Lowland · Limestone · North West / Donegal, IE

Erne Estuary

Erne Estuary terrain map

Estuarine sea trout fishery where fish move on tides and runs.

Poor · Sea Trout
Closed season
Out of season. File this water for the right month.
Closed — confidence not applicable today.
What moved it
  • LevelProxyvia Drowes
  • Water temp8.5°C
  • ClarityClear
Conditions on the water
Proxy gauge
Level
Steady
Proxy
via Drowes
Water temp8.5°C
ClarityClear
Weather7°C
WindS 25 km/h
Pressure1007 hPa
Rain · recent0.1 mm
Rain · ahead2.7 mm

No gauge on this water — conditions are inferred from Drowes. The trend transfers, the absolute level does not.

Water temperature for Sea Trout
Ideal
9°C est.ideal 8–15°C
0°14°28°
How to fish it · for Sea Trout
When
From dusk into the first half of the night.
Where
Deeper pools and slower glides · hold water and current seams.
Method
Fish dark patterns on a sink-tip or lightly sunk line, especially near structure.
Kit
10 ft #6/7 rod, floating line with a sink-tip option, 8–10 lb fluoro tippet for the swing.
Likely species
Gammarids
Hatch timeline · todayQuiet day

Hatch predictions

Today's headline hatch shown — see all 5 active hatches hour by hour as a supporter.

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Sub-surface · on the nymphunder the surface

Hatch predictions

Top nymph shown — see all 3 guilds as a supporter.

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Beyond the hatch · worth watchingambient prey(1)

Hatch predictions

Top prey shown — see all 3 as a supporter.

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Evidence
Survey-backed · regionalHigh confidence

Backed by regional invertebrate surveys; no sampling on this exact reach yet.

Through the year
0–3 scale · November highlighted
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Trout seasonSeason
1
2
2
2
2
2
1
Mayfly (Green Drake)Hatch
2
2
Large Cinnamon SedgeHatch
2
3
3
2
Daddy Long LegsHatch
2
3
3
2
CapererHatch
2
3
3
2

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

Permits & access
Permit required — see local rules.
  • Erne special local licence (€26)
  • Tidal/estuarine fishing — tides can be dangerous, plan around safe water levels and never fish out a route that the rising tide will cut off
  • State rod licence required.
What's coming
Plan ahead
5-day outlook
Other water nearby · 5
Drowes
6.0 km
0
Brown trout · Salmon · Sea trout
River Erne (Ballyshannon)
< 1 km
Salmon · Sea trout
Assaroe Lake
2.0 km
Brown trout
Lough Melvin
12 km
Brown trout
Duff River
13 km
Brown trout · Salmon · Sea trout
About this water

Season 1 March to 30 September. Fish the tidal flows as sea trout push upriver. The River Erne itself never had a significant run — this is an estuary-specific fishery. A unique opportunity for tidal fishing in northern Ireland waters.

Hatches & food

EPA kick-sample monitoring on the Erne's WFD segments confirms mayflies, stoneflies, caddis, midges and blackflies, and freshwater shrimp, hoglice and crayfish are present in the food base. As tidal-influenced lower-river sampling this says nothing about hatch timing or a reliable surface rise.

  • Estuary
  • Limestone
Water quality (WFD)
  • Ecology: Moderate
  • Chemical: Unknown
What this classification means

WFD ecological status Poor → Moderate corrected to EEA WISE 2022 (3rd RBMP) classification for waterbody IEUKGBNI1NW363604085. Source: EEA WISE SWB_SurfaceWaterBody (discodata.eea.europa.eu), verified 2026-06-18. | Prior note: EPA WFD 2019-2024 — Poor ecological status; corrected (was Moderate) 2026-06-18. Source: EPA Ireland WFD 2019-2024 classification (catchments.ie / EDEN).

EPA (Ireland) · IEUKGBNI1NW363604085

Why this score · for Sea Trout
  • Temperature10028% weight
  • Flow8022% weight
  • Clarity8518% weight
  • Feeding Time4013% weight
  • Pressure857% weight
  • Insect activity5812% weight
Directions
Apple MapsGoogle Maps
Seasons & zones
  • Trout 1 March → 30 September

Sea trout: Variable seasonal (2026)

Related guides
ConnemaraIrish fishingEuro Nymphingsubsurface methods
Casting instructors near here
Booking & contacts
At a glance

Erne Estuary is a lowland river in North West / Donegal, Ireland. Its recorded elevation is about 26 m above sea level and the catchment geology is limestone. The river is described as roughly 5 km long. Our data lists brown trout and sea trout here. The trout season is recorded as running from 1 March to 30 September. Best window recorded for anglers: April–September for trout; sea trout from June. Core methods listed: upstream dry fly and nymph for trout; wet fly for sea trout in the estuary. Its Water Framework Directive ecological status is recorded as moderate. Nearby waters in our listings include River Erne (Ballyshannon) at < 1 km, Assaroe Lake at 2.0 km and Drowes at 6.0 km.