Stillwater · Granite · East / Wicklow, IE

Pollaphuca / Blessington Lakes

Pollaphuca / Blessington Lakes — File:Poulaphouca Dam.JPG

The biggest stillwater fly water within an hour of Dublin — an ESB reservoir of roughly 5,500 acres / 2,200 ha on the upper Liffey, holding stocked brown and rainbow trout, a small population of wild brown trout, and a serious pike fishery that IFI specifically flag as productive on the fly.

Good · Rainbow
Perch Fry · 8-10_long_shank
Goodlive now
Reasonable autumn fishing likely at Pollaphuca / Blessington Lakes
Useful ripple, fishable wave. Fishable ripple — drift the productive shore.
66% confidence

Pollaphuca / Blessington Lakes is often best in spring through autumn.

What moved it
  • WindW 29 km/hFresh breeze · Gusts to 45 km/h
Today's fly
Perch Fry
Perch Fry8-10_long_shank
Retrieve
Conditions on the water
Estimate
Wind
Fresh breeze · Gusts to 45 km/h
W 29 km/h
N
W
from the west
Wave60 cm wave
Water temp13.6°C
Air temp11°C
CloudBroken
Pressure1010 hPa
Rain · recent0.0 mm

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

Head to
Wind driftW wind
Western end

A westerly has held for 16 hours, running colder than the water (11°C air against 14°C water). The end it blows into is taking that chilled surface water, so try the sheltered western end instead — off the back of the wind, where the undertow returns food along the bottom. That chill sits in the top of the water, though, and the bed is slower to feel it — on a bottom bait it is the undertow, not the temperature, that puts you at this end. Treat it as a tiebreaker between good swims rather than an override — features and angling pressure usually count for more.

How to fish it · for Rainbow
When
The buzzer is on at Pollaphuca / Blessington Lakes.
Where
Start with Perch Fry (8-10_long_shank) — on the point. Rainbows respond to more active retrieves — try short strips between pauses. If that does not produce, switch depth or speed before changing the pattern entirely.
The plan
Plan A

Start with Perch Fry (8-10_long_shank) — on the point. Rainbows respond to more active retrieves — try short strips between pauses. If that does not produce, switch depth or speed before changing the pattern entirely.

Plan B

If the main plan stalls, drop to a size 14–16 midge — switch to a washing-line or suspender rig and change drift line before you change food group.

Watch for

Buzzer may strengthen through the middle of the day as conditions warm.

Bank, sheltered shores

In wind, bank fish the lee shore — boats can anchor in productive areas if conditions allow.

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

Top prey shown — see all 5 as a supporter.

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Through the year
0–3 scale · October highlighted
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Trout seasonSeason
1
2
2
2
2
2
1
Reservoir BuzzerHatch
2
3
3
3
3
3
2
Daphnia SwarmHatch
2
3
3
3
2
Lake OliveHatch
2
3
3
3
3
3
2
Silverhorns & LonghornsHatch
1
2
2
2
1

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

Ranked for today
Rainbow fly box
Permits & access
Permit required — see local rules.
  • ESB-managed reservoir
  • Adult trout permit ~€30 via permits.fishinginireland.info
  • Single rod, daylight only, no maggots
  • Daily bag 4 trout, minimum size 9 inches
  • No fishing in buoyed dam headrace
  • Separate ESB boat permit required
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
River Liffey (Upper / Blessington)
7.0 km
Brown trout
River Liffey (Middle / Kildare)
15 km
Brown trout
Bohernabreena Reservoirs
15 km
Brown trout
Curragh Springs Fishery
19 km
Rainbow trout
Annamoe Trout Fishery
21 km
Rainbow trout · Brown trout
Gallery · 2
  1. Pollaphuca / Blessington Lakes — File:Poulaphouca Dam.JPG
    File:Poulaphouca Dam.JPG
  2. Terrain map of the venue
    Terrain map
About this water

The biggest stillwater fly water within an hour of Dublin — an ESB reservoir of roughly 5,500 acres / 2,200 ha on the upper Liffey, holding stocked brown and rainbow trout, a small population of wild brown trout, and a serious pike fishery that IFI specifically flag as productive on the fly. The trout season runs 1 March – 30 September on a single-rod, daylight-only permit with a daily bag of 4 trout (minimum size 9 inches) and no fishing in the buoyed dam headrace. Pike and coarse run year-round except a closed month in October; coarse is currently catch-and-release only. The trout fishing is hatch-led when it works — duckfly in early spring, buzzers building into summer, sedges and terrestrials through the warm months. For pike on the fly, this is one of the better waters within easy reach of Dublin: 8–9 weight, wire trace, big baitfish patterns, careful handling.

  • Reservoir
  • Granite
Water quality (WFD)
  • Ecology: Unknown
  • Chemical: Unknown
Why this score
  • Wind conditions (windy) are not ideal for this water.
  • Temperature (cool) is in the sweet spot for autumn fishing.
  • Buzzer is in its seasonal window, boosting the chance of targeted feeding.
  • Reservoirs of this kind fish well at this time of year.
Directions
Apple MapsGoogle Maps
Seasons & zones
  • Trout 1 March → 30 September
  • Pike 1 November → 30 September
Related guides
Irish Loughs Playbooklough-style fishingBig Stillwater Playbookreservoir tacticsReservoir Entomologymatching the hatch
Casting instructors near here
Booking & contacts