Lough Fadden lies on the Antrim coast near Murlough Bay, and the setting alone is worth the trip even when the trout decline to play. It fishes the way coastal loughs tend to — best when the weather is cool and settled, or lightly broken by a gentle ripple, rather than baking under a high sun. Early in the year it's buzzers and a small lure worked patiently through the cool water; as spring builds, the diawl bach and a nymph come into their own, and summer brings enough surface interest to fish a dry to the odd riser. Mixed ground, clean water, and a horizon worth looking up at between casts. When the coastal wind gets serious, find the lee and fish shorter and deeper. The kind of place where a slow day still counts as a good one.

• Fishery
• Mixed