Erriff Fishery
The Erriff Fishery comprises the Erriff River and 2 lakes – Tawnyard Lough and Derrintin Lough. The Erriff rises in the Sheefry Hills and flows to sea at Aasleagh, near Leenane, entering Killary Harbour, Ireland’s only natural fjord. The river has a varied character, with long slow stretches, turbulent rapids, deep pools and a magnificent waterfall – Aasleagh Falls – at the lower end of the river.
The fishery is managed by the Western Regional Fisheries Board, and luxurious accommodation is available at Aasleagh Lodge beside the Falls. The river is divided into 9 beats, with fishing restricted to 22 rods max per day. Fishing is rotated so that anglers get to fish all beats during their stay. Tawnyard Lough has good fishing for small wild brown trout, and some sea trout later in the season.
Salmon
Spring salmon, averaging 8-10lbs, run into the fishery from April to June. Grilse, averaging 4-6lbs, enter the river from late May, with the run peaking in July and August. The river is spatey in nature, and fishes best on a dropping flood. Thankfully for anglers, rainfall is frequent in the west of Ireland.
Sea Trout
The Erriff once had excellent runs of large and plentiful sea trout. However, the collapse of sea trout stocks in Connemara in the late 1980s hit the fishery hard. The river now gets a small run of sea trout throughout the summer, averaging 0.5lbs. Current legislation requires that all sea trout are released alive.
Season
Salmon: 1 April to 30 September
Sea trout: 1 June to 30 September
Fishery News March 2009
Contact
The Fishery Manager, Aasleagh Lodge, Leenane, Co. Galway
Tel: +353 (0)95 42252
Fax: +353 (0)95 42361
Email: erriff.fish@iol.ie
Web: www.errifffishery.ie