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Fishing in Rathdowney
What can I fish there ?Join our 133 fishermen in Rathdowney in Laois where there's 1 spot. The fishing forecast is currently 5.2. The most caught fishes here are the white marlin, the yellowtail snapper, the bloater fish and the atlantic sharpnose shark. Come try the most famous fishing techniques like the fishing techniques for sea bream, fishing squid with jig on board, gathering seafood by hand or fishing for sea bass while surfcasting.
Most caught fish species in Rathdowney Top species caught by Club members
Top species caught by Club members
N°1 | The Comanche springs pupfish
The Comanche springs pupfish belongs to the Cyprinodontidae family. The common length for Comanche Springs aphid is 3.8 cm, the maximum reported length for this species is 6.2 cm. They can live up to two years. It reproduces in the spring. This species is endangered, so fishing is prohibited. The Comanche springs pupfish is a small fish with a compressed body. Males are larger than females and have a metallic blue color while females are beige.
Fishing period : prohibited all year
Minimum size : not available
Difficulty : 
N°2 | The Humpback Chub
The Humpback Chub belongs to the Cyprinidae family. The maximum size recorded was 38 cm. It has a lifespan of 30 years. It spawns from April to June. It is a protected species, so the angling is prohibited. The body is almost entirely without a scale, retaining only 80 mid-lateral scales along the lateral line. The scales are deeply embedded on the surface of the fish, especially on the hump. The fish has a very streamlined body, with a thin caudal peduncle and a deeply forked tail. The fins are large and curved, and the origin of the ridge is approximately equal distance from the snout and base of the caudal fin. The mouth is lower and overhung by the muzzle. The pharyngeal arch is small, with a small lower branch. The back is pale olive grey, the sides silvery and the belly white. The dorsal fin generally has nine rays and the anal fin has 10 or more.
Fishing period : prohibited all year
Minimum size : not available
Difficulty :
N°3 | Bitterling Fish
The Bitterling fish is a freshwater fish and belongs to the Cyprinidae family. Its scientific name is Rhodeus Amarus. The current size of the bitterling fish is 5-6 cm. Some individuals can reach a maximum height of 11 cm and a weight of 10 g. This species is one of the smallest Cyprinid in Europe. It lives on average from 2 to 3 years. The spawning period is between April and June. It lays 40 to 100 oocytes. This fish is easy to catch due to its small size. The bitterling is a small fish whose body is high and laterally compressed. The lateral line is short or incomplete. The scales on the back have a grey-green coloring. The sides are clear with silvery reflections. During the breeding period the silver coloration changes to a pink to bright red color with a dark blue sideband. Sexual dimorphism occurs between the male and female during reproduction. A 5 to 8 mm laying tube (ovipositor) develops in the female, which allows her to lay her eggs in the gill cavity of freshwater mussels. The male has a higher body than the female and its colors become brighter during the breeding season. The bitterling fish's eyes are quite large. Its mouth is small, oblique and the upper jaw protrudes beyond the lower jaw. The anal and dorsal fins have a short base and 8 to 10 branched rays.
Fishing period : prohibited all year
Minimum size : not available
Difficulty :
N°4 | Black Bream Fish
The Black breamfish, also known as Acanthopagrus butcheri, is a Sparidae. In general, its average size is 15 to 35 cm and its weight is 500 g to 2.5 kg. However, some individuals can reach up to 60 cm and 4 kg. The black bream has a lifespan of 27 years. Its spawning period is between August and January. It can have up to 300,000 spawn each season. It is not hard to catch and offer a little resistance. The Black bream has a high body and relatively compressed laterally, with symmetrically curved dorsal and ventral fins. The mouth is of moderate size compared to the body and has six incisors in the front of the lower and upper jaws. The body is covered with large scales that can be cycloid or slightly ctenoid. The head is essentially flake-free, except for the lids. A flake sheath covers the soft ray bases of the dorsal, anal and caudal fins. The Black Bream is silvery, from golden brown or bronze to grey-green on the back as well as on the sides with sometimes greenish reflections, depending on its habitat. The belly is white. The fins are all dark, with black borders. The caudal fin is often dark olive-brown.
Fishing period : All year
Minimum size : 25 cm
Difficulty :
N°5 | Brown Trout
The Brown Trout belongs to the Salmonidae family. According to the location, the adult size varies from 25 cm to 80 cm for 300 to 800 g. It lives for 3 to 6 years. The spawning period starts in October and end in January. The female can lay up to 4000 eggs. The fishing period is open from the second Saturday of March until the third Sunday of September. This fish is not hard to catch but the fishing needs complex skills. Depending on its environment, the brown trout have a very variable color, but the brown trout, as its name shows, is rather brown with scattered black and red spots, depending on the spawners. It has a certain mimicry according to the bottom of its living spaces since the dominant brown will become a green dress if it lives close to the banks where yellow and even sometimes silvery white will mix. It has a "useless" adipose fin between the dorsal fin and the caudal fin. The head is tapered, strong and has a powerful jaw. Its back is a pretty black or night blue.
