Near double figure Salmon/Trout?

bobnalong

Hey everyone was wondering could I get some advice on a few goods spots. I'm always up the lake fishing and catch trout between 1-2 pound but I'd like to know where's the best place to go for near double figure ones?

I'm in the midlands I know Ballina and that is the best was just wondering if there is anywhere closer to me?

Me and my mate we could easily stick a engine in our car and go to some place get some boat and fish all day, set-up our tent for the night have the stove on for some grub.

Any advice would be grate!!

Zzippy

If you're from the midlands, please don't bring your boat or engine to any lakes that don't have zebra mussels - you risk spreading them from the Shannon catchment to uninfested lakes. Very easy to hire a boat and engine for the day locally.
As for your question, the western lakes (Corrib and Mask especially) are known for double figure trout. These are ferox trout, a separate subspecies, and becoming more rare, so please practise catch, photograph and release.
For double figure salmon, the Moy is a good bet, with the bigger fish usually caught in April-May.
Sea trout to double figures can be caught in Lough Currane in Kerry, but the average size is probably closer to 2-3lbs.

Kess73

Lough Derg has quite a few double figure brown trout. Most of the big trout there are big ferox trout, and are caught more by piking methods than trout. I have caught a few whilst trolling for pike, the biggest being just over 14 lbs.

There are trout between 4 and 8lbs around the lake too, but can be difficult to find due to the sheer size of the lake.

I would suggest hiring a boat, there is a boat hire place right on the Killaloe side of the bridge, just at the entrance to the car park.

Follow the lake along the side where the hire boats are, be aware it is a busy waterway at this point so don't start trolling at this point. Head approx 1.5 miles and you will see the lake starting to widen dramatically, and you will see a lot of large rocks on your left hand side with the lake marking sign. If planning to cast lures, cast to the opposite side of the boat to those rocks, if planning to troll, do so from those rocks onwards. Large fish are a regular occurance in thois stretch. Once you come to where you can see the area where the jet skis/wind sufers and the rest of the University water sports equipment (it is easy to spot and well signed), just take in your baits and head across that little bay to where you will come to another bay that is 3/4 surrounded by reeds, this is another good spot, and this area can be fly fished to good effect also. All of this is in the first few miles of the lake.

Directly across from that spot is another good bay, but I would not recommend trying to cross the lake at that point, as it can be quite rough once you get out from the shelter of the bay and best approached by following the lake shore from the Ballina side when you hire the boat.


There are many many other great fishing spots along the lake, and many more further up lake near mountshannon, Dromineer and Garykennedy just to name three areas.