Spate · Mixed · South / Cork, IE

Bandon

Wide tidal reach of the Bandon River curving through green farmland and woodland near Kinsale, County Cork, Ireland.
Marginal · Atlantic Salmon
Cascade · 10-14
Marginallive now
Marginal — persistence required
Low and clear — careful approach country. Hard going on bright water. Favour cloud and shadow.
75% confidence
What moved it
  • Level0.36 mLast reading 1h ago
  • Water temp14.0°C
  • ClarityClear
Today's fly
Cascade
Cascade10-14
From the river-specific salmon pack.
Conditions on the water
Live gauge
Level
Steady
0.36 m
Last reading 1h ago
Water temp14.0°C
ClarityClear
Weather15°C
WindSE 41 km/h
Pressure1006 hPa
Rain · recent9.1 mm
Rain · ahead15.1 mm

Live readings only. Trends shown where the gauge supports them.

Water temperature for Atlantic Salmon
Ideal
14.0°Cideal 10–16°C
0°14°28°
How to fish it · for Atlantic Salmon
When
Spring fish from February; grilse from late May; main run summer. Cork spate river — fish 12 to 24 hours after rain on the drop.
Where
Beats from Dunmanway through Bandon town. Heads, tails, and named lies through the salmon stretches.
Method
Small doubles 10 to 12 across-and-down on a floating line; small tubes on a sink-tip in spring water. Catch-and-release encouraged across most Irish salmon water.
Kit
10 ft #7 single-hander on the smaller spate rivers; 11 ft switch where the river opens out. Floating line plus light sink-tip. 10 to 12 lb fluoro tippet.
Why this works
The river is in textbook shape. River dropping nicely into shape after a lift — textbook conditions. Clearing nicely — classic taking conditions. 14°C — in the ideal taking range for autumn salmon. This is the window experienced salmon anglers wait for — if you can get to the river, go now.
Likely species
Hatch timeline · todayPeak at 6 Uhr

Hatch predictions

Today's headline hatch shown — see all 12 active hatches hour by hour as a supporter.

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Sub-surface · on the nymphunder the surface

Hatch predictions

Top nymph shown — see all 2 guilds as a supporter.

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Beyond the hatch · worth watchingambient prey(1)

Hatch predictions

Top prey shown — see all 3 as a supporter.

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Evidence
Survey-backed · regionalHigh confidence

Backed by regional invertebrate surveys; no sampling on this exact reach yet.

Through the year
0–3 scale · September highlighted
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Salmon runRun
1
2
2
2
2
2
2
1
March BrownHatch
2
3
2
CapererHatch
2
3
3
2
Heather FlyHatch
2
2
Autumn DunHatch
2
3
2

Numbers are intensity 0 (none) to 3 (peak) — a guide, not a guarantee.

Ranked for today
Fly box · Atlantic Salmon
Permits & access
Permit required — see local rules.
  • West Cork river
  • Mixed club and association access
  • Bandon AA, Dunmanway STAA (fly only, 10 miles, Togher Castle to Manch Bridge), Ballineen & Enniskeane AA (4 miles, day tickets)
  • Best window June–September
  • State rod licence required.
What's coming
Plan ahead
5-day outlook
Other water nearby · 5
Gallery · 2
  1. Wide tidal reach of the Bandon River curving through green farmland and woodland near Kinsale, County Cork, Ireland.
    Bandon River
  2. Terrain map of the venue
    Terrain map
Water quality (WFD)
  • Ecology: Good
  • Chemical: Unknown
What this classification means

EPA WFD 2019-2024 — Good ecological status; filled 2026-06-18. Source: EPA Ireland WFD 2019-2024 classification (catchments.ie / EDEN).

EPA (Ireland) · IESW_20B020780

The full read · show the working · for Atlantic Salmon · confidence 75%
How the river scores — hydrology factors
Water heightLow But Fishable-0.7
Recent riseNone0.0
Falling after liftDropping Nicely Into Shape+4.5
Water temperatureCool To Moderate+3.5
Time in seasonLate Season-0.7
ClarityClearing+2.4
Hydrology base9.0
Will they take?Willingcaps the band

Fish should be willing to take — clearing, stained water.

Can you trust it?
Water temperaturelive gauge readinggauge
Level / flowon-river gaugeobserved
What would change the calculation
No prolonged stable spell before the current rise.
Directions
Seasons & zones
  • Salmon 15 February → 30 September
Related guides
Casting instructors near here
Booking & contacts