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Donegal Bay Sligo & Leitrim Mayo - Killala Shore Index

Co. Leitrim has about six miles of coastline so we have included it with the far more productive coastline that Sligo offers... If you had time Sligo is definitely a county worth exploring.  It gets very little attention and the coast is readily accessible from the roads.  The variety of fishing is enormous, ranging from very deep rock marks to Atlantic storm beaches with huge waves.  These latter beaches can often produce a blank, as much from their sheer size (length and depth) as from anything else so groundbaiting for several nights at low water is well advised.  Dig in a few mashed mackerel, bran and pilchard oil, and mark the spot well for the return with the rods.  A red spot indicates a known shore mark with recent reports available, whereas a yellow spot indicates a known or suspected mark but with no recent reports... where a pioneering spirit is needed!

Introduction:

Sligo does not get the recognition it deserves, and it offers remarkable sea fishing.  The sea angling suffers perhaps from its reputation for game and coarse angling - the Drowse river regularly gives Ireland its first salmon of the year and Lough Melvin has no less than three different variations on ferox brown trout... but Sligo, both from the shore and from charter boats, is a rough jewel.  The county has a certain "wet" image and you do have to be prepared for rainfall but this is far less evident on the coast than it is inland.  It is also one of 'the' spots on the western coast for large tope-off-the-shore beachcasting afficionados. Among the more unusual events we have in the gallery there is a fine 2 kilo sea trout taken off a beach at Ballysadare in the depths of an onshore gale, on lugworm cast out in the hope of a bass or a flatfish.  The angler never knew he had a fish on until he wound it right up onto the beach!  Bonus!

1 - Aughris Head beach   A tough place to get to, but start from Easky and ask directions from there...  This is the first of Sligo's many surf/ storm beaches and you should never underestimate the strength of the currents or the big Atlantic breakers.  Species & Techniques: Most Flatfish and Dogfish are available off the beach, with Ray also reported in summer.  It is a Tope mark and they are available off medium range casts.

2 - Ballysadare Bay   Ballysadare itself is a reknowned Salmon fishing location and the Bay still holds plenty of Sea-Trout during the summer. It is a massive expanse of water and mud, and you spend a lifetime learning how to fish it - best to try chatting up the locals in Ballysadare itself where there is a good tackle shop on the main street (one of the few places that stock Greys of Alnwick).  Species & Techniques: A muddy bottom the length of this bay offers superb Flatfish marks, mainly for Flounder, but with occassional Plaice available the further towards the sea you operate... Seatrout and Mullet will also take the lugworm baits.
7 - Strandhill My thanks to Michael K for the information on this mark. Strandhill is a popular destination for the surfers so it makes sense to fish it nearing darkness and certainly outside of the peak tourist seasons and weekends when it can get very packed with holiday makers.  It is well signposted from Sligo - you turn down a road at the old railway station.  Species & Techniques:  This is standard surf fishing, with flounder and dogfish the predominant species.  Mick's most recent visit fishing directly in front of the steps threw up a real rarity, a 1 kilo (baby) Hake taken in the surf alongside six flounder.  Local anglers seem to fish the Cullinamore side (southern, i.e. to the left of the steps) as this is more likely to produce a Bass.  November 2004.

3 - Rosses Point   More famous for its golf course, the point offers excellent shore fishing.  It is a mixed mark offering deep water access alongside muddy and sand beaches.  Species & Techniques: Pollack, Coalfish and Mackerel in season will fall to spinners and feathers.  At slack water off the deeper marks, you can catch Codling in the winter, with Dogfish, Ray and the almost obligatory summer Tope available over sandy marks.  The beaches are extremely popular over the whole summer.

