A big catch on Lough Owel

Mullingar's Lough Owel is renowned for its trout fishing, but on Sunday, March 2, a local man was surprised with his major catch on the lake.

The trout, caught by Catalin Balan, Ilia Cafe, Mullingar, weighed in at 5.075kgs, over 11 pounds.

The lake has a resident stock of wild brown trout, with an average weight of about 2lbs.

Lough Owel is a deep lake with less fishing shallows than other Midland Lakes, but fishing can be productive, even over deep water. With the exceptional water clarity and with flies drifting out from the shore it often pays to drift well beyond the shallows, indeed right across the lake in some instances.

The average size of the trout is remarkably large – averaging about 2lbs. Trout to about 7lbs are taken every season by anglers and fishery staff have encountered fish up to 11 – 12lbs in the streams at spawning time.

Photo courtesy of Sharon Dixon Byrne.