Salmon

The River Blackwater, which flows through west County Waterford before entering the sea at Youghal, is a noted salmon river offering Spring, Summer, and Autumn fishing. This is a big fast-flowing river catering for all methods of angling but particularly suited to fly fishing. The salmon angling season opens on February 1st and ends on September 30th. Spring runs of Atlantic Salmon have become erratic in many rivers in recent times and the Blackwater is no exception. The main grilse run arrives around the second week of June and continues until the end of July. August and September normallys sees grilse and large salmon coming in together in reasonable numbers.

Much of the better beats are privately owned and used extensively for tourist angling. Visiting angers are catered for in a well organised manner with pre-booking of accommodation, fishing and ghillie (if required) available through Ballyrafter House. Demand for fishing on this river is high and intending visitors are advised to book well in advance.

A state license is required by law before one can fish for salmon or sea trout on any water in Ireland. This is irrespective of any permission issued by the fishery owner, and is not included in the permission price unless stipulated. Salmon and sea trout licenses can be purchased from fishery boards and from approved license distributors. Ballyrafter House is one such approved licence distributor. So, there's no need to go hunting around for a licence. The cost of these licenses is very reasonable and a 21 day license costing £10 should cover the needs of most visiting anglers.

In addition to the state license, permission or permits may be required to fish specific salmon waters.

Ireland's river and lake waters have been privately owned and managed for centuries. In the Lismore area it is the Duke of Devonshire, Lord of Lismore Castle, who owns most of the river rights. He leases out the best fishing waters for the day. In the case of salmon, these are stretches of river from 100 to 500 yards long with clean gravel breeding beds. These rented stretches, called beats, can cover either one or sometimes both banks of the river.

Depending on the time of year and the particular beat, prices for a day's rental run between €35 and €100 Irish pounds. Bank fishing or wading is the method allowed. There are no quotas - the rule is NOT catch and release.

The beauty of the system is that it keeps the river from being fished to death! The beats are well managed, well policed, and stocks are conserved. The nearest beat is directly beneath Lismore Castle, a short walk away. The farthest up-strream beat is 25 miles from the Hotel with twelve others in between. Lower beats provide flexibility when water levels fall. This combination of upstream down to tidal beats is important as conditions vary each month.

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Joe Willoughby, passionate fisherman, and owner of Ballyrafter House, can arrange it all. Joe calls the owner of each beat and arranges reservations. He'll also arrange a change of beats each day, if you desire.

If the water is high, Joe will send you upstream. Low, and you'll be downstream - closer to Ballyrafter House, in fact.

Guests have access to a Drying room and Rod room with Freezer facilities.

Fly fishing rods are just too personal an equipment choice to try and stock rental models. But Joe has Spinning Rods and Reel available for hire at €20 per day.

If needed, transport to your day's beat can also be arranged. In fact, car rental can be arranged through Ballyrafter House when you make a booking. Just let us know in the comments section of the booking form and Joe will arrange for a car that you can pick up at the airport.

Additionally, if needed, Joe will arrange for you to be picked up at Cork Airport and brought to Ballyrafter House. The cost is €75 each way for up to 4 people.

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A Ghillie is a guide - a man with local knowledge. In past centuries, Lords had their own game wardens to bait lines, net the fish, and help with the finer points of angling knowledge. A Ghillie performs the same functions these days and guides you to the best pools. A Ghillie isn't necessary, but Joe estimates one will increase your chances of success by about 150%. Charges for a Ghillie are €75 for up to two Rods. €7.50 per extra rod/ per day.

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The average weight of Salmon caught along the Blackwater varies between 5 to 8 pounds. The largest fish in the Lismore area was caught by one of our regular guests in 2004 By Sir Lesley Young ,and weighed 18.5 pounds.

A few years ago two guests caught 22 salmon for the week. They put most of them back, but what to do with the rest? Ballyrafter House offers several options to enable you to enjoy your catch long after you've returned home.(With todays resticted catch this would not be posssible)

• Cooking - You can enjoy your fish for dinner at Ballyrafter, cooked to your specifications. The rest of the fish is vacuum packed and frozen to take home. Needless to say, salmon is a Ballyrafter House Restaurant specialty.
• Freezing - The salmon is vacuum packed and frozen. Wrapped in newspaper and placed in a plastic bag your frozen salmon will easily last till you return to the U.K. or East Coast of the U.S. Of course, you'll need to eat it as it defrosts.
• Smoking - Smoking over an old fashioned oak wood fire can be arranged. This natural smoking can't be hurried so one and one-half days are needed. Ballyrafter House handles all the arrangements.

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Salmon (Salmon salar) Description

Features: Mature Salmon are recognised by their silver body and the small adipose fin characteristic of the salmon family. Male salmon at spawning time can be distinguished from females by their distinctive hook shaped lower jaw. The maxillary bone in salmon does not extend beyond the eye.

Spawning: Spawning takes place in freshwater in gravely areas of rivers and streams from November to January.

Fecundity: The average adult salmon lays between 3,000 - 12,000 eggs.

Longevity: Salmon spend between one and four years in freshwater before migrating to sea, for one or two years. Irish Salmon are known to travel to the coast of Greenland and to the Faroe Islands to feed. Diet: Juvenile salmon feed on insects, crustaceans and benthic invertebrates, while adult salmon feed only at sea on a diet of small fish, sandeels, sprat, krill and other pelagic organisms.

