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There are 3.5 million inhabitants in Ireland of which only a few are fishing enthusiasts. So the pressure of fishing in rivers and lakes is very low. Here, the most appreciated species are salmon and trout (brown, sea and rainbow). Only in rare cases, Irish fishermen target the pike. There are lakes and rivers where these pike have never seen a Rapala or any other artificial lures. So it is not surprising that we see a lot of good-sized pike which aren't too suspicious and very aggressive when attacking lures. These waters are also inhabited by great quantities of coarse fish such as bream, tench, perch! roach, and rudd. Therefore, it is not surprising that the predatory fish grow and reproduce more quickly than in any other country in the world. Some years ago, the Irėsh authorities forbade the killing of pike consequently, it isn't too rare to catch a trophy pike in a week of fishing. Along every course of water there are signs indicating the name of the river and the different species of fish one can find there. Special passages and steps have been created from the main roads to facilitate easy access to the banks. In Ireland, the practice of catch and
release of trout and salmon is strongly encouraged and
all specimens under 40 centimeters are released as well
as those which are too large to be consumed. PIKE YEAR ROUND Irish Pike can be fished for throughout the year but March - being the postspawning period - is the most productive because that is when they are the most aggressive. They can be found in lakes and rivers and they move in great numbers. The winter months aren't to be excluded for big pike - particularly when fishing with dead bait - a small rudd - is always productive. In winter, the minimum air temperature is around 6-8 degrees, so all the fish will move to the deeper waters of the lakes to stay active and not decrease their metabolism rate unlike their counterparts in other countries. One of the most beautiful European fresh water fish is the perch. Although they do not grow to a like the size of pike, they will give sport on light tackle. Irish perch exceed 1.5 kilogram. The Irish record for pike is a 33 kilograms. Every year, several 25 kilograms are caught. The number of bites is also very high, about 10-12 per person especially during the months. But as every fisherman will agree, not all fish are constantly aggressive and active, therefore you can alternate very good with moments of slow actiion.
On our best day in Ireland we had about 40 strikes and landed and released 25 pike into Darravaragh lake. All techniques of fishing are allowed except live baiting, that is rigorously forbidden all the country. Techniques like spin fishing or fly-fishing give good results, either from the boat or from the shore. Recommended tackle for spin fishing are rod of medium power able to cast a from 20 to 35 grams linked with proportionate reel spooled with a 1 lb line. You must always be ready for eventuality hooking a big pike. If you enjoy fishing with light tackle, a rod that can cast a weight from grams with a reel spooled with 6-10 lb line will surely provide long and exciting fighting sessions with small and medium size Irish pike. The lures that gave us the most satisfaction were the infallible Rapala "Husky Jerk" and the classic Rapala "Countdown" from 8 to 14 centimeters. The colors that we used were the gray-silver (S), trout (RT), and vampire (V). During cloudy days, lighter colours like orange (GFR) and yellow-green (Fr) were used. In zones particularly rich in aquatic vegetation, we had good results with the Minnow Spoon Rapala 6 and 7 centimeters. Just as effective were the big silver spoons and big spinner baits. With regard to fly fishing, you need a 7' or 8' rod with a reel that can contain a 7# floating tip and 100 meters of 15 lb. backing. Big streamers with hooks varying from 1/0 to 4/0, linked with a short steel leader will complete the tackle. Usually, it is not necessary to fix a sinker on the hook or the sinking tip because in rivers and lakes, you normally fish in shallow waters and the strike will be immediate when you start to move your streamer. Unfortunately, the big uncertainty when you go fishing in north European countries is the weather. It can change several times during the day and especially in Ireland. It passes from sun to ram, from mild temperatures to cold winds within a very short time. It is for this reason that you must be adequately equipped to be ready for the various weather conditions that you may encounter during the day. MULLIGAR AND THE WESTEMEATH COUNTY My friends and I chose the county of Westemeath where there are more than 50 lakes, some of which are from 5 to 10 kilometers long. In fact, this zone is named "lakeland." There are also hundreds of rivers and channels that are home to a great variety of fish - in particular the pike. Our base was the small town of
