River Shannon

Season:

Salmon & Sea-trout: 1 February to 30 September
Brown Trout: 15 February to 30 September

The Shannon is the largest river in these islands. It rises in the mountains of West Cavan and flows south for 160 miles to the tide at Limerick. The total catchment of the main river and its tributaries is approximately 6,060 square miles. For the most part, this is a big, sluggish river which connects the three great loughs – Lough Allen, Lough Ree and Lough Derg.

The Shannon is a great mixed fishery and holds a wide range of coarse fish and pike as well as trout and salmon. Indeed, the fishing for the latter species is quite limited on the main channel and much better stocks are found in the tributaries.

There are three main areas where game anglers might concentrate their efforts on the main channel: the upper Shannon, Meelick, and the Shannon at Limerick.

Excerpts taken from "Trout & Salmon Rivers of Ireland, an angler's guide" by Peter O'Reilly.