Try out the Club

Unlock the fishing spots of Ballybofey, weather forecasts and many other services with the Premium Club.

10-day free trial

Nouveau : FishAndYou, l'appli des concours de pêche

Avec FishAndYou, vous pouvez créer votre propre concours de pêche, et gagner de l'argent.

Créer mon concours de pêche

Discover everything to fish in Ballybofey

Discover the most caught species in Ballybofey, the techniques used, events in the area, find a fishing charter or fishing shop near you.

Go for it!

N°1 | 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°2 | The Smallmouth bass

The Smallmouth bass belongs to the Centrarchidae family. The individuals observed measure between 20 and 38 cm. They weigh from 250 g to 1 kg. They can live up to 26 years. They reproduce from May to July. The best time to catch them is in autumn. Smallmouth bass is a fish with a strong body, compressed laterally. The head is broad and elongated. It is adorned with dark bars radiating backwards from the eyes. The back and top of the head are brown or golden brown, green or olive green. Contrary to its vernacular name, its mouth is rather large! Smallmouth bass has a long, rounded snout. The upper jaw does not extend beyond the upper edge of the eye. The anal fin has 3 strong spines. Both dorsal fins are slightly rounded and rather soft. They are linked and seem to form only one fin. The spines of the first dorsal fin are short and of almost the same length. The pelvic fins are joined by a membrane. The caudal fin is forked. The pectoral fins are transparent, all the others are opaque, dark or amber and decorated with black on the rays, spines or membranes. The back is darker and less golden than the sides. The flanks are marked with 8 to 15 thin vertical bars of dark appearance; this characteristic is more pronounced in juveniles. The belly of smallmouth bass is cream to milky in color. Body color varies according to size, but also according to its environment: in clear waters, it is dark and enhanced by pronounced contrasting marks, while in turbid waters, it is lighter and

Fishing period : autumn

Minimum size : 45 cm

Difficulty :

N°3 | The Mutton Snapper

The Mutton Snapper belongs to the Lutjanidae family. They have an average length of 50 cm for an average weight of 4.5 kg. They have a lifespan of 14 years old. They spawn in February or in the summer according to the location. The best time to catch them is from May to August. This snapper is a relatively deep fish, with an almost lunar tail. It has a moderately bi-lobed dorsal fin and a very sharp anal fin. The pectoral fin of this snapper is long and is located just after the anal origin. Sheep snappers are very colorful: olive green on the back and on the upper sides, with a red tinge on the lower and lower sides. There is a distinct black spot on the upper back and blue stripes on the cheek area under the eye. There are two phases of color, which is prohibited when the fish is at rest and the solid color when the fish is swimming. The anal fin is sharp and there is a little black spot below the dorsal fin.

Fishing period : May to August

Minimum size : 45 cm

Difficulty :

N°4 | 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°5 | The Sheepshead

The Sheepshead belongs to the Sparidae family. Although it reaches a maximum size of about 76 cm and 22 lbs (9.6 kg), the adult sheepshead is most often about 5 to 3.6 kg and 35 cm long. The maximum known life span of the sheepshead is at least 20 years. They spawn in early spring. They can be fished all year round with the best season from December to April. The sheepshead has a deep oval body with a blunt snout and a small, almost horizontal mouth. The posterior nostril is split in appearance. The dorsal and anal fins include short, strong spines. The second spine of the anal fin is larger. The pectoral fins are long and extend beyond the anal opening when pressed (close to the body). The caudal fin is slightly forked. The adult sheepshead is silvery to greenish-yellow and has an olive back. There are five or six dark vertical crossbars on each side, which are the most distinct in young individuals. The caudal and pectoral fins are greenish, while the dorsal, anal and ventral fins are dark or black.

Fishing period : All year

Minimum size : 30 cm

Difficulty :

N°6 | Tuna

Tuna is a popular and prized fish during recreative fishing games. Here is some useful information about Bigeye and Yellowfin if you want to fish in the Atlantic or Pacific Ocean.

Fishing period : All the year

Minimum size : 25 inches

Difficulty :

N°7 | 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°8 | 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°9 | The Tripletail fish

The Tripletail fish belongs to the Lobotidae family. The tripletail is 89 cm long and weighs 18.6 kg. However, the average weight is between 1 and 7 kg. The Tripletail have a lifespan of about 10 years. They spawn in summer. It can be fished all year round. The tripletail has small scales that extend over the dorsal, caudal and anal fins and a head profile that becomes more concave with age. The tripletail has a compressed and deep body, with a triangular head. The eyes are relatively small and the mouth is large. The bases of the dorsal and anal fins are flaked and the pectoral fins are shorter than the pelvic fins. The tripletail has soft, large and rounded dorsal, caudal and anal fins. This characteristic has given rise to the common name. Juveniles are marbled yellow, brown and black. Lying on the side at the surface of the water, a young tripletail looks like a floating mangrove leaf. Juveniles have white pectoral fins and a white border on the caudal fin. The adult tripletails have a variety of marbled patterns, ranging from dark brown to reddish brown or brown with a shade of grey.

Fishing period : all year round

Minimum size : 45 cm

Difficulty :

N°10 | The Bonefish

The Bonefish belongs to the Albulidae family. The maximum size of the bonefish is 104 cm and the maximum weight is 10 kg. They can live up to 10 years. It breeds from November to May. It can be fished all year round. Many fossil remains, several million years old and dating from the dinosaur era, show that the tarpon has the particularity of having changed very little during its long existence. It can be recognized by its streamlined body covered with large silver scales and its mouth with a prominent lower jaw with many small pointed teeth. These characteristics seem to have inspired the different appellations attributed to it according to its geographical distribution: "Silver King" in America or the "Great Scale" in the West Indies.

Fishing period : All year

Minimum size : no restriction

Difficulty :

7.6

10 am

Take out your rods! The fishes are here.

High

Medium

Low

The best moment to go fishing!

The fishing forecast allows you to forecast your fishing trips and always go at the right time to the right place!

How it works

This is a score of 1 to 10 calculated city by city according to some forty criteria affecting fishing: moon, weather conditions, atmospheric pressure, sunrise / sunset. sun, tides, swell etc .