Mayflies
Caddisflies
Gammarids
One of the most celebrated private fisheries in Ireland, set in the Doolough valley and run on conservation lines throughout. Two loughs, Doolough and Finlough, feed the short Bundorragha river down to Killary Harbour, Ireland's only true fjord, and most of the salmon are taken in that brief stretch of river — some in Finlough, rarely in Doolough itself. The setting matters here as much as the fishing does; it's wild and beautiful in a way that stays with you well after the visit. A small spring run of multi-sea-winter salmon arrives from April, with grilse dominating from June onward, and the river answers a spate very fast indeed — the fishable windows after rain are brief and worth being ready for. Fish the pools systematically with tube flies, working the quick rise and equally quick drop. Delphi's own rule looks after the wild gene pool: any fish of hatchery origin — a 'rancher,' identified by a clipped adipose fin — must be killed, while wild salmon go back, with the single exception of an angler's first-ever salmon, which may be kept. All sea trout here are catch-and-release.
EPA kick-sample monitoring of the Bundorragha system at Delphi (2009-2018) confirms mayflies, stoneflies, caddis, midges and blackflies, craneflies, and freshwater shrimp (Gammarus) are all present in the aquatic food base. This is presence evidence from monitored waterbody segments only, not a record of emergence timing, abundance, or a visible hatch on the water.
- Lough system
- Granite