4 - Streedagh Point   This long expanse of beach runs for over four kilometres and you can fish along its entire length, but it can be popular with the tourists!  There is a plentiful supply of bait for digging inside the causeway at any time bar the full tide albeit it is a smelly oozing spot .  The rocks at the southern end are fully exposed to the Atlantic and can be accessed over the brow of the sand dunes fronting a small sandy cove that should be avoided by swimmers.  It is remarkably deep in places.  The outer rock mark should only be fished in a group in calm weather, with the best spot being off the very point into the swinging current.  Species & Techniques: The mark was reknowned for large wrasse and pollack, with a specimen of 10 lbs (4.5 kgs) taken in 2001.  Legering into the extremely foul ground produces bull huss and conger, but you will lose tackle on almost every cast and most people prefer to float fish with a worm or mackerel strip bait.  The dogfish are dark and numerous.  Mackerel and garfish will fall again at the point and in season.  Reputedly fishing opast the point of the causeway into the current can produce the odd bass, ray and even a tope. It also produce a very nice sea trout for Iain on our last visit there, around low water. September 2005.

4b - Streedagh Beach and Inlet Fishing the beach is for the bravehearted as most of the Atlantic beaches here are remarkably sterile.  It can produce Bass in a decent surf especially if you have big lugworm baits out there.  Most people prefer to hump their gear right down to the far end, where the beach rises up into a series of sharp sand dunes.  They were in a weird cross shape on my last visit (many years ago) so I would appreciate an update, however there are two small rock marks that hang out in the currents on high tide and these are the best spinning platforms on the whole area. Species & Techniques:  Most people fish in the inside or inlet for flatfish coming into the channels as the tide rises - the only problem is that the channels are numerous remarkably shallow and often very distant from the oozing muddy shore.  They can change almost every year too!

Just south of Streedagh I noticed some very nice steep shingle beaches: if anyone has fished them, drop me a line, please!

5 - 'Darby's Hole' at Mullaghmore   Finally the myth has been resolved, with thanks to Adrian from the forum for this update and directions! "Just before Mullaghmore turn left (road that circles the peninsula), follow the road until you get to the last farmhouse on the left before the road starts to follow the coast, there is place to park 2 cars on the left just after the laneway leading to the farmhouse. The path leading down to the cove starts just to the right of the laneway, it\92s not obvious that there\92s a path there and I would have missed it if I hadn\92t been specifically looking for it. It\92s a steep grassy path, doesn't look like it's used much. The cove itself has a bit of a beach, not a sand beach, not pebble beach but more of a boulder beach, with weathered stones about the size of washing machines, don\92t know what the ground is like further out but I reckon it\92s extremely foul." Species & Techniques: Fishing off the rocks will produce Pollack, Wrasse, smaller Coalfish, Mackerel and Garfish in season, with the option of legering over foul ground for Dogfish, Bull Huss and Conger, again mostly during the summer.  Revised May 2004

6 - Mullaghmore Harbour   The very pretty fishing village of Mullaghmore offers two marks, one in the harbour off the breakwater and the other off the beach.  The beach is a problem especially in summer due to its popularity with families, and hardy surfers in the harsher weather. The harbour is small, usually quiet and has a reputation for big Mullet. The village boasts its own tackle shop, offering you fresh bait supply, and several charter boats. Species & Techniques: Whilst the harbour came to prominence for the several specimen Mullet recorded in recent years, fishing from the breakwater onto sand has produced Ray in calm conditions, all the Flatfish and lots of Dogfish if you are lucky/unlucky enough!  Adrian from the forum adds the following tip from a local charter boat skipper... "there is a deep hole (about 8 ft deeper that surroundings) about 10 ft out from the end of the breaker at the beacon light, which is worth trying." May 2004.

Postscript:

Sligo is known to be a fabulously scenic and wet place!  Almost all of the fishing is done by tourists during the summer, and one can begin to imagine what might be landed in the autumn or during the winter.  There are loads of likely marks waiting to be discovered, for example Roskeeragh Point offers both rock and beach fishing into very deep water in places according to Admiralty charts, and that is just one "for instance".  If anyone does find Darby's Hole outside Mullaghmore, I would greatly appreciate an email as to where exactly it is really located!