Fishing period : March to September
Minimum size : no restriction
Difficulty :
N°6 | Dolphinfish or Mahi-mahi
Dorade coryphĂšne, dorado, dolphin, lampuga, rakingo, calitos, ti-rone, maverikos, mahi-mahi... There are so many ways to call the dolphinfish (coryphaena hippurus). This species is well known for its flesh and is found in tropical and subtropical oceans, especially in the Mediterranean Sea, the Atlantic, Indian and Pacific Oceans.
Fishing period : June to September
Minimum size : 20 inches
Difficulty :
N°7 | Marlin
Marlin is a fish from a large family called Istiophoridae, which includes about 10 species. The most popular species include the blue marlin (makaira nigricans), the striped marlin (kajikia audax), the white marlin (kajikia albidus) and the black marlin (istiompax indica).
Fishing period : All the year
Minimum size : 40 inches
Difficulty :
N°8 | Swordfish
Swordfish (xiphias gladius) is a highly migratory pelagic fish considered as one of the fastest sea animals. It tends to be large and its weight often exceeds 100 kg. It can be distinguished thanks to its long bill and its iridescent blue body. Most of sport fishermen feel really proud to catch swordfishes on their lines.
Fishing period : June to October
Minimum size : 47 inches
Difficulty :
N°9 | The African Pompano
The African Pompano belongs to the Carangidae family. The maximum size can reach up to 1.50 m, but the average size is one meter. It breeds in spring and autumn. It can be fished during the hot seasons. Like many carangidae, it is a deep and laterally compressed fish, which have the deepest point of the body between the origin of the dorsal and anal fins and the head and tail tapering on either side. The dorsal and ventral profiles are also convex, the main characteristic of the adult being its more curved head compared to the more angular head profile of African Pompano. The species has 4 to 7 spines visible in the first dorsal fin, followed by a single spine and 18 to 20 soft rays in the second dorsal fin. The anal fin has two spines followed by 15 or 16 soft rays, while the pectoral fin is long and curved. The skin of the fish appears flake-free, but has tiny, embedded scales scattered over the body. The lateral line has a strong and moderately long dorsal arch, with a posterior section of 12 to 30 scales. Juvenile with filamentous rays at the anal and dorsal fins. Juveniles are characterized by their "spinning" appearance, characterized by filaments dragging anal and dorsal fins that retract with age. During maturation, the species also becomes more elongated and more similar to other types of jacks. The body is a silvery blue metallic to blue-green above, being the darkest on the head and upper shoulders, while the underside is more silvery. Juveniles have 5 chevron-sha
Fishing period : hot season
Minimum size : 60 cm
Difficulty :
N°10 | The Alligator Gar
The Alligator Gar belongs to the Lepisosteidae family. In its adult form, it can measure up to three meters long and weigh up to 140 kilograms. It breeds in spring. It can be fished all year round. Alligator gar are elongated fish with a long, narrow snout. Their scales form a kind of armor, protecting them from other predators, the scales are similar in hardness to our nails, hard as keratin. They are also sharp, never brush a sharp-edged club fish. These fish have the swim bladder modified into a gas bladder, it allows them to breathe at the surface.
Fishing period : All year
Minimum size : no restriction
Difficulty :
N°11 | The Almaco Jack
The Almaco Jack belongs to the Carangidae family. Its adult size varies from 80 cm to 120 cm. They reproduce in spring. It can be fished all year round. It has two dorsal fins, the longer of the two is about twice as long as the longer of the dorsal spines. It has a pale blue-green color, with a lavender glow. The Almaco Jack has a short upper jaw, with a yellowish streak from the jaw to the first dorsal fin, but its color becomes less recognizable as the fish ages. Younger almaco jacks usually have six black bars on the sides. The mouth is protractile and allows it to swallow its entire prey.
Fishing period : All year
Minimum size : no restriction
Difficulty :
N°12 | The American Shad
The American Shad belongs to the Clupeidae family. With an average of 38 cm, adult specimens can measure up to 76 cm and weigh between 0.9 and 1.4 kg. It can live up to 13 years old. Egg laying takes place in May, June or July. On average, the female lays 140,000 eggs, but can reach 600,000 eggs. It is fished in the spring. The American shad is characterized by its slender, high and very flattened body. The species has a very forked caudal fin and a low, elongated anal fin. It has no lateral line or adipose fin. Its color is silvery with a blue or blue-green sheen on the back and bright silver flanks. When entering fresh water for reproduction, the pigmentation may become darker, taking on a tan or copper hue, turning red for the head and belly parts. A black spot is visible near the top edge of the lid, sometimes followed by smaller spots. Its lower jaw fits into a notch in its upper jaw. It can also be recognized by its large scales that are easily detached. The ventral surface of the American shad is thin with saw tooth scales. With regard to internal characteristics, it has teeth in the premaxillary and lower jaw, a silver peritoneum and, between 53 and 59 vertebrae.
