Small lake in Tipperary offering free coarse fishing for perch, roach, bream, pike, and rudd. Intimate water suitable for bank anglers seeking a quiet fishing experience.
The combination of large pike and prolific coarse fish makes Swallow Hole a highly productive fishery. Bream shoals can be large and easy to locate — a well-fed swim will often produce excellent bags. Pike, attracted by concentrated prey fish, are regularly caught to specimen weight.
One of the appeals of Swallow Hole is that coarse fishing is free and accessible to all. The only licence requirement is for those targeting salmon or sea trout, for which an IFI state licence is mandatory. Confirm access where the bank crosses private land.
Swallow Hole holds pike, perch, roach, bream, rudd, eel, tench. Pike are a premier Irish sport fish — lure and deadbait fishing both produce well.
Coarse fishing is free in Ireland; a state licence is required for salmon and sea trout. Always check local rules before your visit.
The following methods are recommended for the species found in Swallow Hole:
Pike are the apex predator of Irish loughs and grow to impressive sizes. Lure fishing with large plugs (12–20cm), rubber jerk baits and spinnerbaits accounts for a great many fish. Static and sink-and-draw deadbaiting with roach, mackerel or smelt is highly effective from autumn through winter. Always use a wire trace of at least 15kg breaking strain and handle pike with wet hands — Irish pike stocks are a treasured national resource worth protecting.
Irish lough coarse fishing is often at its best with simple float tackle — a waggler or stick float with maggot, worm or caster over a bed of groundbait will consistently account for bream, roach and rudd. Swimfeeder tactics work well for bream in deeper water. Tench prefer weedy margins and respond to a cocktail of maggot and sweetcorn on a size 10–12 hook. Early morning and evening sessions are most productive in summer.
Eels are common in Irish loughs and can be caught on worm or small deadbait fished hard on the bottom after dark. While not a primary target, larger eels make for an interesting session and require careful handling — grip just behind the head and use a cloth to control the body.
Irish loughs fish year-round, but each season brings different opportunities and target species:
Pike feed actively as water temperatures rise. Coarse species begin moving into shallower bays as the weather warms.
Evening sessions are most productive as daytime temperatures push fish deeper. Rudd and roach are catchable near reed beds on float tackle. Tench feed actively at dawn. Pike can be sluggish in warm water — fish deeper or wait for cooler evenings.
The prime season for specimen pike as they feed hard before winter. Deadbaiting comes into its own. Bream shoals are active throughout the water column — a great time for big nets of fish.
Fishing slows but pike remain catchable on static deadbaits in deep water. Perch shoal up and respond well to small lures and jig heads. Dress warmly, exercise caution around icy banks, and always let someone know where you are fishing.
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Coarse fishing at Swallow Hole is free in the Republic of Ireland — no licence is required for non-game species. A state rod licence from Inland Fisheries Ireland is required for salmon and sea trout. Licences can be purchased online or from local tackle shops.
Located in Tipperary, Munster, Swallow Hole is best approached with a good local map and, where possible, local knowledge from the nearest tackle shop or angling club. Many Irish loughs have limited bank access and a boat significantly increases the fishable area — boat hire is available on some larger waters.