Irish Trout Fishing

In our land of mountains and moorland, of sparkling rivers and dark, deep loughs, there can be found some of the best trout fishing anywhere in the world.  The fish are not all monsters, in fact, really big trout are the exception rather than the rule. 

Our native brown trout is found in practically every part of the island.  Some inhabit the fast, spate fed rivers that flow from distant peaks, others the wide, slow meandering rivers that empty into the ocean on our coastal plains.  For others it's the cold mountain loughs that shimmer in the morning light or the deep, still waters of the peaty loughs that dot the western fringes of our ancient land.

Dollaghan

Ireland's  and the UK's largest expanse of water is Lough Neagh, in Northern Ireland.  Five of the six Northern Counties of Ireland form the shoreline of this huge lough that has its own eco-system and a very special species of brown trout.  Late each summer, a migratory brown trout species, known as the dollaghan, run up the six rivers that empty into Lough Neagh.  Growing to as much as eight pounds in weight, this species is unique to the region are renowned for their spirit when on the end of a fly line.   These migratory trout are much sought after by the fishermen who are fortunate enough to have access to the rivers of Lough Neagh.  A mystique has built up around these hard fighting trout and the variety of fly patterns with which to tempt them from their crystal like habitat are as numerous as the stories about the ones that got away!

Dapping for Trout

While the major trout rivers flow into the Irish Sea on the east coast of Ireland, in the west of the country are to be found the finest brown trout fisheries anywhere in western Europe.  Hard fighting, native trout that rise freely to the fly and are excellent sport.  Many Irish anglers follow the Mayfly hatch as it spreads northwards  along the river and lough systems on Ireland's west coast.   Starting in early April, the Mayfly hatch can last into mid June.  At its height, when the loughs are dimpled with rising trout, gorging themselves on the spent, adult flies, it is referred to as the "Duffers Fortnight."  A period of about two weeks when, seemingly, every cast of the mayfly imitation produces a reaction from a feeding trout. 

A popular and a productive way of filling the creel during this period is by "dapping" for trout.  Using extremely long fly rods and floss silk attached to the mono-filament backing on the fly reel, the imitation fly is blown by the breeze, with the angler gently dapping it onto the ripple, thus imitating the the natural fly carried on the breeze.  The take, when it comes is firm and the temptation is to tighten immediately.  Striking too fast when dapping invariably means loosing the fish.     Experience suggests otherwise.  The old Irish dappers, or so the story is told in the pub afterwards, lit their pipes before striking a fish!