Lough Melvin
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Lough Melvin is a freshwater lake in the NorthWest of Ireland which straddles the border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. It has shores in both County Fermanagh and County Leitrim.
Lough Melvin is one of Ireland's famous loughs offering the chance of Spring salmon from February to May, Grilse from May to July, Gillaroo & Sonaghen throughout the season. Ferox trout are often caught by the salmon angler when trolling but may also be caught on the fly & the best chance of this is often in September. Trolling is especially popular for the early fish but fly fishing is the preferred method for the sonaghen and gillaroo. A ghillie or boatman is strongly recommended and are available from £60/day.
Lough Melvin is home to the Gillaroo or Salmo stomachicus - a species of trout which eats primarily snails. Gillaroo is derived from the Gailge or Irish for Red Fellow (Giolla Rua). This is due to the fishes distinctive colouring. It has a bright buttery golden colour in its flanks with bight crimson and vermillion spots. The gillaroo is characterised by deep red spots and a "gizzard" which is used to aid the digestion of hard food items such as water snails. Experiments carried out by Queens University Belfast established that the L. Melvin gillaroo cannot be found anywhere else in the world. They feed almost exclusively on bottom-living animals (snails, sedge fly larva and freshwater shrimp) with the exception of late summer. It is at this time that they come to surface to feed and may be caught on the dry fly. Other lakes reputed to contain the gillaroo are L. Neagh, L. Conn, L. Mask and L. Corrib. However the unique gene found in the L. Melvin trout has not been found in some 200 trout populations in Ireland and Britain.
Legend has it that St Brigid was offered chicken to eat on a Friday as she walked through Garrison (a big no-no to Catholics) and she was so enraged she threw the entire bird into the river where it changed into a fish, hence the "gizzard".
The sonaghen trout (Salmo nigripinnis) is another species unique to Lough Melvin. It can have a light brown or silvery hue with large, distinctive black spots. There are sometimes small, inconspicuous red spots located along its posterior region. Its fins are dark brown or black with elongated pectorals. Sonaghen are found in areas of open, deep water, where they feed on mid-water planktonic organisms.
[edit] History
Charlie Chaplin fished Lough Melvin extensively, and stayed in Garrison, County Fermanagh while he was in the locality.
