Trout Fishing Season

 

The season opens from 15 February to 10 October.

Lough Conn-Cullin

The Moy drains Lough Conn - a beautiful lake of some 12,000 acres with many bays and Islands and noted for its free rising trout. Surveys have shown that it holds a stock of 500,000 wild trout. Conn enjoys a good run of spring salmon and an excellent run of Grilse. The main run of spring salmon enters the lake in mid-March and continues until early May. The Grilse run from May until the end of July early August.

Lough Conn joins Lough Cullin at lovely Pontoon, which is famous for its salmon pool at the Pontoon Bridge. Tucked away under the shadow of Nephin Mountain and surrounded by forests and sandy beaches and bays, Lough Conn extends nine miles from North to South and varies in width from two to six miles. It is a fisherman's paradise without doubt. Estimates show that Lough Conn produces 400-500 salmon and 8,000-10,000 trout each year.

Tackle/Flies

Trout fishing is mainly on wet flies, the best results from Olives, Mayflies and Sedges. On the lakes the first action takes place in late March with the first hatch of Chironomides (locally called Duck Fly). Fish are normally caught by the wet fly angling from a drifting boat. Angling continues to improve through June.

Wet fly tactics can get results when conditions are right throughout the summer and become increasingly effective again through September. A method peculiar to Irish Lough Style angling where natural insects like grass-hopper and "Daddy-Long-Legs" are used as bait can be very effective particularly in August when many terrestrial insects get blown on to the water. The Lough can yield trout of 10kg.

Irish Anglers normally use a floating line and three wet flies size 10 to 12 generally, two of which are attached to the leader by means of dropper (blood knot or water knot) and the third fished on the tail or at the point. Dry fly angling is also successful on the Loughs.

Trolling is permitted and spinning is not frowned upon and some anglers avail of the space between drifts to troll either with fly or spinning rod.

Other Lakes in the Area

Derryhick, Callow, Attyappleton, Alick, Dereen, Carrowmore, Attymass Lakes, Rathroeen - to name but a few.

Other Rivers in the Area

Gweestion, Clydagh, Bunree, Deel, Aclare, Trimogue, Glore, Muckanagh, Newport, Palmerston, Easkey, Brusna, Owenmore.

Sea Trout Fishing

The tidal waters of the Moy River provide excellent sea trout fishing and boats and boatmen are available daily.