The largest lake in these islands, home to the dollaghan, a giant migratory brown trout that runs its rivers in autumn.
Lough Neagh Angling — The largest lake in these islands, home to the dollaghan, a giant migratory brown trout that runs its rivers in autumn.
The dollaghan is the fish people come for. It behaves like a sea trout but runs up the rivers that feed Lough Neagh rather than heading to sea, and it reaches serious size: fish of three to six pounds are normal and a handful over twenty pounds have been landed in recent years. The run is mainly an autumn event and the fish are most active after dark, so this is night fishing in the tributaries, with weighted nymphs by day and larger trout and salmon patterns once the light goes.
The dollaghan run peaks in autumn and draws committed night anglers to the feeder rivers. Local clubs run the fishing on many stretches.
Lough Neagh Angling is at Lough Neagh, bordered by counties Antrim, Armagh, Down, Tyrone and Londonderry. Tap below for directions.
Lough Neagh is the biggest freshwater lake in Britain and Ireland, and it holds one of the great prizes in Irish fishing: the dollaghan. This is a migratory brown trout, much like a sea trout, except it runs into the lough instead of the sea, and it grows huge. The lough also holds pollan, perch, roach, bream and pike, and it feeds a string of famous trout rivers. The fishing is real but it rewards local knowledge.