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.

Marginal · Trout
Perch Fry · 8-10_long_shank
A patient day, if you fancy it
Good wave on — drift country. Slow going — pick your moments and do not force it.
43% confidence
limited data

Lough Neagh is often best in spring through autumn.

What moved it
  • WindW 16 km/hGentle breeze
Today's fly
Perch Fry
Perch Fry8-10_long_shank
Retrieve
Conditions on the water
Live gauge
Wind
Gentle breeze
W 16 km/h
N
W
from the west
Wave20 cm ripple
Water temp
Air temp15°C
CloudOvercast
Pressure1022 hPa
Rain · recent0.0 mm

Some readings unavailable — check directly before fishing.

Stale water· 0.7 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
Set up a broadside drift and cover the water systematically. Work Bibio on the bob and Peeping Caddis on the point.
The plan
Plan A

Set up a broadside drift and cover the water systematically. Work Bibio on the bob and Peeping Caddis 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

Green Peter should come on through the afternoon as the water warms.

Boat — drift

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

Sub-surface · on the nymphunder the surface

Hatch predictions

Top nymph shown — see all 3 guilds with Pro.

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Beyond the hatch · worth watchingambient prey

Hatch predictions

Top prey shown — see all 5 with Pro.

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Through the year
0–3 scale · August 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 Lough Neagh — most conditions are close to what it fishes best in.

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
  • Temperature (cool) is in the sweet spot for summer fishing.
  • Daddy Longlegs are in their seasonal window, boosting the chance of targeted feeding.
Directions
Seasons & zones
  • Trout 1 March31 October
Related guides
Casting instructors near here
Booking & contacts