Limestone · West / Mayo

Lough Carra

Lough Carra terrain map
Fair · Trout
Peter Ross Dabbler · 10-12
Fairlive now
Good drifting conditions on Lough Carra
Good wave on — drift country. A useful wave. Work the productive shore.
53% confidence
What moved it
  • WindNW 15 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
NW 15 km/h
N
NW
from the north-west
Wave20 cm ripple
Water temp13.8°C
Air temp17°C
CloudOvercast
Pressure1022 hPa
Rain · recent0.0 mm

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

How to fish it · for Trout
When
Mayfly into Green Peter from mid-May to mid-June. Olives March through May. Carra needs calm conditions — flat calm is fishable here where on Mask it would be dead, the clarity does the rest.
Where
Marl shallows around the eastern bays. Cruising trout sight-fishable in clear water — this is the lough where you spot fish before you cast to them.
Method
Drift the marl shallows at 1 to 2 m. Team of three wets in a wave; switch to single dry the moment you spot a cruising fish. The clarity demands accuracy and finer tippet than Corrib or Mask.
Kit
10 ft #5 — Carra runs lighter than Corrib for the clarity. Floating line, 5x or 6x tippet, 12 ft tapered leader. Long-handled net.
The plan
Plan A

Set up a broadside drift and cover the water systematically. Work Bibio on the bob and Murrough 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.

Sub-surface · on the nymphunder the surface

Hatch predictions

See the full sub-surface read with Pro.

Start free trial

14-day free trial. Cancel anytime.

Beyond the hatch · worth watchingambient prey

Hatch predictions

Top prey shown — see all 4 with Pro.

Start free trial

14-day free trial. Cancel anytime.

Through the year
0–3 scale · August highlighted
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Trout seasonSeason
1
2
2
2
2
2
1
Green PeterHatch
2
3
2
Murrough (Great Red Sedge)Hatch
2
3
2
Daddy Long LegsHatch
2
3
2
Mayfly (Green Drake)Hatch
2
2

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

Ranked for today
Trout fly box
Permits & access
Free state water
State rod licence required for trout / salmon as applicable.
  • No permit — state rod licence only
  • Boats available
  • Fly only
  • C&R strongly encouraged.
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
Lough Mask
8.0 km
Brown trout
Ballin Lough (Westport)
25 km
Rainbow trout · Brown trout
Rooskey Lough
39 km
Rainbow trout · Brown trout
Lough O'Flynn
41 km
Brown trout
Redman's Lough
45 km
Sea trout
Water quality (WFD)
  • Ecology: Good
  • Chemical: Unknown
What this classification means

WFD code normalized 2026-06-18: IE_WE_30_347 → IEWE_30_347 (EPA national format → EEA WISE euSurfaceWaterBodyCode; same water body, now joinable to WISE). Status confirmed against EEA WISE 2022 (3rd RBMP). Source: discodata.eea.europa.eu. | Prior note: EPA WFD 2019-2024 (lake layer) — Lough Carra: Good ecological status. Re-tagged 2026-06-18 from IEWE_30L030400 (a river/stream water body, not the lough) to the lough's own EPA lake water body. Source: EPA Ireland WFD 2019-2024 classification (catchments.ie / EDEN).

EPA (Ireland) · IEWE_30_347

Why this score
  • Wind conditions (breezy) are not ideal for this water.
  • Temperature (cool) is in the sweet spot for summer fishing.
  • Murrough is in its seasonal window, boosting the chance of targeted feeding.
Directions
Apple MapsGoogle Maps
Seasons & zones
  • Trout 1 March → 30 September
Related guides
Irish Loughs Playbooklough-style fishingThermal Layers & Troutreading depth and temperatureConnemaraIrish fishing
Casting instructors near here
Booking & contacts