Venue information
SHANNON HARBOUR is one of the tiniest of Irish villages on the lower reaches of the middle Shannon.
It is an idyllic fishing spot with an abundance of backwaters and outof- the-way venues where you could well spend a week without bumping into another soul - and be catching lots of fish too!
Located downstream of Shannonbridge and two miles upstream of Banagher Town, Shannon Harbour is where the River Brosna and Grand Canal join.
If your holiday is driven by fi shing morning, noon and night, this is the place to be. There is even a lovely guesthouse called the Harbour Master's House at the water's edge so the keenest anglers could stroll out for a couple of hours before breakfast, heading off to the main river during the day. Have a pint on the way back, enjoy a meal in the guesthouse and spend an hour on the bank, taking a beer.
It is wise to go armed with a long feeder rod - a 13ft model is ideal - that is strong enough to cope with big fish and be capable of casting a groundbait feeder 40 metres.
Your normal line or braid used at home will be fi ne, but larger hooks
such as size 10 to 16 should be taken to deal with every eventuality.
Stepped-up pole tackle that you have rigged for small carp on your local commercial lake will be adequate for the roach and hybrids, though again the bigger hook sizes
will make life more comfortable if there are lots of fi sh in the swim.
Do take a waggler rod but make sure there are some peacocks or crystal floats capable of carrying three swan shot and if you have a six-metre long float rod, take it along with some six gramme floats to combat the deeper swims.
Shannonbridge and Banagher are more popular with groups of lads who see the pub and eating out as an essential element of their trip.
It doesn't matter where you choose as fi shing on this part of the Shannon is consistent and on current form you can expect to catch roach and hybrids with some bream.
Spring sport can be exceptional as the fi sh pack into the river for spawning and the best match catch in 2004 was a massive 206lb from the renowned Lancashire tackle
dealer, Barry 'Baz' Smith, fishing with pole and red maggot.
For us ordinary mortals there is plenty of year-round action and the more effort made, the better the returns and it doesn't really matter if you decide on a groundbait feeder, pole or waggler rod.
The key to filling a couple of bottom rings of the keepnet, is to feed constantly to attract and keep the fish in the swim.
Factfile
Day tickets: Rod licences are not required in Ireland and fi shing is generally free. However, upstream of Banagher Bridge, the Shannon Fisheries Board issue a weekly permit costing 18 Euros (about £12) available from staff on the bank.
Nearby tackle shops: Killeen's Village Tavern, Shannonbridge, tel: 00353 90574112; The Old Forge, Banagher, tel: 00353 050951504. Alo Moran, Shannonbridge, tel: 00353 090574124.
Bans: No livebaiting for pike.
Best baits: Red maggot, caster, worm and corn.
Facilities: There are numerous guesthouses specialising in looking after visiting anglers and a wide range of quality self-catering houses and cottages.
Contact: Specialist angling holiday companies (see our advertisement pages) and Tourism Ireland, tel: 0800 0397000 can help with travel information.
