Casting the net wide
From lakes to rivers, and open seas to hillside streams, Mayo has much to offer the fishing enthusiast, writes Michael KingdonAsk any angler for his list of top ten holiday destinations and it is a sure bet that Ireland will be somewhere on the list. Indeed, this country has long been something of a Mecca in the fishing world, and the wide variety of angling waters in County Mayo has a good deal to do with it.
Mayo is justifiably best known for the quality of its trout and salmon fishing, but the area has so much more to offer, no matter what your angling preference. The landscape here is dominated by the great limestone brown trout Loughs of Mask and Carra, the world-famous salmon fisheries of Beltra, Burrishoole and Delphi, and the equally renowned waters of Corrib, Conn and Cullen that offer excellent fishing for both species. A generous climate keeps Mayo well irrigated, in the peak of condition almost the entire season through.
These huge still waters are fed by and feed into rivers of fame. Among these the Moy is by far the most prominent, with a salmon rod catch of 9,997 in 2007. Good numbers of brown trout and a smaller, late season catch of sea trout add to the attraction. The Moy is capable of producing salmon from the first day of the season, but it really comes into its own from the middle of March. The spring salmon run peaks in April. Careful river management has increased the quantity and quality of these beautiful, slab-sided fish. A bountiful grilse run gets under way in June, and is further augmented by another flush of larger fish towards the end of the season.
Other rivers, such as the Black Oak that enters the sea through the town of Newport, follow similar patterns, while more have their own unique character. The angler who is prepared to explore will find more options than could be covered in many lifetimes.
We might venture south, for instance, and find ourselves casting a line into the Errif, a medium-sized, peat-stained river that rushes and glides sedately by turn. This is a wilderness river, coursing through ancient woodland, with high hills almost edging the flow and a vast expanse of peat bog filled only with the cries of curlew and plover. Never was the sky so big or the world so empty as here.
A short distance to the west we find the remote loneliness of the wonderful Delphi fishery, where the pretty Bundorragha carries fish from Killary Harbour to a chain of lakes; Finlough, the Bright Lake, comfortably nestled in a sunlit fold in the mountains; Doolough, the Dark Lake, dramatically rimmed by towering cliffs and characterised by swirling winds and sweeping fogs; Glencullen, the Lake of the Holly Tree, in appearance somewhere between the former two. Despite its modern approach to fishery management, a visit to Delphi is a step back in time and worth a day in anyone’s calendar.
Travelling north we encounter a succession of smaller, boisterous spate rivers. Often under-fished, these can provide terrific sport at very reasonable cost. The pick of them, both for fish stocks and value for money, has to be the Owenwee. This charming fishery twists and tumbles from its headwaters in Moher Lough, to spill in a final dramatic descent into Clew Bay. Don’t be put off by the diminutive size of this river; it holds a healthy stock of salmon from June to the end of the season. Moher is a fine trout fishery in its own right, with a good population of free-rising wild fish supplemented by an annual stocking programme.
Further north we pass through Westport and Newport, crossing a number of small streams and the Black Oak river as we make our way to the breathtakingly beautiful Burrishoole fishery, the home of the Marine Institute, where Loughs Furnace and Feeagh are the main fishing waters.
Continuing around the coast in a clockwise direction we discover the more exclusive Owenduff and Owenmore rivers. It can be hard to find a day’s fishing here, apart from on the upper reaches of the Owenmore, upstream of Bellacorick, where the river is named the Oweninny. Local enquiries will put an angler among the fish, especially after a late summer flood. A word of advice: take midge repellent.
Now moving east along the north coast we encounter a series of small spate streams that are fished by locals during August and September for sea trout and the occasional salmon. The best of these is the Glenamoy river, where a good deal of fishery enhancement work has recently been done. An enigmatic mix of long, slow pools and fast cuts and runs, the Glenamoy is a delightful reminder of how sea trout fishing used to be throughout the county.
A little further on and we are back at the Moy, where all salmon angling tours should begin and end.
If the salmon are reluctant to oblige, a day or two on the great trout lakes will generally provide some sport. Each lake has its own brand of fish, with unique conformation and colouring. Lough Conn has dark, heavily-spotted trout with butter yellow bellies, while to the south Carra, the prettiest of all waters, holds trout that are silver bright.
For the more adventurous, Mayo has hundreds of hidden hill loughs, many visited only by the more determined angler. Some are not fished from one year to the next. The fish may not be large, but they are often plentiful and free rising. On the other hand, tales abound of secret waters set into the side of far-off, heather-clad hills, where trout an arm’s length cruise the shallows at dusk…
Game angling: top tipsBe wary when afloat on the larger lakes. A storm can blow up out of nowhere, creating extremely dangerous conditions. Always wear a lifejacket.
Successful Irish fishing flies might not be those that work at home. Look for local advice.
A state licence is required for salmon and sea trout angling. Catch limits are in place for these fish.
Some game fisheries are affected by local by-laws. Check with the Western Regional and Northwest Regional Fisheries Boards for detailed information.
PikeGame angling might be considered the cream of angling in Mayo, but it is by no means all that is on offer. The larger trout lakes also hold great stocks of pike, and some of these attain great weights; the mention of 20-pounders hardly raises an eyebrow among locals. Lough Mask holds some very large pike indeed. Check out Billy Burke’s tackle shop in Ballinrobe for a sample of what is available!
