Carlingford Lough is a sheltered sea lough on the border between County Louth and County Down, and it has been fished commercially for as long as there has been a village here — oysters above all, which the lough is still known for. For a visiting angler it offers two things that rarely come together: shore marks you can walk to from the village, and open-water fishing a few minutes off a slipway.
The village itself is in County Louth, in the Republic, with the Mourne Mountains on the County Down shore opposite. That matters if you are crossing the border for tackle or bait, and it matters for which fisheries rules apply to you.
What you can expect to catch, and when
Summer is mackerel, and plenty of it, with dogfish and codling about. It is also the tope season, which is what brings serious anglers here. Winter shifts to whiting and flounder. Around the shore marks you will also meet ray, pollack and sea trout through the season, and bass to a spun lure with some luck.
The lough is sheltered, so it fishes when the open coast does not — which is the practical reason to base a fishing weekend here rather than further round.
From a boat
The standard approach is at anchor, ledgering with a big bait. Sand-eel and fresh mackerel are the summer baits worth having. There are slipways along the southern shore of the lough for launching a small boat, and charter boats operate locally if you would rather not tow one — book ahead, particularly for a group, and ask what is included before you commit.
If tope are the target, fish heavier than you think you need to and be set up to release them in the water. Tope are a slow-growing shark and the convention here is that they all go back; do not lift one aboard for a photograph.
From the shore
The West Hole, close to the village, is the mark locals will point you at, and it is one of the few places you can realistically take tope without a boat. Ask in the village — people are helpful about it.
The shore around the lighthouse is the other one: ray, pollack, mackerel, dogfish and sea trout, and bass for anyone spinning. ⚠ The currents there are strong and they run hard on the tide. Know the state of the tide before you go out on the rocks, do not fish it alone in the dark, and do not wade.
Further out, the piers and slipways down towards Greenore give you clean ground and easier casting, and Templetown, on the seaward side of the peninsula, is the surf option.
Rules worth knowing before you keep anything
- Bass are tightly regulated in Irish waters — rod and line only, a minimum size, a daily bag limit, a closed season in late spring, and no sale of rod-caught fish. Check the current position with Inland Fisheries Ireland before you keep one.
- Minimum sizes and bag limits apply to other species too, and they change. A five-minute check beats a conversation with a fisheries officer.
- You are near a border. Rules on the County Down shore are not the same as on the Louth shore. Know which side you are fishing.
- Return what you are not eating, and handle anything you are releasing wet and quickly.
Practical notes for a group
- Tides, not clocks. Plan the day round the tide and expect early starts.
- Bring the wet gear and somewhere to dry it. It is a sea lough with a mountain beside it.
- Bait and tackle: stock up in Dundalk or Newry on the way in rather than assuming a village of about fifteen hundred people has what you need.
- Somewhere to cook the catch. This is the argument for self-catering over a hotel, and the reason most fishing groups take a house.
Where to stay for a fishing trip to Carlingford
Fishing trips come with early starts, wet gear and a group that wants to eat together afterwards, and none of that suits a hotel. Carlingford Heights is a six-bedroom lodge at Mountain Park, let as a whole property — one house, sleeps twenty, nobody else in the building — half a mile above the village with the lough in front of it. A full kitchen set up to cook for a full house, ample parking for several cars and boat trailers, and room to spread wet gear out at the end of the day.
Rates start at €2,100 for a weekend for the entire lodge. See the rooms in the photo gallery, the rates and terms on the booking page, or send us your dates and the number in the party.
Hiking trails and outdoor adventures covers the walks and the water sports for anyone in the group who does not fish, and the pubs and restaurants guide sorts out the evening.
