Lough Ramor was formed by the melting ice at the end of the last Ice Age approximately ten thousand years ago. The lake is located beside Virginia in East Cavan, is 800 hectares (4 miles long, with an average width of ½ mile). It is a popular lake with anglers and is well know for its coarse fishing, occasional salmon, together with brown trout. The trout fishing usually takes place at mayfly time, from mid-May to mid-June. The average depth in most of the fishable venues on the southern end is 2.5mtrs and regularly produces large catches of bream, roach, roach-bream hybrids and some perch. Large pike have been caught in the lake and many 20lbs fish are frequently recorded. Virginia, Coronagh, Knocknagartan, Nine-Eyed Bridge and the back of the GAA football field are all notable venues at the southern end of the lake for fishing. The River Blackwater flows out of the Lough for about 3 miles on the Cavan side before entering the Royal County of Meath.
The Mighty Pike
Some Pike have been reported to reach 30 years in age. To Look at, pike are elongated, torpedo-like preditors with sharply-pointed heads and sharp teeth. Their coloration is typically grey-green with a mottled or spotted appearance with stripes along its back, perfectly camouflaged among weeds. Individual pike marking patterns are unique, like fingerprints.
They will also prey on insects and amphibians such as newts or frogs in times when food is scarce, and occasionally on small mammals, like moles or mice when caught water-borne. Small birds such as ducklings may become a target for hungry pike. Pike angling as a key part of general coarse fishing is becoming an increasingly popular pastime in Cavan. Effective methods for catching this hard-fighting fish include dead baits, and lure fishing. The Colour of lure can be influenced by water clarity and weather conditions. Since pike have numerous sharp teeth it is wise to take extreme care when unhooking the pike. Pike can easily be damaged when handled since they are not as robust as their reputation would suggest. The use of a wet cloth, steel mitten and surgical forceps to remove hooks is highly recommended on safety grounds. Care for the pike should be the pike angler’s utmost concern. The current recommended method of grasping pike is to close the hand firmly over the gill covers, and to make the period of handling the pike as short as possible before release. Pike has been revered as a food fish at least as far back as the ancient Romans, where many recipes for their preparation are found. The flesh is very white, mild with a delicate and distinctive earthy flavor of its own. It has the leanest flesh of all freshwater fish.
Lough fishing buddies actively encouarge catch and release.
The pike bye-law 809 provides for the following conservation measures:
• a bag limit of 1 pike in any one day,
• prohibits the killing of any pike greater than 50 cm in length,
• prohibits the possession by any person of more than 1 whole pike less than 50 cm or more than 0.75 kg of pike flesh, this provision does not apply to a person storing pike or pike parts subject to conditions,
• prohibits the possession by any person of more than 12 coarse fish for use as bait subject to conditions.
One aspect of the new bye law is that a pike over the specimen weight of 20 lbs. (9.072 Kg.) for a river fish and 30 lbs. (13.608 Kg.) for a lake fish are now protected and cannot be killed as in the previous bye-law.
A full copy of the bye law 809 protecting pike in Ireland can be accessed on the CFB website at: http://www.cfb.ie/Notices/pikebyelaw.htm
Other legislation for the pike angler to be aware of are: Coarse Fish, Conservation of and Prohibition on the sale of coarse fish Bye-Law 806, 2006.
Trout: 1st of March – 30th of September
Please feel free to contact us if you have any further questions or queries about Lough Ramor.
Damien Willis 00353 868012546
e-mail info@loughfishingbuddies.com
