Blackwater - Trout and more

Trout

The River Blackwater and many of its tributaries hold good numbers of brown trout, although they tend to be on the small side, averaging 6 to 10 inches (15 to 25 cm) in length, with bigger fish being encountered occasionally. They rise freely especially in the late evening, and the best of the fishing is in May and June, using small wet flies, or dry Olives and Sedge patterns.

Trout fishing is mainly controlled by local village clubs, which often use, at the discretion of their owners, various salmon beats on the understanding that salmon anglers have priority over the fishing and water. Permits to fish for trout can usually be obtained through tackle shops local to where you are staying.

The Rivers Suir, Nire and Tar are also within range, and can boast excellent trout fishing, with some very big wild fish caught each year. Permits to fish and Information on these rivers, can be obtained from Clonanav Fly Fishing, Ballymacarbry, Clonmel, Co. Waterford.

There are also opportunities to fish a limited number of stocked still water venues for trout both brown and rainbow. Waterford City and County Trout Anglers Association control three very natural reservoirs: Knockaderry; Carrigavantry, and Ballyscanlon. Permits and details available from the Centra Supermarket in Kilmeaden, boat and bank fishing is available.

Ballyhass Lakes near Mallow also provide stocked rainbow trout fishing, from the bank or from boats, with some good fish caught.

Sea trout are sometimes encountered on the River Backwater, mainly in the lower beats but also in the River Bride (the Blackwater's main tributary), but again tend to be on the small side, although a fish of nearly 8 lbs was recorded recently from the Blackwater itself. Again, you can obtain permits to fish for sea trout through tackle shops local to where you are staying.

Notes Certain regulations apply to brown-trout fishing and to sea-trout fishing, including:

A licence is not required to fish for brown trout in the Blackwater or in its tributaries.

The open season for brown trout on the Blackwater is 15th February to 30th September.

The open season for sea trout on the Blackwater is 1st February to 30th September.

A State Licence is required to fish for sea trout.

All sea trout over 40cm kept must be tagged, and the logbook filled out accordingly.

National bag limit for sea trout: anglers can catch 3 sea trout in a 24 hour period.

See FULL details of State angling regulations at this page

Other

Coarse

Good coarse fishing is available to visitors at a number of venues within the Blackwater catchment area, fishing for dace, roach, bream, tench, perch, gudgeon, pike , and carp.

The River Blackwater itself contains specimen dace and roach along with the odd perch and recently a few bream, which can be fished for at the following three locations:

Fermoy, Co. Cork fishing is carried out on Barnane Walk, within the Town upstream of the main road bridge, float fished maggot/caster can bring good results over plenty of groundbait.

Cappoquin Angling Association, Co. Waterford issues permits to fish for coarse fish (roach and dace).

The Railway Bridge Mallow, Co. Cork float fishing or quivertip for roach and dace.

Knockananig Resevoir, Co. Cork, close to Fermoy Town, a small public water supply holds good numbers of roach, rudd, bream, perch, tench, and one or two good carp.

Inniscarra Dam, Co. Cork, on the River Lee outside Cork City, is becoming a mecca for coarse anglers. It holds huge shoals of bream, roach, rudd, and hybrids, together with some very big pike and recently some carp. Permits must be obtained before fishing. Lee Valley Harbour (at Inniscarra Dam) can supply these together with bait and the hire of boats if required.

Belle ake, Dunmore East, Co. Waterford holds bream, roach, rudd, tench, and pike.

Lough Allua, Inchigeelagh, Co. Cork for most species. Noted for big pike.

New Ross Coarse Fishery, Co. Waterford a stocked venue for carp.

Tackle and bait are available from various outlets based in Fermoy, Cork City, Cappoquin, Mallow, and Middleton. Bait in the form of maggots (available only during the summer months). And when fishing any of the above venues you will need plenty, together with large amounts of groundbait.

