The salmon fishing rights at Dromana date back to the times of King John and were consolidated in an Act of Parliament of 1880. The fish are caught using a traditional method whereby they are encompassed in a drag net, alternatively called a seine or draft net. The small amount of wild salmon that can now be caught in Ireland are strictly controlled by scientifically based quotas, to ensure sustainability and also plenty for the upstream anglers.
The Atlantic salmon spawns in it’s river of origin and the young at two years of age migrating to the rich feeding grounds of the North Atlantic. After a year or two at sea they return once more to where they were born, thus completing the cycle. Their long time at sea, the vast distances of their free range travel, ensures a quality of flesh unequaled in the artificially farmed alternative and thus a must for every gourmet’s table.
The season begins on the 12th May for the Drag net and Snap net salmon fishing on the Blackwater. Enquiries for the purchase of fresh Blackwater Wild Salmon can be made through Dromana House. As the season is reasonably short it would be advisable to place your order as soon as possible.
During the royal visit of Queen Elizabeth II to Ireland, Salmon from the Blackwater was smoked by the Burren Smokehouse and served at the banquet in Dublin Castle.
The river Blackwater is world renowned for it’s salmon fishing both rod and net. The Dromana fishing has been a valuable assett to the local community down through the centuries. In 1847 when the railway came to Cappoquin the Dromana bridge was built over the river Finisk to facilitate the fast passage of fish to Cappoquin and from there to Billingsgate.
