Fishing Westport Mayo Ireland, Fishing Holidays Westport

Westport is one of the few places in Ireland that offer a luxury base for world class deep sea fishing, game and course angling.

Game and coarse fishing are widely available to the enthusiast in the lakes and rivers around the town. Boats, ghillies and equipment can be booked locally. There are eleven coarse fishing lakes within a leisurely drive of Westport town, all holding bream, roach, rudd, perch, eel, pike and roach/bream hybrids. Licenses are essential for trout and salmon fishing but are well worth the effort.

The Great Western Lakes of Galway and Mayo are recognised as the greatest wild brown trout fisheries in the world. Loughs Corrib, Mask, Carra and Conn are within easy drive of Westport town. The quality of game angling in the region is quite exceptional. Visitors fishing for salmon and trout in a natural, undisturbed habitat will enjoy a unique experience.

For the amateur, the Carrowbeg River, which runs through the centre of Westport, is stocked every year thereby assisting the luck of those who just want to try their hand. Westport harbour hosts the Westport International Sea Angling Festival, one of the oldest competitions on the Irish Sea Angling calendar.

Several purpose-built boats are available for hire by groups or individuals and leave the harbour daily, bound for the rich fishing waters of Clew Bay. The relatively calm inshore waters among the islands can be fished for ray, bull huss, monkfish, dogfish and occasional tope. Excellent boat fishing over reefs and sand banks is available and the species you can expect to see include cod, coalfish, pollack, ling, whiting and turbot.

Blue shark can also be taken during July and August from the deep water fifty metres to the west of Clare Island. Virtually all blue shark are tagged and returned alive with the largest fish in recent years weighing in at 56.7 kgs!