Rules
Anglers
can only fish one rod per angler
Rods
must not be left unattended.
All
under sized fish must be returned to the water
with as little injury as possible
The
Management reserve the right to refuse and revoke
a permit to anyone violating, these regulations
or acting in a manner detrimental to the fishery,
fishing or the surrounding countryside.
Anglers
who are found to have acted in an 'unsporting
manner' may have their permit revoked
The Fishery; Lough Owel lies 2.5 miles ( 4km ) north
west of Mullingar, to the left of the Mullingar -
Longford road. It is a high pH, mainly spring fed
limestone lake with an area of 2547 acres ( over 1000
Hectares ). It has remarkable water quality and can give
visibility to a depth of of over 20 feet (6m) on a bright
day.
Owel is a deep lake with less
fishing shallows than other Midland Lakes, but fishing
can be productive, even over deep water. With the
exceptional water clarity and with flies drifting out
from the shore it often pays to drift well beyond the
shallows, indeed right across the lake in some instances.
The lake has a resident stock of
wild brown trout, with an average weight of about 2lbs.
This stock has improved greatly over recent years due to
the control of pike numbers. In Lough Owel spawning and
nursery facilities for Brown Trout are extremely limited.
The lake which for the most part is spring fed, has few
tributaries, all of which are small. If all the native
trout were allowed to run the streams each year there
would be considerable losses because the available
spawning grounds would be fully utilised by the first
runs of fish. Their redds would be distributed by a
succeeding runs of fish and consequently the ova would be
lost. To prevent such wastage a policy operates which
allows the available gravel in streams to be fully used
for spawning. Surplus ova, which would otherwise be
wasted, are then stripped from the runs of native adult
trout which subsequently enter the streams. These ova are
hatched out at the nearby Cullion Fish Farm and large
numbers of the resulting fry and adult fish are later
stocked back into the lake. They thrive and grow quickly
on a rich diet, eliminating the necessity for any
staggered stocking programme. In this way, Lough Owel is
maintained as a high class trout fishery.
The average size of the trout is
remarkably large - averaging about 2lbs. Trout to about
7lbs are taken every season by anglers and fishery staff
have encountered fish up to 11 - 12lbs in the streams at
spawning time.
Early
Season
The season opens in March and
during this month and into early April, the best method
of taking trout is by trolling. The trout prey heavily on
sticklebacks and local advise is to fish a 1.5 inch grey
Lane Minnow. Imitative lures fished on sunk lines would
probably be equally effective. The areas to concentrate
on are close in by the shore and over and around known
shallows. There is little opportunity for bank fishing on
Owel on Owel, but during March/April spinning off the
railway embankment and along by the shallows can often be
productive.
The first hatches of Duckfly
occur around the second or third week of April and the
hatch lasts for approximately two weeks. The best hatches
are to the west of Studorra Island in the
neck of the lake from Mount Murray across to
Kilpatrick Point. Little fishing is done at this time as
conditions have to be suitable - mild evenings being
desirable - before the trout take the fly.
The most commonly used wet flies
at this time are Connemara Black, Black Pennell, Claret
& Mallard, Sooty Olive and Duckfly imitations.
May -
June
The fly fishing really peaks
around May 15th and often remains lively until
mid June, with hatches of Lake Olives, Buzzers and even
occasion Mayfly. The fishing can be fair to good during
the day with some really excellent evening response to
buzzer, particularly towards the end of May. The more
popular flies are Sooty Olive, Bibio, Greenwells Glory,
Cock Robin, Claret & Mallard, Green Olive, Gosling
Mayfly, Grey Duster and various Buzzer pupa imitations.
The late evening and night time buzzer fishing can be
best of all, and it is worth noting that the Grey Duster
fished dry will take more fish than any other fly when
cast to a feeding trout. This pattern should be dressed
with a good quality badger cock hackle, the tips of which
must be white and not cream or grey.
