Days Out NI
Fishing & angling Garrison

Lough Melvin Angling

A famous wild-trout lough on the Fermanagh border at Garrison, home to gillaroo, sonaghan and ferox found almost nowhere else.

5 photos
By permitDay ticket or permit
Around£10Beginners welcome
GarrisonFishing & angling
Around£10Day ticket
FreshwaterTrout & coarse
Beginners OKKids welcome
Licence + permitBefore you fish
On siteParking

Lough Melvin AnglingA famous wild-trout lough on the Fermanagh border at Garrison, home to gillaroo, sonaghan and ferox found almost nowhere else.

  • Licence & permits: A Garrison Anglers permit, available in the village; confirm any DAERA rod-licence requirement for the Northern shore locally. The lough is cross-border, so licensing differs by side.
  • What you can catch: Wild brown trout in three strains (gillaroo, sonaghan, ferox), plus salmon and char.
  • Beginners & kids: A specialist wild-water fishery rather than a family day-ticket venue; a local boatman or guide is the best way in for newcomers.
  • Cost: Reported around £10 for a day trout permit and about £80 for a season permit; confirm the current price with Melvin Tackle or Sean Maguire's in Garrison.
  • Booking: Buy a permit and arrange boat hire in Garrison at Melvin Tackle or Sean Maguire's.
  • Facilities: Boat jetties around the lough including at Garrison; boat, boatman and outboard hire available. The former holiday centre is closed.
Plan your visit

The famous trout

Melvin is why fly anglers make the trip. The gillaroo hold close to the rocky shores and sunken islands, feeding mainly on the molluscs that live there. The sonaghan is a sub-species of brown trout that occurs only in this lough; it runs to around two and a half pounds and fights far above its weight. The ferox is the big one, feeding on perch and char and reaching serious sizes. Add salmon and char, and one lough gives you several very different types of fishing.

Three wild strains of trout: gillaroo, sonaghan and ferox Sonaghan found nowhere else on Earth Salmon and char as well Boat hire from Garrison Permits and guides in the village
Good to know before you go:

Melvin opens for trout in spring and the wild strains fish through the season. Local clubs run competitions from Garrison.

Before you set off

What to bring

  • 🎣Your rod & tackleSome fisheries hire gear — check first if you’re travelling light.
  • 🪪Your rod licence & permitMost NI freshwater fishing needs a DAERA rod licence plus a permit — sort it before you go.
  • 🧥Waterproofs & warm layersYou’re at the water’s edge for hours — dress for it whatever the forecast.
  • 🥪A flask and a pieceThere’s not always a café on the bank, so pack your own.
Good to know

Everything before you go

Type
Wild-trout and salmon lough (specialist), fished via a local angling permit
What you can catch
Wild brown trout in three strains (gillaroo, sonaghan, ferox), plus salmon and char
Licence & permits
A Garrison Anglers permit, available in the village; confirm any DAERA rod-licence requirement for the Northern shore locally. The lough is cross-border, so licensing differs by side
Beginners & kids
A specialist wild-water fishery rather than a family day-ticket venue; a local boatman or guide is the best way in for newcomers
Cost
Reported around £10 for a day trout permit and about £80 for a season permit; confirm the current price with Melvin Tackle or Sean Maguire's in Garrison
Booking
Buy a permit and arrange boat hire in Garrison at Melvin Tackle or Sean Maguire's
Facilities
Boat jetties around the lough including at Garrison; boat, boatman and outboard hire available. The former holiday centre is closed
Address
Lough Melvin, Garrison, Co. Fermanagh
Questions

Before you go

What licence or permit do I need?
A Garrison Anglers permit, available in the village; confirm any DAERA rod-licence requirement for the Northern shore locally. The lough is cross-border, so licensing differs by side
Is it OK for beginners and children?
A specialist wild-water fishery rather than a family day-ticket venue; a local boatman or guide is the best way in for newcomers
How much does it cost?
Reported around £10 for a day trout permit and about £80 for a season permit; confirm the current price with Melvin Tackle or Sean Maguire's in Garrison
What can I catch?
Wild brown trout in three strains (gillaroo, sonaghan, ferox), plus salmon and char
Do I need to book?
Buy a permit and arrange boat hire in Garrison at Melvin Tackle or Sean Maguire's
Getting there

Lough Melvin Angling is at Lough Melvin, Garrison, Co. Fermanagh. Tap below for directions.

Nearby

Make more of the day

The story

A lough that made its own fish

Lough Melvin is a rare thing in fishing: a lough that evolved its own trout. Cut off since the last ice age, its brown trout split into distinct strains that breed true and rarely mix, each keyed to a different way of feeding. The gillaroo works the stony margins for snails, the sonaghan hunts open water, and the ferox turned predator on the lough's char and perch. Scientists study Melvin for exactly this reason, and anglers prize it because you can catch three different-looking, different-behaving trout in a single day.

The village of Garrison has fished this water for generations. The holiday centre that once housed visiting anglers has closed, but the tackle shops, the boats and the local knowledge remain, and the lough keeps drawing fly fishers who want to catch a fish that lives nowhere else.