Spate · Peat · West / Mayo, IE

Owenmore (Erris)

Photo of Owenmore (Erris)

One of the key Mayo/Erris migratory systems where sea trout remain a real part of the fishery story, especially when runs and conditions align.

Today · Closed season
Wickham's Fancy
Forecast · Today
Closed season
Out of season. File this water for the right month.
40% projected
Today's fly
Wickham's Fancy
Wickham's Fancy
Conditions on the water · Today
Estimate
Level
Dry recently
No gauge reading
Water temp8.9°C
ClarityUnfishable
Weather8°C
WindN 28 km/h
Pressure1003 hPa
Rain · recent0.5 mm
Rain · ahead0.9 mm

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

Water temperature for Atlantic Salmon
Cool — slow
9°C est.ideal 10–16°C
0°14°28°
How to fish it · for Atlantic Salmon
When
Morning into early afternoon.
Where
Pool tails, steadier runs, and any water with pace.
Method
Fish a sensible line-and-fly combination for the height and pace of water.
Kit
13 ft #8/9 double-hander in spate, 10 ft #8 single in low water. Floating line plus a fast-sink tip. 12–15 lb fluoro tippet.
Likely species
Stoneflies
Hatch timeline · todayPeak at 11am

12pm(now) — Autumn Needle Fly

Stage: Creeping nymphsApproach: Heavy nymphActivity: 36%
Also:Autumn Olive25%
Peak emergence window3 food groups active

Peak activity at 11am — Autumn Needle Fly (Autumn Needle Fly, Peak emergence window)

Sub-surface · on the nymphunder the surface

Hatch predictions

Top nymph shown — see all 3 guilds as a supporter.

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Beyond the hatch · worth watchingambient prey(1)

Hatch predictions

Supporters see what else is on the menu.

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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 · November highlighted
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Salmon runRun
1
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
1
March BrownHatch
2
3
2
CapererHatch
2
3
3
2
Heather FlyHatch
2
2
Autumn DunHatch
2
3
2

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

Ranked for today
Atlantic Salmon fly box

Connemara/Mayo low water: a lightly-dressed shrimp on a floating line with sink tip, sized down from 8s in cold spring water to 12s and 14s as summer water warms and clears. Where the current runs faster, a slim tube or hairwing swung through tracks better than a shrimp.

Permits & access
Permit required — see local rules.
  • Remote Erris Peninsula, Co
  • Limited access — check locally
  • State rod licence required.
What's coming
Plan ahead
5-day outlook
Other water nearby · 5
Carrowmore Lake
6.0 km
0
Brown trout · Salmon · Sea trout
Glenamoy River
14 km
0
Salmon · Sea trout
Owenduff
15 km
0
Brown trout · Salmon · Sea trout
Burrishoole
27 km
0
Brown trout · Salmon · Sea trout
Burrishoole
27 km
Brown trout · Salmon · Sea trout
Gallery · 2
  1. Photo of Owenmore (Erris)
    Owenmore (Erris) — image via Wikipedia (Owenmore River (County Mayo))
  2. Terrain map of the venue
    Terrain map
About this water

Public IFI and Bangor Erris material still surfaces run-condition reporting for the Owenmore, and the broader Bangor Erris fishery narrative ties it together with Carrowmore Lake in a continuing salmon-and-sea-trout story. A large blanket-bog spate river on the Erris Peninsula with very fast response to rain — completely spate-dependent with tea-coloured peat water. Summer-running and weather-led, with fishability tied to water conditions and run timing rather than calendar certainty. Fish it on the drop after rain. Season 1 June to 30 September. For 2026 this remains an open fishery — salmon may be retained in season under the Wild Salmon & Sea Trout Tagging Scheme and bag limits, with catch-and-release at other times.

Hatches & food

EPA monitoring of the Owenmore (Erris)'s Mayo reaches confirms mayflies, stoneflies, caddis, aquatic diptera and gammarus are present. This is food-presence evidence from kick sampling only, not a record of emergence timing or a dependable hatch.

  • Peat
Water quality (WFD)
  • Ecology: High
  • Chemical: Unknown
What this classification means

WFD code normalized 2026-06-18: IE_WE_33O040050 → IEWE_33O040050 (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 — Owenmore (Mayo), Erris: High status. Corrected 2026-06-18 from IEWE_33G400250 (a tributary/wrong river). Source: EPA Ireland WFD 2019-2024 classification (catchments.ie / EDEN).

EPA (Ireland) · IEWE_33O040050

Why this score · for Atlantic Salmon
  • Temperature6730% weight
  • Flow4525% weight
  • Clarity9520% weight
  • Feeding Time4015% weight
  • Pressure8510% weight
Directions
Apple MapsGoogle Maps
Seasons & zones
  • Salmon 1 January → 30 September

Sea trout: Variable seasonal (2026)

Related guides
Atlantic Salmonsalmon tacticsIrish Salmon Rivers Guidefive great salmon fisheriesConnemaraIrish fishing
Casting instructors near here
Booking & contacts
At a glance

Owenmore (Erris) is a spate river in West / Mayo, Ireland. Its recorded elevation is about 23 m above sea level and the catchment geology is peat. The river is described as roughly 18 km long. Our data lists brown trout, salmon and sea trout here. It is classed as a salmon river. The salmon season is recorded as running from 1 January to 30 September. Best window recorded for anglers: June–September; completely spate-dependent. Core methods listed: across and down wet fly; spate fishing on the drop; wet fly for sea trout at dusk. Its Water Framework Directive ecological status is recorded as high. Nearby waters in our listings include Carrowmore Lake at 6.0 km, Glenamoy River at 14 km and Owenduff at 15 km.