Blackwater Fly Fishing 

Doug Lock 

REFFIS   SGAIC   STANIC 

Salmon Fly Fishing Instructor & Guide

Fly Dressers Guild Chairman Alan Middleton & Doug September 08

From road to water    Irish Times 12.05.08

Doug Lock left life on the road and now teaches fly fishing in Co Cork, writes Olivia Kelleher

DOUG LOCK tended the guitar of Jimmy Page, served as tour manager to Motörhead and was a guitar technician to the Moody Blues. However, a bout of pneumonia led him to re-imagine his life and he now works as a salmon fly fishing instructor in Fermoy, Co Cork .

Lock (57) has never been a man for hedging his bets, but instead has embraced every opportunity which has come along in his varied and fascinating life.

He grew up in North Devon and had a passion for guitars from a very early age, receiving his first electric guitar when he was 15.

He soon became involved in the semi-professional circuit in Devon and Cornwall. A blues lover, Lock played numerous gigs in clubs in Germany before returning to London to perform with various bands.

When Lock was about 22 he played with a band called Bulldozer and they toured the length and breath of England . Click here for You Tube clip of Bulldozer 1972

One of the biggest thrills of his life was playing with the legendary Graham Bond of the Graham Bond Organisation.

Bond has long been thought of as being a founding father of the English rhythm and blues boom of the 1960s. Along with John Mayall and Alexis Korner, Bond was one of the great catalytic figures of 1960s rock in Britain .

"It was unbelievable. Suddenly little Old Lockie from Devon was playing with Graham Bond. Bond is the musicians' musician and I was delighted to have the opportunity to play alongside him."

At one stage Lock's career went a bit pear shaped and he ended up driving a truck for a period.

However, he bumped in to an old friend and he ended up working as a guitar technician with the Moody Blues at the same time as their album Long Distant Voyager reached number one in the US .

Lock has fond memories of his time with bands like the Moody Blues and Motörhead. Whilst with the Blues he stayed in a succession of five-star hotels all across America for months on end leading to many Spinal Tap moments.

"We would be in the same chain in the same type of room in a different city every night. You would wake up and wonder where the hell you were. I played every major city in the US when I worked as a technician. It was a great time."

After he worked with the Moody Blues, Lock became a tour manager with Motörhead and he also spent time as an employee of Frank Zappa and Steve Winwood.  

See this link re playing guitar with Moody Blues

"It was like Spinal Tap at times. Lemmy [from Motörhead] is a really nice bloke. But some bands on the circuit were incredible. A lot of it is boredom.

"Some people make it in the music industry and they become monsters. Just because they can. Many of the bands and their sessions musicians had no concept of geography. They would be saying can we stop and get a burger at the American fast food chain Wendy's, not really understanding why they couldn't do that in Europe . You just had to develop a gallows humour to cope."

Lock recalls getting a phone call in London on one occasion at 2am and being asked to fly out to work with Jimmy Page in the US .

By mid-afternoon the next day he had gone straight from Heathrow to Hartford in Connecticut , losing his bags along the way, and was preparing backstage.

"You're going to have to anticipate when I break a string," were the first words Jimmy Page said to him when he arrived.

Through all the madness of the music industry, Lock was grounded by his life-long partner, the aptly named Joy.

They met at a gig at the University of Salford when the pair were in their early 20s.

Joy was a career woman and never really minded that Lock was on the road for months at a time. The pair had a solid relationship and a sense of mutual respect.

The couple travelled to north Cork in the early 1990s and a bout of pneumonia made Lock reconsider his lucrative yet stressful career.

He bought a guesthouse outside Fermoy and it was an instant success.

After they finally got around to tying the knot, Joy was diagnosed with breast cancer. Tragically, after a brave battle she died.

A devastated Lock decided to stay on in Ireland and has worked for many years as a salmon fly fishing instructor.

It was an unlikely career change some would say, but Lock grew up in rural Devonshire and always had a love of fishing.

In fact he managed to fit in a bit of fishing while on tour in the US .

Lock was even part of a club called the Rock and Roll Fly Fishers. Eric Clapton joined the club one afternoon for a peaceful day's fishing.

Lock has numerous certificates proving his competency in relation to the teaching of fly fishing and has a booming business in his adopted home of Fermoy. He says he will never forget the crazy times he had on the road but he is very content with his quiet life in north Cork .

