The river spans 115 miles, starting from the Devil’s Bit Mountain and flowing through counties Tipperary, Kilkenny, and Waterford, eventually meeting the sea at Waterford Harbour.

It features a combination of shallow and deep glides, with prolific fly hatches supporting a rich trout population. The river’s characteristics, influenced by limestone tributaries, make it comparable to a chalk stream, enhancing its trout fishing potential.

The River Suir was renowned for its excellent game angling, particularly for brown trout and salmon. The fishing season runs from 17th March to 30th September.

History

Carrick-on-Suir owes its existence and much of its past prosperity to the River Suir. The town’s close relationship with the river has always been strong, with salmon cot fishing and trading boats and barges, ‘lighters’ and ‘yawls’, being a regular sight in the past. 

The lighters carried cargo between Waterford and Carrick-on-Suir, where the cargo was transferred to the yawls which continued to Clonmel, towed by men and horses. By 1835 there were as many as 180 lighters and yawls working the river between Clonmel and Waterford. As a result Carrick-on-Suir was vital to the distribution of goods across the South East of Ireland.

Indeed for centuries Carrick-on-Suir was a busy river port connecting Clonmel and the Golden Vale with the Port of Waterford. Although the introduction of the railways in the 19th Century signalled the beginning of the end for the river trade, the town continued as a hub for commercial river traffic until the mid 20th Century when the final bells tolled with the sale of the last two boats in 1973, ‘Knocknagow 1’ and ‘Knockagow 2’.

The town’s close relationship with the river remains to this day with the swan, the salmon and the Carrick Knot being symbols of the town, the Old Tow Path being a popular walk for locals and visitors alike, and the river men in their cots still a regular sight on the river. Check out Waterways Ireland for more information.