Specimen Weight: 9 kgs (20lbs)

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Brown Trout

Brown trout are very plentiful in the Blackwater River system. The average size in the main channel is small at about 300 grammes. Resident adult trout in some of the tributaries are slightly larger. Most of the trout fisheries are controlled by angling associations, who issue visitors with permits to fish their waters. Some of the salmon fishery owners allow trout fishing to take place in the evenings when salmon anglers are not on the beats. Again, Ballyrafter House makes all necessary arrangements.

The local mountain streams have pools of native brown trout and some sea trout. Joe cautions that there's nothing like the abundance of fish to be found in the Blackwater, but the scenery is spectacular, the waterfalls beautiful, and it won't cost you anything to try your luck.

Some of the major tributaries are also good trout angling fisheries. The Funshion and Araglin (15 minutes), tributaries of the Blackwater, contain good stocks of trout and are easily accessible to visitors to Ballyrafter House. In the Suir system, a 20 minute drive away, the Rivers Multeen, Ara, Tar, Nire (15 minutes), and Anner provide excellent trout angling which is available to visitors. The size and quality of the fish in these smaller rivers compares favourably with those in the main channel.

Brown Trout (Salmo trutta) Description

Features: The adipose fin in brown trout is normally red and they have many definite black spots on the dorsal fin which distinguishes from the Salmon. Spawning: Brown trout spawn in rivers and streams in shallow gravely areas in November/December.

Fecundity: Small brown trout in streams and mountain lakes can produce as few as 100 eggs, whereas large trout in limestone lakes can produce up to 10,000 eggs.

Longevity: Brown trout usually live for four to seven years but can live for up to 10 years.

Diet: Brown trout feed on plankton, benthic invertebrates, insects, crustaceans and fish fry.

Specimen Weight: - River 2.26 kg (5lbs); Lake 4.53 kg (10lbs)

Sea Trout

During July and August sea-trout arrive in reasonable numbrs to many of the smaller rivers nearby to Ballyrafter House, the best being the Rivers Bride (10 minutes) and Colligan (20 minutes).

Sea Trout (Salmo trutta) Description

Features: Sea trout can be distinguished from salmon by more dark spots above and below the lateral line, a larger head and a less streamlined appearance. The tail is straight, unlike the v-shaped salmon tail and the maxillary bone of the sea trout extends beyond the eye.

Spawning: Unlike salmon, sea trout may spawn many times. They spawn in similar areas to salmon, usually 3 or 4 weeks earlier.

Fecundity: Adult sea trout can lay between 1,000 and 5,000 eggs. A large proportion of sea trout that return to fresh water after their first summer at sea are 'non-spawners'.

Longevity: Sea trout usually spend two or three years in fresh water and can spend up to six years feeding at sea returning each year to spawn.

Diet: Juveniles feed on a similar diet to juvenile salmon; seatrout at sea feed on a wide range of marine organisms including sandeels and sprat.

Specimen Weight; 2.72 kg (6lbs)

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Coarse Fishing

The River Blackwater holds good stocks of roach and dace averaging 1 to 2 pounds in weight and which provide good pleasure fishing. Roach, in particular, are all bones so they're great fighting fish, but the general rule is catch and release.

Cappoquin, a 5 minute drive, is a good centre from which to fish the lower reaches of the river. The river at Cappoquin is tidal so there is likely to be only about 6 to 7 hours of good fishing available. On the plus side, the river is more accessible and fishing is quite affordable at about €20 for the day. In fact, in 1999 a match in Cappoquin recorded possibly the record day's catch in the world! And Salmon and Sea Trout are caught here, though not in the numbers found further up the river.

Tench and rudd fishing is available at Dromana lake, a 10 minute drive. For the match angler a number of events are held at Fermoy just over the Cork border and a 20 minute drive from Ballyrafter House.

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Sea Angling

The south-east of Ireland has a varied coastline of bays, estuaries, and harbours, all with easy-access. The relatively warm waters of the Celtic and South Irish Seas sustain a rich and varied fish population in both inshore and offshore waters, providing good sport for both the shore, small boat and the deep-sea angler. Natural bait such as crab, lugworm, and ragworm are all available locally, and fish-bait may be bought at the numerous fishing ports in the region.

There are many miles of sandy beaches along the entire coast between Tramore and Whiting Bay in County Waterford. Within Waterford harbour good beach fishing is also available. Most of these beaches provide feeding grounds for flouder, plaice, dabs, dogfish, and the occasional ray. Bass are found along the south coast in good numbers. There is rock fishing at Hook Head, Dunmore East, West-Town (near Tramore), Dunbrattin, Helvick, and Ardmore Head, where anglers can catch wrasse, conger, pollock codling, coalfish, mackeral etc. In practically all of the costal villages and towns are piers from which anglers may fish in comfort for a veriety of fish species.

Deep-sea angling boats have been operating in this area for many years and the sport continues to grow in popularity. Custom built boats are now based at all of the major ports in the region. There are many old wreck, reefs, and submerged rocks, where fish congregate and provide good angling in the right conditions.

All of the registered angling boats are modren craft fully equipped with navigation, fish finding, and safety equipment. In addition to the species referred to above deep-sea anglers have taken the opportunity to catch such quality fish as hake, ling, angler fish, and turbot. Blue shark, and sometimes porbeagle, are summer visitors to the west Waterford coastal waters. Small boat fishing in the region can be very productive. For those with their own boats there are launching slips at most of the towns and fishing villages.

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