Notes. Certain regulations apply to course fishing, including:

1. There is no closed season for coarse fish in the Republic of Ireland.
2. The use of live fish as bait is prohibited in the Republic of Ireland.
3. No licence is needed to fish for coarse fish (including pike) in the Republic of Ireland.

For full details of State angling regulations, see this page

Sea Fishing

Should anglers want to try sea fishing, Youghal, Dungarvan, and the many venues around Cork Harbour are but 30 minutes drive from the River Blackwater, and can produce a variety of species, including bass, codling, pollack, conger, dogfish, flounder/flatfish, mullet and of course mackerel and gars in the summer months.

Fishing takes place from the many strands (beaches) or off the rocky outcrops that guard the many bays, or from the quays in Youghal or Dungarvan.

Bait in the form of lugworm, peeler crab or mussel, can be sourced locally at low tide off the strands or around the rocky promontories. Local tackle shops provide frozen or preserved bait, crab, sandeel, and mackerel. Spinning can be very effective for bass on early morning or late evening tides, using modern shad type patterns of rubber sandeel, or Rapala type plugs, some even fly fish, which can be great sport.

Youghal is a pleasant seaside venue at the mouth of the River Blackwater, the town sports a number of quays from which a variety of species can be caught, although mooring bouys can be troublesome at times when trying to land fish!

The main road bridge over the Blackwater estuary fishes well all year round for a variety of species, from codling to mackerel, but the pavement is very narrow with a lot of traffic passing at speed, so it can be precarious! There are numerous marks down from the Bridge which are safer.

Across from the town a short drive is Ferry Point. This consists of a large shingle spit which juts out into the estuary, and is a noted mark for many species, with fairly deep water, and fierce tides. There is safe ample parking right onto the shore, but stay on the grassed areas not the shingle. To the left of the main point is a sheltered cove and shingle beach, which produces some flatfish and the odd bass, looking straight across towards the town puts you into faster deeper water, where most species can be caught, with good codling, coalfish and whiting in the winter, and some very good bass late summer along with shoals of mackerel.

The rocky headlands from Monatrea to Cabin Point can fish well for bass along with small pollack, coalfish, and codling in the winter months. Caliso Bay to Whiting Bay also can fish well for bass, some flatfish, and the occasional sea trout.

Heading out of Youghal towards Cork is a mark signposted, Pilmore. This mark is a small estuary that can fish very well for bass on the first hour of a flood tide, along with flatfish and mullet.

A number of charter boats operate out from Youghal Harbour, fishing for most species, some specialise in blue shark fishing, and have to be booked in advance.

Dungarvan situated in a sheltered bay on the estuary of the Colligan River has plenty of shore marks, from Clonea Strand round to Helvic Head, fishing concentrates mainly on bass, which can be caught spinning, and on the fly in the bay.

Along with bass, flounders/flatfish, mullet, and mackerel can be caught even in the harbour, at the centre of town, although the tidal flats of the bay and the Cunnigar Spit that guards the bay are more favoured, fishing rising tides.

Helvic Head produces pollack, mackerel, wrasse, and the odd conger fishing into deeper water off the rocks. Bait can be dug around Abbeyside, mainly lug worm and white rag. The town sports a number of tackle outlets that supply frozen bait, crab, sandeel, mackerel, squid, and razor fish. A number of charter boats operate from the harbour.

Cork Harbour is a massive expanse of sheltered water extending from Cork City in the west to Middleton in the east with many marks to try over deep shipping channels, the Sea wall at Monkstown, Deepwater Quay Ringaskiddy, Cobh Deepwater Quay to name but a few. Species caught include bass, codling, flatfish, rays, pollack, mullet, and some very big conger eel.

A number of tackle outlets exist in and around the City, which can supply bait and advice, there are also charter boats for hire.

Note. For full details of State angling regulations, see this page In particular, bass fishing is strictly State controlled with an emphasis on conservation. Therefore, anglers intending to fish for bass should consult the Fishing regulation page within this link in order to familiarise themselves with full details of the current regulations they need to observe.