Spate · Mixed · South / Cork, IE

Bandon

Wide tidal reach of the Bandon River curving through green farmland and woodland near Kinsale, County Cork, Ireland.

South Cork salmon and sea trout river flowing through productive limestone-influenced reaches.

Poor · Atlantic Salmon
Curry's Red Shrimp · 8–12
Closed season
Out of season. File this water for the right month.
Closed — confidence not applicable today.
What moved it
  • Level0.42 mLast reading 56 min ago
  • Water temp7.9°C
  • ClarityClear
Today's fly
Curry's Red Shrimp
Curry's Red Shrimp8–12
From the river-specific salmon pack.
Conditions on the water
Live gauge
Level
Steady
0.42 m
Last reading 56 min ago
Water temp7.9°C
ClarityClear
Weather1°C
WindN 15 km/h
Pressure1019 hPa
Rain · recent1.0 mm
Rain · ahead10.8 mm

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

Water temperature for Atlantic Salmon
Cool — slow
7.9°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.
Likely species
Stoneflies
Gammarids
Hatch timeline · todayPeak at 11am

Hatch predictions

Today's headline hatch shown — see all 5 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 4 guilds as a supporter.

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Beyond the hatch · worth watchingambient prey(1)

Hatch predictions

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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 · November 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
Atlantic Salmon fly box

Munster Blackwater and neighbouring SW spring rivers: when the water is cold or running high, a tube fly fished deep on a Skagit head or sinking shooting head with a heavier leader finds fish that a floating line can't reach. Comes down to a 9'-10' single-handed rod and small flies on an 8lb tippet once the river drops into summer trim.

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
Lower Lee
18 km
0
Brown trout · Salmon
River Owenacurra
43 km
0
Salmon · Sea trout
River Arigideen
10 km
Sea trout · Brown trout
River Sullane
32 km
Brown trout
River Sullane
32 km
Brown trout
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
About this water

Season 15 February to 30 September (closure below Innishannon Bridge until 17 March). Spring salmon from February; fish the pools systematically with sunk-tip line, taking the broken water where fish gather. Grilse from June. Sea trout from May onwards. Standard spate-river approach — fish as the river clears after rain. For 2026 this remains an open fishery — salmon may be retained in season under the Wild Salmon & Sea Trout Tagging Scheme and bag limits, with catch-and-release at other times.

Hatches & food

EPA freshwater monitoring across the Bandon's WFD segments confirms a broad food base of mayflies, stoneflies, caddis, aquatic diptera and freshwater shrimp and hoglice. The records establish presence in the riverbed community rather than emergence timing or a dependable surface rise.

Sea trout here

South Cork spate river with genuine sea-trout fishing alongside salmon. Description notes "excellent sea trout through July and August." One of the earlier-opening rivers in the south-west.

  • Mixed
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 heightMedium Ideal0.0
Recent riseNone0.0
Falling after liftNot Applicable0.0
Water temperatureCool To Moderate0.0
Time in seasonOpening Period0.0
ClarityClearing0.0
Hydrology base0.0
Legal gate: Unknown Check Local Rules
Can you trust it?
Water temperaturelive gauge readinggauge
Level / flowon-river gaugeobserved
Directions
Apple MapsGoogle Maps
Seasons & zones
  • Salmon 15 February → 30 September
Related guides
Atlantic Salmonsalmon tacticsIrish Salmon Rivers Guidefive great salmon fisheriesConnemaraIrish fishing
Casting instructors near here
Booking & contacts
Clubs & associations
  • Bandon AA
    Primary club for this water · Day tickets · Bandon Angling Association waters · Visitors welcome according to Fishing in Ireland.
At a glance

Bandon is a spate river in South / Cork, Ireland. It sits at about 21 m above sea level. The river is described as roughly 45 km long. Our data lists brown trout, salmon and sea trout here. It is classed as a salmon river. The salmon season is recorded as running from 15 February to 30 September. Best window recorded for anglers: June–September for salmon; sea trout July–August; trout April–September. Core methods listed: across and down for salmon; upstream dry fly and nymph for trout; night fishing for sea trout on lower reaches. Level and flow data for this water is linked from 1 gauge. Its Water Framework Directive ecological status is recorded as good. Access is recorded as a water managed by an angling association or club. Nearby waters in our listings include River Arigideen at 10 km, Lower Lee at 18 km and River Sullane at 32 km.