Stillwater · Granite · North West / Donegal

Rosses Lakes Fisheries

Rosses Lakes Fisheries terrain map
Terrain map

The Rosses — the rough stony country between Dungloe and the Atlantic — holds approximately 130 small wild brown trout loughs spread across a few square kilometres of blanket bog and quartzite moorland.

Fair · Trout
Spent Gnat · 12-14
Fairlive now
Murrough expected on Rosses Lakes Fisheries
Good wave on — drift country. A useful wave. Work the productive shore.
53% confidence
What moved it
  • WindNW 18 km/hGentle breeze
Today’s fly
Spent Gnat
Spent Gnat12-14
Upstream dry
Conditions on the water
Live gauge
Wind
Gentle breeze
NW 18 km/h
N
NW
from the north-west
Wave40 cm chop
Water temp
Air temp14°C
CloudOvercast
Pressure1024 hPa
Rain · recent0.0 mm

Some readings unavailable — check directly before fishing.

How to fish it · for trout
When
May–September; late summer daddy-long-legs fishing is the highlight
Where
Set up a broadside drift and cover the water systematically. Work a bushy searching pattern on the bob and drop a contrasting nymph on the point.
The plan
Plan A

Set up a broadside drift and cover the water systematically. Work a bushy searching pattern on the bob and drop a contrasting nymph on the point.

Plan B

If the main plan is not working, switch to a smaller, more imitative pattern fished slower and deeper. A change of drift angle can also make a difference.

Watch for

Evening tends to be the best period in summer — stay late if you can for a sedge or spinner fall.

Boat — drift

A gentle ripple is ideal for drifting — broadside drift covering the wind lanes should be productive.

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
2
2
1
Daddy Long LegsHatch
2
3
2
Murrough (Great Red Sedge)Hatch
2
3
2
Black MidgeHatch
2
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
2
Lake OliveHatch
1
2
2
2
2
2
1

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

Ranked for today
Trout fly box
Permits & access
Permit required — see local rules.
  • Rosses Anglers' Club — day permits from Dungloe
  • Some loughs have specific access rules (fly-only, boat-only)
  • State rod licence required.
What's coming
Plan ahead
5-day outlook
Condition match
59%
Cloud50%
Wind65%
Temp60%

A reasonable day here, though cloud isn't quite in the sweet spot.

Fishing better nearby · 5
About this water

The Rosses — the rough stony country between Dungloe and the Atlantic — holds approximately 130 small wild brown trout loughs spread across a few square kilometres of blanket bog and quartzite moorland. It is probably the densest concentration of accessible wild trout water in Ireland. The lakes vary from half an acre to twenty — most are unfished except by locals, but the Rosses Anglers' Club manages a significant portion and issues day permits for boats and bank fishing. Fish average around the half-pound mark but wild trout to 2 lb are possible on the better loughs. Sea trout enter the system via the short connecting rivers when water is high. This is not destination fishing in the conventional sense — you need local knowledge or a willingness to explore — but for the angler prepared to read the terrain and fish creatively, it is some of the finest wild-trout country in Ireland.

  • Lake
  • Granite
Water quality (WFD)
  • EcologyUnknown
  • ChemicalUnknown
Why this score
  • Murrough is in its seasonal window, boosting the chance of targeted feeding.
Directions
Seasons & zones
  • Trout15 February → 12 October
Related guides
Booking & contacts