Fishing in Co. Westmeath

Westmeath sits in the Irish Midlands, a county shaped almost entirely by still water. The landscape is low and limestone-rich, and it holds a chain of large lakes that drain through the Shannon system.

This is primarily a lough county — the rivers matter, but the lakes are the reason most anglers come. Lough Ree is the biggest water here, a broad, island-scattered lake shared with Longford and Roscommon.

It holds pike, perch, and coarse fish in numbers, and its sheer size means you can find quiet corners even on busy weekends.

Lough Ennell, south of Mullingar, is one of the few lakes in Ireland where the trout are entirely wild — no stocked fish muddying the gene pool — and that reputation draws serious fly anglers.

Lilliput Boat Hire on Ennell's shore can put you on the water with a rowing boat or outboard. Lough Owel, a few kilometres northwest of Mullingar, is spring-fed limestone with exceptional clarity — visibility can reach six metres on a bright day.

Its brown trout average around 2lbs, and the depth means productive drifts well beyond the shallows. Further north, Lough Derravaragh and Lough Lene are worth the detour. Derravaragh is a trout and pike water with ghillie services available.

Lough Lene near Collinstown is a blue-flag-quality lake noted for wild trout, with fish to 5lbs not unusual; the Lough Lene Angling Association manages it actively, and the angling associations on these upper Boyne lakes all support catch and release.

Boat fishing produces the best results on Lene — get local advice before you go. The River Inny and the Brosna system are the rivers that anchor the coarse and pike fishing between the lakes.

Both have been fished hard by visiting anglers for decades and still produce. The Inny in particular connects several of the midland loughs and holds pike alongside the usual coarse mix of perch, bream, roach, and hybrids. Permits matter here.

Most of these waters — the Inny, Brosna, Owel, Ennell, Derravaragh, Glore, and others — fall under the Midland Fisheries Group of controlled waters, which requires a separate permit for trout, pike, and coarse fishing.

That permit is issued through Inland Fisheries Ireland and is distinct from the state rod licence needed for salmon and sea trout.

O'Malley's Fishing Tackle in Mullingar, established since 1956, is the practical first stop for local knowledge and the right paperwork.

The trout season on most of these lakes runs from 1 March to 12 October — check current rules with IFI before you travel, as byelaws on individual waters like Lough Lene have been updated in recent years.

Coarse fishing runs year-round, and autumn and winter are when the pike fishing sharpens up across the county.