Lowland · Mixed · Co. Antrim / Lough Neagh Tributaries, GB-NIR

Six Mile Water

The Six Mile Water river running through autumn trees near Antrim, Northern Ireland.

The Six Mile Water is the most famous dollaghan river — a Lough Neagh tributary flowing through Antrim town.

Today · Closed season
Czech Nymph
Forecast · Today
Closed season
Out of season. Try elsewhere.
90% projected
Today's fly
Czech Nymph
Czech Nymph
Conditions on the water · Today
Live gauge
Level
Steady
1.23 m
Water temp8.8°C
ClarityClear
Weather7°C
WindN 24 km/h
Pressure1008 hPa
Rain · recent0.2 mm
Rain · ahead2.3 mm

The nearest gauge doesn't record temperatures, so we've estimated it — defer to the river keeper's advice.

Water temperature for Brown Trout
Cool — slow
9°C est.ideal 10–16°C
0°14°28°
How to fish it · for Brown Trout
When
Nymphing can work through most of the day.
Where
Cover mixed depths.
Method
Start with tight-line nymphs and adjust if fish rise or drift higher.
Kit
9 ft #4 rod, floating line, 12 ft tapered leader to 4–5 lb fluoro tippet.
Likely species
Stoneflies
Gammarids
Hatch timeline · todayPeak at 10am

12pm(now) — Autumn Olive

Stage: On emergersApproach: Emerger or dryActivity: 37%
Also:Black Midge37%
Peak emergence window5 food groups active

Peak activity at 10am — Black Midge (Black Midge, Peak emergence window)

Sub-surface · on the nymphunder the surface

Hatch predictions

Top nymph shown — see all 4 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
Trout seasonSeason
1
2
2
2
2
2
2
1
Mayfly (Green Drake)Hatch
2
2
Large Cinnamon SedgeHatch
2
3
3
2
Daddy Long LegsHatch
2
3
3
2
CapererHatch
2
3
3
2

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

Ranked for today
Brown Trout fly box
What's coming
Plan ahead
5-day outlook
Other water nearby · 5
River Maine
17 km
0
Brown trout · Dollaghan
River Moyola
19 km
0
Brown trout · Salmon · Dollaghan
Lough Neagh
16 km
Brown trout · Pike · Dollaghan
Killylane Reservoir
19 km
Brown trout
North Woodburn Reservoir
23 km
Rainbow trout
Gallery · 2
  1. The Six Mile Water river running through autumn trees near Antrim, Northern Ireland.
    Autumn on the Six Mile Water at Antrim, County Antrim.
  2. Terrain map of the venue
    Terrain map
About this water

Dollaghan are endemic lake-run brown trout unique to the Lough Neagh system, running upstream July–October to spawn. Night fishing for dollaghan is a Northern Irish tradition — big fish (2–8 lb, occasional doubles) taken on streamers and large wet flies after dark. Resident brown trout throughout. Managed by Six Mile Water Trust and local clubs.

Hatches & food

No venue-specific hatch data yet; as a lowland main-stem river feeding Lough Neagh, expect the mixed upwing, sedge and midge activity typical of Ulster lowland rivers rather than a confirmed hatch — general guidance only.

  • Mixed
The full read · show the working · for Brown Trout · confidence 90%
How the 0 is built — score × weight = contribution
Temperature73 × 28%20.4
Flow80 × 22%17.6
Clarity95 × 18%17.1
Feeding Time55 × 13%7.2
Pressure80 × 7%5.6
Insect activity58 × 12%7.0
Conditions total= 75
Can you trust it?
Water temperatureair-to-water estimateestimated
Level / flowon-river gaugeobserved
Prey activitysurvey-backed invertebrate datasurvey
What would change the calculation
The dawn and dusk windows score higher than the midday lull.
Directions
Apple MapsGoogle Maps
Seasons & zones
  • Trout 1 March → 31 October
Related guides
ConnemaraIrish fishingEuro Nymphingsubsurface methods
Casting instructors near here
Booking & contacts
At a glance

Six Mile Water is a lowland river in Co. Antrim / Lough Neagh Tributaries, Northern Ireland. It sits at about 19 m above sea level. The river is described as roughly 18 km long. Our data lists brown trout and dollaghan here. The trout season is recorded as running from 1 March to 31 October. Best window recorded for anglers: July–October (dollaghan), May–July (brown trout). Core methods listed: upstream nymph and dry fly (brown trout); across and down wet fly. Level and flow data for this water is linked from 1 gauge. Nearby waters in our listings include Lough Neagh at 16 km, River Maine at 17 km and River Moyola at 19 km.