Maighdean Mara
12
42,65 ft
Galway, Ireland (IE)
From
45,00 €
Fishing in Ireland
They say that Ireland is one of the countries with the highest beer consumption per capita in the world. But besides drinking Irish dry stout like Guinness, you can also go fishing in Ireland. Indeed, the island is considered a top sport fishing destination.
The fresh water fishing in the lakes and the rivers features pike fishing, Atlantic salmon fishing, coarse fishing and trout fishing. The 3000km coastline with all its bays, beaches and cliffs provide great sea fishing in Ireland. Inshore anglers practice fly fishing, spinning and bottom fishing. Offshore the fishing charters fish for cod, ling, skate, conger, gurnard, shark and pollack on the wrecks. And... you can even go big game fishing in Ireland for giant bluefin tuna!
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Tips & Tricks, bait and more
Shore fishing in Ireland
Sea trout fishing and bass fishing can be done spinning from the shore or in a small boat. Apart from nice sea bass and sea trout, you can also catch mackerel and pollack with top water lures, poppers, spinner baits, stick-bait using the "walking-the-dog" action. The best flies on the fly fishing rod are streamers and the Lefty's Deceiver fly combining white and blue for example, imitating small bait fish.
Offshore fishing in Ireland
Fishing charters in Kinsale, Ballycotton, Dingle, Galway, Youghal or Donegal organize deep sea fishing tours, both private charters and shared charters, and provide the captain, fishing tackle, bait & lures and all you need to enjoy a memorable day at seas. Boat fishing, the targeted species can be big shark, skate; or tope and flatfish over sandy ground.
Fishing one of the many charted wrecks off the Irish coast is probably the best guarantee to catch decent sized cod, pollack, conger or ling during your fishing trip. Wreck fishing is always an unforgettable experience.
Another - less known - option is tuna fishing in Ireland. Yes indead, you can go big game fishing in Ireland! The warmer currents of the North Atlantic Current of the Gulf Stream bring subtropic species such as the giant bluefin tuna to the Irish coasts. Large shoals of tuna can be spotted on a regular basis in the inshore waters of Donegal Bay. Other species such as albacore and bonito tuna can also be caught. The Irish authorities don't allow killing bluefin tuna, so they can only be caught and released alive to the sea.
Pike fishing
Besides salmon fishing, trout fishing and sea angling, Ireland is definitely a primier pike fishing country. The thousands of rivers & lakes, or Loughs as they call them here, have tremendous stocks of large pike. Many anglers from the United States, Europe and Russia book a yearly holiday to enjoy the Irish pike angling. The pike, which grow quickly and can reach up to 20 Kg, can be caught fly fishing with large streamers, spinfishing or with natural bait.
Trout fishing
Trout (brown trout) is another fantastic fishing species from the Irish rivers and loughs.
Salmon fishing
The Atlantic salmon can be caught in the Irish rivers and loughs between January and the end of September. This magnificent fighter can be targeted fly fishing, spinning or bait fishing.
Top sport fishing species in Ireland
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Cod is a common name for a number of other fish species, like the Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua) and the Pacific cod (Gadus macrocephalus). Cod are caught in colder and fairly deep waters, close to rocky areas, wrecks and drop-offs. Cod can weigh over 50kg.
MORE INFO >Cod
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The common dab (Limanda limanda) is a species of flatfish that inhabits the sandy seafloor of the North Sea, southern Baltic Sea, Bay of Biscay and also Iceland. Although the average catch is a 20 cm dab, there are specimens that weigh up to 40 centimetres (17 in) in length with a weight of around 1 kilogram (2.3 lb). Dab is a very good eating fish.
MORE INFO >Dab
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A Flounder is a flatfish and several species are distinguished. They camouflage themself by lying on the bottom of the ocean floor to ambush their prey and also as protection against predators.
Flounder are very good eating fish and can grow up to 60 centimeters (20 inch).
MORE INFO >Flounder
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Gurnard - from the Triglidae family - are also known as sea robins due to their large pectoral fins which mimic bird’s wings in appearance. Sea robins can be caught by dropping a variety of baits and lures to the seafloor. There are three different types of gurnard - red, grey and tub - which vary in shape, size and colour but rarely exceed 40cm in length.
