Why Michael Martin longs for the fall of spent gnat in May
AS THE SONG GOES, "IF I could save time in a bottle…" then the final days of last May would be my chosen vintage. The venue of this tale is beautiful Lough Sheelin —the Faery Pool —five miles long and three miles wide, Ireland’s richest limestone lough, the most perfect environment for trout and home to some of the biggest and most beautiful specimens in Ireland.
Mention of Sheelin’s mayfly hatch is guaranteed to quicken the heart of any knowledgeable angler; the lough has a special place in Ireland’s great angling heritage and is famous for the spent gnat —a dry-fly tradition. Yes, she has prolific stocks of food and abundant fish, but she is a fickle mistress and surrenders her bounty only when conditions are perfect, the planets align and fate smiles.
Last year, the gods seemed to be smiling as the wind that had strafed the lough for weeks shifted and dropped to a warm breath. It was the first day of the annual Mallusk Angling Society mayfly trip and by midday a random collection of boats was pulled up against Merry Point, the rods drinking in the atmosphere and glad to have made the pilgrimage once again.
We were bathed in sunshine, static wisps of clouds hanging in a blue sky. In this oasis of calm, it was hard to imagine that two evenings ago, furious gales had thrown a boat across the waves and capsized her, leaving two anglers struggling in the maelstrom. One of their lifejackets failed to inflate, but, luckily, help was at hand. Boat and anglers were recovered and the loss of an electric outboard was of no consequence, considering what might have happened.
Capricious Sheelin, maker of dreams, but more often, breaker of hearts.
Mallusk Angling Society has visited Sheelin for nigh on 30 years. It has seen many highs and lows. In the early years, the water was covered in thick, green algae, loaded with nutrients from pig slurry. The cessation of slurry dumping and the unintentional introduction of invasive zebra mussels have made the water clearer; the rehabilitation of nursery streams, predator control and catch-and-release have led to a huge improvement in trout stocks. Although the angling is always a challenge, we keenly anticipate the mayfly trip every year, as much for the natural beauty and craic as the opportunity to put a fly over the trout of a lifetime.
On that fateful day in late May, boats from all over the lough pulled up on the sheltered shore of a rocky headland called Merry Point. Anglers renewed acquaintances, made new pals, shared flies and drank coffee or a nip of something stronger. Laughter rang out across the water as old stories were recalled and old friends remembered with a toast of amber dew. Sheelin has an intangible
