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Fishing in Carlow
What can I fish there ?Join our 186 fishermen in Carlow in County Carlow where there's 1 spot. The fishing forecast is currently 5.2. The most caught fishes here are the blackfin snapper, the sailfish, the gafftopsail catfish and the great barracuda. Come try the most famous fishing techniques like the jig fishing or cast fishing for mackerel, quiver tip fishing (type of lead fishing), float fishing (plug) or cast fishing with dough.
Most caught fish species in Carlow Top species caught by Club members
Top species caught by Club members
N°1 | 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°2 | 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°3 | Striped bass
Striped bass (morone saxatilis) is a fish of the Moronidae family found along the Atlantic coast of North America.
Fishing period : All the year
Minimum size : 28 inches
Difficulty :
N°4 | 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°5 | 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°6 | 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°7 | The American Eel
The American Eel belongs to the Anguillidae family. The size of the adult female can reach 1 m in length, while that of the male does not exceed 40 cm. Spawning takes place in mid-winter. Females lay 3 to 22 million eggs. He can live to be 50 years old. It can be fished from April to September. The American eel is a species of fish with a snake-like body all in length with fins that extend over its back, around its tail and along its inner surface. It has thick lips and a slightly longer lower jaw than her upper jaw, which gives her the appearance of having an overbite. The color of young eels varies from yellow-green or brown. Adult eels are grey with white or cream bellies.
Fishing period : April to September
Minimum size : 50 cm
Difficulty :
N°8 | 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 :
N°9 | The Arctic Grayling
The Arctic Grayling belongs to the Salmonidae Family. The Arctic shade can reach a length of about 24 cm long and weighs about 3 kg. He can live to be 18 years old. It breeds in the spring and lays thousands of eggs. It can be fished all year round. Coloring may vary depending on the location. The dorsal fin is usually bordered red and dotted with large iridescent red, turquoise, purple or purple spots and marks. Back marks are more evident on the large shadows. The back of the Arctic shadow is generally dark. The sides can be in black, silver, gold, or blue. Gold markings sometimes form a border between the hips and the belly, while pelvic fins can be orange, red or pink. The sides and head can be freckles with black spots. The eye of the iris is often the color of gold.
Fishing period : All year
Minimum size : 15 cm
Difficulty :
N°10 | The Atlantic Sturgeon
The Atlantic Sturgeon belongs to the Acipenseridae family. Its length can generally reach 3 m; its maximum length is 4.3 m. Its weight is between 150 and 200 kg; it can reach a maximum weight of 368 kg. It can live to 60 years and over. It only reproduces every 2 years. The maximum fertility rate is 3.75 million eggs. It is one of IUCN's protected species and fishing is highly regulated. It can be fished during the cool seasons. It has a snub nose, with four barbells in the front of his belly mouth. It carries five rows of bone plates on the back and sides of the body. The dorsal lobe of its caudal fin is longer than the ventral lobe. The skeleton of this bony fish is largely cartilaginous.
Fishing period : cool season
Minimum size : depends on location
Difficulty :
N°11 | The Atlantic salmon
The Atlantic salmon belongs to the Salmonidae family. Atlantic salmon can measure up to 1.50 m in length and weigh up to 36 kg. The average longevity of Atlantic salmon is estimated at 10 years. It breeds from October to November. The female lays 1500 to 1800 eggs per kg of weight. It can be fished all year round. Atlantic salmon have an elongated and slender body. The anal fin has eight to eleven rays. The caudal is large, concave in adults and forked in young people. The head is small and flattened on top. The mouth is large (split to the posterior edge of the eye) and has strong teeth on the jaws, tongue and palate. The scales are large and visible. The lateral line is straight. Large black dots on a light background form X on the head, back and dorsal fin. The color varies from blue to blue-grey on the back, it is silvery on the sides. It varies during the spawning season, with adults turning bronze to dark brown. They lose their silvery livery when they enter fresh water. Males are marked with red dots on the sides. The young are marked with seven to eleven vertical fingerprints that they will lose when they enter the sea. As spawning approaches, the male's head will change: it will elongate, the lower jaw will develop and bend to form a hook (male "becard").
