Lough Mask is a limestone lough of some 20,000 acres, 10 miles long by about 4 miles wide. It is noted for its beautiful free-rising brown trout. The average size is 1 lb 3 oz but 3 lb fish are common and it holds a big stock of ferox trout to over 20 lb. These big fish are taken by trolling in depths from 10 to 30 feet, usually around the islands in the middle of the lough. The area in question stretches from Carrigeendauv in the north to Ram’s island in the south. There is excellent wet-fly fishing, and dapping the mayfly in late May and June is most productive. Dapping the natural grasshopper takes a lot of good fish in August – September. Dry fly fishing with a lightly dressed Green Drake works well when the trout are feeding on mayfly and shore fishing is possible in a number of places. One such place is the mouth of the canal, where dry sedges are fished off the shore, and Olive Spinners will take good trout in the summer evenings along many of the bays on the eastern shore. There are good hatches of chironomids from early April and later in that month the lake olives appear and continue into early May. Popular wet-fly patterns at this time are Fiery Brown, Sooty Olive, Blae Sooty Olive, Black Pennell, Connemara Black, Peter Ross, Watson’s Fancy, Greenwell’s Glory, Mallard and Claret and Cock Robin. The Mayfly dominate the fishing in Mayo from mid-May to late in June and dapping mayfly and yellow mayfly patterns work well; the Invicta, Teal and Yellow and Golden Olive are also useful, there is good night buzzer fishing. Trout fishing in Mayo slows down in July but picks up again in August and September. The best killing patterns from August onwards are Claret Murrough, Green Peter, Bibio, Watson’s Fancy, Invicta, Daddy, Golden Olive, Peter Ross and Black and Peacock Spider.
Ballinrobe is the major angling centre for Mask, but anglers also stay at Cushlough, Partry, Srah, Tourmakeady, Tream, Ferry Bridge, Clonbur, Ballinchalla and Newport House. Access to the lough is very good with safe moorings and slipways in most areas. The chief points of access are Cushlough – where there is a large car park, anglers’ shelter, public toilets and a number of excellent Guest Houses, Cahir Bay, Ballinchalla Bay, Roshill, Ferry Bridge, Annagh, Churchfield, Tourmakeady, Srah, Ballygarry and Aughinish. Anglers who are fishing in Mayo should check, as local permission is required at some of the above. A limited number of boats and boatmen are available for hire right around the lough. Mask is a dangerous place with extensive reefs, capable of splitting a boat wide open, lying just under the surface, and the newcomer to Mask would be well advised to avail himself of the services of an experienced boatman. There is another factor that visitors should bear in mind and that is that the level of the lough varies by as much as 8 feet from summer level to winter. The Western Fisheries Board has a development and information centre at Cughlough. There is a statutory 12-inch size limit for trout on the lough.