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Fishing Tour of Ireland
This tour is intended for those whose main reason for coming to Ireland is to fish but who are in a party which includes others who have no interest in joining them!
Thus we will move around the country a bit, include some touring days, and suggest alternative activities for non-fishing folk. The tour is based around mid-priced accommodation in fishing friendly hotels and guesthouses where you will get good local advice and have access to boats, tackle rental and gillie services.
This tour is based around River and Lake fishing, for which Ireland is justly famed. We plan to add tours based around other forms of fishing in the future.
General Information for this Tour
Getting Here
We suggest that you fly into either Shannon Airport or, even better, Knock Airport to start this tour. You will need to rent a car.
Accommodation
Accommodation is suggested for fishing locations, all places that have good facilities for anglers and provide tackle, arrange gillies and so on. On nights when you are between fishing locations and touring you can look for recommended accommodation here.
Looking to Book a Fishing Tour of Ireland?
This is just a suggested itinerary for independent travellers - we do not organise fishing tours! For an organised fishing tour of Ireland we highly recommend contacting Tailormade Ireland, an excellent company who will be happy to create a tour to suit your fishing interests!
River & Lake Fishing Tour Itinerary
Drag the map, zoom in and click markers for more information.
Days 1-4: Lough Conn & Lough Cullen, Co Mayo
We start with three days of Lake fishing on probably the best lakes in Ireland, Lough Conn and Lough Cullen (A) in Co Mayo, in an unbelievably beautiful location. It is estimated that there are about half a million wild trout in these lakes and about 500 salmon are caught annually.
Spring salmon enter the lake in mid-March and fishing continues until about the end of April. Grilse run from May to late July or early August. Some salmon are taken on fly but the majority are taken by trolling baits.
Trout are normally caught by wet fly angling from a drifting boat, with local anglers recommending a floating line with three wet flies size 10 - 12. The best time of year for fly-fishing is April-June.
Lough Conn Stay for four nights at Pontoon Bridge Hotel which has tackle to rent and will advise on what you need for some excellent fly-fishing with both lakes just outside the door!
The hotel also has freezer facilities, a drying room and a tackle shop and will cook your catch for your dinner if you wish. You can start fishing the day you arrive, fish all the next day and on the third day have a half day on the lakes before you depart.
Activities For Non-fishers
Pontoon, in spite of its unspoiled and isolated location, is well positioned for touring all parts of County Mayo and is about an hour's drive from the cities of Galway and Sligo. Touring Connemara will occupy a full day and visits to Foxford Mills and, especially, the Neolithic excavations at Céide Fields near Ballycastle are highly recommended. The hotel also runs cookery and painting courses which may be of interest to other members of your party.
Touring information for these regions is available at the hotel. On the last day, after your morning fishing, you will be driving down the west coast with time for a stop in Galway city.
Day 5: Pontoon - Ennis
Galway (B) is an compact city, easy to tour on foot and with some excellent shops. If you need to replenish your fishing tackle, there is an excellent tackle shop on Mainguard St., where you will probably also pick up some useful tips
From Galway go via Kinvara, a pretty fishing village and home of the famous tradition "Galway Hookers" (they are boats!), to the Burren.
Highly recommended are visits to the Cliffs of Moher (C), Ailwee Caves and the Poulnabrone Dolman.
The Burren covers 100 sq miles of lunar like rock with underground rivers, caves, turloughs and ancient burial places, some dating back more than 3000 years. At 800 feet above the Atlantic Ocean a walk along the Cliffs of Moher is a bracing experience.
Recovery is at hand - O'Connors pub in nearby Doolin is a mecca for traditional music and also serves excellent food and drink.
Overnight in Ennis (D), which has excellent pubs and restaurants and is a very good place to take in an evening of traditional music. There are both organised and impromtu sessions in several local pubs - enquire locally.
Day 6: Ennis to Glencar
We recommend that you spend the early part of the morning in Bunratty Folk Park (E), about 15 minutes from Ennis on the Limerick Road. A short stop at the village of Adare (F) with its thatched cottages is also recommended on the way to Glencar in Co Kerry for the next few days fishing.
Overnight at Glencar House, Co Kerry, ready for a full days fishing the next day.
Days 7-9: Glencar & The Caragh River
River fishing now, on the Caragh River at Glencar (G) where you can fish for Salmon from February to September and Brown Trout from March to October. Note that only weekly permits are available from March 1st to June 30th, so you can adjust the timing of this tour accordingly.
Happy Man!The Caragh is a spate river and an interesting and varied fishery for visitors, with everything from salmon pools to mountain streams and loughs. There are consistently good catches of Salmon and Trout. It is especially renowned as a spring fishery but there are good catches all season long. Banks are easily accessible and there are a number of fishing huts.
Glencar House Hotel was originally a hunting lodge and this history is evident from the deer antlers and abundant taxidermy inside. It has been nicely renovated and facilities for fishing visitors include a drying room, catch room, a rod room and freezer.
The hotel can rent tackle, sell you permits, provide local knowledge, arrange boats, with a gillie if required, and is just minutes from the riverbank. It is a favourite with many anglers who return annually.
Activities For Non-fishers
No problems here, with Glencar ideally placed for touring the Ring of Kerry, the Dingle Peninsula and West Cork, all essential parts of any Irish tour.
On the evening of Day 9, after a full day fishing, set off for Ballyvolane House in Co Waterford, our next fishing destination.
Days 10-13: The River Blackwater, Co Cork
Time for some serious salmon fishing on a terrific river! The Blackwater is considered by many to be Ireland’s best Salmon River with excellent fishing in all weather conditions most places along its 150 kilometres course from its source in Kerry to the sea at Youghal. Salmon fishing is available from the 1st of February and to September 30th.
A quiet stretch of river Throughout its course the Blackwater fishing rights are pretty much all privately owned and Ballyvolane House (H)has access to fishing along some 40 kilometres of arguably its best stretch. While some pools can be fished from the bank, as a general rule wading is necessary and chest waders are required.
On the rare occasions when the weather makes fishing the river impossible there are lakes within the estate at Ballyvolane which are packed with trout. These are also very suited to young or inexperienced fishers.
Activities For Non-fishers
Ballyvolane House is just 22 miles from Cork city and within reach of Waterford, Cobh, Lismore, Blarney and Cashel, all popular and enjoyable touring destinations. Although a little further afield, a day's outing to Kilkenny is also worthwhile. Horse-riding and golf are available close by.
Day 14: Departure
Leave for the Airport this morning, or the previous evening if you are catching an early flight. Ideally you should try to depart from Cork Airport.
