Angling in County Roscommon

Fishing around Boyle

LOUGH GARA
Expect bream, skimmers, roach, hybrids, tench, pike and perch. Gara produces terrific sport with roach, bream and hybrids, yet is seldom fished seriously. Access is excellent and there is plenty of comfortable bank space. A popular spot is at Cuil Bridge where a small river enters the lake and fishing with a pole, waggler, or better still a groundbait feeder, can result in big catches.  Anyone who likes a bit of stick float fishing can walk upstream into the river and find glides that are stuffed with silver fish.

BOYLE RIVER & CANAL
Expect bream, roach, hybrids, tench and perch. The Boyle section comes alive when bream pack into the river during spring prior to spawning and there are some great catches made on pole and waggler with worm, corn, bread and caster. For the rest of the year it is a matter of trying to catch the increasing numbers of resident fish, which are largely roach, hybrids, skimmers and perch – again the pole or waggler is a scoring method.

DRUMHARLOW LAKE
Expect quality bream, roach, hybrids, tench, pike and perch. A big lake that sadly suffers from poor bank access.  The best spot is along the northern shore but in all honesty this is a fishery best tackle by using a hired dinghy for access. It is worth the effort because Drumharlow has quality fish best caught on a crumb feeder with the usual worm, maggots and caster baits.

Fishing around Athleague

RIVER SUCK
Expect bream, skimmers, roach, hybrids, rudd, pike and perch. The upper reaches are the River Suck offer exciting fishing for anglers who enjoy variety and are prepared to search out the fish without relying upon local knowledge. The sections most likely to produce good bream, rudd and hybrids, are at Athleague, Ballygar and Dunamon.  The character changes often on the upper river and will demand a range of fishing methods.

LOUGH LOUNG
Expect bream, skimmers, tench, rudd, roach, hybrids, and perch.  An idyllic location with modern fishing platforms and a great chance to catch a range of scale-perfect fish. Try a waggler in the margins and a bread feeder into about five metres depth with corn, worm and maggots on the hook.

STONEHAM’S LAKE
Expect bream, skimmers, rudd, roach, hybrids, tench and perch.  A beautiful water with good access and fishing platforms.  The water is rarely fished seriously and for that reason will probably need pre-baiting and fishing late or early in the day.

Fishing around Roosky

LOUGH BODERG
Expect bream, skimmers, roach, hybrids, pike and perch.  This big lake on the Upper Shannon is showing a return to form with plenty of roach and hybrids reported on pole and waggler from the stony shoreline.  Anglers getting on to the bank soon after dawn are finding bream to 5lb on feeder gear with big baits – worm, corn and bunches of maggots. The best signposted access is from a tiny village called Aghamore – basically a pub, house and general store - about two miles from Roosky on the N4 road.

LAKELAND FISHERIES
Expect carp, bream, skimmers, roach, hybrids, tench and perch. Regarded as Ireland’s best ‘commercial’ fishery, this day-ticket water has three man-made, well-stocked lakes and is open every day.  Pole fishing is the most popular method with a variety of baits to suit the different species.
RIVER SHANNON
Expect bream, roach, hybrids, tench, pike and perch. Clonking great roach are a big feature in and around Roosky. Anglers fishing from the concrete bank on the supermarket side of the river in summer, knock out big weights on floatfished corn, caster and maggots. Bream are always on the cards but more likely at dawn and dusk.

Fishing around Strokestown

BLACK LAKE
Expect bream, roach, tench, pike and perch.  This water can be relied upon to produce good sport with bream to 5lb and some hard fighting tench. Try a method feeder or small open-ended feeder for the bream, while a waggler of pole gear will sort out a few tench. Big baits are the order of the day.

KILGLASS LAKE
Expect bream, roach, hybrids, rudd, tench, pike and perch.  Bigger-than-average fish of all species abound but the rewards come from making an effort with pre-baiting and being prepared to fish late and early. This is a big lake best explored from a hired boat there are fishing platforms and a decent depth of water signposted off the Roosky- Strokestown road. Fish for tench in the margins with corn, bread and worm, but a swimfeeder rig is likely to catch the bream and big hybrids.

Fishing around Tarmonbarry

RIVER SHANNON
Expect bream, roach, hybrids, pike and perch.  There are plenty of fishing features on the river at Tarmonbarry, including a weir, fast water runs and a marina, and together they provide a good chance of decent sport. Upstream of the bridge is coupled with quality roach on float tackle.  Fishing at the mouth of the Camlin River is best when the Shannon is above normal and the bream and roach move into the slacker water.

FEORISH RIVER
Expect bream, roach, hybrids, rudd, tench and perch.  A tiny, slow moving river, that is ideal for a few hours fun fishing for bream to 2lb, hybrids, roach and the occasional tench. Anglers who walk to the mouth of the Feorish where it joins the Shannon can expect a good catch rate in flood conditions. In normal conditions travel light with a loaded waggler and a catapult to loose feed casters, maggots and corn.

Wherever you fish in Ireland, the chances of catching fish are hugely improved by pre-baiting to attract fish into your chosen swim.  Ideally this is done the evening before (or for a couple of days)using breadcrumb or local maize meal carrying particle baits such as sweetcorn, boiled wheat, hemp and pellets.

This is a snapshot of the fishing available around Roscommon. There are many more exciting waters and all of them available to visitors with no rod licences requirements, no permits, and fishing is all-year-round.  Come on over!