Spate · Granite · West / Connemara

Costello / Fermoyle

Costello / Fermoyle terrain map
Terrain map

A distinct classic Connemara sea-trout system with its own literary pedigree — T.

Species

Closed season

Season reopens 1 June. File this water for the right month.

Closed — confidence not applicable today.
Water temperature for atlantic salmon
Cool — slow
7°C est.ideal 10–14°C
0°14°28°
Why this score · for atlantic salmon
  • Temperature3930% weight
  • Flow6025% weight
  • Clarity9520% weight
  • Feeding Time7015% weight
  • Pressure8510% weight
Conditions
Level
Dry recently
No gauge reading
Water temp
7.2°C
Estimated
Clarity
Clear
Air temp
11°C
Wind
W 31 km/h
Fresh breeze
Pressure
1007 hPa
Rain · 48h
0.0 mm
No meaningful rain
Rain · ahead
28.8 mm
Heavy rain · next 48h

Live readings — water temperature is an estimate where the gauge does not record it.

How to fish it · for atlantic salmon
When
Morning into early afternoon.
Where
Pool tails, steadier runs, and any water with pace.
Method
Fish a sensible line-and-fly combination for the height and pace of water.
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.
Through the year
0–3 scale · May highlighted
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Salmon runRun
1
2
2
1
Sea trout runRun
1
2
2
1
Black MidgeHatch
2
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
2
Daddy Long LegsHatch
2
3
2
Hawthorn FlyHatch
1
1
Flying AntsHatch
1
1

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

Permits & access
Permit required — see local rules.
  • Costello & Fermoyle fishery — private, managed by IFI
  • Day tickets may be available
  • State rod licence required
  • Fly fishing only on the Costello and Fermoyle system; beats rotated and rod numbers strictly limited.
Directions
Apple MapsGoogle Maps
About this water

A distinct classic Connemara sea-trout system with its own literary pedigree — T.C. Kingsmill Moore's Bumble tradition was born here — and still-credible current runs. IFI reporting notes improving sea-trout runs in 2025 after a slow start, and the 2023 season saw a big increase in sea-trout catches even when salmon were down. A chain of granite lakes connected by short river sections, draining through a brief tidal reach into Casla Bay. Fish move quickly through the system after rain; the sea-trout season runs 1 June to 30 September. Lake drifts with wet fly teams are the traditional method; river sections fish on the spate. Better-supported as a current sea-trout story than generic west-of-Ireland nostalgia, but still fundamentally water-responsive rather than calendar-reliable.

  • Lough system
  • Granite
Seasons & zones
  • Salmon1 June → 30 September
  • Sea trout1 June → 30 September

Sea trout: Variable seasonal (2026) — Costello / Fermoyle is one of the original Connemara fisheries documenting the 1989/1990 sea-trout collapse. IFI 2023–2025 evidence shows volatility — strong runs in some years, near-empty in others. Western fishery district catch-and-release / retention restrictions apply.

Other water nearby · 5