Stillwater · Sandstone · South West / Kerry

Lough Currane / Waterville

A fishing boat moored on the calm open water of Lough Currane near Waterville, County Kerry.

Ireland's best-known modern sea-trout flagship — but declining Atlantic salmon populations demand catch-and-release discipline.

Marginal · Atlantic Salmon
Curry's Red Shrimp · lough style single / double
Marginallive now
Marginal — persistence required
Low and clear — careful approach country. Hard going on bright water. Favour cloud and shadow.
80% confidence
What moved it
  • LevelDry recentlyNo gauge reading
  • Water temp18.7°C
  • ClarityClear
Today's fly
Curry's Red Shrimp
Curry's Red Shrimplough style single / double
From the river-specific salmon pack.
Conditions on the water
Estimate
Level
Dry recently
No gauge reading
Water temp18.7°C
ClarityClear
Weather18°C
WindSW 26 km/h
Pressure1016 hPa
Rain · recent1.5 mm
Rain · ahead2.8 mm

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

Water temperature for Atlantic Salmon
Warm — slow
19°C est.ideal 10–14°C
0°14°28°
How to fish it · for Atlantic Salmon
When
Spring run February through May — among the earliest in Ireland's south-west. Grilse June through August. Salmon season closes 30 September. Both runs are spate-driven; the lough buffers flow, but fish move on rising water.
Where
Holding water through the lough; the Cummeragh between lough and sea is the running channel. Below a spate, fish are in the lough and on the river — both fish well.
Method
Spring: classic loch-style with bigger wets and a Murrough on the bob. Grilse: smaller patterns, floating line, and the same drift as the sea trout. Take a salmon as a bonus to the trout drift, not the other way round.
Kit
10 ft #7/8 single-hander; some prefer a 12 ft #8 double-hander for spring water. Floating plus intermediate. 12 lb fluoro tippet.
Why this works
Water at 18.7°C — above the atlantic salmon caution line (18°C). Fish dawn or dusk only. Land it fast, wet hands, no air shots.
Hatch timeline · todayPeak at 6pm

Hatch predictions

Today's headline hatch shown — see all 6 active hatches hour by hour with Pro.

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Sub-surface · on the nymphunder the surface

Hatch predictions

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Beyond the hatch · worth watchingambient prey

Hatch predictions

Top prey shown — see all 4 with Pro.

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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 · July highlighted
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Salmon runRun
1
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
1
Sea trout runRun
1
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
Atlantic Salmon fly box
Permits & access
Permit required — see local rules.
  • Waterville area, Co
  • Boats available from local ghillies
  • Butler Arms Hotel is the traditional base
  • State rod licence required.
What's coming
Plan ahead
5-day outlook
Water here around 19°C. Nothing cooler within range — carry a thermometer.
Gallery · 4
  1. A fishing boat moored on the calm open water of Lough Currane near Waterville, County Kerry.
    Lough Currane
  2. A rocky inlet on Lough Currane, open lough water and shoreline rocks.
    Inlet on Lough Currane
  3. Broad view across the eastern reaches of Lough Currane, County Kerry.
    The eastern reaches of Lough Currane
  4. Terrain map of the venue
    Terrain map
About this water

Ireland's best-known modern sea-trout flagship — but declining Atlantic salmon populations demand catch-and-release discipline. Lough Currane and the Cummeragh river near Waterville still produce notable sea trout — including fish to several pounds — when water and weather align, but this is a condition-sensitive fishery rather than a guaranteed numbers water. Recent public reports (2023–2025) show worthwhile catches in active conditions alongside frustratingly quiet periods when the lake is low, bright or stagnant. Fish the lough by boat with light tackle through summer into early autumn; the short river between lough and sea concentrates fish during runs. The Murrough (great red sedge) hatch in June is legendary. For 2026 the salmon fishery is statutorily open with a harvest surplus under the Wild Salmon & Sea Trout Tagging Scheme (S.I. 129/2026), but the Waterville fishery is conservation-managed — confirm current local catch-and-release rules before keeping any fish. Sea-trout fishing continues after the salmon close in early October.

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

WFD updated 2026-06-18: ecological status Good → Moderate (EEA WISE 2022, 3rd RBMP) and code normalized IE_SW_21_457 → IESW_21_457 (EPA national format → WISE euSurfaceWaterBodyCode; same water body). Source: EEA WISE SWB_SurfaceWaterBody (discodata.eea.europa.eu). | Prior note: EPA WFD 2019-2024 (lake layer) — Lough Currane: Good ecological status. Re-tagged 2026-06-18 from IESW_21F051000 (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) · IESW_21_457

Why this score · for Atlantic Salmon
  • Temperature1730% weight
  • Flow4525% weight
  • Clarity9520% weight
  • Feeding Time9015% weight
  • Pressure8510% weight
Directions
Apple MapsGoogle Maps
Seasons & zones
  • Salmon 17 January → 30 September
  • Sea trout 1 May → 12 October

Sea trout: Variable seasonal (2026) — Currane remains a famous sea-trout water but recent stock indicators are severe — IFI STAMP reports ~90% rod-catch reduction; Waterville fish-counter sea-trout detections fell 95.6% (2002–2022). The fishery continues fly-only, catch-and-release, but should be presented as a careful, conditions-led opportunity rather than a guaranteed primary target.

Related guides
Irish Loughs Playbooklough-style fishingThermal Layers & Troutreading depth and temperatureAtlantic Salmonsalmon tactics
Casting instructors near here
Booking & contacts