For the big big catfish, I like to use live bluegill as bait. You’ll need a stiff ocean rod, ocean reel with a bait clicker and tough line, (I use 50lb. test spirderwire braid) and look out when you hook one! Waterdogs are also a good bet.
There’s also a method used for catching trout from the bank of a stream, It’s called ticking.
Basically, you lay down by the stream, usually at a place where the bank over hangs the stream, and you slowly immerse your hand, feeling for trout. when you encounter one you can sedate them by rubbing thier bellies. It puts them into a form of trance, and once there, you can easily lift the trout out of the water.
Edited to add:
I do not recommend this form of fishing, trout have a mucus coating over their skin that prevents parasitic infestation in addition to disease. The oils on your fingers removes this with an almost certain death sentence for the trout. If one takes off during the ‘tickling’, it will most likely die and that’s a bad thing.
Never could get into fishing myself. Did it a wee bit as a lad, but was never real into it.
The way I look at it, if I want to go sit in the woods (or in a boat, or on a pier, etc.) for hours on end and not catch fish, I won’t bother with all the equipment.
No excuse necessary.
I’ll just go sit and not catch fish.
I’m good with that.
I went out to the hazel wood,
Because a fire was in my head,
And cut and peeled a hazel wand,
And hooked a berry to a thread,
And when white moths were on the wing,
And moth-like stars were flickering out,
I dropped the berry in the stream,
And caught a little silver trout.
(w.B. Yeats)
The freshwater fish found in Ireland would be similar to Britain ie:
Pike, perch,trout(rainbow and brown), carp, tench, roach, rudd, bream, charr, eel not to mention the native Ferox trout found only in Lough Melvin.
I basically do any kind of fishing, this evening i might do a bit of spinning for perch as there has been a good fall of rain all week and the perch usually go quite mad this time of year, i also like sittin down chillin out ledgering or float-fishing, anything could be caught this way, especially if you use worms or maggots. fly fishing i adore on the smaller rivers especially dry-fly, you just cant beat that “pure” take!
I will be attempting some Pike fly-fishing this year, it is a relatively new sport over here, and the tackle requires a heavier than normal fly-rod(8-9) and wire or braided leader, also the “flies” actually imitate frogs or voles etc, and are fished through the weeds. i cant wait to try it out.
I never learned to fly fish, I’ve always been happy using the “other” rods and reels.
Doesn’t sound like half bad fishing in Ireland, well, as far as the species go, I don’t know actually how good the fishing for them is as I’ve never been over there so far!
Cool poem to boot also.
-Eric
Heres me and my mate dannys son fisshing last weekend, this was his first time ever fishing and his first ever fish (perch), he was delighted until the fish started to flap, he got very startled then, screamed, and ran off as fast as his little legs could carry him! but he wants me to bring him again next weekend!
I don’t believe in catching fish with a hook for religio-ethical reasons, but I have been known to take a net and catch small-sized minnows for my aquarium. I’ve also collected tadpoles and salamanders this way. Does that count?
I wouldn’t be a fisherman anyway, I’d be a fisher or a fisherperson.
Don’t forget to put Salmon on that Irish fish list.
Christ was a fisher of men, wasn’t he? I have to wonder what lb. test line he used to land them Apostles. But I’ll bet he used a #6 hook. 
Aye wasnt st.peter the fisherman, didnt jaysus tell him to cast his nets on the other side of the boat?
Then there is David Power who likes to fish as well…
Sure, and wasn’t it poor old Judas Hisscardeycat hisself what rented dem dat boat. And Jaysus says ta Judas, “Here, look at all dem holes in da bottom a dis here boat”. And Judas says back to him, “I don’ts looks at da bottom o’ boats for religio-ethical reasons”. And Jaysus says to Judas, “Gimme back me fiver or I’ll crease yez”.
Dus endet da lesson, by geez.
djm
Nah… Wasn’t it 12 lb. Stren he used? Good line that monofiliment…
Yes, yes, I believe you’re quite right there D, 12 lb. test it was.
I actually dont believe in capturing wild animals and imprisoning them solely for my pleasure (for certain personal ethicallllyyyreligopoliticostuff reasons).
Catch some catfish minnows and see how long they stay minnows… 
I never really thought much about whether a fish hook was cruel, or caused pain to a fish. I know that there’s great big arguments about that on the internet and stuff. I suppose to “catch and release” fishermen it may make a difference.
But to me, if a fish feels pain, I figure the hook probably doesn’t hurt nearly as much as when I gut and fillet the fish prior to cooking it in hot oil.
Well in my experience, by that point the fish is usually dead, so it wouldn’t be able to feel any pain.
Some people think fishing is cruel, some people think fishing is fun. Some people like guns, some people think guns should be banished off the face of the earth. Can’t please everybody in this world.
we go deep sea fishing a few times a year down at the Gulf. i love salt water fishing. down here, there are too many mosquitos for fresh water fishing, although it still is worth it.
I have seen film of fancy sushi restaurants in Japan where the the fish is skinned and cut up into cubes and then serverd immediately to the customer and the gills are still gasping. Cruelty or just a bit fresh?
As for catch and release with barbless hooks, I just can’t see any fish saying, “Thanks for the great big hole you tore into my face”. If you’re going to catch, kill and eat the fish that is one thing. Catching a fish just to torture it and then let it go seems a bit perverse to me.
djm
Like I said, can’t please everyone in this world.
But I don’t catch fish “just to torture” them. That would be perverse. I catch fish because they’re fun to catch. It seems to me, some credit should be given to catch and release fishermen, for one reason, they’re releasing the fish Back into the lake/ocean. So someone else can have a chance to catch it, more importantly as well allowing the fish to go back and reproduce. Industrial fishing is a whole other matter, and I’m not talking about that. Now to the careless fisherman who releases a mortally wounded fish back into lake, (ie, one profusely bleeding for example) that’s poor thinking. When I catch fish, I treat them with respect as much as possible, and make sure the fish is able enough to go back on it’s own.
I’m not for animaly cruelty, but I don’t think fishing is considered cruel as long as the person practices healthy methods while handling the fish. Although I know there are others that do think fishing is cruel (hell I dated a girl for 2 years that did), and that’s fine. I wouldn’t ever try to change a person’s beliefs, and I would like to expect that in return.
For me, fishing just isn’t about catching fish. It’s about getting out of town, into the wilderness, relaxing by the water, spending time with those I fish with, and pretty much just taking a break from day to day life. And those are the main reasons I like to go fishing. If I catch some fish, then that’s a plus for the trip. I also like going, because sometimes the fishing isn’t that great with the usual baits, and I think it’s fun to figure out what works… Sometimes you won’t, and you won’t get a single bite. But you won’t know unless you try right?
Everyone’s entitled their own opinions, thoughts, and beliefs, so I’m not barking at anyone here when I say all this.
-Eric