Fishing – Lough Corrib

Lough Corrib is one of the best game fisheries in the world and it is a wonderful place to experience what Ireland has to offer both in terms of the game angling and the hospitality of the local people. It is a vast lake of 44,000 acres and stretches some thirty five miles from Galway city to Maam Bridge. Because of its size and numerous underwater hazards it is very advisable to use a guide on your first few visits, until you feel comfortable and confident enough to rent a boat yourself. The use of a guide also has the benefit of getting you to the best and most productive fishing grounds straight away, hence making your day more productive and enjoyable.

A guide to some of the key fishing areas is shown below. A more detailed angling map is available from the Western Regional Fisheries Board.




Salthouse Bay to Greenfields Bay
This area provides some of the best trout angling on the Corrib. Salthouse bay is renowned for it big hatches of Olives and Duckfly. It is a difficult bay to navigate due to the numerous shallows and Islands. Ballynalty Bay also has excellent hatches of Duckfly and Olives and a fair hatch of Mayfly. All around Inchiquin and Greenfields Bay is good wet fly water with excellent Mayfly hatches.
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Carraghmore Shore to Kilbeg
This is all good trout water with some of the best early season sport on duckfly patterns south of Rabbit Island around Goat and Kid Islands. There are a lot of shallows in this area particularly north of Rabbit Island and a lot of fish are caught on wet fly among the shallows early in the season.
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Ballindiff Bay
This bay holds some very large trout, it has all the main fly hatches and the buzzer fishing in the evenings can be superb.
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Annaghdown
This is a prime fishing location with all the main fly hatches. It holds trout averaging 2lbs and sport is good from the start of the season through to the end. This area is also good for Salmon but most are caught on the troll.
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Friars Cut
This area is another prime location with a very high average trout weight. It has all the main insect hatches and is also a noted area for Salmon.
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Moycullen
This area holds and excellent stock of trout and is noted for hatches of Caenis in June and July.
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Birchall Bay and Flynn Island
This area provides good fishing right from the start of the season it also fishes well at the end of the season. The whole area is very shallow and it is a noted wetfly area. Care should be taken while navigating this area due to the numerous underwater rocks.
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Oughterard
This area is excellent for both trout and Salmon. Salmon are taken mainly during June and July. The water is shallow and the fishing grounds extend to Inishanboe and beyond.
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Oughterard to Rinnerroon Point
The whole western shore of the lake from Oughterard northwards is noted for its Salmon fishing. Salmon are caught both on the fly and by trolling. There are also some noted trout waters in this area e.g. The Snadauns and Rinnerroon Bay.
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Glann Shore
There are excellent Salmon lies all along this shore to the Hill of Doon and beyond to the Fallomer river. The mouth of the Fallomer river is an excellent lie and the Salmon can be caught more easily on the fly.
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Cornamona Bay
Good trout water with all the main fly hatches.
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Southerly Shores of Dooras
Probably the best area on the lake for Salmon with some good trout fishing at Schoolhouse Bay.
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Northerly Shores of Dooras
This whole area offers excellent trout fishing in all seasons, with famous waters from Roeillaun to the Cornamona River.
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Carrick Shore
A noted area for Salmon with good dapping for trout during the Mayfly season.
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Ashford Bay
This is a good bay and the fishing is mainly around the islands. It has good Duckfly, Olives and Mayfly with some excellent buzzer fishing in the evenings. A lot of salmon are caught in this bay mainly by trolling.
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Inchagoill
This is probably the most famous island on Lough Corrib both historically and because of the excellent late season fishing for large trout on sedge patterns. It can be fished from all sides to suit wind direction.
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The Islands
It is said that there is an island on the Corrib for every day of the year and most of them will produce fish to the stealthy angler.
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