Mulligar; which is only a one-hour drive from Dublin,
the capital of Ireland. We relied on Carlo Rizzini, an
Italian fishing enthusiast that has been living in
Ireland for several years. He provided us with all the
locations and furnished us with all the licenses and
permits and gave us one of the best Irish guides for
pike fishing. Because of the strong winds and rough waters of the lakes that dominated our holiday, we dedicated ourselves to spin fishing almost exclusively. Everyday, we moved to different spots, all offering stunning scenery - lush green meadows, wonderful aquatic vegetation and incredibly clear blue skies created a wonderful ambience. The fishing started at 9 a.m. and ended at 6.30p.m everyday. At the end of each day, we were so exhausted as we had walked on the banks of rivers and small lakes for several kilometers, while performing hundreds and hundreds of casts. We explored the waters of the Inny Rivel; the fabulous River Sock, Ennell Lake, Derravaragh Lake and several other small rivers, always with excellent results. The ambience and landscape of this county and probably the whole of Ireland are surely some of the finest in Europe. Passionate fishermen will appreciate the strange climate, the always cordial Irishmen, the wonderful waters, the cattle and sheep that are present everywhere and lastly, the quality of fishing. IRISH SALMONIDES
Irish waters are mainly famous for the abundant salmonides that populate hundreds of rivers and Lakes. These waters are subject to particular attention and are governed by strict fishing regulations. The most researched fish is surely the Atlantic salmon that lives in almost all the rivers that flow into the sea. The beginning of spring sees the first run of salmon, which are usually up to 6 kilograms. From the end of May to the first week of June, the juvenile salmon, called 'grilse' will normally arrive and dominate the rivers for all the season. It is generally possible to fish throughout the whole season but a careful eye should be kept on rainfall, as heavily flooded rivers are virtually not fishable. When the conditions are perfect, seven or eight salmon per rod per day is not considered exceptional. Local fishermen who know the waters well can often double this number. Irish salmon average 5.5 kilograms with few fish from 8 to 13 kilograms. One of the most famous rivers for salmon is the Moy. Due to their exceptional fighting characteristics, Irish sea trout are eagerly targeted by discerning anglers. A sea trout of 2 kilograms can spool up to 50 meters from your reel in a few minutes. Another gamefish that populates Irish waters is the brown trout. It can be found everywhere in the territory, particularly in the lakes of the west - Corrib, Mask, Conn and Baltra. Here, the trout can reach easily weights of over 4 kilograms. I have heard some stories of trout of around 10 kilograms being caught. The rainbow trout is an introduced species but is breeding and thriving throughout Ireland. Another powerful designed to thrill anglers - especially fly tackle. The season for salmon fishing starts in February and the season for brown trout is from 15 February until 30 September In Ireland, the cost of a fishing permit for a day of salmon or sea trout fish can be quite expensive - around 20-70 Irish pounds per rod. The permit brown and rainbow trout is less expensive and varies from 15 to 25 pounds. You can also find several lakes and rivers where fishing is free. The fishing permit must not confused with the government license This is granted and collected by the staff whilst the fishing permit is paid the owner's reserve. For salmon and trout fishing, it is necessary to purchase a governmet fishing license, which is available at most fishing shops.
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Copyright Š2004, by PESCARTE/SP, Brasil
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God must have smiled benignly on
Ireland because he obviously catered to the needs of
sport fishing when designing the weather and climate.
Moderate summers, mild winters and adequate yearly
rainfall, Ireland's climate 5 always temperate and kind
to the angler. The warm waters of the North Atlantic
drift south and west, resulting in a milder climate than
one would expect from its geographical location. The
result is a fabulous mixture of cold and warm water fish
species capable of exciting even the most hardcore
fishing enthusiast.
Our guide assured us pike of around
10 kilogram are very common, even in rivers. The Irish
record for captures in a single d currently a memorable
session on the river Sock where 5 fishermen caught 104
pike 2 to 8 kilograms. Several times on this river,
40-60 fish been caught in a day.
