Border Lakes (Cavan & Monaghan)
This is drumlin country — a landscape of small, rounded glacial hills pressed close together, with the low ground between them filled with an unusually dense scatter of lakes. Lough Sheelin, straddling the Cavan, Westmeath and Meath border, is the standout: a rich limestone lough whose high pH and shallow average depth combine to produce and sustain a genuinely large stock of wild, pink-fleshed brown trout, rated among the best wild trout fisheries in Ireland.
The lough's mayfly season, starting around 7-12 May and running into June, is a serious date on the Irish game-fishing calendar — daytime dry-fly fishing during this window can be excellent, with trout keyed onto the hatch and genuinely catchable on floating flies rather than the deep, patient nymphing needed the rest of the season.
Lough Sheelin
Lough Sheelin
A limestone lough of around 7.3 square miles, part of the River Inny/Shannon system, with more than half its area in County Cavan. Wild, pink-fleshed brown trout in genuinely large numbers thanks to the lough's high pH and shallow profile. Mayfly hatch begins early-to-mid May, with excellent daytime dry-fly fishing through late May and early June.
Wild trout · MayflyBest areas
The area south and west of a line from Curry Point to Wilsons Point sees the most fishing activity; Rusheen Bay through to Derrahorn and Watty's Rock is known for good lake olive hatches earlier in the season.
TroutNearby waters
River Inny
Flows into and out of Lough Sheelin as part of the wider Shannon system, offering further pike and coarse fishing along its course.
Pike · CoarseGeneral guide only — a state licence is required for trout fishing in Ireland; boats and local knowledge are strongly recommended on Sheelin given its size and the drift-fishing technique typically used. Always confirm current permits, season dates and rules with a local guide or accommodation provider before fishing.
Check today's conditions for the Border Lakes →