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Fishing in Ballymote
What can I fish there ?Join our 97 fishermen in Ballymote in County Sligo. The fishing forecast is currently 5.1. The most caught fishes here are marlin, the black grouper , the paddlefish and the bonefish. Come try the most famous fishing techniques like the fishing with traps, cast fishing on the edge for mackerel, pole feeder fishing or support fishing for black sea bream.
Most caught fish species in Ballymote Top species caught by Club members
Top species caught by Club members
N°1 | 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°2 | 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°3 | Bleak Fish
The Bleak fish is a Cyprinidae. In general, its average size is 10 to 15 cm and its weight is 15 to 50 g. However, some individuals can reach up to 60 g for a size of 25 cm. The bleak has a lifespan of 6-7 years. The spawning period is between April and August. It can lay up to 7000 spawns. You can fish bleak from June to September. This fish swims quite fast and offers a little resistance during the catch. The bleak is a fish with an elongated body that is very compressed laterally, allowing it to have a high velocity. The upper jaw is shorter than the lower jaw. The mouth of the bleak is oriented upwards (above), a typical character of fish that seek their food on the surface. The caudal fin is strongly indented and the caudal peduncle is thin. The dorsal fin is inserted behind the pelvic fins and has a shorter base than the dorsal fin. Its name refers to the bright white color of its scales, which gives the bleak a metallic sheen. Its back is darker greenish-blue, its sides are silvery white and its fins are pale grey. During the breeding season, nuptial tubers appear on the backs and sides of males and their fins become orange.
Fishing period : June to September
Minimum size : 10 cm
Difficulty :
N°4 | 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°5 | 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°6 | 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°7 | 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°8 | 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°9 | 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°10 | The Apache trout
The Apache trout belongs to the Salmonidae family. The Apache trout is 15 to 61 cm long and weighs 0.2 to 2.7 kg. It rarely exceeds 25 cm but can reach up to 40 cm in its natural headwaters. It breeds from May to June. Fishing for Apache trout is prohibited all year round. Apache trout are yellowish gold in color with a golden belly and have medium sized dark spots, uniformly spaced, which can extend below the lateral line and over the dorsal fins and tail. The top of the head and back are dark olive in color, and it appears to have a black stripe/mask through each of its eyes, thanks to two small black dots on each side of the pupil. There may be a throat mark under the lower jaw, ranging from yellow to gold.
Fishing period :
Minimum size :
Difficulty :
N°11 | 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°12 | 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 :
Ballymote - Fishing techniques Top fishing techniques
Top fishing techniques
N°1 | Fishing with traps
It is more often used by experts than by novices, because knowledge of currents, tidal coefficients and seabed is necessary for this technique.
N°2 | Cast fishing on the edge for mackerel
If you don't have a boat, don't worry, you can fish for mackerel on the edge. However, mackerel live in schools and travel according to the opportunities they encounter in terms of forage fish. If you are lucky and the mackerel are close to the shore, you will be off on a fishing trip you will remember!
N°3 | 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°4 | Support fishing for black sea bream
The sea bream approaches the coast when the waters warm up in summer and autumn. It is most often support-fished by boat: a technique that originates from the longline. It consists in equipping a line with a lead and several hook. This setting is then allowed to sink to the bottom and the wire is kept taut until it feels a continuous touch before being fully tightened.
N°5 | Fishing with bombette
Bombette fishing is a technique invented by Italian fishermen to fish for trout in lakes. Although this method of fishing is still relatively unknown to some people, it is becoming more and more common nowadays. It is even used for fishing carnivores (perch, pike, pike-perch, pike-perch...) Easy to implement and requiring little preparation time, this fishing technique is perfectly suited both to beginners wishing to learn trout fishing in water bodies, and to experienced fishermen wishing to take advantage of its many possibilities. But what does this technique really consist of? What equipment is suitable for this type of fishing? Here are some useful information that will help you start fishing with a bombette in good conditions.
N°6 | DIVE FISHING
Dive fishing is a recreational fishery that consists of capturing underwater with the use of a harpoon.
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