Spate · Old Red Sandstone · South West / Cork, IE

River Glengarriff

River Glengarriff — Glengarriff- Blue Lagoon

A short, scenic West Cork spate river running through the village of Glengarriff and into Bantry Bay — one of the most photogenic river mouths in Ireland, emptying into the sheltered waters below the Caha Mountains.

Poor · Atlantic Salmon
Cascade · 8–10 doubles
Closed season
Out of season. File this water for the right month.
Closed — confidence not applicable today.
What moved it
  • LevelProxyvia River Sullane
  • Water temp6.3°C
  • ClarityClear
Today's fly
Cascade
Cascade8–10 doubles
Universal SW Ireland salmon fly. Works on everything from the Cork Blackwater to the small Kerry spate rivers. Fish on a relaxed swing through the main pools; downsize for low summer water.
Conditions on the water
Proxy gauge
Level
Steady
Proxy
via River Sullane
Water temp6.3°C
ClarityClear
Weather8°C
WindS 21 km/h
Pressure1011 hPa
Rain · recent0.3 mm
Rain · ahead21.4 mm

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

Water temperature for Atlantic Salmon
Cool — slow
6°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.
Likely species
Stoneflies
Gammarids
Hatch timeline · todayPeak at 11am

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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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
Salmon runRun
1
2
2
2
2
2
1
Sea trout runRun
1
2
2
2
2
2
2
1
March BrownHatch
2
3
2
CapererHatch
2
3
3
2
Heather FlyHatch
2
2
Autumn DunHatch
2
3
2

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

Ranked for today
Atlantic Salmon fly box

Munster Blackwater and neighbouring SW spring rivers: when the water is cold or running high, a tube fly fished deep on a Skagit head or sinking shooting head with a heavier leader finds fish that a floating line can't reach. Comes down to a 9'-10' single-handed rod and small flies on an 8lb tippet once the river drops into summer trim.

Munroe Killer
Munroe Killer
10–14 doubles · Salmon fly
Traditional Irish salmon fly with long local history. Popular on the Munster rivers; the black/yellow combination has worked reliably for grilse fishing throughout the summer.
Permits & access
Permit required — see local rules.
  • Glengarriff Angling Association controls the fishing
  • Permits from The Maple Leaf, Glengarriff, Co Cork
  • State rod licence required.
What's coming
Plan ahead
5-day outlook
Other water nearby · 5
River Coomhola
6.0 km
0
Brown trout · Salmon · Sea trout
River Sheen
14 km
0
Brown trout · Salmon · Sea trout
Cloonee Loughs
14 km
0
Brown trout · Salmon · Sea trout
Adrigole River
14 km
0
Salmon · Sea trout
Kerry Blackwater (Kenmare)
18 km
0
Salmon · Sea trout · Brown trout
Gallery · 2
  1. River Glengarriff — Glengarriff- Blue Lagoon
    Glengarriff- Blue Lagoon
  2. Terrain map of the venue
    Terrain map
About this water

Small, fast to rise and fall, and access-limited, but a genuine sea-trout and late grilse system when conditions are right. Best fished opportunistically by anglers already in the area rather than as a planned destination. The Glengarriff Oaks nature reserve flanks much of the lower river, adding an ecological context beyond the fishing. For 2026 this remains an open fishery — salmon may be retained in season under the Wild Salmon & Sea Trout Tagging Scheme and bag limits, with catch-and-release at other times.

Hatches & food

EPA freshwater monitoring on the River Glengarriff confirms mayflies, stoneflies, caddis, aquatic diptera and freshwater crustaceans are present in the riverbed community. The records reflect food presence rather than any confirmed hatch or rise pattern.

  • Old red sandstone
Water quality (WFD)
  • Ecology: Unknown
  • Chemical: Unknown
Why this score · for Atlantic Salmon
  • Temperature2430% weight
  • Flow6025% weight
  • Clarity9520% weight
  • Feeding Time4015% weight
  • Pressure8510% weight
Directions
Apple MapsGoogle Maps
Seasons & zones
  • Salmon 17 March → 30 September
  • Sea trout 17 March → 12 October
Related guides
Atlantic Salmonsalmon tacticsIrish Salmon Rivers Guidefive great salmon fisheriesConnemaraIrish fishing
Casting instructors near here
Booking & contacts
At a glance

River Glengarriff is a spate river in South West / Cork, Ireland. The catchment geology is recorded as old red sandstone, and the water sits at about 78 m above sea level. The river is described as roughly 8 km long. Species listed for this water: brown trout, salmon and sea trout. It is classed as a salmon river. The salmon season is recorded as running from 17 March to 30 September. The sea trout season is recorded as running from 17 March to 12 October. Best window recorded for anglers: June–September for grilse (peak late June–late July); sea trout from 17 March on rising water. Core methods listed: across and down on floating line; evening wet fly for sea trout. Nearby waters in our listings include River Coomhola at 6.0 km, River Sheen at 14 km and Cloonee Loughs at 14 km.