Angling on River Bush - day ticket stretches
The River Bush is close to the Giants Causeway on the North Antrim coast. Salmon angling is available on three stretches of the river known as the New, Town and Leap stretches. All are within walking distance of Bushmills and cater for various fishing methods.
New stretch – three rods available per day
This stretch of 400 metres fishes well in low water. For fly fishing an 11-foot rod is fine. Floating or sink tip lure is ideal for this beat. There are four good pools that fish well from June to September.
New beat is 457 metres from the downstream road bridge in Bushmills - three rods available.
Town stretch – three rods available per day
This beat of 300 metres is in the centre of Bushmills town. The Doctors Pool is a fast deep run and is the best fly water on the Town stretch.
The famous Bridge Pool is deep and 180 metres in length. It fishes well with the fly at the upstream end, with other methods more suitable for the slower parts.
Leap stretch – six rods available per day
The Leap stretch of 600 metres has five deep fast pools to test the keen fly angler. During high water conditions worm fishing can be successful. Best periods for salmon fishing are from July onwards with good brown trout in the evening. The best fishing is from the West bank.
How to get there, rules, method, bag limits
To view the full details of the River Bush day ticket stretches rules, method, bag limits and information on how to get there, follow the link below:
What you need
A Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) game rod licence is needed along with a day ticket to fish the three special angling beats: New, Town and Leap. You'll get a discount on your day ticket if you have one of the following:
- a valid season game permit
- a valid North East Antrim area season local game permit
There are the following types of day tickets. Note that a ticket bought in your name cannot be passed on to someone else.
| Ticket Type | Valid hours |
|---|---|
| Full day ticket | 8.00 am to 10.00 pm or one hour after sunset, whichever comes first |
| Half day ticket (morning) | 8.00 am to 2.00 pm |
| Half day ticket (afternoon) | 2.00 pm to 10.00 pm or one hour after sunset, whichever comes first |
| Evening ticket (only available at 3.00 pm on the day) | 5.00 pm to 10.00 pm or one hour after sunset, whichever comes first |
Fishing conditions
While you can catch fish during any weather conditions, an overcast day has been known to be one of the best conditions to have a successful trip. You should always check the weather conditions before you go fishing.
Visit the Met Office website and find the section near the top of the page that says: ‘Enter place name or post code’ – this is where you type in ‘Bushmills’. Once you’ve done that you’ll be presented with the following three choices:
- Bushmills (County Antrim)
- Bushmills (Moyle)
- Old Bushmills Distillery (Moyle)
Choose 'Bushmills (County Antrim)'. Once you've done that you'll be presented with the weather forecast for Bushmills.
Buy day tickets
Anglers can buy a River Bush day ticket online or via a distributor - such as a tackle shop. Make sure you read the conditions of sale before purchasing.
- Buy River Bush day tickets online
- View list of distributors
- Angling on River Bush day ticket stretches prices
The rest of the upstream area of the River Bush can be fished with a DAERA game rod licence and permit. It offers reasonable salmon angling from July to the end of the season with good trout fishing available throughout most of the season.