A brief history of Coarse fishing on Inniscarra Lake, Roovesbridge
Coachford Co Cork.
Inniscarra Lake originated from the River Lee which has its source in Gougane Barra some 40 Miles west of Cork City and flows due east through
beautiful contrasting scenery, varying from wild mountainsto morelands
and later through lowland lakes and returns to the sea as the Lee River
through Cork city and Cork Harbour and out into the Atlantic Ocean at
Roaches Point in Aghada.
Inniscarra Lake was created in 1956 by the construction of two hydro
electric generating stations, one in Carrigadrohid of 4.5kw capacity and
the other of 9kw at Inniscarra Lake closer to Cork City. The Lake
constitutes an area of 530 hectares and bank fishing sideof 40kms though
not all fishable. The purpose was to hold enough water to generate
electricity for Cork City and it’s surrounding towns and villages.
The founder and brainchild of the fisheries was a Mr Noel Hackett (RIP)
who was employed by the fisheries board in Macroom and whose home is
adjacent to the Lake. He introduced the Bream to Inniscarra Lake in 1973
and they have bread very successfully there to today’s levels where
there are millions of fish in the lake between the two reservoirs.
There main fishing points along Inniscarra Lake namely:
- Carrigadrohid
- Castle Bridge
- Sallys Hole
- Cemetary Fields
- Concrete Jetty
- Salmon Cages
- Rooves Bridge
- Rooves Bay
- Farran Forrest Park
- Dripsey Arm
- Garden Center
- Recreation Center
- Innisleena
- Pumping Station
- Walshstown
To mention but a few suitable points for fishing the lake.
The dominant Coarse fish in Inniscarra Lake are:
Bream, bream/rudd hybrids, Rudd, Perch, Pike, Tench, Carp and Eels.
Catches of Bream in excess of 100 lbs per day are common. The lake is
best suited for the pleasure angler who can enjoy long days of
uninterrupted pleasure.
Michael Collins of Tara Guest Accommodation
www.taraholidayhomes.com
will show the visiting angler the best locations on the reservoir to
fish and will advise and arrange bait as required.
There are also good stocks of trout in the Lake again around the
Roovesbridge and Bay area.
There are good Pike stock’s on the reservoir also and they have
achieved big weight’s and on the balmy evenings they are rolling in the
shallows around Roovesbay. The Dutch, German and French tourists enjoy
tralling for the pike.
The National Pike Angling Championships were fished on the Lee System
and catches of 250kg’s daily were recorded.
Eel fishing has become very popular especially with the Belgian and
Dutch people. The Oak Smoke or Jelly the eel and they are pleasant to
eat.
Game fishing is popular below the dam walls in Inniscarra and this
stretch of the Lee is stocked and pegs are booked for the day fisherman.
A small number of perch are present in Lough Allua, Tench are found
in Mc Culls Pond and Buckleys Pond east of Macroom
The Lough in Cork City is Ten Acres, surrounded by a small green belt
in a built up urban area, it nevertheless boasts good stocks of carp,
tench, bream, rudd, eel, perch and Pike. The waters edge is Fringed by a
small concrete pathand the shoreline is therefore 100% fishable.
The is a nice 4 acre reservoir in Ballincollig also with bream, carp ,
rudd, tench and eels.
Inniscarra Lake is part of the magnificent Beautiful Lee Valley with its
rolling hills and beautiful valleys. The views around Rooves Bridge ,Coachford
are breathtaking and once visited a person will always return due to
that everlasting memory of the beauty.
A book “ The flooding of the river Lee” produced by local man, historian
and school teacher Seamus O Donoghue captures the wealth of history of
the area and will leave you intrigued. There is also a video available
on the Flooding of the dam produced by the Electricity Supply Board
which with its motion pictures of 1956 captures the intrigue of the
project.
If you would like me to research more on the Lake area please feel free
to contact me at
www.taraholidayhomes.com
Michael Collins
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