Angling Information For Guests Visiting Lough Arrow

The Duckfly

The Duckfly, a species of chironomid or buzzer, is the first fly species to hatch.  The hatch usually begins in mid-April and lasts for about three weeks. The most prolific hatches occur in the evenings from about 7.30pm but, occasionally, if weather conditions are favorable, they will hatch during the day.

The most favoured patterns are Claret Bumble, Fiery Brown, Sooty Olive, Connemara Black, Peter Ross, Silver Invicta, Red Arrow and Butcher (sizes 10, 12). In calmer conditions, small pupae (size 12) are the preferred method.

Lough Brick Bay, in front of Arrowrock Hostel is one of the principal duckfly areas.

Lake Olives

The lough has an enormous hatch of Lake Olives in the first two weeks of May.  The hatch occurs in ‘bog’ bays over weed.
The rise during the olive hatches can be somewhat sporadic. The preferred tactic at this time is to fish a team of wetflies (Golden Olive Bumble, Claret Bumble, Sooty Olive, Green Olive, Golden Olive, Magenta Bumble, Sooty Bumble, Fiery Brown, Mallard and Claret and Connemara Black).

Mayfly Season

It is during the Mayfly period that Lough Arrow has earned its reputation as one of Ireland’s top quality trout lakes. It offers a variety of fishing  at this time. The Mayfly (Ephemera danica)
hatch begins in early May and ends in June. The Hatch is prolific and it comes up all over the lough. The trout respond well to  wetfly tactics for about a week and thereafter only on wet, windy days. Useful patterns  include the Lough Arrow Mayfly, Goulden’s Favourite and various other Mayfly patterns,
Golden Olive Bumble, Green Peter, Yellow Gosling, Grey Gosling and Invicta. After the first week, the real quality, dry fly fishing begins. Trout will still take the newly hatched duns during the day and favourite patterns are the Yellow Wulff, Fan Wing Mayfly and Mosely Mayfly.

Many anglers regard the Mayfly Season as the cream of trout fishing in Ireland. Favourite Spent Gnat patterns include
Grey Wulff, Red Humpy, Spent Gnat, Copydex Spent and all kinds of variations on the spent gnat theme.

Buzzer Fishing

Coinciding with the Mayfly fishing is the evening Buzzer fishing. It begins about 10.00pm. and goes on until well after midnight, except on very dark nights. It occurs in the same areas as  mentioned for the Duckfly. The same, small wet flies and pupa patterns are used. Pupa patterns are the preferred choice. The end of the buzzer hatch usually coincides with the end of the Mayfly.  There is a small hatch of Murrough at the end of May/beginning of June. Trout start feeding about 11.00pm. and continue until after  midnight. Anglers fish a large dry Murrough in the areas listed below for sedge fishing.

Sedge Fishing

Lough Arrow offers excellent sedge fishing on suitable evenings throughout the months of high summer but the climax of this period occurs around the last two weeks of July when the Green Peters emerge. This lough is one of the few Irish lakes which still offer quality ‘Peter’ fishing. For the first few evenings, Peters begin to emerge around 10.30pm. but the hatch starts earlier as the season progresses so that, by the end of July, fishing could begin as early as 9 pm.

Mid-August to end of season

Fishing tactics for this period revert back to conventional wetfly methods. Boats search the water, drifting across the points from deep to shallow and into the deep again. Drifting along the shores can also produce a trout and the following areas should be noted – Andresna Bay, Ballinafad Bay, Rinn Bán Bay, the Mouth of the River Unshin, Ballindoon Bay and the area from Muck Island, past Annaghloy Point to Stoney Island.