Stillwater · Limestone · North West / Donegal, IE

Assaroe Lake

Assaroe Lake venue image

A 578-acre ESB hydro lake at Ballyshannon, closed for salmon and sea trout.

Closed season · Trout
Perch Fry · 8–10 long shank
Closed season
Season reopens 1 March. Try elsewhere.
Closed — confidence not applicable today.

Assaroe Lake is often best in spring through autumn.

What moved it
  • WindNW 6 km/hLight breeze · Gusts to 9 km/h
Today's fly
Perch Fry
Perch Fry8–10 long shank
Retrieve
Conditions on the water
Estimate
Wind
Light breeze · Gusts to 9 km/h
NW 6 km/h
N
NW
from the north-west
WaveRipple
Water temp10.9°C
Air temp6°C
CloudOvercast
Pressure1010 hPa
Rain · recent0.0 mm

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

How to fish it · for Trout
Where
Start with Perch Fry (8–10 long shank) — on the point. If that does not produce, switch depth or speed before changing the pattern entirely.
The plan
Plan A

Start with Perch Fry (8–10 long shank) — on the point. If that does not produce, switch depth or speed before changing the pattern entirely.

Plan B

Slow down everything. A booby on a fast-sinking line, left static, can pick up deep fish.

Watch for

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

Either bank or boat

Good ripple suits both bank and boat. Bank: work inflows, dam walls, and points. Boat: broadside drift covering wind lanes.

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 5 as a supporter.

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Through the year
0–3 scale · November highlighted
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Trout seasonSeason
1
2
2
2
2
2
1
Reservoir BuzzerHatch
2
3
3
3
3
3
2
Daphnia SwarmHatch
2
3
3
3
2
Lake OliveHatch
2
3
3
3
3
3
2
Silverhorns & LonghornsHatch
1
2
2
2
1

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

Buzzer team todayfor the conditions now
Point
Black buzzer, orange thorax
Not in this water's box
#10
How to fish it
Intermediate line · let the breeze drift the team, then hang it 15–30 s

Fly recommendations

Point fly shown — supporters see the whole team, sizes and why.

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Ranked for today
Trout fly box
What's coming
Plan ahead
5-day outlook
Condition match
73%
Cloud50%
Wind100%
Temp60%

A good match for Assaroe Lake — most conditions are close to what it fishes best in.

Other water nearby · 5
Gallery · 1
  1. Terrain map of the venue
    Terrain map
About this water

The brown trout here are few but they grow large — fish to seven pounds — and the time to look for them is the mayfly, working the old river course at Edenagor and the shallows along the north shore. There is also a strong and under-fished coarse fishery here: big bream, roach, and pike to forty-six pounds. Shore fishing on the north shore only; keep the boat well clear of the hydro stations.

Hatches & food

A large limestone-influenced ESB hydro lake whose richest fishing is the mayfly (Ephemera danica) around the old river course in late May; otherwise duckfly, lake olive, sedge and buzzer feed the low-density big browns.

  • Reservoir
  • Limestone
Water quality (WFD)
  • Ecology: Unknown
  • Chemical: Unknown
Why this score
  • Wind conditions (ripple) closely match what this water fishes best in.
  • Reservoirs of this kind fish hard at this time of year.
Directions
Seasons & zones
  • Trout 1 March → 30 September
Related guides
Casting instructors near here
Booking & contacts
At a glance

Assaroe Lake is a reservoir in North West / Donegal, Ireland. Its recorded elevation is about 10 m above sea level and the catchment geology is limestone. The species listed for this water is brown trout. The trout season is recorded as running from 1 March to 30 September. Core methods listed: loch-style drift with wet flies; dapping the mayfly; buzzer/nymph on the shallows. Boat fishing is recorded as available. Nearby waters in our listings include Erne Estuary at 2.0 km, Pettigo Lakes at 19 km and Lough Doon (Leitrim) at 27 km.