Inshore fishing both fly, river and from small boats, especially during the months from May to September, is a growing trend. There is no better means of appreciating the intimate connection between the life of Irish coastal communities and the sea, than to fish from a small boat equivalent in size to the craft that almost all Irish fishermen used until recent times. Many visiting anglers bring their own purpose-built 14 - 18 foot boats to a growing number of centres where guidance on where to go, and on safety issues is available.

Irish shore angling is among the best in Europe. Almost every type of shore fishing may be done, for a very wide range of species, throughout the year.

Coarse Angling

Ireland has some of the cleanest and most lightly-fished freshwaters in Europe. The Irish landscape is one of small fields and wild peat bogs, littered with loughs of all sizes and drained by many rivers; there are over 7,000 miles of riverbank for the coarse angler. The scale of these waters varies dramatically. Two of the biggest rivers, the Shannon and the Erne, each comprise huge systems. The Shannon contains in its course several massive loughs, such as lough Ree which is eighteen miles long. The Erne also spreads into big networks of loughs, like Lough Oughter in County Cavan. But apart from these systems there are innumerable smaller rivers and loughs. What all of the waters, big and small have in common is their richness and their wealth of fish life.

Irish inland waters have retained their pristine quality. Ireland has never had a significant degree of heavy industry, and its inland towns are mainly small. It is still possible to find
yourself in a corner of an Irish lough, sheltered by dense reedbeds in ten feet of clear water
and to feel that you are the first person ever to have fished that particular place.

This peace can be found on any one of the many types of Irish water. There are the big rivers, such as the Shannon, but there are also medium sized rivers like the Barrow. There are deep loughs dark with peat stain and there are crystal clear waters, such as Lough Annaghmore in County Roscommon, where you may see the fish take your bait. Some of the biggest loughs
are rugged and wild when stirred by the westerly winds which sweep over Ireland. But there
are also small quiet loughs and miles of canal sheltered by stands of mature trees where the most delicate styles of angling can be practised in perfect peace. Irish coarse fishing offers this solitude and tranquility and it can also offer companionship to those who like to fish in company. But above all it offers superb fishing.

Game Angling 

The essence of game angling is the pursuit of native fish in wild places; Ireland offers a unique opportunity to experience such fishing. Salmon, trout and sea-trout are native species with an honoured place in Irish culture. And Ireland's loughs and rivers have preserved their character in a landscape which has changed very little over the centuries. The angler on lough Mask, one of the great western limestone loughs, witnesses a timeless scene looking across the waves to mountain ranges which ripple into infinity on the skyline.

This sense of place, which is one of the pleasures of fishing in Ireland can be experienced in different ways on the many types of Irish river and lough. Lough Mask is like an inland sea, but there are also countless small loughs where the lone angler can fish in sheltered solitude. Major rivers like the Munster Blackwater in the south offer sport with salmon and scenery on a grand scale while a more intimate experience can be enjoyed on the minor limestone trout streams such as those which wind through the green pastures of County Meath. But while Irish game angling is a sport of varied landscapes and many seasons, it has one abiding virtue; it still offers an authentic angling experience in a world where this is increasingly rare.