The Lower Caragh Fishery
is located between Killorglin and Glenbeigh on the famous ring of Kerry. The Lower Caragh River flows beneath an ancient Coaching Bridge approximately 2km northeast of Glenbeigh. The Lower Caragh Fishery comprises part of Lough Caragh and the entire lower Caragh River. The fishery also includes commercial salmon fishing rights in the Caragh estuary which are presently not exercised. The Lower Caragh River runs clear even in high water conditions. Due to this clarity and the river's gradient between Lough Caragh and the estuary (the Lower Caragh river falls 15m over a distance of 2.8km) the river lends itself in particular to fly fishing. Atlantic salmon and sea trout run the river throughout the season which extends from 17th January to the end of September. The fishery gets a run of spring salmon, early grilse, summer grilse and summer salmon. Sea trout enter the river from late March/April onwards.
The Angling Season
The season opens on 17th January. Spring salmon run the river from early January and the peak of the run occurs during March and April depending on water conditions. The average weight of spring salmon is about 9lb. May heralds the arrival of the early grilse which increase in numbers through June and July. On the Lower Caragh grilse average 5lb. Summer salmon also enter the river during the months of June through August averaging 12lb. The period April through July would be considered by most anglers with a knowledge of the Lower Caragh to be the best months on the fishery. Sea trout run early on the Lower Caragh and from late March/April onwards average 0.75-3lb. The heaviest sea trout taken in recent years was 11lb. A peculiar feature of these sea trout is that they tend to hold in the Lower Caragh River and do not appear to enter Lough Caragh in appreciable numbers. The Caragh river is divided into two beats with a maximum of five rods per beat.