Some anglers like to fish from
morning until evening, finishing around 7 p.m. This can
be very convenient, but often not very successful. The
angler going out at 7pm and leaving the water at 11.30pm
or midnight generally gets much better results and more
action. More fish can often be caught in the last hours
of daylight than earlier in the day as there are more
insects on the water. On the warmer evenings flies such
as Reed Smuts, stone flies and cockybondhu beetles can
induce a frenzied feeding spell. Useful patterns at this
time of year are Golden Olive or an Orange and Grouse
dressed on a size 12 or 14 hook and will take trout
feeding on a stonefly in a ripple. Fish feeding on Reed
Smuts can provide superb sport, especially to the dry
enthusiast who must be prepared to fish small black dry
flies. A Black Gnat size 14 or 16 on fine tackle will
prove productive. The best fishing will always be
obtained in calm water along by the shore and especially
along by reed beds or bog lands. The bay known as
Bog Lake and the area to the west of
Sruddorra Island can be particularly good for this type
of fishing. In very calm and mild conditions fish feeding
on smut will take a small Bibio size 12 or 14 or a Black
Pennell.
High
Season (July - August)
There is generally a lull in the
trout fishing season from about the second week of June
until the third week in July and few anglers fish the
lake during this time. Instead they will be waiting for
the annual hatch of large sedge - Pyryganea species -
known in Ireland as the Green Peter. It is difficult to
give an exact time of year for the emergence of this fly.
During a hot summer, the hatch can begin as early as July
14th, while in a cooler season it may be
delayed by a couple of extra weeks. The hatch starts
about 10pm and lasts for about one hour and may go on
much longer. It is vital to remember that the best
fishing is always after dark on Lough Owel. Another point
worth noting is that the first week or ten days of the
hatch is always provides the best fishing. The trout feed
more avidly early on in the cycle but after about two
weeks fishing begins to slow down. These great sedges
hatch in open water. The most important areas of the lake
for this particular fly are from Sruddorra Island to
Portloman and along by the Cornfield shore. On the east
side , the hatch occurs around Church Island and along by
the shallows off the Bull Ring. The Green Peter brings up
the best fish in the Lough. During the Green Peter hatch
trout angling is at its best and trout are caught in
quite large numbers. This is the period that nearly
always produces the biggest trout of the season.
Your best course of action would
be to fish a team of wetflies in the areas mentioned
above until about 10pm. A Green Peter on the bob, an
Invicta in the middle and a Green Peter pupa on the point
will do just fine. When the first fish appear at the
surface, they take the adult fly as they scuttle across
the surface - this is time for fishing the dry fly. Cast
it in the path of a feeding fish and tweak it slowly
along the surface. When the fish takes, avoid striking
immediately to allow the fish to turn down before sending
the hook home.
End of
Season
There can be an excellent day
time fishing to wetflies through mid August, September
and even early October. Fish anywhere, even out into deep
water. In warm weather you should pay special attention
to the area along by the small pump house on the east
shore. There are lots of cool springs in this area and
the trout tend to congregate here. There can be very good
wetfly fishing during late evenings in August to a
mixture of buzzers, small sedge hatches and small black
terrestrial flies. The best Autumn fishing is in
September, particularily when strong north - westerly or
south easterly winds sweep across the length of the lake.
Such winds do not suit Loughs Ennell or Sheelin but are
ideal on Owel.
Dapping
Dapping can work wonderfully
well on Owel from late July through August and September
and even into October. Without doubt the favourite
dap on Owel is the Grasshopper. This land
based insect is rarely found on the water, but for some
unknown reason it can be very productive. Local anglers
consider it to be far more superior to the
Daddy Unlike dapping a mayfly only on insect
is used, attached to a size 8 or 10 hook. For those who
have difficulty getting in obtaining grasshoppers or who
run short of supply during a days fishing can usually
replenish by collecting them along the shore in front of
the trees at Captains Hill or along the shore at
Portloman. They are best sought out on a bright warm day
and should be stored in a dry, airy box containing dry
grass or new mown hay.
Let us summarise the fly hatch
on Lough Owel by saying that it has a good hatch of
Duckfly in spring and a good Green peter hatch in July
and August, and fair hatches of Olives in May and again
in late August - September. The Mayfly hatch can be best
described as sparse and localised.
The native Lough Owel trout are
dour except during the evening Buzzer hatch in May and
the Green Peter hatch in July and August, The fish can
also be fairly active in September during the day.
The stocked trout, already
mentioned, make a considerable contribution to the
liveliness of the fishing on the Lough in September.
Please Observe Our Country Code and Fisheries
Laws.
Anglers are requested to always
observe our country code
Seek permission
from landowners before crossing private lands or property
Do not park cars in
fields except where permission is granted and it is safe to do so.
Leave no litter
Keep our
countryside clean
Normal access is
over footbridges and stiles or where public access is provided.
Become a Reporter:
If you wish to contribute to
these guides, please use our online form
|