Why Sligo?
To The Waters and Wild
Explore Sligo’s amazing mix of beaches, at Rosses Point; Dunmoran Strand; Streedagh Strand; Mullaghmore; Enniscrone, Strandhill, and Culleenamore.
Cast your rod, experience Sligo’s abundance of waterbased activities. World class surfing, sailing, scuba diving, deep sea angling, fishing, island tours and more….
- Trotting a worm on the Drumcliffe River
Angling
Game Angling
The Ballisodare River
The Ballisodare River is just 5 miles long and flows from Collooney into Ballisodare Bay. With its tributaries, the Unshin River, the Owenmore River and the Owenbeg River, it drains a catchment of 252 square miles, which includes Lough Arrow and Templehouse Lake. Most of the fishing action takes place below the “Butt” of the Ballisodare Falls. There is a small run of spring salmon and in June-July the peak of its large grilse run is seen. There is some very good seatrout fishing in the estuary in the evenings on a rising tide. The famous Falls Pool at Ballisodare provides some fine fishing throughout the summer months. Angling must be booked in advance.
The Easkey River
The Easkey River, is a picturesque spate stream of approximately 20km in length. Its principal source is Lough Easkey situated high in the Ox Mountains which straddle Counties Mayo and Sligo. The river gets superb runs of salmon and seatrout from June and each summer spate brings fresh run fish right up to the end of the season. Most of the water is suitable for fly fishing with a single handed rod and there are some beautiful secluded pools which can produce wonderful sport any time between June and September. The Fortland Fishery, situated in the lower end of the Easkey River, comprises approximately 3 miles of double bank angling for Salmon and Seatrout in a beautiful & secluded wooded estate setting.
- Blue Shark Mullaghmore
Lough Arrow
Arrow is one of the great Irish trout fishing loughs where the trout average 1.5lb and fish to 6lb and 7lb are taken on fly annually. It is 4 miles north-west of Boyle, with Ballymote 6 miles and Ballyfarnan 3 miles away. It is a limestone lough, incredibly rich and, while it has some feeder streams, it is mainly spring-fed. The scarcity of spawning and nursery areas is a limiting factor in trout production. It is no longer stocked and anglers should not expect big catches. What you get is quality trout, but fewer of them. There is public access at Brick Pier on the eastern shore, Ballinafad Pier on the southern shore and Rinnbawn Pier on the western shore.
Lough Talt
Lough Talt is a very picturesque lake of about 200 acres located in the foothills of the Ox mountains. The R294 Ballina – Tubbercurry road runs right along the northeast shoreline, making it easily accessible. It can be fished from the shore, which is solid and accessible. The trout here range from % – and lbs with the occasional pounder. They are free rising and numerous, making it an ideal location for the young or inexperienced angler.
Garavogue - Lough Gill and River Bonet
The open season for salmon and seatrout is from 1 January to 30 September; for brown trout, from 1 March to 30 September. Lough Gill is a large lough, nearly 6.5 miles long from east to west and 2.5 miles wide at its widest point. It lies about 3 miles east of Sligo and the R286 Dromahair-Sligo road runs close by the shore on the northern end and the R287 on the southern side.
There is public access and parking at Innisfree, Sriff Bay, Aughamore and Hazelwood Bay. This lough holds brown trout and salmon. It gets a run of spring salmon and anglers are out from opening day. Most of the fishing is done by trolling. February and March are regarded as good months and so also is May, but after that the salmon fishing is over for the season. Lough Gill also holds a stock of good brown trout averaging 1lb. They tend to be dour and slow to take and anglers concentrate a lot of their trout fishing efforts on the mayfly season from mid-May to mid-June when the trout fishing can be good.
Glencar Lake and Drumcliff River
This lovely lough, south-east of Benbulben, is approximately 2 miles long by 1/2 mile wide. Situated in a deep valley to the north of the N16 Manorhamilton-Sligo road, 5 miles from Sligo, it has a spectacular waterfall at its north-east corner. The lough has a resident stock of small brown trout and gets a really good run of seatrout and a fair number of salmon, both spring fish and grilse.
- Coarse Fishing in County Sligo
Coarse and Pike Angling
Owenmore River
The Cluid Stretch is a very accessible location situated 2 miles outside Ballymote on the Ballinacarrow road. It holds bream, rudd, hybrids and perch. Bags of bream up to 100 lbs have been recorded on this stretch.
Ballinascarrow Lake
This lake has large stocks of bream, rudd and hybrids. It also holds some carp. The lake has excellent facilities including a car park, angling stands and stiles.
Ardrea Lake
This is a small lake 2 miles north of Ballymote. It holds large stocks of bream, rudd, hybrids, specimen tench, perch and pike.
- Sligo Pike
Cloonacleigha Lake
Situated 4 miles west of Ballymote opposite Templehouse Lake is Cloonacleigha Lake. The lake covers almost 30 acres. There is a slipway for launching boats.
