Brown Trout in Wicklow Mountain Loughs

thedavman009

Hi all,

I know that certain of the Loughs hold brown trout, I have seen them rising when out hiking.

Curious to know if any of the following Loughs also hold trout?

Arts Lough
Cleevaun Lough
Lough Firrib
Three Lakes
Lough Nahanagan (presumably not?)


Thanks.

jack01986

I'd be curious to know as well, some nice walking around those hills.

SeaFields

I don't know the lakes you're talking about but I'd be confident they hold trout. Once the water is clean most rivers and lakes around the country have some head of trout in them. The issue a lot of time is that there isn't enough food so the trout stay small. That's certainly the issue in many of the mountain lakes in Kerry that I fish.

Bio Mech

SeaFields wrote: »

I don't know the lakes you're talking about but I'd be confident they hold trout. Once the water is clean most rivers and lakes around the country have some head of trout in them. The issue a lot of time is that there isn't enough food so the trout stay small. That's certainly the issue in many of the mountain lakes in Kerry that I fish.

I agree, I think most of the wicklow ones hold trout. At least the ones I know But they are generally very very tiny. Low food as you said and high acidity, they dont grow big.

SeaFields

Bio Mech wrote: »

I agree, I think most of the wicklow ones hold trout. At least the ones I know But they are generally very very tiny. Low food as you said and high acidity, they dont grow big.

But they tend to be very free rising and fast hard takers. Even the smallest trout. I thoroughly enjoy fishing these types of lakes

whelzer

SeaFields wrote: »

But they tend to be very free rising and fast hard takers. Even the smallest trout. I thoroughly enjoy fishing these types of lakes

Very true, I've fished Lough Ouler a few times in Wicklow (lovely walk up btw), no point bring your usual 5-7wt. A 2-3# rod much more appropriate. Biggest fish probably 6-7 inches. Good craic with the kids. If any sort of a breeze however its very hard casting such a light line.... for flies - they will hit anything if they are in the humour.

Bio Mech

SeaFields wrote: »

But they tend to be very free rising and fast hard takers. Even the smallest trout. I thoroughly enjoy fishing these types of lakes

Yes definitely. They are, presumably, fairly desperate for food! I once had six tiny trout in 3 casts on a little lake in donegal. One on the dropper each time, one on the point each time. I took the dropper off after that!

delmonte4

How’s it going, I appreciate this is an old post but wondering did you ever try your hand at fishing any of the above Wicklow Lakes? I’d be interested to know how you got on and I do a fair bit of hiking in Wicklow and often wondered would it be worth taking the fly rod with me on some day.

con___manx1

You get the odd cannibal trout in the wicklow lakes. due to lack of food source they just eat other trout. I seen a picture of a 3 to 4lb brown caught in a mountain wicklow lake years ago. A child caught it on a spinner.

delmonte4

I see Whelzer uses a 2/3 wt rod. What sort of length are we talking? I'd like to try a few of the streams up in Wicklow that I know hold small trout from my teenage years when I used to catch on worm baits while camping. Any advise on fly choice and tactics would be appreciated