Fishing period : All year
Minimum size : 50 cm
Difficulty :
N°12 | The Banded Rudderfish
The Banded Rudderfish belongs to the Carangidae family. Their adult size is 50 cm for 2 kg. They can live for 17 years. They can be fished all year. The banded rudderfish is similar in appearance to the other amberjack fishes, but smaller than most others. It has a relatively thin but deep body with a forked boomerang tail. This semi-profiled shape indicates that it is a fast swimmer. The body is light in color with a slight amber or gold band on the sides, extending from eye to tail. Younger banded rudderfish have six black bars on their bodies and a black band that extends from the eye to the first dorsal fin; they retain this pattern strongly until they reach 27 to 35 cm long, when the stripes begin to fade. The larger fish have no bars; they are generally brownish or greenish, with the dorsal side darker than the belly. This species can be distinguished from other amberjacks in several ways. Other young amberjacks have a striped pattern similar to the young banded rudderfish, but the latter begin to lose their pattern when they are several centimeters taller than those of other young amberjacks. Moreover, unlike other amberjacks, the banded saffron is white at the end of its tail. Eight spines in its first dorsal fin and 34 & 39 rays in its second dorsal fin are characteristic of banded fish, while other amberjacks generally have less than 34 rays in their second dorsal fins. The young banded rudderfish also closely resembles the pilot fish. However, the other amberjack
Fishing period : All year
Minimum size : no restriction
Difficulty :
Carlow - Fishing techniques Top fishing techniques
Top fishing techniques
N°1 | Jig fishing or Cast fishing for mackerel
Mackerel evolve in schools. The challenge is to find the benches. A seagull bite may eventually help you, but the easiest way is to use a sonar. Mackerel move to a depth that varies with water temperature, weather conditions and water transparency. The sonar unit will therefore help you to identify how deep they are moving. In general, mackerel will be found on the surface in calm weather and when the water is clear enough. On the contrary, when the sea is rough, the latter will tend to descend between two waters, or even into deep waters. Once the bank is spotted, you should approach it as discreetly as possible and let yourself drift in such a way as to pass through it (you will turn off the engine, especially if the fish are on the surface). You will let your submachine gun down and animate it in a jigsaw. This means that you will make more or less wide movements with your rod in order to raise and lower your hooks erratically. If the ban moves a little further away, you can also throw your machine gun and bring it back with a little scion blows. Vary the recovery rates and depth to maximize your chances. If the ban is on the surface (you will spot it thanks to the seagulls who will take advantage of the opportunity), opt for a quick recovery and on the surface. It is also a very fun fishing to do in a kayak.
N°2 | Quiver tip fishing (Type of lead fishing)
Here, we will talk about everything you need to know about quiver tip fishing.
N°3 | Float fishing (plug)
Fishing can be a fun, sporting and beneficial activity. A thrill across the line, a beautiful specimen to go up, it's every fisherman's dream. Float fishing, or also plug fishing, is a fishing technique that can hit the mark if you know it well and master it.
N°4 | Cast fishing with dough
Cast fishing with dough, a great technique to tease the roaches and tenches in the pond.
N°5 | Pole feeder fishing
Fishing with the Pole Feeder or Fishing with the big stick, another technique that comes from England. It seems that the origin of this technique came from a dilemma between fishing with a big rod (Pole Fishing in English) and fishing with a cage feeder (Feeder Fishing in English); the solution to this dilemma was therefore the Pole Feeder Fishing. The idea is very simple: use feeder cages with a large cane; strange as an idea but very effective especially in rivers and canals.
N°6 | ANGLING - USING NATURAL BAIT
Angling is a vertical type of fishing that is the most accessible technique for beginners. It is fun, effective and can be practiced anywhere.
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