Fishing on the Corrib

zicobabe

i was wondering if anybody knows the lowdown on fishing the corrib.Do you need take a ghiliie with you if its your first time on the lake in a boat?how much does it cost to hire boats down on the corrib??are there things i should know about before going down there to fish??

Zzippy

If you want to catch fish I highly recommend hiring a guide/ghillie for the day. In addition, there are lots of submerged rocks, so even if you're an experienced boat handler, you're better off getting to know the part of the lake you will be fishing from an experienced guide.
A boat and engine will set you back 50-75 euro a day, a guide will charge 120-200 (its worth it).
The duckfly is just starting to hatch this week so fishing should really pick up shortly.
Things to know - fishing is free, you only need a licence if you're fishing for salmon. There is a 13 inch minimum size limit, and a 4 fish bag limit. A few other rules and regulations, you can check them on the WRFB website www.wrfb.ie

BTW, if you're bringing your own boat to the western lakes, please don't! We have enough problems with alien species being introduced (zebra mussel etc) we don't need any more. There are loads of boats for hire around the lake.

Quint

You can buy a depth sounder for cheaper than the price of a ghillie. I've gone out about 3 times in North Corrib, all the time with a sounder. Obviously it's a big lake, check weather and all that before you head out, especially if you go out far.
Last year I fished for 4 days, got 4 trout between 8 and 10 pound. Heading over again early June.

Zzippy

Quint wrote: »

You can buy a depth sounder for cheaper than the price of a ghillie. I've gone out about 3 times in North Corrib, all the time with a sounder. Obviously it's a big lake, check weather and all that before you head out, especially if you go out far.
Last year I fished for 4 days, got 4 trout between 8 and 10 pound. Heading over again early June.

Sounds like you were trolling. Of course a sounder is going to be helpful there, once you can see the drop offs you can troll successfully all day. Flyfishing is a different kettle of fish, with known shallows that are hotspots for fish, many guides will know these areas intimately, whereas a newbie wouldn't have a clue what shallows to fish.
Also, North Corrib has a lot of deeper water and fewer rocks and shallows, so its safer anyway, other parts of the lake are treacherous if you don't know where you're going.
BTW, hopefully you didn't kill all those fish? The big trout are generally ferox trout, a separate strain (species actually, but not designated as such yet). Much rarer than brown trout and highly susceptible to over exploitation. Photograph and release if you want to enjoy such good fishing in the future.

Quint

Zzippy wrote: »

Sounds like you were trolling. Of course a sounder is going to be helpful there, once you can see the drop offs you can troll successfully all day. Flyfishing is a different kettle of fish, with known shallows that are hotspots for fish, many guides will know these areas intimately, whereas a newbie wouldn't have a clue what shallows to fish.
Also, North Corrib has a lot of deeper water and fewer rocks and shallows, so its safer anyway, other parts of the lake are treacherous if you don't know where you're going.
BTW, hopefully you didn't kill all those fish? The big trout are generally ferox trout, a separate strain (species actually, but not designated as such yet). Much rarer than brown trout and highly susceptible to over exploitation. Photograph and release if you want to enjoy such good fishing in the future.

Corrib for the first time is a daunting task alright. I was trolling because there was no mayfly when I was there (the reason we went).
BTW, kept 1 (had it smoked) and released the other 3. It was the first fish I kept in about 8 years. Tasted fantastic too!

Zzippy

Quint wrote: »

Corrib for the first time is a daunting task alright. I was trolling because there was no mayfly when I was there (the reason we went).
BTW, kept 1 (had it smoked) and released the other 3. It was the first fish I kept in about 8 years. Tasted fantastic too!

Yeah the mayfly was early and patchy last year alright. Where did you get the fish smoked, Cornamona?
Fair play anyway, hope you'll be back. Duckfly up now and trout starting to feed at the surface...

THE 1

what are the best way to flyfish in the duckfly, i never fished the corrib.

Zzippy

Depends on the stage of the hatch - buzzer nymphs for early in the hatch, emergers and dries for when fish are feeding on the surface, and if you're lucky enough to see the balling buzzer and fish feeding on it get the wooliest grizzliest fly in your box and chuck it out

riverbum

Ive only fishd the Corrib once, last year during mayfly, and even with an experienced angler as my guide we didn't do very well, so don't be dis heartened if you don't succeed on your trip, however, I will have to strongly agree with the above. Do Not attempt to head out on the corrib on your own without a guide! you will wreck your boat!!
Tight lines all the same.

Quint

Zzippy wrote: »

Where did you get the fish smoked, Cornamona?

A guy in Clonbur did it, he lives near that gift shop on the main street. His price is to keep half of it which suits me.
I have a week booked this year at the start of July, I'll be trolling during the day and on the fly in the evening. If the weather is bad I'll spend the week in Burkes pub in Clonbur drinking Guinness:D

Zzippy

Quint wrote: »

A guy in Clonbur did it, he lives near that gift shop on the main street. His price is to keep half of it which suits me.
I have a week booked this year at the start of July, I'll be trolling during the day and on the fly in the evening. If the weather is bad I'll spend the week in Burkes pub in Clonbur drinking Guinness:D

Not a bad plan, the Guinness part anyway!
Try the smokery in Cornamona, they do a great job. And while you're there get some of their smoked mackerel - it is possibly the tastiest fish I've ever had...

stevenmu

I've never fished Corrib but I've fished Mask many a time. I'm assuming there's a lot of similarities between the two, if someone more knowledgeable says not then feel free to ignore my advice because it is completely based on my experiences on Mask.

Most importantly I would say do hire a ghillie for a day or two at least (or at least talk/bribe someone with local knowledge to take you out for a spin), for safety reasons if nothing else. A depth sounder may pick out high rocks when you're well out from the banks trolling, but if you want to stay within 100ft of the banks or go around/between islands where most of the fish are, I suspect the depth finder won't be so good, and I think you'd really appreciate having someone show you the safe routes and point out the dangerous areas. Similarly, the weather on the great lakes can very quickly go from "hmm, it's a bit bumpy today isn't it" to "Oh sh1t! Oh sh1t! Oh sh1t! Oh sh1t!!!!!!!" , it's good to have some local advice of what to watch out for and more important where safe spots to land/shelter are.

To try and put it in some context, I've probably been going out on Mask since I was 5, if not younger, I'm 29 now, and when I go out alone I make sure I let people know when I'm going out, where I'm going and when I'll be back, and I keep in regular contact (I'm not a big fan of mobile pones but in this case they're fantastic).

I certainly don't mean to scare you off, fishing on Mask is a magical experience and I truly believe the world would be a much better better place if more people experienced it, and I'm sure Corrib is every bit as good. 4 generations of my immediate family, and even more generations of my not so immediate family have fished on Mask without anything bad happening, but you do need to respect the great lakes. But, if you do respect them, you are guaranteed the most amazing fishing experience you could possibly have.

doctorjohn

Agree with all the above. The western lakes (I'm only familiar with the corrib) change quite quickly. If you do not know the water go with someone who does especially if casting. Its a fine line between fishing grounds with fish and rocks that will destroy the boat and getting caught on rocks with a bit of a wave on your own is not safe. When the sun is beating down and all is calm then trolling the upper lake where it is deep is safe and a good way to get a tan and is doable if you are on your own but careful , the lake changes very quickly , especially the open areas where there is a large expanse of water for a small breeze to whip up big waves.
Apart from that the corrib is my heaven all 44,000 acres of it. All mine. All mine.
And oh, yours as well I suppose.
Enjoy every minute but stay safe.