Ireland's most productive salmon river — the Moy system drains half of County Mayo and arrives at Ballina as a working fishery with five managed beats: Ridge Pool, Cathedral Beat, Mount Falcon, and others, plus the public Point beat at the estuary. Spring salmon run from February through May; the grilse run builds from June and peaks in July when the Ridge Pool and Cathedral Beat fish at their best. The Moy responds quickly (8–10 hours) to upriver rainfall — a rise of six inches after a dry spell will move fish through the system. Fish it as a proper spate river in the 12–36 hours after rain, as it drops and clears. On the lower beats, tide matters: the tidal backwater drowns out lies for up to two hours either side of high tide — check the Killala Bay tide table and plan around a falling tide. An afternoon session on the Ridge Pool on a falling tide with the river dropping after rain is as good as it gets. Ridge Pool prices range from €20 in early spring to €125 at peak grilse time in July; the Point is around €25/day. Book through the IFI Moy Fishery office. Across and down on a floating line with small doubles (10–12) through summer, size 6–8 tubes on sink-tips in spring. Darken up in peaty water (Cascade, Collie Dog); go brighter in clear conditions (Silver Stoat, Ally's Shrimp). Sea trout enter from May. The upper beats at Foxford offer technical water. A guide on a first visit pays for itself — the taking lies don't show themselves from the bank. The river is structured as a series of distinct fisheries: Ridge Pool and Cathedral Beat in Ballina (private, top tier), East Mayo Anglers Association (~13 km of state water above Ballina, the most accessible option for visiting anglers), Mount Falcon Estate (Foxford-area private), and a mix of IFI and club water through the middle and upper river. See regulation_zones for the major beats — pricing and booking models differ significantly between them.
The Moy rises on the southern flank of the Ox Mountains and then spreads out as one of the finest meandering lowland rivers in Ireland, draining a 2,086 km² catchment that covers two-thirds of County Mayo. Below Foxford the channel runs through thick Holocene alluvium — sands, gravels and silts laid over Carboniferous limestone — and develops the dramatic U-shaped Rinnananny bends on its way to Ballina. The main stem is up to 40 m wide, partly-confined by low river terraces, and carries a stable gravel-cobble bed armoured by the long fetches between bends. Classic pool-riffle structure dominates, with outer-bank scour pools and point-bar riffles. At Ballina the salmon weir holds fish against the tidal backwater of Killala Bay; for two hours either side of high water the lower pools drown out.
Wading: Tidal drown out on lower pools
- Mixed
- Partly confined
- Pool riffle
- Glide