Stillwater · Mixed · Central NI / Six Counties

Lough Neagh

Lough Neagh venue image
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Lough Neagh is the largest freshwater lake in the British Isles (388 km²) and the heart of the Six Counties.

Fair · Trout
Gosling · 8-10
Fairlive now
Good drifting conditions on Lough Neagh
Good wave on — drift country. A useful wave. Work the productive shore.
59% confidence
What moved it
  • WindNW 18 km/hGentle breeze
Today’s fly
Gosling
Gosling8-10
High-confidence seasonal pick
Conditions on the water
Live gauge
Wind
Gentle breeze
NW 18 km/h
N
NW
from the north-west
Wave40 cm chop
Water temp—
Air temp15°C
CloudOvercast
Pressure1022 hPa
Rain · recent0.0 mm

Some readings unavailable — check directly before fishing.

How to fish it · for trout
When
The damsel nymph is on. Murrough may also come into play as the day warms. The ripple is helpful — fish should move onto the feed and a slow-drifted team or single wet will cover water well.
Where
Set up a broadside drift and cover the water systematically. Work a bushy searching pattern on the bob and drop a contrasting nymph on the point. In the ripple, a bushy searching dry (Hopper, Shipman's, Elk Hair Caddis) outperforms flush emergers — it stays visible and holds the surface tension.
The plan
Plan A

Set up a broadside drift and cover the water systematically. Work a bushy searching pattern on the bob and drop a contrasting nymph on the point. In the ripple, a bushy searching dry (Hopper, Shipman's, Elk Hair Caddis) outperforms flush emergers — it stays visible and holds the surface tension.

Plan B

If the main plan is not working, switch to a smaller, more imitative pattern fished slower and deeper. A change of drift angle can also make a difference.

Watch for

Evening tends to be the best period in summer — stay late if you can for a sedge or spinner fall.

Boat — drift

A gentle ripple is ideal for drifting — broadside drift covering the wind lanes should be productive.

Through the year
0–3 scale · July highlighted
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Trout seasonSeason
1
2
2
2
2
2
2
1
Daddy Long LegsHatch
2
3
2
Murrough (Great Red Sedge)Hatch
2
3
2
Black MidgeHatch
2
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
2
Lake OliveHatch
1
2
2
2
2
2
1

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

Ranked for today
Trout fly box
Permits & access
Permit required — see local rules.
  • DAERA rod licence required
  • Coarse fishing permits available
  • Dollaghan catch-and-release strongly encouraged — this is a unique endemic form.
What's coming
Plan ahead
5-day outlook
Condition match
71%
Cloud50%
Wind65%
Temp100%

A good match for this venue — most conditions are close to what it fishes best in.

Other water nearby · 5
Ballinderry River
21 km
30
Brown trout · Dollaghan
Six Mile Water
13 km
Brown trout · Dollaghan
River Blackwater (NI)
17 km
Brown trout · Dollaghan
Annaginny Fishery
24 km
Rainbow trout
River Maine
27 km
Brown trout · Dollaghan
Gallery · 1
  1. Terrain map of the venue
    Terrain map
About this water

Lough Neagh is the largest freshwater lake in the British Isles (388 km²) and the heart of the Six Counties. Shallow and eutrophic, it supports the famous dollaghan (Lough Neagh lake-run brown trout), which enter the tributary rivers (Ballinderry, Moyola, Blackwater NI, Six Mile Water) from July through October. Open-water trout fishing on the lough itself is challenging owing to scale and exposure — most serious anglers target the dollaghan in the tributaries during the run. Pike and coarse fish are plentiful. Commercial eel fishery is the traditional industry. Boat fishing by local arrangement; most fishing effort is bank-based in the feeder rivers.

  • Lake
  • Mixed
Why this score
  • Temperature (cool) is in the sweet spot for summer fishing.
  • Damsel Nymph is in its seasonal window, boosting the chance of targeted feeding.
Directions
Apple MapsGoogle Maps
Seasons & zones
  • Trout1 March → 31 October
Related guides
Irish Loughs Playbooklough-style fishingThermal Layers & Troutreading depth and temperatureConnemaraIrish fishing
Booking & contacts