"I have been so fortunate really. Fishing was something I always did. I used to carry a rod around with me on tour and if I got an hour I would be out there fishing.

"I have always loved it and I really enjoy teaching. When I grew up in rural Devonshire you had to have an imagination. There was no X Box and you had to get out there and make your own fun. And I am still doing that in a way with the fishing."

Please join the Salmon & Trout Association

       Atlantic Salmon Fishing Season Opens 1st February & Closes 30th September

River Conditions for Fly Fishing

Please phone 003532532720  e-mail  or   on skype for further information regarding my 

Spey Casting Tuition & Guide service.     

Tight Lines  Doug Lock

Latest News 

Download authentic reel sound as a ring tone for your mobile phone

Tackle shops on the Blackwater

Titelines ~ Cappoquin    Bait All Tackle ~ Fermoy   Country Lifestyle ~ Mallow

There are now two Wheely-boats available for disabled anglers on the river.

 Contact Titelines and Bait All Tackle for details.

Fly Fishing Conditions for Tuesday, 22 December 2009. 

The 2009 season is now over.

The 2010 season opens 1st February

In 2009 from the Total Allowable Catch for the river of 4,433  the SRFB gave an allocation of 1,000 summer salmon and grilse to the tidal netting stations operating upstream of the Bride tributary 

Circa 420 fish were taken for the 2009 season by the nets

Fish Barrier at Fermoy
Dublin 21 December 2009

Fish Barrier at Fermoy
Minister of State Conor Lenihan today announced he had reviewed the approach to resolving the barrier to fish passage at Fermoy. Minister Lenihan said, “Since taking up responsibility for inland fish I have been anxious that progress be made to deal with problems of fish passage and have been actively engaged with the rowing club in terms of how their needs can also be met.” The Minister said he “had decided and had instructed the Town Council to restore the existing fish ladder at Fermoy Weir as a matter of urgency”.
Minister Lenihan said that in light of his discussions with the European Commission and the Attorney General he had come to the conclusion that the repair of the existing fish ladder is the appropriate immediate action. The Minister went on to say that all involved must appreciate that Ireland is a committed member of the European Union and to meeting its responsibilities under EU Law, including obligations in relation to biodiversity under the Habitats directive. He made clear that the impact of the repairs on fish migration will have to be closely monitored and if the required improvement in fish migration isn’t achieved, he won’t hesitate to direct the Town Council to undertake further major works.
The Minister said he appreciated the need to remedy the problems of barrier to fish migration at Fermoy had been contentious, but he hoped the decision he has now made will enable rapid progress and he urged the Council to expedite the repairs and to engage actively with fisheries board to monitor their impact.

2010 Regs

Distribution of blue tags to anglers

4.         (1)        The holder of a salmon rod (annual) ordinary, juvenile or district licence shall be issued by a distributor on receipt of licence duty in any year in respect of the period from -

(a)        1 January to 11 May, with 3 blue tags, and

(b)        12 May to 30 September -

(i)         with 7 blue tags, where the licence commences during the period referred to in subparagraph (a) and continues into the period referred to in this subparagraph, or

(ii)        with 10 blue tags, where the licence commences during the period referred to in this subparagraph,

issued in lots of 3 or 4 tags at such intervals in accordance with the instructions of the CEO of the regional board in whose fisheries region the distributor is located.

            (2)        The holder of a salmon rod (twenty-one day) ordinary licence shall be issued by a distributor on receipt of licence duty in any year in respect of the period from -

(a)        1 January to 11 May, with 3 blue tags, and

(b)        12 May to 30 September -

(i)         with 7 blue tags, where the licence commences during the period referred to in subparagraph (a) and continues into the period referred to in this subparagraph, or

(ii)        with 10 blue tags, where the licence commences during the period referred to in this subparagraph,

issued in lots of 3 or 4 tags at such intervals in accordance with the instructions of the CEO of the regional board in whose fisheries region the distributor is located.

            (3)        The holder of a salmon rod (one-day) ordinary licence shall be issued by a distributor on receipt of licence duty in any year in respect of the period from -

(a)        1 January to 11 May, with 1 blue tag,

(b)        12 May to 31 August, with 3 blue tags, and

(c)                1 September to 30 September, with 1 blue tag.

