Josie Flaherty with Megrim, as detailed.

Local angler Ian McDonald with a nice brace of cuckoo and ballan wrasse

Blue Water has been operating from Cleggan for the last while. This is because there is all tide access to a pier in Cleggan which means no getting into a dinghy with all your gear to get out to the boat. You can get on board straight from the pier which is much easier for all concerned and an added bonus is Oliver's Bar which as it happens is also on the pier. You might think that that was enough good reasons to be based in Cleggan but there is another even better one. Shelter and good fishing in the same place. Blue Water has not lost a single day so far in 2007 due to bad weather. We have been able to get out throughout the memorable 2007 summer and have had good fishing on days when it would have been impossible to get out from Clifden.

We have had some interesting fishing this year with great results for those interested in species fishing. Derek Evans from the Irish Times newspaper had a group down for a memorable day's fishing in lovely weather notching up 19 species for their day out. Haddock Ling Cod Ray Plaice, a number of turbot and a Brill were among the species recorded on the day.

Today we had a SW force 7 with squally showers and the mixed group of 9 UK and Belgium anglers managed a creditable 9 species including Turbot Ray Ling and Cod in the shelter of the Renvyle Peninsula.

First Shark from Clifden/Cleggan was caught aboard John Brittain's boat Bluewater, currently operating from Cleggan, on 30th July by Tobias from Germany. Tobias’s group had four female Blue Sharks aboard on a beautiful day's fishing, 10 miles west of High Island. The largest, in the photo, was an estimated 70 lbs and all were returned after being tagged. Bluewater had an escort out by the local group of Bottlenose Dolphins and during the day watched as sunfish after sunfish drifted by in the ruby dubby slick. There are a lot of these odd fish around this year and despite appearances they are capable of quite a turn of speed which must be their defence against attack by Sharks.

Awful weather has made Shark fishing and getting to the offshore reef marks impossible for the last week; however, operating from Cleggan, Bluewater has not missed a day, thanks to the nearby shelter of Inishboffin and Inishturk Islands.The islands have produced some great fishing in reasonable pleasant conditions. Jim Doyle and his son John from the U.K. joined up a Dutch group led by Joop Aarts for some interesting species fishing; between them they caught 15 species for two days. The CFB’S Norman Dunlop is fishing at the moment with UK journalist Mike Thrussel and they have had some fantastic Ray fishing in really appalling conditions catching and releasing over 40 thornback and spotted ray plus assorted gurnards and doggies in one 3 hour session on Friday 17th.