Stillwater · Granite · East / Wicklow

Pollaphuca / Blessington Lakes

Pollaphuca / Blessington Lakes — File:Poulaphouca Dam.JPG
Contributor photo

File:Poulaphouca Dam.JPG

Silverblaster (https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=User:Silverblaster&action=edit&redlink=1) - CC BY-SA

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.

Fair · Rainbow
Peter Ross Dabbler · 10-12
Fairlive now
Reasonable summer fishing likely at Pollaphuca / Blessington Lakes
Good wave on — drift country. A useful wave. Work the productive shore.
62% confidence
What moved it
  • WindN 14 km/hGentle breeze
Today’s fly
Peter Ross Dabbler
Peter Ross Dabbler10-12
Proven pattern for this period
Conditions on the water
Live gauge
Wind
Gentle breeze
N 14 km/h
N
N
from the north
Wave20 cm ripple
Water temp—
Air temp17°C
CloudClear
Pressure1023 hPa
Rain · recent0.0 mm

Some readings unavailable — check directly before fishing.

How to fish it · for rainbow
When
The caenis are on at Pollaphuca / Blessington Lakes. The ripple should help fish move and feed more confidently. Early morning is often the most productive window in summer — make the most of it.
Where
Start with Bibio (10-12) — on the bob / top dropper. Midday in warm weather — switch to a fast-sink or Di-7 and fish boobies or blobs along the bottom. Rainbows respond to more active retrieves — try short strips between pauses.
The plan
Plan A

Start with Bibio (10-12) — on the bob / top dropper. Midday in warm weather — switch to a fast-sink or Di-7 and fish boobies or blobs along the bottom. Rainbows respond to more active retrieves — try short strips between pauses.

Plan B

When caenis is thick and fish become fussy, go smaller still — a size 18–20 shuck pattern or a tiny CDC spinner fished static.

Watch for

Green Peter should come on through the afternoon as the water warms.

Either bank or boat

Good ripple suits both bank and boat. Bank: work inflows, dam walls, and points. Boat: broadside drift covering wind lanes.

Through the year
0–3 scale · July highlighted
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Trout seasonSeason
1
2
2
2
2
2
1
Daphnia SwarmHatch
2
3
3
3
2
Daddy Long LegsHatch
2
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
64%
Cloud25%
Wind65%
Temp100%

A reasonable day here, though cloud 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
Derry Water
21 km
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
  • Temperature (cool) is in the sweet spot for summer fishing.
  • Caenis are in their seasonal window, boosting the chance of targeted feeding.
Directions
Apple MapsGoogle Maps
Seasons & zones
  • Trout1 March → 30 September
  • Pike1 November → 30 September
Related guides
Irish Loughs Playbooklough-style fishingBig Stillwater Playbookreservoir tacticsReservoir Entomologymatching the hatch
Booking & contacts