Limestone · West / Mayo, IE

Lough Carra

Lough Carra - geograph.org.uk - 4966038

A crystal marl lake next door to Mask, and among the purest limestone water in the country — the clarity alone is worth the visit before a fly is ever cast.

Closed season · Trout
Perch Fry · 8–10 long shank
Closed season
Season reopens 1 March. Try elsewhere.
Closed — confidence not applicable today.
What moved it
  • WindS 20 km/hModerate breeze
Today's fly
Perch Fry
Perch Fry8–10 long shank
Retrieve
Conditions on the water
Estimate
Wind
Moderate breeze
S 20 km/h
N
S
from the south
Wave40 cm chop
Water temp9.0°C
Air temp6°C
CloudOvercast
Pressure1011 hPa
Rain · recent0.0 mm

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

Head to
Wind driftS wind
Southern end

A southerly has held for 19 hours, running colder than the water (5°C air against 9°C water). The end it blows into is taking that chilled surface water, so try the sheltered southern end instead — off the back of the wind, where the undertow returns food along the bottom. That chill sits in the top of the water, though, and the bed is slower to feel it — on a bottom bait it is the undertow, not the temperature, that puts you at this end. Treat it as a tiebreaker between good swims rather than an override — features and angling pressure usually count for more.

How to fish it · for Trout
When
Mayfly into Green Peter from mid-May to mid-June. Olives March through May. Carra needs calm conditions — flat calm is fishable here where on Mask it would be dead, the clarity does the rest.
Where
Marl shallows around the eastern bays. Cruising trout sight-fishable in clear water — this is the lough where you spot fish before you cast to them.
Method
Drift the marl shallows at 1 to 2 m. Team of three wets in a wave; switch to single dry the moment you spot a cruising fish. The clarity demands accuracy and finer tippet than Corrib or Mask.
Kit
10 ft #5 — Carra runs lighter than Corrib for the clarity. Floating line, 5x or 6x tippet, 12 ft tapered leader. Long-handled net.
The plan
Plan A

Set up a broadside drift and cover the water systematically. Work Perch Fry on the bob and Minkie 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 — 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 2 guilds as a supporter.

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Beyond the hatch · worth watchingambient prey(1)

Hatch predictions

Top prey shown — see all 4 as a supporter.

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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
Green PeterHatch
2
3
2
Murrough (Great Red Sedge)Hatch
2
3
2
DuckflyHatch
2
2
Mayfly (Green Drake)Hatch
2
2

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

Buzzer team todayfor the conditions now
Point
Black buzzer, orange thorax
Not in this water's box
#10
How to fish it
Intermediate line · let the breeze drift the team, then hang it 15–30 s

Fly recommendations

Point fly shown — supporters see the whole team, sizes and why.

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Ranked for today
Trout fly box
Permits & access
Free state water
State rod licence required for trout / salmon as applicable.
  • No permit — state rod licence only
  • Boats available
  • Fly only
  • C&R strongly encouraged.
What's coming
Plan ahead
5-day outlook
Condition match
63%
Cloud70%
Wind30%
Temp100%

A reasonable day here, though wind isn't quite in the sweet spot.

Other water nearby · 5
Gallery · 2
  1. Lough Carra - geograph.org.uk - 4966038
  2. Terrain map of the venue
    Terrain map
About this water

Wild brown trout fishing here is excellent, with olive and mayfly hatches to match, though the lough is shallow and exposed enough to want calm conditions rather than force them. Get the right breeze and the right hatch together and the fishing can be as good as any lough in the west; and the water is clear enough that you'll sight fish to trout most anglers never get shown at all.

Hatches & food

Duckfly hatches typically run from late March to early May, followed by the main olive hatches beginning around mid-April. Mayfly can start in late April or early May and is usually best by mid-May, with sedges carrying the fishing from May through the rest of the season and especially good in July. Murroughs and smaller late sedges become plentiful again in August and September, mostly in the evening.

  • Lough system
  • Limestone
Water quality (WFD)
  • Ecology: Good
  • Chemical: Unknown
What this classification means

WFD code normalized 2026-06-18: IE_WE_30_347 → IEWE_30_347 (EPA national format → EEA WISE euSurfaceWaterBodyCode; same water body, now joinable to WISE). Status confirmed against EEA WISE 2022 (3rd RBMP). Source: discodata.eea.europa.eu. | Prior note: EPA WFD 2019-2024 (lake layer) — Lough Carra: Good ecological status. Re-tagged 2026-06-18 from IEWE_30L030400 (a river/stream water body, not the lough) to the lough's own EPA lake water body. Source: EPA Ireland WFD 2019-2024 classification (catchments.ie / EDEN).

EPA (Ireland) · IEWE_30_347

Why this score
  • Wind conditions (breezy) are not ideal for this water.
  • Temperature (cool) is in the sweet spot for winter fishing.
Directions
Seasons & zones
  • Trout 1 March → 30 September
Related guides
Casting instructors near here
Booking & contacts
At a glance

Lough Carra is a limestone river in West / Mayo, Ireland. The catchment geology is recorded as limestone, and the water sits at about 16 m above sea level. The river is described as roughly 8 km long. The species listed for this water is brown trout. The trout season is recorded as running from 1 March to 30 September. Best window recorded for anglers: March–September; mayfly mid-May; marl lough character — hatches can be prolific. Core methods listed: loch-style wet fly drift from boat; dry fly during mayfly and sedge hatches. Level and flow data for this water is linked from 1 gauge. Its Water Framework Directive ecological status is recorded as good. Access is recorded as a lough where no permit is required. Boat fishing is recorded as available. Nearby waters in our listings include Lough Mask at 8.0 km, Ballin Lough (Westport) at 25 km and Rooskey Lough at 39 km.