Limestone · West / Mayo, IE

Lough Carra

Lough Carra - geograph.org.uk - 4966038
Fair · Trout
Perch Fry · 8-10_long_shank
Fairlive now
Murrough expected on Lough Carra
Useful ripple, fishable wave. Worth a session if the wind holds.
62% confidence
What moved it
  • WindS 30 km/hFresh breeze
Today's fly
Perch Fry
Perch Fry8-10_long_shank
Retrieve
Conditions on the water
Estimate
Wind
Fresh breeze
S 30 km/h
N
S
from the south
Wave60 cm wave
Water temp14.9°C
Air temp14°C
CloudClear
Pressure993 hPa
Rain · recent0.0 mm

No gauge on this water — readings are regional estimates from weather, not a live gauge.

Head to
Wind driftS wind
Northern end

A southerly has held for 6 hours at much the same temperature as the 15°C water. No thermal steer either way, but the drift still stacks food against the northern end — the bank it is blowing into — so start there. This reads the upper water, though — a bottom bait at range feels it far less than a floater or a fish in the margins. Treat it as a tiebreaker between good swims rather than an override — features and angling pressure usually count for more.

How to fish it · for Trout
When
Mayfly into Green Peter from mid-May to mid-June. Olives March through May. Carra needs calm conditions — flat calm is fishable here where on Mask it would be dead, the clarity does the rest.
Where
Marl shallows around the eastern bays. Cruising trout sight-fishable in clear water — this is the lough where you spot fish before you cast to them.
Method
Drift the marl shallows at 1 to 2 m. Team of three wets in a wave; switch to single dry the moment you spot a cruising fish. The clarity demands accuracy and finer tippet than Corrib or Mask.
Kit
10 ft #5 — Carra runs lighter than Corrib for the clarity. Floating line, 5x or 6x tippet, 12 ft tapered leader. Long-handled net.
The plan
Plan A

Work Muddler Minnow on the bob and Perch Fry on the point.

Plan B

If the main plan is not working, switch to a smaller, more imitative pattern fished slower and deeper. A change of drift angle can also make a difference.

Watch for

Keep an eye on changing conditions — wind shifts and cloud breaks can trigger short feeding spells.

Boat — at anchor

Windy conditions suit anchoring in productive areas rather than open-water drifting.

Sub-surface · on the nymphunder the surface

Hatch predictions

Top nymph shown — see all 3 guilds as a supporter.

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Beyond the hatch · worth watchingambient prey(1)

Hatch predictions

Top prey shown — see all 5 as a supporter.

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Through the year
0–3 scale · September highlighted
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Trout seasonSeason
1
2
2
2
2
2
1
Green PeterHatch
2
3
2
Murrough (Great Red Sedge)Hatch
2
3
2
DuckflyHatch
2
2
Mayfly (Green Drake)Hatch
2
2

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

Ranked for today
Fly box · Trout
Permits & access
Free state water
State rod licence required for trout / salmon as applicable.
  • No permit — state rod licence only
  • Boats available
  • Fly only
  • C&R strongly encouraged.
What's coming
Plan ahead
5-day outlook
Condition match
63%
Cloud70%
Wind30%
Temp100%

A reasonable day here, though wind isn't quite in the sweet spot.

Other water nearby · 5
Lough Mask
8.0 km
Brown trout
Ballin Lough (Westport)
25 km
Rainbow trout · Brown trout
Rooskey Lough
39 km
Rainbow trout · Brown trout
Lough O'Flynn
41 km
Brown trout
Redman's Lough
45 km
Sea trout
Gallery · 2
  1. Lough Carra - geograph.org.uk - 4966038
  2. Terrain map of the venue
    Terrain map
Water quality (WFD)
  • Ecology: Good
  • Chemical: Unknown
What this classification means

WFD code normalized 2026-06-18: IE_WE_30_347 → IEWE_30_347 (EPA national format → EEA WISE euSurfaceWaterBodyCode; same water body, now joinable to WISE). Status confirmed against EEA WISE 2022 (3rd RBMP). Source: discodata.eea.europa.eu. | Prior note: EPA WFD 2019-2024 (lake layer) — Lough Carra: Good ecological status. Re-tagged 2026-06-18 from IEWE_30L030400 (a river/stream water body, not the lough) to the lough's own EPA lake water body. Source: EPA Ireland WFD 2019-2024 classification (catchments.ie / EDEN).

EPA (Ireland) · IEWE_30_347

Why this score
  • Wind conditions (windy) are not ideal for this water.
  • Temperature (cool) is in the sweet spot for autumn fishing.
  • Murrough is in its seasonal window, boosting the chance of targeted feeding.
Directions
Apple MapsGoogle Maps
Seasons & zones
  • Trout 1 March → 30 September
Related guides
Irish Loughs Playbooklough-style fishingThermal Layers & Troutreading depth and temperatureConnemaraIrish fishing
Casting instructors near here
Booking & contacts