Stillwater · Mixed · Central NI / Six Counties, GB-NIR

Lough Neagh

Shoreline view across Lough Neagh from Oxford Island, County Armagh, Northern Ireland.

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

Fair · Trout
Perch Fry · 8-10_long_shank
Fairlive now
Daddy Longlegs expected on Lough Neagh
Useful ripple, fishable wave. Worth a session if the wind holds.
55% confidence

Lough Neagh is often best in spring through autumn.

What moved it
  • WindS 29 km/hModerate breeze
Today's fly
Perch Fry
Perch Fry8-10_long_shank
Retrieve
Conditions on the water
Estimate
Wind
Moderate breeze
S 29 km/h
N
S
from the south
Wave60 cm wave
Water temp15.6°C
Air temp15°C
CloudOvercast
Pressure997 hPa
Rain · recent0.0 mm

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

Stale water· 0.6 mm in 48h

Little recent rain — fresh fish runs unlikely. Focus on resident fish and established lies.

How to fish it · for Trout
When
July–October (dollaghan run in tributaries); May–June (trout on the lough)
Where
Work Muddler Minnow on the bob and Perch Fry on the point.
The plan
Plan A

Work Muddler Minnow on the bob and Perch Fry on the point.

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

Keep an eye on changing conditions — wind shifts and cloud breaks can trigger short feeding spells.

Boat — at anchor

Windy conditions suit anchoring in productive areas rather than open-water drifting.

Sub-surface · on the nymphunder the surface

Hatch predictions

Top nymph shown — see all 2 guilds as a supporter.

Start free trial

14-day free trial. Cancel anytime.

Beyond the hatch · worth watchingambient prey(1)

Hatch predictions

Top prey shown — see all 5 as a supporter.

Start free trial

14-day free trial. Cancel anytime.

Through the year
0–3 scale · September highlighted
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Trout seasonSeason
1
2
2
2
2
2
2
1
Heather FlyHatch
2
2
Daddy Long LegsHatch
2
3
2
Claret DunHatch
2
3
2
Murrough (Great Red Sedge)Hatch
2
3
2

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
45%
Cloud50%
Wind30%
Temp60%

Conditions are away from Lough Neagh's sweet spot — it usually fishes best in ripple wind with cloud skies.

Fishing better nearby · 5
Gallery · 2
  1. Shoreline view across Lough Neagh from Oxford Island, County Armagh, Northern Ireland.
    The shore of Lough Neagh at Oxford Island, County Armagh -- the largest lake in the British Isles.
  2. 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.

Hatches & food

A historic Ulster University study (1997–2000) found trout diet on Lough Neagh dominated by the opossum shrimp Mysis relicta, with Gammarus shrimps and the isopod Asellus aquaticus also taken in numbers — a diet-composition finding rather than a hatch record, and current abundance shouldn't be assumed from those decades-old samples. Beyond that, only general lough-habitat modelling exists here, suggesting chironomids, small olives, sedges and bankside terrestrials as background food through the season rather than observed, dated hatches.

  • Lake
  • Mixed
Why this score
  • Wind conditions (windy) are not ideal for this water.
  • Daddy Longlegs are in their seasonal window, boosting the chance of targeted feeding.
Directions
Seasons & zones
  • Trout 1 March → 31 October
Related guides
Casting instructors near here
Booking & contacts