Rooskey is a small village located on the Upper River Shannon between Leitrim and Roscommon – about 12 miles from Carrick on Shannon and 90 miles approximately from Dublin.
WHERE TO FISH
There are a few prime angling hotspots on the Upper River Shannon and nearby on Lough Forbes which are described on this guide. There are also neighbouring centres offering lots of prime waters to fish – both lake and river (See DROMOD and MOHILL and CARRICK ON SHANNON Guides)
A survey conducted in 2003 published in April 2004 indicates that the area of the River Shannon from Drumsna to Rooskey supports a large and healthy stock of coarse fish dominated by Roach / Bream hybrids, Roach, Perch and Bream in that order. Relatively small numbers of Tench, Pike, Rudd and trout were recorded.
Bream |
Roach |
Tench |
Rudd |
Hybrids |
Perch |
Eels |
Carp |
Pike |
|
P |
P |
P |
P |
P |
P |
P |
N/P |
* |
|
* |
** |
P |
P |
*** |
* |
P |
N/P |
* |
Lough Forbes
Lough Forbes is a small lake noted for its pike fishing, situated downstream of Rooskey on the River Shannon. The lake holds stocks of bream, roach and hybrids. There is no road access to the lake, and it is only possible to fish this area from a boat. It may be worth exploring.
FACILITIES AND ACCESS: There are no facilities on the lake and access is via boat only. You can boat downstream from Lough Boderg, or up the main Shannon from Tarmonbarry.
TO GET THERE: Boat hire is available from Keenan’s Guest House in Tarmonbarry. It is only a short distance up river from the bridge at Tarmonbarry.
Shannon
There are a number of fishing venues both upstream and downstream of Rooskey Village on the main River Shannon. The only problem anglers have to contend with generally is lack of access to many of the fishing hot spots. You will need a boat and boat hire is available in the area, please enquire and ask for local advice.
UPSTREAM OF ROOSKEY
The famous Pigeon Island above Rooskey is only accessible by boat. Boat hire is available from the Moorings Guest House next to the river opposite the Island . The top end of the Island is about 30 feet deep. Anglers can fish the pegs off the rocks where you can get bream to 5lbs+. There are pegs all around the Island with depths varying from 7 to 15 feet. Here you will encounter roach, hybrids and bream. You also have the option of fishing from a boat anywhere around the island where you can get some good fishing.
There is another good fishing venue located opposite the Lakeside Garage on the main N4 road owned by Peter Reynolds. Mr Reynolds provides parking near the bank side for anglers and operates the local public house in Rooskey for those needing refreshments. The river here has depths of 7 to 8 feet and is regarded a good venue to use a stick float. Another good stick float spot is off the concrete boat moorings along the river. Anybody considering fishing here must give priority to cruisers.
The weir island has about 8 pegs. At the top end it is only about 8 to 10 feet deep and float fishing is recommended due to the rocky bottom. The far end is of similar depth with pacier flow and requires additional feeding to hold fish. Here you will get roach, hybrids, bream and perch.
DOWNSTREAM OF ROOSKEY
Generally this is not a very accessible area and requires a boat to get to the productive venues.
One of the best stretches is about 3 miles downriver on the Rooskey bank called ‘ the Aquarium Stretch’. This is beside Lough Forbes and you will have to cross some fields to access the river, here again you must seek permission . Ask for local advise. To get to the next stretch you need to take a left turn at Kilbarry cross roads, drive one mile as far as the graveyard, turn left and then right at the end. You will have a 300 m walk but will be rewarded with an easy, clean grassy bank. This is opposite the Aquarium Stretch but parking is restricted. The land is owned by Mick Brogan who lives on the Tarmonbarry road – ask for permission. This is a very good pike area as well as the usual coarse fish.