MORE INFO >Gurnard
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The Haddock (Melanogrammus aeglefinus) is a fish species that can be found in the Biskay Bay, Northsea, Baltic Sea, Iceland, the south coast of Greenland and the northeast Atlantic coast of the U.S.A. Haddock can grow up to 1 meter (40in) and weigh up to 14kg (30lb).
MORE INFO >Haddock
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The nursehound (Scyliorhinus stellaris), also known as the large-spotted dogfish, greater spotted dogfish or bull huss. This fish is found the atlantic waters of the British Islands, the Northsea, Biscay Bay, Portugal to Senegal. It can also be caught in the Mediterranean Sea. Growing up to 1.6 m (5.2 ft) long, nursehound have a spectacular colored skin.
MORE INFO >Nursehound
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Carp (Cyprinus carpio) originally come from Asia, but since ages they are native to Europe. In the Middle Ages, monks introduced carp into ponds and lakes for food. Carp thrive in virtually any environment and can grow up to 80lb! Carp fishing is extremely popular in the U.K. and in Western Europe.
MORE INFO >Carp
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The blue shark (Prionace glauca) is a migratory, live-bearing shark that feeds mainly on smaller fish and squid. They can be found in all the oceans and sees around the world.
MORE INFO >Blue Shark
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The horse mackerle (Trachurus trachurus) is a common species found in the eastern Atlantic Ocean off Europe from Norway to South Africa and into the south-eastern Indian Ocean to Mozambique. They are normally between 20 and 30 cm, although the larger fish can grow up to 70 cm and weigh around 2-3kg.
MORE INFO >Horse Mackerel
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The ling (Molva molva) is a common fish from the North Atlantic one of the largest cod-like fish. They are a popular species caught around the British Isles, Norway, Island, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium and France. Ling can grow up to 2 meters (7ft) long and weigh 40 kg (90lb).
MORE INFO >Ling
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Pollock (Pollachius pollachius) is a common fish from the North Atlantic. They are a popular species caught around the British Isles, Norway, Island, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium and France. Pollock can grow up to 1 meter long and weigh 20 kg (44lb).
MORE INFO >Pollock
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The tope shark or school shark (Galeorhinus galeus) is a type of ground shark found worldwide in temperate seas. Tope can grow up to two meters in length. This shark is a critically endangered species.
MORE INFO >Tope
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This fish is of the Balistidae family. There are about 40 species of triggerfish. The largest trigger triggerfish can grow up to 75 cm (30 inch).
MORE INFO >Triggerfish
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Whiting (Merlangius merlangus) is a small member of the cod family. This fish species lives in the eastern Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea, as well as the North Sea on the East Coast of Britain. Although record whiting from 70cm have been caught, they use to grow to up to 25cm.
MORE INFO >Whiting
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Atlantic mackerel (Scomber scombrus) or simply mackerel have a great back with irregular black bands. They're very common and like the temperate waters of the Mediterranean Sea, Black Sea and the northern Atlantic Ocean. Mackerel are typically between 25-35cm.
MORE INFO >Atlantic Mackerel
FISHING SEASON IN Ireland
Deep sea fishing in Ireland and Northern Ireland is possible all year round, although the best time is between the end of March and October. Not only because the fish are more active when the water is warmer, but also because of the weather conditions (especially on the west coasts). In winter the weather is pretty unstable and makes fishing on the Wild Atlantic during the colder months pretty difficult.
There is no close season for pike fishing in Ireland and anglers may fish for pike all year round. This sought after fish species is active practically all day, except during the hot summer months when pike prefer to feed early in the morning and in the evening. During the winter heavy rain fall may cause floodings and some rivers will be impossible to fish. Wind can make pike fishing hard and dangerous on larger lakes and loughs.
The salmon fishing season starts between January and May, depending on the river. Most rivers close by the end of September. We can inform you about the opening and closing dates for each river.
TOP FISHING TECHNIQUES IN Ireland
OUR USERS IN Ireland
LEGISLATION / REGULATIONS
Angling is regulated by Inland Fisheries Ireland (IFI). You don't need a fishing license or a permit for sea fishing in Ireland. Make sure you inform about the local catch and release policies. For fresh water fishing though, there are limitations and for some rivers, such as those from the "Midland Fisheries Group" and espacially for salmon and trout (brown trout) (and some places also pike) you need a fishing license. A Salmon Licence for all districts can be purchased for 40€ for 21 days for example. An annual salmon fishing licence for all districts costs 100€.
