Some information on what you can expect when fishing in Co Mayo.

For information on some of the service providers take a look at Fishing/Angling Service Providers.

Mayo offers the visiting angler excellent fishing and a wide choice. The River Moy is internationally acknowledged as an exceptional salmon fishery, producing several thousand salmon to the rod annually. Good salmon angling both on rivers and lakes, is widely available throughout the County with many famous fly fisheries such as Burrishoole, Delphi, Errif, Newport and the Owenmore/Carrowmore systems to name but a few.

Brown trout fishing is widely available throughout the County and is particularly good on the Moy system which includes Lough Conn. The official recorded annual brown trout catch from Lough Conn in recent years has been in the region of 3,500 to 4,000 fish, averaging 1 lb. in weight.

However, the real catch is probably in the region of 6,000 to 7,000 trout annually. In relation to Lough Conn, anglers should bear in mind that this lake is still a self-sustaining natural system, and has never required stocking. The peak season on Lough Conn is of course the Mayfly period which gets underway towards the end of May. However, very good trout fishing is not uncommon between August and early October.

The other great Western lakes in Mayo, Loughs Carra and Mask, also provide good brown trout fishing. Lough Carra supports an excellent stock of wild brown trout averaging 1.5 lbs. and Lough Mask is well known for the large ferrox trout taken annually which often weigh in excess of 10 lbs.

Sea trout fishing is available at various locations throughout Mayo but check the latest information with the operators of these fisheries (eg Burrishoole, Newport, Delphi, Errif). Very good sea trout fishing can be had in the Moy Estuary, Carrowmore Lake, Cloonaghmore (Palmerstown) River Estuary and the Glenamoy Estuary and River, when in spate.

Coarse angling is also catered for in Mayo. Lakehill Pond, just outside Ballyhaunis, is an exceptional trench fishery. Pike angling is available on many lakes, eg Derryhick and Lavally Lakes to the South and West of Pontoon respectively. Eaton's Lake near Knock, supports good stock of bream, and fishing stands have been erected to facilitate the coarse angler.

The seas around Mayo support a wide variety of fish species which provide the sea angler with excellent fishing. The main centres catering for the sea angler in Mayo are Belmullet, Killala and Westport. Shore fishing is also widely available along the Mayo coast.

Take a look at Fishing/Angling in South Mayo.