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Coarse angling involves fishing for all other species of freshwater fish. Typically coarse fish are returned unharmed to the water. Because coarse anglers normally release their fish alive, coarse angling does not require the same amount of re-stocking as other forms of angling.

Pike Angling

Pike angling is a specialised form of coarse angling. Pike are fierce predators and fishing for them is a specialised business that requires specialised tackle. The teeth of a pike are as sharp as a cats, so the angler has to use a length of wire to connect his lure or bait to the line. The fish fight fiercely when they're hooked and can grow to be very large. But large pike are not as common as they used to be and there is conservation legislation in both Northern Ireland and the Republic to encourage anglers to return them unharmed to the water.

 Foyle Coarse and Sea Angling Guide (downloadable file)

Prohibited methods – for reasons of conservation of fish stocks! (as at 1^st January 2010)

Anglers are advised to update themselves on current regulations!

Information is available from the Loughs Agency and is updated on the Agency website.

Bag Limits and Tagging

• No salmon, brown trout or sea trout of less than 25.4cm (10 inches) may be retained

• Anglers must gill tag all wild salmon and sea trout over 40cm that are caught and retained - immediately on landing the fish

• 1st March - 31st May inclusive: bag limit 1 salmon or sea trout over 40cm on any one day; maximum of 5 in this period.

• 1st June - 31st October: bag limit 2 salmon or sea trout over 40cm on any one day; maximum of 20 in this period.

· No more than 4 trout can be caught and retained on any one day

Float. No use of a float with bait is permitted for game fishing on any waters in the Foyle area - other than in conjunction with a single artificial fly (however, see entry below).

Bubble. Use of a bubble and fly is not permitted on DCAL waters (lakes, parts of the River  Mourne) or the rivers Roe and Faughan.

Bait. Use of shrimp or prawn is strictly prohibited in the Foyle and Carlingford areas!

Live bait. Live fish cannot be used as bait in fresh waters in the Foyle and Carlingford areas.

Coarse fish. It is prohibited to kill coarse fish (however, see regulation on pike, below) in the Foyle and Carlingford areas waters.

Eels. It is prohibited to kill eels in the Foyle and Carlingford areas.

All such coarse fish and eels caught, must be carefully handled and returned alive and unharmed to the water. 

Pike. There is a bag limit of 2 pike weighing 4 kg or less, on any one day. Pike of 4kg or more must be returned unharmed to the water. There is an exception for specimen pike with a bag limit of 1 specimen pike in any one day (a specimen pike in a river is 9 kg or more; a specimen pike in a lake is 13.6 kg or more). However, anglers are encouraged to return pike to the water unharmed.

Bass. A regulation planned to come into force in 2010 will introduce bag limits, size limits and close season for bass in the Foyle and Carlingford areas.

Tope. The Loughs Agency plan a regulation to prohibit killing of tope in the Foyle and Carlingford areas.

Weirs. There is a general prohibition of angling within 5 meters of any weir in the Foyle and Carlingford areas. This distance may be extended locally. For instance, angling is prohibited 25 meters upstream and downstream of the fish counter in Newry.