Limestone · Midlands / Westmeath, IE

Lough Ennell

Lough-ennell-co-westmeath

Midlands limestone trout lake south of Mullingar — rich, productive water with good mayfly and sedge hatches.

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 17 km/hGentle breeze
Today's fly
Perch Fry
Perch Fry8–10 long shank
Retrieve
Conditions on the water
Estimate
Wind
Gentle breeze
S 17 km/h
N
S
from the south
Wave20 cm ripple
Water temp8.8°C
Air temp4°C
CloudBroken
Pressure1016 hPa
Rain · recent0.0 mm

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

How to fish it · for Trout
When
March–September; buzzer March–April; mayfly mid-May
Where
Set up a broadside drift and cover the water systematically. Work Perch Fry on the bob and Minkie on the point.
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
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.
  • Midlands lough near Mullingar
  • No permit — state rod licence only
  • Boats available
  • C&R 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
Riverstown River
12 km
0
Brown trout
Mount Dalton Lake
10 km
Brown trout
Lough Owel
11 km
Brown trout
River Deel (Meath)
21 km
Brown trout
Lough Derravaragh
21 km
Brown trout
Gallery · 2
  1. Lough-ennell-co-westmeath
  2. Terrain map of the venue
    Terrain map
About this water

Specimen brown trout are present and regularly taken. Less celebrated than Owel or Sheelin but consistently good and less pressured. A quiet gem for the angler willing to explore.

Hatches & food

Lough Ennell's spring turns on a strongly localised duckfly hatch — starting mid-April and peaking around 18-25 April west of Blind Island and the Dysart/Geoghegan shore, with two daily windows, before noon and around 8pm — followed by lake olives from the first week of May for about three weeks. A dense May-into-June sequence follows: large mayfly from around 19 May off Robinstown and Belvedere, chironomids from around 20 May taking fish near the surface on a ripple, the large dark Welshman Button sedge pupae from the third or fourth week of May, and Murrough hatching at dusk by the reed beds. Black terrestrials blown onto the water add a further food source in late May and early June.

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

WFD code normalized 2026-06-18: IE_SH_25_188 → IESH_25_188 (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 Ennell: Good ecological status. Re-tagged 2026-06-18 from IESH_25D050400 (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) · IESH_25_188

Why this score
  • Wind conditions (breezy) are not ideal for this water.
  • Temperature (cool) is in the sweet spot for winter fishing.
Directions
Apple MapsGoogle Maps
Seasons & zones
  • Trout 1 March → 12 October
Related guides
Irish Loughs Playbooklough-style fishingThermal Layers & Troutreading depth and temperatureWinter Pike on the Flypike tactics and handling
Casting instructors near here
Booking & contacts
At a glance

Lough Ennell is a limestone river in Midlands / Westmeath, Ireland. Its recorded elevation is about 78 m above sea level and the catchment geology is limestone. The river is described as roughly 6 km long. Our data lists brown trout and pike here. The trout season is recorded as running from 1 March to 12 October. Best window recorded for anglers: March–September; buzzer March–April; mayfly mid-May. Core methods listed: loch-style wet fly drift from boat; buzzer fishing in early season; dry fly during mayfly and sedge. 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 Mount Dalton Lake at 10 km, Lough Owel at 11 km and Riverstown River at 12 km.