Conservation

The Corrib system is a wonderful but delicate natural resource and anglers should keep this in mind at all times when out on the water.

At Lough Corrib Angling we encourage the catch and release of our beautiful wild brown trout and salmon. We don’t mind a fish or two taken for the pan but the wholesale slaughter of trout as seen in recent years by both visiting and local anglers alike is simply not on. Things have changed a lot over the last ten years in that the tackle is better, the techniques are more effective, the flies are much more accurate imitations and there are now a lot more anglers than ever before. We cannot expect the lakes to sustain this kind of angling pressure without us all putting in an effort to ensure that there is a healthy and sustainable population of trout in the lakes. If you fish the western lakes with any regularity I would encourage you to join one of the local clubs and thus contribute to the development and maintenance of some of Irelands greatest natural resources. The local Headford club go to great lengths every year to try and make the spawning in the local streams as productive as possible, but this is not an easy task.

I would encourage all visiting anglers to hire a boat locally when visiting the lakes in an attempt to stop curb the spread of the Zebra Mussel. A lot of boats are brought to the Corrib and other lakes from different parts of the country especially during the April and May. The majority of these boats are not dis-infected prior to launch. It costs ~ €60 to rent a boat and engine for the day which is €30 per angler if there are two in the boat, this is not a lot of money in this day and age. This would also help to stem the problem of boats being left un-attended for many months at a time and sometimes over winter by anglers living many miles from the lakes and who are simply not in a position to look after them . This is neglectful and these boats are un-necessarily taking up berths when there is already a shortage.