We can hardly wait. The Opening Day is nearly upon us.
Friday will see us heading out to the river for the first time in four months.
The conditions
After an extremely wet January, we have fortunately had a period of dry weather.
The floods earlier in the month have flushed the river out well.
From a peak of 4.0 metres earlier in the month, the river is dropping steadily
and is now at 0.90 metres which is spinnable height, & not far off being able to fish the fly with conviction. The clarity is excellent for the height & time of year with visibility being 4-5 feet & improving daily. There is some rain forecast for Wednesday & Thursday followed by a cold spell, but hopefully this won't change the conditions much.

The Run of Fish.
I'm extremely encouraged by the news I have been hearing from the river in the last few days.
A number of fish were seen running through Lismore (just above the tidal limit) on Friday & Saturday. A fish in the 15-20lb class was seen at the bridge in Ballyduff yesterday.
A run of fish with 15 to 20 good-size fish was seen going through Ballyhooly Bridge (17 miles upstream) in less than half an hour on the higher water about a week ago, and there are reports of fish running right up as far as Mallow, which is 30 miles upstream.

Bookings
The Lodge ensuite rooms are all fully booked for the Opening weekend as is the Underhand Casting course on February 2nd.
Now is the time to make sure you have your place for this season.
Space is limited for the autumn run in late August and September, and the early summer season is booking well as we head into our second season without drift nets.

Looking forward to seeing you on the banks of the Blackwater in 2008.

Best Regards & Tight Lines!
Ian Powell
Blackwater Lodge & Salmon Fishery
Upper Ballyduff
Co. Waterford
Ireland
Tel: 00 353 58 60235     Fax: 00 353 58 60162     Web: http://www.ireland-salmon-fishing.net