Loughs Conn and Cullen are equally capable of producing specimen fish, and smaller waters such as Derryhick, Bilberry and Levally are all worthy of attention. Generally speaking, the bigger pike come from the more extensive waters. Yet the network of smaller lakes will provide fast and furious sport to a variety of tactics, from spinning with artificial lures to dead baiting, the most effective fish baits being mackerel or sardine. The use of coarse fish as bait is regulated by law; check locally for any updates on the situation. Live baiting is prohibited. Fly fishing for pike can be extremely productive, but requires specialist tackle and local knowledge.
Pike are absent from the more acid waters of north and west Mayo.
Pike: top tipsAlways use suitable tackle, including a wire trace.
Have the correct equipment on hand to ensure the safe unhooking of your fish.
Pike angling regulations prohibit the killing of more than one small pike per day. Check locally for details.
Coarse fishingThe superb coarse fishing available in Ireland has for too long been confined largely to the midland regions, and it is only in recent times that the potential of the western lakes is being recognised by coarse anglers. Most of the larger limestone lakes hold huge stocks of roach, rudd and perch, together with some fine eels.
Lough Lannagh, at Castlebar, was once a prime trout fishery. Enrichment has led to excessive weed growth and, while the trout population has suffered, the coarse fish have prospered. Lannagh, which also holds good stocks of tench, is barely fished and offers great sport to the prospecting angler, providing an opportunity to cast to fish that have never seen a hook before. Indeed, coarse fishing in east and central Mayo is just starting to be properly explored. Tactics developed for more heavily-fished waters are certain to bring a level of success which, at the moment, is a closely-guarded secret by the few who are in the know.
There is no closed season for coarse fish in Ireland, but there are some regulations relating to the killing of coarse fish. Check tackle shops for the latest details.
Coarse angling: top tips Hire a boat and fish along the many miles of weedy lake margins that have never seen an angler.
Explore, experiment, share your experience.
Sea fishingMayo is blessed with an extremely varied coastline comprised of everything from shallow surf beaches to deepwater piers and rocky headlands, all of which offer fishing for many different species. Bass can be caught from the surf from Carrrownisky to Carrowmore, with an hour either side of low or high water at dusk the best times. Flatfish and dogfish are plentiful here, with ray and other species putting in regular appearances. Locally-procured lugworm is a favourite bait, with mackerel strip or fresh sandeel a close second.
Mackerel and pollock are abundant during the summer and autumn, with good catches coming from just about every accessible pier, jetty and rocky outcrop.
Northwest Mayo offers superb saltwater sea trout fishing, but this is another area yet to be fully developed.
A number of charter boats cater for inshore and offshore sea anglers. Clew Bay, with its many sheltering islands, gives opportunity for a day afloat in almost all weathers, with top boats operating from Westport and Newport.
A feature of Clew Bay angling is the common skate population, many of which weigh in excess of the 100-pound mark. Apart from these, it has been said that almost every fish encountered off the Irish coast, from megrim to monkfish, from ballan wrasse to blue shark, has been taken here.
Blacksod Bay offers fishing of similar quality, and holds exceptional stocks of ray. Along the north coast cliffs heavy pollock, cod and ling lie in wait for the angler’s bait. Killala Bay holds another abundance of fish, with the sea trout of the Moy estuary rapidly gaining fame.
Sea fishing: top tipsFrom the shore, fish evening or night tides.
Be safe. Make sure you have an escape route when rock fishing.
Seek local knowledge.
Sea trout fishing requires a state licence. In some areas the killing of sea trout is prohibited.
World Cup Trout Fly Angling ChampionshipWITH the 50th staging of the competition last year, the annual World Cup Trout Fly Angling Championship on Lough Mask is a well-established and popular tradition among anglers and boatmen all over the country.
On the August Bank Holiday weekend every year, up to 600 anglers converge on Ballinrobe, to take part in this highly-competitive four-day event, which attracts entrants from all over Ireland and further afield.
Westport man Jack Stack was the first winner of the prestigious overall title in 1953, and since then fishermen – and one woman, Julie Gerry from Kildare in 2004 – from Leitrim to Donegal, Antrim to Limerick, Galway to Meath, and several more from Mayo, have taken the famed trophy home for a year.
The competition consists of four heats, with a maximum of a quarter of the competitors from each heat going through to the final on the Monday.
The competition starts each day on the open lake and finishes at picturesque Cushlough Bay, where the weigh-in takes place.
The overall winner receives the World Silver Cup (perpetual), along with several other valuable angling-related prizes.
There are also numerous other prizes on offer, all of which are presented at a special presentation evening in Ballinrobe on the final day of the competition.
To get startedPaul Heaney, Loughs Corrib, Mask, Carra
www.corribanglers.com, 093 36013/086 0568385
Harry Feeney, The Foxford Lodge, Loughs Conn, Cullen, Mask, Carra, the Moy and the Moy estuary
094 9257777
www.thefoxfordlodge.ieDavid Hall, Loughs Mask, Corrib, Carra, Conn and Cullen,
094 9541389, email:
info@lakeshoreholidayhomes.comMichael Noone, Loughs Conn and Cullen,
096 51466/087 2028979
Brian Joyce, Derrypark Lodge, Loughs Mask, Corrib, Carra, Conn and Cullen; mountain lakes and river fishing
094 9544081,
www.derryparklodge.comJackie Barrett, River Moy
094 9256162
Tom Bourke, Lough Mask and the Owenwee River
098 27180
John Sheridan, Loughs Conn and Cullen
087 2067858
For deep sea anglingMary Gavin Hughes, Clew Bay and beyond
086 8062282
The Helm, Westport Harbour, day and evening trips,
098 26194,
www.thehelm.info
From lakes to rivers, and open seas to hillside streams, angling in Mayo has much to offer the fishing enthusiast
