Spate · Granite Metamorphic · West / Connemara

Dawros / Kylemore

No photos yet for this water.

Two Connemara fisheries of different scale and character that are often grouped together under the Ballinakill District heading.

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
  • Temperature2930% weight
  • Flow4525% weight
  • Clarity9520% weight
  • Feeding Time1015% weight
  • Pressure8510% weight
Conditions
Level
Dry recently
No gauge reading
Water temp
6.6°C
Estimated
Clarity
Clear
Air temp
8°C
Wind
W 33 km/h
Fresh breeze
Pressure
1008 hPa
Rain · 48h
0.6 mm
No meaningful rain
Rain · ahead
31.7 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
All day — lough fishing is best in a good wave. Early morning and evening can produce in calm conditions.
Where
Work the drift lanes from the upwind shore across the productive zones. Cover bay edges, underwater reefs, and any areas where the bottom shoals.
Method
Fish a sensible line-and-fly combination for the height and pace of water.
Kit
10 ft #7/8 single-hander, floating line, 10–12 lb fluoro leader. Boat seat and waterproofs for the drift.
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.
  • IFI managed — Ballinakill Fishery District
  • Day tickets may be available
  • Kylemore Abbey context — check access arrangements
  • State rod licence required.
Directions
Apple MapsGoogle Maps
About this water

Two Connemara fisheries of different scale and character that are often grouped together under the Ballinakill District heading. The fishery covers Kylemore Middle and Castle lakes, part of the Upper Lough, and 5.5 km of the Dawros River below. Kylemore Lough itself is the more famous — enclosed in a glacial valley below the Twelve Bens, drained by a short river to the sea at Tully Cross, and surrounded by one of the most photographed landscapes in Ireland. Salmon and sea trout enter on high water from June, and the lake drift can be exceptional, though the sea trout are not as plentiful as in former times and average around the half-pound mark. The Dawros below the lough is smaller and more typical: a short spate system running off blanket bog, fishing only when water is right. IFI-managed. Do not oversell — runs are variable and water-dependent. The setting compensates for many a blank day.

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