Fishing period : spring
Minimum size : 30 cm
Difficulty :
Rathdowney - Fishing techniques Top fishing techniques
Top fishing techniques
N°1 | Fishing techniques for sea bream
Fishing for sea bream according to the seasons The sea bream is a migratory fish. Affecting warm waters, it makes seasonal migrations between coastal ponds and the sea in the warm season. From October to December The sea bream begins its breeding period (spawning period). From September onwards, when the waters are colder, the sea bream gradually leaves the coastal ponds and moves in banks to the warmer waters of the Mediterranean basin. From January to March The sea bream is generally absent from the coast during the winter months. Sea bream begin their migration northward as soon as the days begin to lengthen, and the water warms up. From April to June In Spring, the sea bream arrives in schools along the Atlantic coast. You can find sea bream on the northern coasts of the Mediterranean. The oyster and mussel beds are a real pantry for sea bream from spring to late summer. So it's a strategic place to throw your line. From July to September July and August are the most favorable months to fish for sea bream on the Atlantic coast. The sea bream will remain in the English Channel and on the Atlantic coast until September, when it will begin its migration southward. Remember to limit your catches by practicing no-kill and above all, release the unshackled fish. You'll wish you hadn't done it when in 10 years you'll have nothing left to fish for!
N°2 | Fishing squid with jig on board
The jig is a lure with a crown of hooks. Ideal for squid fishing, it can sometimes imitate the shape of fish, sometimes that of shrimp, be phosphorescent or bright, brightly colored or not. It requires little equipment and brings a lot of satisfaction thanks to the generally abundant catches, provided that you do not neglect any parameter in the choice of your posts and animations.
N°3 | GATHERING SEAFOOD BY HAND
This type of fishing is the most accessible to all and is certainly perfect to get started with saltwater fishing !
N°4 | Fishing for Sea Bass while Surfcasting
Surfcasting, which literally means fishing in the wave, is an incredibly effective technique for fishing bass. It can be practiced throughout the day even if the twilight remains a favorable time. First, you will have to search the best spots on a beach. They can be sandbanks that can be spotted thanks to the waves that break. If the sea is calm, it is better to throw not far from rocks that you know or can see. Be careful not to get too close either in order to avoid unnecessary breakages. We start the assembly behind these sandbanks where the bar is watching for its prey or near the rocks. The rod must then be placed on the rod holder, which is inserted into the sand and allows the wire to be quite high. This has two advantages. The wire normally passes over the waves and algae, so the setting does not move. And secondly, it prevents the fisherman or anyone else from taking the line and ruining the fishery. Once the rod is launched, you just need for it to bite.
N°5 | Throw fishing for royal bream
Throw Fishing consists in throwing your line offshore or into estuaries, coastal ponds or harbors from rocks or from an artificial structure (dock, dike, hold, jetty...). In order to fish for sea bream, stable weather remains more appropriate because, despite everything, sea bream do not appreciate turbulence and tend, in bad weather, to find refuge towards the bottom. A very active species during the day, it is usually one hour after and before sunset that the hits are more frequent! When it comes to fishing for sea bream, sliding fixtures are the most effective. Indeed, the slightest suspicious tension when taking the bait makes the bream flee. A sliding assembly allows the bream to leave with the hook without feeling any resistance. As this fish is particularly fearful, a slider lead assembly or the use of stacks above the lead seems to be the most appropriate. Once you see the tip of the rod moving, if the key is straightforward, you must press immediately, otherwise it is better to wait until the key is confirmed (usually the sea bream drops once, spits out the bait and if it does not detect anything suspicious, returns more frankly). It is therefore necessary to be extremely vigilant at the slightest touch.
N°6 | Roubaix fishing
Roubaix fishing, which originated in the city of Roubaix, is a technique inspired by fishing with the blow that knows many enthusiasts in France as in many other countries. Fishermen use it to fish for large fish such as carp, bream, tench, carassin, mullet... Even if beginners can encounter some difficulties in learning this type of fishing, fishing with a “roubaisienne” becomes a real pleasure once you have assimilated and mastered the basics. Techniques, equipment, type of water, here is everything you need to know to start Roubaix fishing.
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