Stillwater · Limestone · North West / Sligo-Leitrim

Lough Gill & Bonet

Lough Gill venue image

The Lough Gill system near Sligo, with the Bonet as its main feeder entering at Dromahair, holds salmon, sea trout and wild brown trout.

Marginal · Atlantic Salmon
Cascade · 10-14
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 temp18.5°C
  • ClarityClear
Today's fly
Cascade
Cascade10-14
Regional salmon default — river-specific evidence is thin.
Conditions on the water
Estimate
Level
Dry recently
No gauge reading
Water temp18.5°C
ClarityClear
Weather22°C
WindSW 15 km/h
Pressure1020 hPa
Rain · recent0.0 mm
Rain · ahead3.6 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
All day — lough fishing is best in a good wave. Early morning and evening can produce in calm conditions.
Where
Work the drift lanes from the upwind shore across the productive zones. Cover bay edges, underwater reefs, and any areas where the bottom shoals.
Method
Fish a sensible line-and-fly combination for the height and pace of water.
Kit
10 ft #7/8 single-hander, floating line, 10–12 lb fluoro leader. Boat seat and waterproofs for the drift.
Why this works
Water at 18.5°C — above the atlantic salmon caution line (18°C). Fish dawn or dusk only. Land it fast, wet hands, no air shots.
Likely species
Caddisflies
  • Large sedgesMost likely
    #8–10 · Adult
    Big waked sedge in the last light and after dark.
  • Green PeterAlso possible
    #8–10–12 · Adult
    Pupa in the wave; wake a dry sedge at last light.
Hatch timeline · todayPeak at 6am

Hatch predictions

Today's headline hatch shown — see all 11 active hatches hour by hour with Pro.

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Sub-surface · on the nymphunder the surface

Hatch predictions

Top nymph shown — see all 2 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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Evidence
Survey-backed · regionalHigh confidence

Backed by regional invertebrate surveys; no sampling on this exact reach yet.

Updated 12 hours ago

Through the year
0–3 scale · August 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
2
2
2
1
Trout seasonSeason
1
2
2
2
2
2
2
1
Green PeterHatch
2
3
2
Murrough (Great Red Sedge)Hatch
2
3
2
Daddy Long LegsHatch
2
3
2
Mayfly (Green Drake)Hatch
2
2

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

Ranked for today
Atlantic Salmon fly box
What's coming
Plan ahead
5-day outlook
Water here around 19°C. Nothing cooler within range — carry a thermometer.
Gallery · 1
  1. Terrain map of the venue
    Terrain map
About this water

The Lough Gill system near Sligo, with the Bonet as its main feeder entering at Dromahair, holds salmon, sea trout and wild brown trout. The salmon and sea trout are catch-and-release for 2026. Fish the lough and the river mouth for running fish, and the Bonet when a flood brings them up. Sligo Anglers and IFI hold the water; the Salmon and Sea Trout State Licence is required.

Hatches & food

A limestone-rich Sligo lough system with genuine wild-trout fly life — duckfly, lake olive, mayfly and sedge — though the headline fishing is migratory salmon and sea trout, which take on traditional loch wets rather than to a hatch.

  • Lough
  • Limestone
Water quality (WFD)
  • Ecology: Unknown
  • Chemical: Unknown
Why this score · for Atlantic Salmon
  • Temperature1930% weight
  • Flow6025% weight
  • Clarity9520% weight
  • Feeding Time9015% weight
  • Pressure8510% weight
Directions
Apple MapsGoogle Maps
Seasons & zones
  • Salmon 1 January → 30 SeptemberC&R
  • Sea trout 1 January → 30 SeptemberC&R
  • Trout 15 February → 30 September
Related guides
Irish Loughs Playbooklough-style fishingThermal Layers & Troutreading depth and temperatureAtlantic Salmonsalmon tactics
Casting instructors near here
Booking & contacts
Permits & access