Angling in County Clare

Fishing around East Clare

LOUGH BRIDGET
Expect to catch bream, skimmers, roach, hybrids, rudd, tench, perch and pike. Bream to 6lb have always been a large part of the action and there was a time when specimen rudd could be caught, though it is unlikely these days. All sorts of fish can be caught on pole gear but a groundbait feeder with corn, worm and caster, will sort out the better bream and tench. There are some fishing platforms and easy access.
Close to Tulla Village.

CLONDANAGH LAKE
Expect to catch bream, skimmers, roach, hybrids, tench, perch and pike. It doesn’t matter whether you enjoy the float or feeder fishing, the bream, roach and hybrids, on this popular 30-acre lake respond well to both methods and most baits. Access to the lake is available from the car park which is located on the lake shore but permission is advised from the local landowner at Clondanagh Cottage B&B, located opposite the car park. There are some fishing stands. Tulla is the nearest main town.

DOON LAKE
Expect to catch bream, skimmers, roach, hybrids, dace, perch and pike. Doon is a prolific fishery, so much so it earned the title ‘Duffer’s Lake’ because the small roach and hybrids are so plentiful and easy to catch. An usual feature are the dace that often appear in catches. This big water does have huge shoals of bream and are often caught from the end of the peninsula by anglers using boats to reach the shoreline. Target fish are bream to 4lb and lots of hybrids to 2lb, though big baits will be necessary to deter the smaller fish and while they can be caught on waggler and pole in the relatively shallow water, feeder fishing will take the heaviest catches.
O’Donnell’s Shore is the most popular spot thanks to a lay-by within a few yards of the water in front of Lake View Guesthouse, the owner of which is Niall O’Donnell and hence the name.  Another favourite spot is Doorus Shore on the opposite of the lake off the road between O’Callaghan’s Mill and Tulla.

LOUGH GRANEY
Expect to catch bream, skimmers, roach, hybrids, tench, perch and pike. This idyllic water covers more than 100 acres; it is the largest in the East Clare Lake District, with good access and brilliant fishing facilities in the villages of Flagmount and Caher.  For those of you are planning an angling holiday to Ireland this summer or autumn, Graney is among the ‘must fish’ waters and offers a chance to catch bream, tench, roach, hybrids, big pike and perch. Float and pole fishing from the comfortable
platforms can produce a bite-a-cast but a bread feeder at 40 metres gives a much better chance of some large fish.  Feakle is the nearest village.

KILGORY LAKE
Expect to catch bream, roach, hybrids, tench, perch and pike. Quality tench are a feature of this 70-acre lake during early summer and early morning is the best time to catch them.  Roach are plentiful and can be caught on pole or waggler. There are about 15 fishing stands that allow feeder fishing into about 10 metres at a range of 30 metres. The nearest village is Tulla.

SCARRIFF RIVER
Expect to catch bream, roach, hybrids, perch and pike. A small waterway packed bank-to-bank with fish during spring prior to spawning.  Pole fishing is popular but fish can also be caught on a feeder rig.

STONE'S LAKE
Expect to catch bream, roach, hybrids, tench and pike. Stone’s is one of the smaller lakes in Clare and it forms part of a chain of five lakes located near the village of Kilkishen. There is a real chance of a better-than-average bream or tench for anglers fishing at dawn or dusk and it is a lake really to two friends who don’t mind forsaking dozens of bites in favour of netting a tench of a lifetime.

Fishing around Lough Derg

LOUGH DERG
Expect to catch bream, skimmers, roach, hybrids, tench, perch and pike. A big lake with fish to match, Derg could well give you a 10lb bream, 2lb roach, 4lb hybrid, or monster perch and pike. Considering its 26-mile length, there is comparatively little bank space except for the fishing stands at Twomilegate, near Killaloe.

To exploit it to the full means hiring a boat, or better still employing the services of Killaloe tackle dealer JP O’Brien who will pre-baits and takes anglers to quiet shores and island by boat. To deal effectively with such a big water points to feeder fishing with big baits, hooks to match and strong line; at least 5lb main line and 2lb hook lengths.

Bank fishing space will be found at the various cruiser marinas around the lake. On the Tipperary side of the lakes the best fishing is at Garrykennedy, Dromineer and Terryglass.  On the County Clare side there is good mixed fishing at Scarriff and Mountshannon.

Fishing on the River Shannon

O’BRIEN’S BRIDGE
Expect to catch bream, roach, hybrids, tench, perch and pike.  This is the best stretch of the Shannon on the lower river but doesn’t get the angling attention it deserves because there are great stocks of fish to be caught on any method.  Upstream of the bridge on the village side is the easiest to access and there is a foot path that can be fished from. There is also a section about 500 metres downstream where a lot of bream used to be caught and nowadays, you rarely see a fisherman on the bank.  Pole and feeder fishing are the top methods with worm, corn, bunches of maggots and caster.