Spate · Granite · North West / Sligo-Mayo border, IE

River Easky

A short, steep Ox Mountains spate river of some 12 miles, draining Lough Easky high on the Sligo/Mayo border, through bogland and then pasture, under the N59 at Workhouse Bridge and out to the sea at Easky village.

Good · Atlantic Salmon
Cascade · 10-14
Goodlive now
A good day — worth the effort
Low and clear — careful approach country. Small, sparse flies, long leader, careful approach.
70% confidence
What moved it
  • LevelLight rain recentlyNo gauge reading
  • Water temp16.5°C
  • ClarityClear
Today's fly
Cascade
Cascade10-14
Regional salmon default — river-specific evidence is thin.
Conditions on the water
Estimate
Level
Light rain recently
No gauge reading
Water temp16.5°C
ClarityClear
Weather15°C
WindNW 27 km/h
Pressure1001 hPa
Rain · recent7.7 mm
Rain · ahead27.2 mm

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

Water temperature for Atlantic Salmon
Warm — slow
17°C est.ideal 10–16°C
0°14°28°
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.
Why this works
Good — water clarity is right today, though time of day could be better.
Hatch timeline · todayPeak at 6am

Hatch predictions

Today's headline hatch shown — see all 12 active hatches hour by hour with Pro.

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Sub-surface · on the nymphunder the surface

Hatch predictions

Top nymph shown — see all 3 guilds with Pro.

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Beyond the hatch · worth watchingambient prey

Hatch predictions

Top prey shown — see all 2 with Pro.

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Through the year
0–3 scale · August highlighted
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Salmon runRun
1
2
2
2
2
2
2
1
Sea trout runRun
1
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
1
CapererHatch
2
3
3
2
Heather FlyHatch
2
2
Autumn DunHatch
2
3
2
Daddy Long LegsHatch
2
3
2

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

Ranked for today
Atlantic Salmon fly box

Connemara/Mayo low water: a lightly-dressed shrimp on a floating line with sink tip, sized down from 8s in cold spring water to 12s and 14s as summer water warms and clears. Where the current runs faster, a slim tube or hairwing swung through tracks better than a shrimp.

Permits & access
Free state water
State rod licence required for trout / salmon as applicable.
  • All legal methods allowed on the free town water below the bridge; the Fortland Fishery upstream is private and controls its own beat
  • State rod licence required.
What's coming
Plan ahead
5-day outlook
Other water nearby · 5
Easkey River
2.0 km
Brown trout · Salmon · Sea trout
Moy
21 km
Brown trout · Salmon · Sea trout
Ballisodare
31 km
Brown trout · Salmon · Sea trout
Drumcliff / Glencar
32 km
Brown trout · Salmon · Sea trout
Garavogue River
34 km
Salmon · Sea trout · Brown trout
About this water

A short, steep Ox Mountains spate river of some 12 miles, draining Lough Easky high on the Sligo/Mayo border, through bogland and then pasture, under the N59 at Workhouse Bridge and out to the sea at Easky village. Primarily a salmon river with a decent run of sea trout from June — grilse arrive from early June and the best of the fishing runs June to September on suitable water. Lough Easky itself holds only small brown trout. Below the village bridge, 700m of free town water runs down to the sea; upstream, the private Fortland Fishery covers over 6km of the Fortland Estate woodlands with more than twenty pools, limited to 12 rods a day.

Hatches & food

No venue-specific hatch data yet; treat the flies above (from regional consensus) as a starting point rather than an observed hatch calendar.

Sea trout here

Sea trout run concurrent with the June grilse run; regional west-coast pattern, no individual-river catch trend available.

  • Granite
Water quality (WFD)
  • Ecology: Unknown
  • Chemical: Unknown
Why this score · for Atlantic Salmon
  • Temperature7730% weight
  • Flow6025% weight
  • Clarity9520% weight
  • Feeding Time5015% weight
  • Pressure8510% weight
Directions
Apple MapsGoogle Maps
Seasons & zones
  • Salmon 1 February → 30 September
  • Sea trout 1 February → 12 October

Sea trout: Variable seasonal (2026)

Related guides
Atlantic Salmonsalmon tacticsIrish Salmon Rivers Guidefive great salmon fisheriesConnemaraIrish fishing
Casting instructors near here
Booking & contacts