Irish river trout fishing in Ireland

The brown trout is a native Irish species, and the most widely distributed freshwater fish in Ireland. It thrives in rivers of all types, from small mountain streams to broad limestone rivers such as the Boyne or the lower Liffey. Its main requirements are clean water and swift runs over gravel in which to spawn.

Ireland has for centuries offered ideal habitats for the brown trout. It is still predominantly an agricultural country with a low population which is concentrated on the coastal margins. Ireland's landscape remains a patchwork of pastures and bog drained by innumerable rivers and streams. Its rivers, especially those in the midlands, have long been noted for the quality of their wild brown trout fishing. Viscount Grey of Falloden in his classic book Fly Fishing (1899) described angling on the best of the English chalk streams, but he found the "wildest and most exciting dry fly fishing" he had experienced on the river Suir in County Tipperary; he said of it that "in May or June it might be the finest dry fly fishing" in these islands.

At a time when the habitat of the wild brown trout is contacting all over Europe, and when some fly fishing for trout has an artificial character, Ireland offers the essence of the sport - the pursuit of wild trout taking hatching fly in natural waters. Rivers like the Fergus in County Clare provide challenging sport with selective trout of high average size, and scenery on a impressive scale; a more intimate experience can be enjoyed on the minor limestone trout streams such as those which wind through the pastures of County Meath or County Mayo. Irish trout fly-fishing is a sport of varied landscapes and many seasons, but it has one abiding virtue; it offers an authentic angling experience in a world where this is increasingly rare.

Open Season:
Most brown trout fisheries open between February 15th and March 1st. Most close on September 30th with some exceptions which close on various dates between September 15th and October 12th. Clubs may have their own regulations on opening and closing dates.