The village of stands on the shores of Lough Corrib, famous for trout and salmon fishing. Surrounded by splendid scenery, Oughterard is the Gateway to Connemara.
Oughterard is a pretty little town through which the river Feogg runs under its picture postcard stone bridge, before joining the waters of the famous Lough Corrib . Situated on the road between Galway and Clifden , Oughterard calls itself the Gateway to Connemara and from here to Clifden the country switches to sprawling bog land, buffered by spectacular mountains that gets more scenic the further west you go.
The town has a lot to offer in terms of pubs, eateries and character but the main reason most people don't just pass through, is to fish in the internationally renowned waters of Lough Corrib. This, the largest lake in the Republic of Ireland covering some 200sq km, is a trout and salmon angler's paradise, drawing people with their rods from all over Europe.
The trout fishing season starts on 15th February and begins in earnest around mid March with the Duckfly and the Olive hatches around April, but the real fun starts when the Mayfly hatch in mid May. The flies hover over the Lough the fish surface to catch them and armies of fishermen in turn descend on Oughterard and Lough Corrib to catch the fish. Around the 10th May is known locally as "Duffer's Fortnight" when even the most inexperienced angler can expect an impressive catch. The best salmon fishing continues into mid-July and though the trout season begins to tail off, July is when the larger fish-eating "Ferox" trout are caught, with good fishing continuing into August and up to the end of the season on 30th September.
Oughterard also has some excellent walks and hikes , with the Western Way passing through the village on the way to Westport .