 Rod licence fees to be reduced by 10% for 2010

For weather forecasts click on the links below

Met Eireann on line weather forecast for Munster

BBC 5 Day Forecast for Cork

  Status   -  Stable  Dropping Slowly Rising 

  Colour :-  Gin Clear  V Light Peat Stain  Coloured

  Height :-  Spate High Very Low Summer Level 

I have found over the years, that Salmon take much better when the river is clear or has a light peat stain, then it is less acidic from the peat run off.

 Mid Day   Water Temperature:- ºF    Air Temperature: ºF  

Recommended Tackle & Fly Choice   

My Kilbarry Fly Pattern for River Condition  (Size as per water temperature)

Floodbuster Kilbarry Stud  Summer Shrimp Silver Stud   Autumn Shrimp 

Quarry:-   Spring Salmon  Grilse  Summer Salmon Autumn Salmon  

Double Handed Fly Rod:-  15' , 13' + 12' (for upper beats) 

DT Fly Line :- Wet Cell II   Cortland 444 Sink Tip or  3m Wet Tip    Cortland 444 Floating Peach + Sink Tip Add-on 

Leader :-      15lb Maxima   12lb Maxima  8lb Maxima or Orvis 13.5lb Super Strong

Chest Waders :-        Orvis Pro Guide Breathables + Fleeces

2009 Regulations 

The Munster Blackwater has a quota (TAC) of 4,433 (down from 7,787 in 2008 for rods only) salmon & sea trout (over 40cm) for rods draft & snap nets

CONSERVATION OF SALMON AND SEA TROUT BYE-LAW NO. 829, 2007.

The existing annual bag limit of 10 fish per angler for the 2009 season continues 

One fish only can be killed from 1st February to 11th May

A daily bag limit of 3 fish from 12th May to 31st August subject to brown tag rules

A daily bag limit of 1 fish from 1st September to the end of the season. 

The Bye-law also provides for the use of single barbless hooks and prohibits the use of worms as bait once the specified number of fish have been caught in the specified periods.

A BLUE tag must be attached to any fish killed from 1st February to 31st September

It is important that the guidelines for the practice of catch and release are followed to ensure the maximum chance of survival of released salmon. These include advice on fishing tackle and handling methods. Copies of a video (Catch & Release – The Future is in your Hands) and a leaflet are available free of charge by contacting the Central Fisheries Board. Further information can be found at http://www.cfb.ie/fishing_in_ireland/CatchandRelease.htm  

SALMON ROD LICENCE RATES 2009 

• All Districts Annual                                          €134.00                

• District only (Shannon Region only)                 €64.00                

• All Districts  21 day                                          €50.00                         

• All District Annual – Juvenile                           €20.00   (under 18 years)                

• All Districts – 1 day                                         €36.00   (adult/juvenile)

Rivers

Total Allowable Catch

Additional tagging for anglers in certain rivers – brown tags

5.         (1)        In addition to the tagging requirements of Regulation 3, where a person lawfully catches and retains a wild salmon or sea trout by rod and line during the periods in any of the rivers referred to in paragraph (2), he or she must attach to the fish in accordance with this Regulation a brown tag issued to him or her under Regulation 6.

            (2)        The periods and rivers for the purposes of paragraph (1) are –

(a)                from 1 January to 11 May, in respect of a river mentioned in column (2) of Part 1 of Schedule 4, and

Fishery districts and rivers to which brown tags apply

PART 1

PART 2

Below is data for fish running through the counter at Clondulane weir which is 3 miles up-river from here. 

It must be said that these figures are only a guideline as in floods and spates, fish also run over the weir apron and thus miss the counter. 

However this is an excellent gauge of river stock status.  

See  Andrew Long's Fishcounter website for latest data from here and other counters around the Country

Major DMG Pilleau kindly sent me this data on how many spring salmon (MSW Fish) were caught here on the Blackwater 1960~1966 (Pre UDN & Monofilament Nets)

 1967 & 1968 show the effects of UDN

2003 Figures     

December = 998

November = 6,336

October = 1,013

The counter was out of action since 10th March owing to damage by lightening. It is again operational see fish counter link .

March 1st = 23  3rd = 20 4th = 28 7th = 8  8th = 10 9th = 2  

February 3^rd =1  6^th = 1 25^th =1  26^th = 12  27^th =12  28^th  = 47 Total = 74

January Month Total = 199

20th = 63 21st = 37 22nd = 6 23rd = 4 24th = 1 26th ~ 31st = 0

13th = 2 14th = 2 15th = 11 16th = 4 17th = 46 18th = 6 19th= 7                       

The counter was out of order 1st to 12th .     