Templehouse Lake
Is best fished from the Kilbrattan shore. Permission has been granted by Mr Roderick Perceval (+ 353 (0) 719183329), to fish for the lakes excellent stock of bream and its pike and rudd.
Lough Gill
Beautiful Lough Gill is best known as a salmon and trout fishery but it holds sizable stocks of pike and perch and a good stock of bream. A few pike competitions are fished there annually with fishing mainly from boats whereas bream fishing would be carried out from the suitable shoreline locations.
Ballymote
The Ballymote area offers a good variety of coarse and pike fishing on a number of lakes and the Owenmore River.
Sea Angling
Sligo’s coastline stretching from Mullaghmore to Easky gives every conceivable variety of ground, from superb strands, through broad estuaries to rocky shores with off shore reefs. And that’s just the mainland. Islands abound and beyond them the deeper waters of the Atlantic Ocean.
Deep Sea Angling
Fully equipped licensed boats for deep sea fishing are available around the coast where experienced local skippers will guide you. Bottom fishing is available all year round for a great variety of species. There are several reefs with abundant pollack and wrasse.
Shore Angling
Mullaghmore Pier
On the sheltered side of the headland, looking back across the strand to the mountains of Sligo, is a haunt of mullet and the source of many of specimen size. They are taken on pieces of fish or bread at high water. The breakwater, at the harbour entrance, yields dab, flounder, plaice and occasional ray in summer. On the exposed, rocky north coast is Darby’s Hole where the gently sloping rocks provide excellent fishing for big wrasse.
Easkey
The quay provides bottom fishing for conger, float fishing for wrasse and spinning for pollack, best at high water. At high water, the two rocky points, Lenadoon Point to the west and Carrownabinna to the east, offer wrasse, coalfish, pollack and a possibility of conger. Kilrusheighter Strand, 7 miles (11 km) east of Easkey has surf fishing for dogfish and flounder, with a possibility of tope: best on a flood tide and especially at the mouths of streams.
Enniscrone
The pier provides bottom fishing for conger, dogfish and ocasional ray, float fishing for wrasse and spinning for coalfish, mackerel and pollack. The strand is good for surf fishing, particularly in autumn, for dab, flounder and dogfish and occasional sea trout. The Moy Estuary nearby has excellent sea trout.
Rosses Point
Rosses Point, at the entrance to the inner Sligo Bay is a good spot for spinning for mackerel and sea trout in summer and can yield the occasional bass. Coney Island, at the mouth of the bay is approachable from the land only at low tide. Flounder and sea trout can be caught in the main channel. The rocky promontory of Strandhill, surmounted by the stone age mausoleum known as Queen Maeve’s Tomb, is a popular seaside resort with a fine beach. Flatfish can be caught from its southern end and occasional bass in autumn. Across the channel from Strandhill, Portcurry Point also yields flounder and sea trout, with a possibility of tope. Mullet can be plentiful there in hot weather. The southern outpost of Sligo Bay, Aughris Head, has good beach fishing for flounder and dogfish with possibilities of tope and ray.
Catch a wave... The seaside village of Strandhill, is one of Ireland’s most popular beach breaks. West Sligo is renowned for its quality surf, takes in Aughris, Easkey and Enniscrone.
Island Tours
Excalibur Inishmurray Tours
Rose of Innisfree
Kilmore, Fivemilebourne, Co Leitrim
+353 (0) 71 9164266
Coney Island
Accessible by land at low tide, it is believed locally that it’s more famous namesake in New York was named after the Irish Island by a Sligo sea captain. The mud flats provide water feeding grounds for the Brent goose, as well as wild duck and waders.
Sailing
Mullaghmore Sailing Club and Centre Ltd
Mullaghmore, Cliffoney, Sligo.
+353 (0)71 9144392
Sligo Yacht Club
Rosses Point, Sligo.
+353 (0)71 9177168
Surf Schools
Perfect Day Surf School
Strandhill, Sligo.
+353 (0)87 2029399
Strandhill Surf School
Beach Front
Strandhill
Sligo.
+353 (0)87 2870817
Seventh Wave Surf School
Enniscrone, Sligo.
+353 (0)87 9716389
North West Surf School
Enniscrone, Co Sligo.
+353 (0)87 9595556
Strandhill Surf Cam
Other
Sligo Regional Sports Centre
Cleveragh, Sligo Town, Sligo.
+353 (0)71 9160539 / +353 (0)71 9150941
Waterpoint
Pier Road, Enniscrone, Co Sligo.
+353 (0)87 2060371 / +353 (0)96 36988
LSD Kiteboarding
Ballyweelin, Rosses Point, Sligo.
+353 (0)86 8051390
Sligo Bird Watch
Off Shore Watersports
Scuba Diving, Power Boating and Fishing.
Harbour View Dive Centre
Sligo Rowing Club
Rory Clarke
Sligo Field Club
Promoting an interest in the built heritage and natural environment - archaeology, history including industrial, architectural and engineering history, folklore, botany, ornithology and geology.
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