Templehouse Lake is renowned for coarse fishing – pike, perch, bream. There are indeed monster pike out there! The one on the mantle piece in the hall dating from 1915 is 32lbs but there was one caught weighing 36lbs and released again in 2003 and another of 46lb in 2013 – still there if you fancy a challenge. We have some fishing gear for your use but little expertise.
We can arrange a local guide or gillie to suit you at Temple House or other waters. Trout, pike, bream and salmon.
Fishing Parties
This is a great place for a small group to enjoy a few days fishing together. We have 4 boats on the lake and can arrange alternative sport in the area. Take the big house or self catering cottage. We can cater to your needs and preferences. Contact us tell us what you’d like to do.
Temple House Lake has a large population of Pike, Perch, Bream, Rudd, Tench and Eels, which provide excellent fishing for local and visiting anglers. They generally use spinners for Pike at the river mouth or along the reed and lily beds or floats with dead bait ledgered in the deep water during the winter. Recently some good sport has been had fly fishing for Pike on the lake.
The bank fishing at the bend of the river at TH bridge is now served by a car park nearby, please do not drive over the field. Pike, Perch, Rudd and Bream are the main fish below the bridge with good Bream 150m up river from the bridge.
Temple House lake is approx. 200 acres in size, 1 mile long and pear shaped, it has a limestone substrate with many springs of fresh water. Two rivers enter the lake from the south. The water flowing into the lake is coloured by silt from the bog and forestry developments upstream and the current and prevailing wind are causing the lake to silt up at the N. end where the lake narrows and the Owenmore continues north, joined by the Unshin and Owenbeg, to flow into Ballisodare bay. The effect of the drainage in the 1930s and 1997 is to leave a mainly shallow lake [2m] with a deep section [6m] off the grassy island to the south, though this can change after heavy rain by as much as 1.5m in a few days. The bottom is covered in silt and rocks, water visibility is usually under 1m. Reed beds of phragmites, bogrush etc. almost surround the lake making bank fishing limited.
– Three boats are available for hire by pre-booking. Residents can use the them for free.
Boat only – €35 per day
You may bring your own engine for the 17-19ft boats < 10HP
Prices include insurance. You are required to wear life jackets.
Boat and engine plus Gillie 130 euro per day approx (please ask).
There is also a local Ballymote Angling Club
Game Angling
A qualified Gillie is also available on Lough Arrow, Lough Bo, Lough Conn, Lough Gill, Lough na Suil. Glencar lake. The Ballysadare, Drumcliffe, Easkey and Moy rivers.
Brown trout fishing available from April to October. Rainbow trout fishing available in stocked lakes from April to October. Salmon and Grilse in lakes and rivers from April to October.
Sea Angling
Rosses Point and Mullaghmore are probably the county’s best known.
Our preferred operator: Skipper Rodney Lomax has many years experience fishing the waters of Donegal Bay. The Celtic Dawn (30’ Timber. 40 HP Lister) was custom built for Charter Angling, and was the first boat to be granted a passenger and angling license by the Department of the Marine. Celtic Dawn is available for general fishing, e.g. cod, pollack,ling, wrasse, pouting, etc. from April to the end of October, and for game fishing, mostly blue shark, from August to the end of October. Ask about a trip to Innishmurray Island 3 miles off shore to look at the early Christian settlement too.
Lomax Boats, Mullaghmore, Cliffoney, Co. Sligo.
Tel: +353 71 9166124 or +353 87 2727538
Email: tlomax@eircom.net
Please mention us.
Other charter boats:
For those preferring to stay on dry land, Streedagh, Raughley and Aughris offer great opportunities.
A testimonial – Fishing on Templehouse Lake
We are regular visitors to Ireland and are in the fortunate position to come over for fishing twice every year.
On our fishing trips, I am always accompanied by my middle son who, like me, is very keen at fishing. Over the last twenty years, we have fished Temple House Lake and its connecting rivers, in particular for pike. The visits to Temple House (owners: Roderick and Helena Perceval) are among the very best experiences in my life. Fishing on the lake has always been very productive for us. For pike, we mainly practise trawling with artificial lures. Catching about 20 pike per day has been no exception, with several of these weighting between 10 and 25 lbs. The biggest pike we ever caught in the Temple House waters was 36 lbs. A photograph of my son with that “monster” is on display in the entrance hall of the mansion. By principle, we practise catch and release of all our fish.
Clearly, in our experience, fishing for pike in the Temple House waters is as good and as enjoyable as in the previous 20 years that we had the opportunity to fish here. In the years to follow, we will certainly come back to this magnificent place to fish for pike!
Sierd and Jan Willem Bron (Netherlands)