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

2002 Figures     Annual Total = 7,559

December Month Total  = 75 

The counter was out of order for the first week ,65 fish ran 2nd week ,2 for 3rd week and 8 for last week .

November Month Total = 1850   (There was very high water all month ~ many more fish would have traversed the weir in these conditions)

Week ending 3rd = 449 10th = 551 17th = 334 24th =271 30th = 245

October Month Total = 3,252

28th =115 29th = 111 30th = 205 31st = 150  

21st =71 22nd = 7 23rd 182 24th = 165 25th = 96 26th 125 27th = 154

14th = 42 15th = 18 16th = 8 17th = 5 18th = 1 19th =1 20th =20 

7th = 2 8th = 9  9th = 246 10th = 404 11th = 352 12th = 573 13th = 65

1st = 27 2nd = 20 3rd = 0 4th = 11 5th = 2 6th = 6

September  Month Total = 95

26th = 1 27th = 1 28th = 0 29th = 2 30th = 3

19th = 5 20th = 2 21st = 1 22nd = 2 23rd = 1 24th = 1 25th = 2

12th = 14 13th = 27 14th = 7 15th = 7 16th = 4 17th = 4 18th = 1

1st = 0 2nd = 6 3rd = 1 4th = 1 5th ~8th = 0 9th ~11th = 0  

August   Month Total = 443

26th = 1 27th = 1 28th = 0 29th =1 30th = 1 31st = 3

19th = 7 20th = 8 21st = 9 22nd = 7 23rd = 2 24th = 1 25th = 1

12th = 3 13th = 14 14th = 20

6th = 5 7th = 10 8th = 46 9th = 0 10th = 0 11th = 0  

1st = 1 2nd = 61 3rd =165 4th = 41 5th = 11 

July Total = 332

 29th = 5 30th = 2 31st = 3

22nd = 3 23rd = 4 24th = 7 25th = 0 26th = 2 27th = 1 28th = 3 Total = 20 

15th = 26 16th = 27 17th= 14 18th = 6 19th = 2 20th =1 21st = 4 Total = 80

8th = 23 9th = 3 10th = 6  11th= 9 12th = 8 13th = 10 14th = 14 Total =75

1st = 11 2nd = 8 3rd = 107 4th = 17 5th = 2 6th = 5 7th = 0 Total  = 150

June Total = 735

 24th = 4 25th = 1 26th = 4 27th = 3 28th = 7 29th = 0 30th = 3 Total = 22

17th = 26 18th = 70 19th = 4 20th = 0 21st 6 22nd = 13 23rd = 10 Total = 129

 10th = 29 11th = 63 12th = 48 13th = 11 14th = 36 15th = 101 16th = 125 Total  = 412

 4th = 4 5th = 6 6th = 15 7th = 7 8th = 48 9th = 92  Total = 172

The fish counter was  out of action 23rd May - 3rd June

 ^{May total = 183}

^{20th = 110 21st =13 22nd = 1} 

 ^{13th = 21 14th = 14 15th= 6 16th = 0 17th = 1 18th = 4 19th =3}           

^{6th = 1 7th = 0 8th = 1 9th = 0 10th = 2 11th =2 12th = 1 total = 8}

April  = 98    

07/04 = 24 (all went though on 3rd) 14/04 = 2 21/04 = 40 28/04= 26 (20 on 28th)  29th + 30th = 6

March =   51           10/03 = 28  17/03 = 7  21/03 = 13 27/03 = 0

February = 23        03/02 = 1  10/02 = 5  17/02 =0 24/02 =14 01/03 = 3

January = 171         06/01 = 96 (Most likely late spawners)

2001 figures

December  = 1196       02/12 = 704 

November = 1,457   26-29/11 = 458 25/11 = 115 18/11 = 79 11/11 = 540 

October  = 1,727     28/10 = 495  21/10 = 451   14/10 = 221 07/10 = 971      

September = 1,034  30/09 = 1,007 23/09 = 14 16/09 = 7  09/09 = 2 02/09 = 2  

August = 376         31/08 = 17  26/08 = 85 19/08 = 252  12/08 =11 05/08 = 4  

July = 802             31/7 = 39 22/7 = 690 15/7 = 26 08/7 = 47 01/7=105                                      

June   24/6 = 281 17/6 = 530

February = 48   17/02 = 14  11/02 = 13  04/02 = 23

January  28/01 = 6   21/01 = 25   14/01 = 5   07/01 = 104                

The early January fish were late Autumn spawners rather than early 'Springers'.  

