Limestone · West / Galway, IE

River Clare

Photo of River Clare

A genuine limestone river in the classic midland tradition: alkaline, clear, and supporting good hatches of olives, mayfly, and sedge through the season.

Poor · Atlantic Salmon
Collie Dog · 6–10
Closed season
Out of season. File this water for the right month.
Closed — confidence not applicable today.
What moved it
  • Level1.12 mLast reading 3h ago
  • Water temp6.9°C
  • ClarityClear
Today's fly
Collie Dog
Collie Dog6–10
Regional salmon default — river-specific evidence is thin.
Conditions on the water
Live gauge
Level
Steady
1.12 m
Last reading 3h ago
Water temp6.9°C
ClarityClear
Weather10°C
WindS 25 km/h
Pressure1005 hPa
Rain · recent0.0 mm
Rain · ahead4.5 mm

Live readings only. Trends shown where the gauge supports them.

Water temperature for Atlantic Salmon
Cool — slow
6.9°Cideal 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
Hatch timeline · todayQuiet day

Hatch predictions

Today's headline hatch shown — see all 6 active hatches hour by hour as a supporter.

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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 3 as a supporter.

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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
1
Trout seasonSeason
1
2
2
2
2
2
1
Daddy Long LegsHatch
2
3
3
2
CapererHatch
2
3
3
2
Hawthorn FlyHatch
2
2
GrannomHatch
2
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.
  • Western Regional Fisheries District
  • Corrib system
  • Local club beats — Tuam, Claregalway
  • State rod licence required
  • Salmon licence additional.
What's coming
Plan ahead
5-day outlook
Other water nearby · 5
Gallery · 2
  1. Photo of River Clare
    River Clare
  2. Terrain map of the venue
    Terrain map
About this water

Brown trout fishing is the main attraction — both wild fish from the river and, in season, the mayfly-feeding trout of the Corrib system working up into the lower river. Some salmon from February. Local club beats with day permits along various stretches. A counterpart to the lough itself for anglers who prefer moving water. Mandatory catch-and-release applies.

Hatches & food

EPA river-invertebrate monitoring on the River Clare confirms mayflies, stoneflies, caddis, chironomids and other aquatic diptera, and freshwater crustaceans are present across its monitored reaches - food-presence evidence only, with no record of hatch timing or emergence strength.

  • Limestone
Water quality (WFD)
  • Ecology: Unknown
  • Chemical: Unknown
Why this score · for Atlantic Salmon
  • Temperature3430% weight
  • Flow6025% weight
  • Clarity9520% weight
  • Feeding Time9515% weight
  • Pressure8510% weight
Directions
Seasons & zones
  • Salmon 1 February → 30 September
  • Trout 1 March → 30 September
Related guides
Casting instructors near here
Booking & contacts
At a glance

River Clare is a limestone river in West / Galway, Ireland. Its recorded elevation is about 47 m above sea level and the catchment geology is limestone. The river is described as roughly 60 km long. Our data lists brown trout and salmon here. It is classed as a salmon river. The trout season is recorded as running from 1 March to 30 September. The salmon season is recorded as running from 1 February to 30 September. Best window recorded for anglers: April–September; mayfly mid-May to early June is the highlight. Core methods listed: upstream dry fly; upstream nymph; across and down (salmon). Level and flow data for this water is linked from 1 gauge. Nearby waters in our listings include Corrib / Galway Weir at 24 km, Lough Corrib at 24 km and Screebe / Gowla at 43 km.