The Grand Canal is a major angling destination and is home to numerous competitions taking place throughout the year. On waterways managed by Waterways Ireland no license or permit is required but anglers are asked to respect our catch and release policy.
Catches vary along the navigation, for information on hotspot check out:
Fish Types
Roach
Size: Weigh up to 2 kgs.
Features: Roach are easily identified by their silver colour, red fins and red eyes.
Baits: Maggots, casters, bread, paste, sweetcorn, worms.
Specimen Weight: 0.907 kgs
Irish Record: 1.425 kgs
Bream
Size: Weigh up to 7 kgs.
Features: Adult Bream are recognised by their bronze colour, black fins and protruding upper jaw, while young bream or ‘skimmers’ differ from adults due to their silver colouring.
Baits: Maggots, worms, casters, sweetcorn, bread, paste.
Specimen Weight: 3.402 kgs
Irish Record: 5.528 kgs
Tench
Size: Weigh up to 5 kgs.
Features: distinguishing red eyes and are a dark olive or blackish colour with rounded fins and an almost unforked tail.
Baits: Maggots, casters, sweetcorn, bread, paste, worms, mini boilies.
Specimen Weight: 2.722 kgs
Irish Record: 3.697 kgs
8
Rudd
Size: Rudd weigh up to 2.5 kgs.
Features: A rudd can be identified by their golden green hue, scarlet fins and protruding lower jaw.
Baits: Maggots, bread, casters, sweetcorn, paste, worms, flies.
Specimen Weight: 1.021 kgs
Irish Record: 2.041 kgs
Perch
Size: Perch weigh up to 3 kgs.
Features: easily identified by the olive green colour and distinctive vertical black stripes on the flanks and reddish colour fins. The fins have sharp spines.
Baits: Worms, maggots, casters, small dead fish and a range of spanning baits.
Specimen Weight: 1.2 kgs
Irish Record: 2.495 kgs
Pike
Size: Pike weigh up to 20 kgs and can grow up to 1.3m. Females are normally larger.
Features: Streamlined olive green, torpedo shaped body & white belly. With a large broad mouth with rows of backward pointing sharp teeth.
Baits: Range of deadbaits, spinners and plugs including jerkbaits, flies.
Specimen Weight:
Irish Record:
Lake: 13.608 kgs
River: 9.072 kgs
Lake: 19.391 kgs
River: 19.051 kgs
(https://www.waterwaysireland.org/places-to-go/grand-canal/angling, 2022)