For 2000 Season 8,865 salmon and grilse were counted.    

572 ran for the month of December  

2,159 ran for the month of  October by coincidence same as June and July                                                                       

1,297 ran for the month of September.                                 

2,159 Salmon and Grilse ran through the counter at Clondulane in the months of June (1,328) and July (831)

 2000  Season  figures ~ we  04/06 = 550 11/06 = 504 18/06 = 245 26/06 = 738 09/07= 453     16/07 =236   23/07 = 35  30/7 = 20  6/8=151   13/8 = 48  20/8 = 79  27/8 =  103  3/9 = 159  10/9 = 39   17/9  = 126  24/9 =  756   01/10 = 273 9/10 = 438    15/10 =530      22/10 = 520   29/10 = 608   5/11 = 608  11/11 = 510  12/11 to 24/11 (counter broken) 24/11 to 3/12 =336  10/12 = 211  17/12 = 153 24/12 =186   31/12 = 22.                                                 

2001 season all rod anglers were issued with carcass tags and a log book when purchasing their rod licence. All fish that were killed must have been tagged immediately and the log book filled in.      For full details view the Central Fisheries Board website  ~ marked  'TAGGING INFORMATION' on links page

1st August 2001, Minister of Marine banned the sale of rod caught fish. This will help to stop the fish mongering.

Anisakis simplex   30th Sept 05

Statement by the Marine Institute 7th October, 2005

Press Report Regarding Worms in Salmon

The Marine Institute is concerned regarding recent newspaper reports on the discovery of the nematode parasitic worm Anisakis in a number of fish from around the coast. The following statement was prepared by our own staff and those of the Veterinary School at University College Dublin.

There have been no reported cases of foodborne illness associated with Anisakis in recent years in Ireland. Nematode worms are common in a wide range of wild fish although only three cases of severely infected salmon have been reported this year. Consumers are advised that such worms are easily killed, and fish made safe to eat, by cooking the flesh above 60 degrees centigrade, or by freezing the fish for a few days. The best advice, as with all meat and fish, is to follow basic hygiene guidelines such as thoroughly cooking the flesh and washing hands after handling raw fish or meat.

If worms are present in the fish, neither refrigeration or marination will kill the worms. It may survive in products such as such as herring roll mops or salmon gravlax which rely on food safety management systems to ensure that the raw material is free from possible contamination.

The presence of this worm does not represent a threat to stocks of salmon and sea trout. There can be no association between falling salmon numbers and the incidence of Anisakis so far described. There is no history of high numbers of Anisakis causing epidemics that might wipe out populations of fish.

While salmon can be intermediate hosts, or occasionally final hosts, other freshwater fish will not become infected unless they actually eat returning salmon or flesh from dead salmon. Therefore horizontal parasite transmission between fish in estuaries does not occur since intermediate hosts need to be eaten for transmission to occur at all.

Reports of fish being "eaten" by Anisakis, or of spreading "to all other fish" are inaccurate and misleading, as are references to eggs infecting the open wounds of anglers. Eggs need to be "incubated" in a crab-like intermediate host before they become active.

The life cycle of these Anisakis starts when worm larvae infect tiny floating crab-like zooplankton, which are then eaten by intermediate hosts such as sardines, mackerel or herring. These intermediate hosts may then eaten by larger intermediate hosts such as salmon, cod, tuna and monkfish or by their final hosts - marine mammals such as dolphins, seals and whales - where they cause severe gastritis and sometimes perforate the stomach wall.

Anisakis does not represent a serious threat to the coarse fish population.

ENDS

For further information, please contact: Dr. John Joyce - Communications Manager, Marine Institute: 087 2250871

Pictured below are some of 2000 season's highlights

For further Salmon Fly Fishing information e-mail  Doug Lock

 ©Doug Lock 19. Dec1999 

Blackwater Fly Fishing  REFFIS  GAIA   S.G.A.I.C. / S.T.A.N.I.C.  Salmon Fly Fishing Instructor & Guide     

Ghillie Cottage, Kilbarry Stud, Fermoy,  Co.Cork,  Ireland    flyfish@eircom.net    

 tel.+353 25 32720  mobile +353 87 286 9139

 www.speycast-ireland.com

 

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