nymph.

Finally on Saturday, Pat Cassidy from Monaghan landed a fish of 3lbs14ozs from Finlough on a Collie Dog. That now brings our total for the year to 375, so we’ll have to make a big push in the next few days to try and hit the 400, which may be difficult as the water has now dropped to 20, but as John Mills used to say with fishing “You’d never know the minute”.

D.McEvoy