Mayflies
Caddisflies
Gammarids
The Erne salmon fishery lies below the Cathleen Falls hydro dam at Ballyshannon, a large, regulated river fished chiefly for spring salmon and grilse in the holding water beneath the generating station. The flow is hydro-controlled throughout, so read the water as it's given to you on the day rather than as you'd wish it to run. Salmon angling on the Erne is closed for 2026 under the current conservation regulations (S.I. 129/2026) — worth confirming the status with IFI before travelling rather than assuming. The fishery is jointly managed by ESB and IFI, permits available through the Erne fishery office, and the State rod licence is required as everywhere. Atlantic salmon and sea trout across Ireland now fall under IFI's Wild Salmon & Sea Trout Tagging Scheme — many rivers run catch-and-release only, and harvest is permitted solely where a genuine surplus has been confirmed, so it's worth checking a river's current status before setting out.
EPA monitoring across the River Erne (Ballyshannon) confirms a rich food base — mayflies including Ephemera danica, stoneflies, an unusually diverse caddis assemblage, chironomids and blackfly larvae, and freshwater crustaceans including shrimp, hoglice and white-clawed crayfish — though this is presence evidence from kick sampling, not a record of hatch timing or a dependable rise.
- Mixed