Boat fishing for wild trout on some of the best lakes in Ireland

The Area:
The Fermanagh Lakeland is on of the most scenic areas of Ireland that not only provides some of the best wild trout fishing but also the chance of catching Atlantic salmon.

This fishing package from us offers you not only the chance to enjoy some excellent fishing, accommodation and food, but also the opportunity to enjoy some of the hospitality that makes Ireland so famous. This area of Ireland is blessed with beautiful scenery, historic houses and estates and ancient historic sites. Walking and sightseeing are a must and there are many places to visit in the area including for example:·

• Castle Coole – a magnificent neo-classical house with fine interiors and furnishings from before 1830.
• Florence Court – one of the most important historic houses in Ulster with striking interiors.
• The Marble Arch Caves – these Mesozic limestone caves have an extensive network of caverns that can be viewed from a boat.
• Devenish Island – can only be reached by boat and is the site of a ruined Abbey and a perfectly preserved 12th century Round Tower.

On top of all this is the excellent shopping in Enniskillen town and not to be forgotten are the many friendly and high quality pubs and restaurants.

The Fishing
Traditional lough style fishing is the norm drifting from a 19 foot lough boat. For those less experienced anglers we can offer instructions from a fully qualified guide.

The Erne system consists of Upper and Lower Lough Erne. The upper Lough holds massive head of coarse fish and is dotted with numerous islands. Lower Lough Erne is much bigger and as well as the course fishing holds excellent head of wild brown trout. It is a huge expanse of water, some 18 miles long and up to five miles wide, with depths of up to 200ft and many islands and rocky outcrops. This gives an ideal habitat for wild brown trout which average 2lbs with many much larger specimens caught each season.

Lough Melvin complements Lough Erne due to the fact that it not only fishes throughout the season but it can fish well due to the fact it holds four separate brown trout species as well as salmon and char. No artificial stocking has ever taken place on Melvin and the trout have not changed since the Ice Age, making this Lough a must for the wild trout enthusiast. Apart from the normal wild brown trout there are three other wild brown trout species, sonaghan, gillaroo and the ferrox. So different genetically are these that scientists have suggested that they be regarded as separate species.

Sonaghan are shoaling fish renowned for their fighting ability and can be found all over the Lough following the clouds of daphina. They can be caught on a variety of flies but traditional Irish dabblers or bumbles can be very successful.

Gillaroo are an impressive fish found along rocky shores and islands and are the most beautifully marked trout you will ever see. They are covered in red spots from head to tail on a golden body. They normally feed on shrimps and hoglouse amongst the rocks but a good fly hatch will bring them to the surface where they can be caught on a variety of patterns.

The ferrox trout are true predators that feed on fish including other trout. They are not old trout that have turned cannibal but a true separate species that grow very quickly due to their diet. Commonly a fish of 10 lbs may only be five years old. These trout are normally taken trolling but can sometimes be caught on the fly.

Atlantic salmon enter Lough Melvin through the Drowse river from January each year but the fishing on the Lough does not start until 1st February. They are frequently caught while trout fishing and add a bit of spice to your days fishing throughout the year.

Lough Melvin is about eight miles long and two miles wide and is only seven miles from the sea, so the wind can whip up a good wave. Our qualified guides are essential not only to control the boat but to put you on the best drifts and ensure you have the correct flies. Local farming has not changed much for hundreds of years and little or no fertilisers are used thus keeping pollution to a minimum, and ensuring pristine water quality.