Fly fishing near Dublin

mlmurph

Hello, all!

I will be visiting Dublin in mid-August from the states. I'd like to spend a day fly fishing while I am there. In the states, I'm accustomed to wild trout in small mountain streams and large wadable rivers. Can any of you recommend a reputable guide that can put me on fish within an hour or so of Dublin?

Michael Murphree

Zzippy

Good trout fishing on the Boyne and its tributaries, especially the Kells Blackwater, with several highly-rated guides, as well as on the Liffey. Both within an hour of Dublin. Check www.fishingireland.net for extensive info on fishing these rivers. Marc O'Regan and Pat McLoughlin are apparently great guides, their details are on the site I mentioned

coolwings

Hello Michael

You could make a start here:
http://www.cfb.ie/fishing_in_ireland/ghillies/index.htm

Search Co Dublin (vicinity of Dublin city) , and also Co Kildare (middle Liffey area) and Co Meath (R Boyne catchment) before stopping.

pullandbang

The Boyne at Trim, Co. Meath is less than an hour from Dublin.
The local club is in the process of building a website so watch this space. It's a fantastic trout river and well worth a visit.

mlmurph

Thank you for the input, gentlemen. Hopefully, I'll find the right resources between now and August to make for a worthy outing.

It appears that most of the water is "private" or at least managed by a local club in Ireland, which will be new for me. Most of the wild water here in the States is open to the public and requires only a governmental license to fish. Very few "pay to fish" rivers near me and even fewer "beat fishing." Should be a new experience for me.

In addition to finding a guide, can any of you provide me with information on local clubs and contact information for those that have good fishable water near Dublin? Finding a club that will allow a "guest membership" for a day or two along with a member to fish with might even be a better idea than hiring a guide.

Michael

Zzippy

Michael
The site I mentioned has all these details. Check:

http://fishingireland.net/fishing/salmonandtrout/meath/boyne2.htm
http://fishingireland.net/fishing/salmonandtrout/meath/boyne1.htm
http://fishingireland.net/fishing/salmonandtrout/meath/kellsblackwater.htm
http://fishingireland.net/fishing/salmonandtrout/dublin/liffey.htm

Plenty of clubs and contacts on there.

Hope this helps!

stevenmu

mlmurph wrote: »

It appears that most of the water is "private" or at least managed by a local club in Ireland, which will be new for me. Most of the wild water here in the States is open to the public and requires only a governmental license to fish. Very few "pay to fish" rivers near me and even fewer "beat fishing." Should be a new experience for me.

On principle I tend to be against the idea of "pay to fish" waters, especially when it comes to public water from public land. With that said, I have recently joined the Dodder Anglers Association for the very reasonable sum of €10 which allows me to fish both the Dodder river and the Bohernabreena Reservoirs, both of which are very well maintained by the club. And considering the river actually flows through the Dublin city and the reservoirs are very very close by, it's amazing how pristine they are, they definitely feel very much like a rural river or lake respectively.

If you venture outside the Dublin region there is also a lot of free fishing, and I'm delighted to say that in Ireland free fishing is genuinely free, there is no rod license required (except for migratory species, Salmon and Sea-Trout, which I agree with because they are under serious pressure). There are many lakes and rivers where you can fish completely freely (and the canals too if you want to coarse fish). If you can make it across the country I would particularly recommend fishing in the great western loughs which are large limestone lakes and provide the kind of game fishing that people come from all around the world for.

If you are tied to Dublin, the Dodder above is the easiest to get to, it's easily accessible by public transport or you could even walk it easily enough. The fishing wouldn't be as good as the Boyne to be fair, but in the right spots it does have a bit of that "quiet rural stream" feel.

Because there isn't a license needed (unless you're targeting migratory fish), the permits, for any of the waters mentioned, work out to be pretty cheap.

bernard0368

There is great fishing on the liffey, well within the hour from dublin. Closer to the time come back on this site and i could get the details as to getting there and obtaining a day pass for you.

mlmurph

Thank you all for your input and for providing advice to an outsider!

As the time draws closer and my plans are better laid out, I will search out this thread and revive it. When the time comes, I'd much prefer to fish with someone who knows the river I'll be fishing than to fish it alone, preferrably with one of you who need an excuse to get on the water for a day. I'll pay for a guide if I must, but I'd be willing to wager that I can talk one of you into a day of fishing in exchange for a Guiness or a Smithwick's.

Michael

pullandbang

pullandbang wrote: »

The Boyne at Trim, Co. Meath is less than an hour from Dublin.
The local club is in the process of building a website so watch this space. It's a fantastic trout river and well worth a visit.

As promised, the local club has just launched their website
http://www.trimathboyanglers.net/Home

Hope you get a chance to make the trip and enjoy the fishing.

lisalaois

or try Laois Angling Centre, just 1 hour 20mins from dublin. they have four spring fed lakes. one bait lake one fly lake both with brown and rainbow trout. (specimen trout in both lakes but the fly lake has trout up to 30pounds! they held a competition last sunday the top prize went to trout almost 18pounds!
they also have a coarse lake stocked with carp and tench, and a childrens lake with trout. they have a web site or you can call Enda on 00353-879962864