Gamefishing on the Isle of Man

River Fishing

With a myriad of small, clear, fast flowing streams, the Isle of Man offers a unique opportunity to fish for wild brown trout across the island. Many anglers choose to spin rather than fly fish these streams due to the dense cover, however excellent results will come to the practised fly fisherman.

Migratory Fish

Salmon and sea trout are both native to the island and Manx rivers hold surprisingly good stocks of migratory fish. Given enough water, there should be sea trout in the major streams by June, with salmon arriving later in the year, usually by late September. The main streams frequented by migratory fish are the Sulby River in the northern half of the island and the Neb, which flows into the sea at Peel on the West coast. However sea trout can be found in some of the larger pools in the smaller streams.

Reservoir Fishing

The island has eight Water Authority reservoirs, which can provide some challenging stillwater trout fishing and offer a great contrast as they vary from sheltered lowland reservoirs to exposed upland waters in the central hills. Whilst wild brown trout can be found in all of these reservoirs, six of them are also stocked on a regular basis with rainbow and brown trout reared at the Government's fish hatchery at Cornaa. The reservoirs vary in size from the deep, clear Sulby Reservoir (154 acres) located directly under Snaefell to the lowest-lying Ballure (3.5 acres) just on the outskirts of Ramsey. The Clypse and Kerrowdhoo reservoirs just north of Douglas are restricted to fly fishing only. For safety reasons none of the reservoirs allow wading and no boats are available. Further information about Reservoir Fishing & other types can be found here

Angling Seasons

Seasons are different for the reservoirs and streams on the island. Fishing on reservoirs opens in March and goes through to the end of October. The season on the streams begins in April and for brown trout continues until the end of September. After this, there is another month's fishing for migratory fish only.

Rod Licences

The rod licensing system on the Isle of Man differs from that of the UK in that one licence is required to fish all of the Water Authority reservoirs and a separate licence can be purchased to fish elsewhere (e.g. rivers). These licences are available from the majority of post offices and from Government Offices. Licences can be purchased for a day, a week or a season, and there are reductions for junior anglers. However, during the month of October, the most productive for migratory fish, only a season ticket is available.

Regulations

On the reservoirs, no more than 4 trout can be caught and killed on any one day, and anglers must not continue to catch and release after a fourth fish has been caught and killed. On other waters, anglers are permitted to catch and kill up to 6 fish each day, of which no more than 2 can be salmon or sea trout. Again, anglers are not permitted to continue catch and release after the capture of the sixth fish. General rules for angling in both reservoirs and rivers can be found here

Catch Returns

From 2003, anglers have been encouraged to submit catch returns for migratory fish captured during the season. The catch return form is incorporated as part of the Other Waters licence and should be returned to the Department of Agriculture Fisheries and Forestry via a Freepost address by the 1st January of the following year. These returns can be used to monitor trends in the Island's fisheries, will act as useful indicators as to the status of our native fish stocks and will assist in directing resources to the areas most in need.

The Fish Hatchery, Cornaa

The Department of Agriculture Fisheries and Forestry operates a fish hatchery at Ballaglass near Cornaa. All the rainbow trout and brown trout released in the Reservoirs are reared at this site, which is open to the public one day each week. The majority of the fish are reared to a size of just over a pound in weight before stocking although larger fish are regularly released with these, just to keep the fishing interesting! On average approximately 30,000 fish are introduced to the reservoirs over the angling season.

The Work of the Freshwater Fisheries Section

The Section is responsible for the rearing of salmon, brown trout and rainbow trout and the re-stocking of the Island's reservoirs for the purpose of recreational angling. The Section also enforces the Inland Fisheries Act 1976, under which it is empowered. This includes the investigation of, and where necessary, prosecution of freshwater pollution incidents. Licence checks and anti-poaching patrols are carried out to deter poaching and protect the fishery interests. A new and developing area of responsibility is the implementation of a migratory salmonid monitoring strategy for the Department. This will provide information on the status of the native fish stocks in the various watercourses across the Island, and thus set a baseline from which improvements can be instigated. Over time, with such initiatives as habitat improvement schemes it is hoped that the native fish stocks on the island will be protected and enhanced through the work of the Department and other supportive organisations.

More Information

Inland Fisheries Development Manager 01624 686044 or Freshwater Fisheries Manager 01624 812224 or by visiting the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry website here