The Irish climate is well suited to sport angling. It is temperate and kind to the angler with moderate summers, mild winters and adequate rainfall throughout the year.
Ideal for Tourists
Many Irish people enjoy fishing but we are happy to share our "riches" with our fellow anglers from all over the world. Few of us, however, fish for coarse fish (freshwater species other than the salmon and trout family) which means that our magnificent pike, bream, tench and roach fisheries are largely left to the tourist.
No licence required on the Shannon
Anglers are welcome throughout the whole of Ireland but there are some differences between the North and South as far as regulations and licences are concerned. No licence is required for coarse or pike fishing on the Shannon, but a share certificate is required for game fishing. A licence is required for all types of fishing in Northern Ireland and these are available to buy online. In Ireland, conservation is necessary to protect the variety of fish in our waters. Local fishery bye-laws are very strict and you must make yourself aware of them before you arrive. There is no close season for coarse fishing in either the North or south. The season for game fishing varies in different regions.
Your home on the water
Fishing from your Shannon cruiser allows you the option of moving to where the action is - and when you find a good spot, you can stay there! Think of your cruiser as a cottage that moves - there are literally hundreds of places to tie up and plenty of pubs and shops for when you're finished.
Popular species
The popular coarse fish species in Ireland are Pike, Bream, Roach, Tench, Hybrids (roach/bream & rudd/bream) & Perch. Once large bream are encountered it is not unusual to get bags of 150lbs to 250lbs. And for the Pike angler starting in Banagher, fishing is often very productive, especially around Meelick where fish up to 20lbs+ are reported quite frequently.
What boat should I choose?
There is no need to bring your own bait as there is a network of Bait Stockists around the region, and we can pre-order and deliver your bait for you. Most of our angling visitors prefer the sedan-style boats as they have aft cockpits from which you can fish safely. These include the Limerick Class, Tyrone Class, Wave Duke and Carlow Class - and for the discerning customer, the Wave Princess and Wexford Class. We can also supply fishing dinghies up to 14' long and outboard motors so that you can explore the smaller inaccessible tributaries and creeks. (Prices from €100 for an extra dinghy with outboard per week).
More information
For more information on species and where to fish, click on the links on the left.