Freestone · Mixed · South / Cork, IE

Lower Lee

The River Lee lined with mature trees near Daly's Bridge in Cork, Ireland, with calm reflective water.
Poor · Atlantic Salmon
Cascade · 10-14
Closed season
Out of season. File this water for the right month.
Closed — confidence not applicable today.
What moved it
  • Level0.91 mLifting fast
  • Water temp16.6°C
  • ClarityVery colouredColouring up
Today's fly
Cascade
Cascade10-14
From the river-specific salmon pack.
Conditions on the water
Live gauge
Level
Rising
0.91 m
Lifting fast
Water temp16.6°C
ClarityVery coloured
Weather14°C
WindSW 33 km/h
Pressure1002 hPa
Rain · recent10.4 mm
Rain · ahead4.0 mm

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

Water temperature for Atlantic Salmon
Warm — slow
16.6°Cideal 10–16°C
0°14°28°
How to fish it · for Atlantic Salmon
When
Morning and evening are prime, but midday can still produce if there's cloud cover or a breeze to ruffle the surface. Overcast days fish well all day in summer.
Where
River still rising — fish the margins and slacker water where running fish pause. Avoid the main current. Eddies and backwaters behind boulders can hold fish temporarily.
Method
Lively swing near the surface. Floating line, the fly fishing in the top 12 inches. The fly should look alive — a small mend to accelerate at the right moment can trigger a snapping take.. Floating line. Small-medium: size 8-12. Match temperature and water colour — go smaller if clear, bigger if any colour.
Kit
13 ft #8/9 double-hander in spate, 10 ft #8 single in low water. Floating line plus a fast-sink tip. 12–15 lb fluoro tippet.
Why this works
Very few salmon are historically caught on this river in September (based on guide reports and fishery knowledge). Current conditions matter, but expectations should be modest. Conditions are reasonable, though not ideal. Late season — fish are beginning to colour up as spawning approaches. They become more territorial and can take aggressively. Autumnal colours (orange, copper, gold) work well.
Likely species
Caddisflies
Gammarids
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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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
Daddy Long LegsHatch
2
3
2
CapererHatch
2
3
3
2
Hawthorn FlyHatch
2
2
GrannomHatch
2
2

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

Ranked for today
Fly box · Atlantic Salmon
HO
Hot Orange Achilles Shrimp
size 15 double and other small sizes · Salmon fly
Permits & access
Permit required — see local rules.
  • The Lower Lee below Inniscarra Dam
  • ESB manages the dams — water releases affect fishing
  • Cork Trout Anglers and other clubs
  • **2026 Brown Tag scheme: 152 brown tags allocated via four electronic draws, 1 February to 30 September.** Brown tag required to harvest a salmon; standard blue tag is C&R only
  • IFI Macroom office is the contact for current permits and brown-tag draw info
  • State rod licence required.
What's coming
Plan ahead
5-day outlook
Other water nearby · 5
Bandon
18 km
Brown trout · Salmon · Sea trout
River Arigideen
28 km
Sea trout · Brown trout
River Owenacurra
30 km
Salmon · Sea trout
River Sullane
35 km
Brown trout
River Sullane
35 km
Brown trout
Gallery · 2
  1. The River Lee lined with mature trees near Daly's Bridge in Cork, Ireland, with calm reflective water.
    River Lee from Daly's Bridge
  2. Terrain map of the venue
    Terrain map
Water quality (WFD)
  • Ecology: Good
  • Chemical: Unknown
What this classification means

WFD ecological status Unknown → Good corrected to EEA WISE 2022 (3rd RBMP) classification for waterbody IESW_19M300900. Source: EEA WISE SWB_SurfaceWaterBody (discodata.eea.europa.eu), verified 2026-06-18.

EPA (Ireland) · IESW_19M300900

The full read · show the working · for Atlantic Salmon · confidence 75%
How the river scores — hydrology factors
Water heightMedium Ideal+2.3
Recent riseStrong Recent Rise After Low Or Stale+8.3
Falling after liftStill Rising Hard-0.4
Water temperatureWarm-4.0
Time in seasonLate Season+0.4
ClarityClearing+2.4
Hydrology base9.0
Will they take?Neutralcaps the band

Taking mood is fair — clearing, stained water, fresh fish moving on the lift.

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
Apple MapsGoogle Maps
Seasons & zones
  • Salmon 1 February → 30 September
Related guides
Atlantic Salmonsalmon tacticsIrish Salmon Rivers Guidefive great salmon fisheriesConnemaraIrish fishing
Casting instructors near here
Booking & contacts