Fishing on the Dingle Peninsula

 

Derrymore Glen, Dingle Peninsula, Summer 2021

WHY THE PENINSULA?

What is it that we love about the Dingle Peninsula? Why do so many people come here to explore, fish, cycle, run etc.This is a question that I have asked myself since I was a child. Some people will say its the scenery, others will say its the mountains and the very few will say its the weather. Personally I believe it's a mixture of everything. One definite reason is the landscape, it's the closeness of the hills and mountains to the sea. This provides two forms of landscape not always available. For me flatness is boring and being landlocked is even more boring. On the peninsula you can be literally climbing one of Ireland's highest mountains that morning and in the afternoon you can be swimming in the wild Atlantic ocean. Another definite reason has to be the remoteness, this gives way to the beauty of wild rugged fields and bog land. You can find yourself all on your own but also in the middle of a crowd. Dingle has it all but doesn't want any of it, maybe you have to be from here to understand that. 

TRALEE BAY
So the river Lee is the river that the town of Tralee is named after. “Tra” in Irish means either besides or next to, Lee then is the river. In other words, Tralee means besides Lee. I stand to be corrected on that but I'm fairly certain of it. What people are not aware of, is the river Lee is an actual river that has a decent run of both Salmon and Sea Trout. I have heard of Bass being caught way up past blennerville bridge and very decent flounders can be caught in the estuary also. In the summer months massive mullet run the river twice a day and can be seen very clearly from both Blennerville Bridge and here is the first mark that very few people are aware of, Kearneys Bridge. I have been mullet watching for years and anybody that has followed me online will know that. I'm not a mullet angler and I will never claim to be but Kearneys Bridge is by far the best place I have watched mullet. I have a video somewhere on a SD card with literally 200 mullets under the bridge at the start of the coming tide. Not one fish was under 5 pound. Unfortunately the conditions need to be perfect to see them but if someone puts in the time to catch them, I bet my life on it, specimens will be caught.

Kearneys Bridge, Blennerville, Tralee Bay.

The second mark is Blennerville Bridge itself and this bridge is rarely fished anymore.  In the 70’s, 80’s and early 90’s you couldn't pass the bridge in a summer month when you wouldnt see an angker float fishing for bass. It was a certainty to see men and women fishing there. Many specimen bass were caught from that bridge. A simple float fishing set up will catch you bass or sea trout. Also I witnessed an epic session one night inside the bridge simply bottom fishing with lugworm. Bass after bass was caught on the incoming tide. It must be a small tide for fishing purposes but shoals of mullet and bass run the river every day in search of crabs and worms.

Blennerville Bridge, Tralee Bay.

Blennerville pier is another mark well known by the local tralee anglers. Its directly behind the windmill and you are basically casting 5 metres in front of you. People do not believe me when I tell them that bass will be caught here. Also plenty of specimen flounders have been caught here. Sea trout can be caught as well. The Lock Gates is another fantastic mark and to be honest I don't know if I should be giving away this information but look it's all for the love of fishing. What you need is an ebb tide, between a 3.2 to 3.7 tide, peelers and it needs to be the summer time. Fish into the pool at the end of the canal that goes into the lock gates. You can fish from the high stone banks on both sides of the canal.