Spate · Mixed · South / Cork

Bandon

Wide tidal reach of the Bandon River curving through green farmland and woodland near Kinsale, County Cork, Ireland.

South Cork salmon and sea trout river flowing through productive limestone-influenced reaches.

Poor · Atlantic Salmon
Curry's Red Shrimp · 8-12
Poorlive now
Slow going — better windows ahead
Low and clear — careful approach country. Stale fish in low clear water spook easily — pick your hour.
85% confidence
What moved it
  • Level0.15 m
  • Water temp19.9°C
  • ClarityClear
Today's fly
Curry's Red Shrimp
Curry's Red Shrimp8-12
From the river-specific salmon pack.
Conditions on the water
Live gauge
Level
Steady
0.15 m
Water temp19.9°C
ClarityClear
Weather21°C
WindN 14 km/h
Pressure1021 hPa
Rain · recent0.0 mm
Rain · ahead0.0 mm

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

Water temperature for Atlantic Salmon
Warm — slow
19.9°Cideal 10–14°C
0°14°28°
How to fish it · for Atlantic Salmon
When
Spring fish from February; grilse from late May; main run summer. Cork spate river — fish 12 to 24 hours after rain on the drop.
Where
Beats from Dunmanway through Bandon town. Heads, tails, and named lies through the salmon stretches.
Method
Small doubles 10 to 12 across-and-down on a floating line; small tubes on a sink-tip in spring water. Catch-and-release encouraged across most Irish salmon water.
Kit
10 ft #7 single-hander on the smaller spate rivers; 11 ft switch where the river opens out. Floating line plus light sink-tip. 10 to 12 lb fluoro tippet.
Why this works
Water at 19.9°C — above the atlantic salmon caution line (18°C). Fish dawn or dusk only. Land it fast, wet hands, no air shots.
Hatch timeline · todayPeak at 6am

Hatch predictions

Today's headline hatch shown — see all 5 active hatches hour by hour with Pro.

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Beyond the hatch · worth watchingambient prey

Hatch predictions

Top prey shown — see all 2 with Pro.

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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 · August highlighted
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Salmon runRun
1
2
2
2
2
2
2
1
Daddy Long LegsHatch
2
3
2
March BrownHatch
2
3
2
GrannomHatch
2
2
Large StoneflyHatch
2
3
2

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

Ranked for today
Atlantic Salmon fly box
Permits & access
Permit required — see local rules.
  • West Cork river
  • Mixed club and association access
  • Bandon AA, Dunmanway STAA (fly only, 10 miles, Togher Castle to Manch Bridge), Ballineen & Enniskeane AA (4 miles, day tickets)
  • Best window June–September
  • State rod licence required.
What's coming
Plan ahead
5-day outlook
Water here at 19.9°C. Nothing cooler within range.
Gallery · 2
  1. Wide tidal reach of the Bandon River curving through green farmland and woodland near Kinsale, County Cork, Ireland.
    Bandon River
  2. Terrain map of the venue
    Terrain map
About this water

South Cork salmon and sea trout river flowing through productive limestone-influenced reaches. Season 15 February to 30 September (closure below Innishannon Bridge until 17 March). Spring salmon from February; fish the pools systematically with sunk-tip line, taking the broken water where fish gather. Grilse from June. Sea trout from May onwards. Standard spate-river approach — fish as the river clears after rain. For 2026 this remains an open fishery — salmon may be retained in season under the Wild Salmon & Sea Trout Tagging Scheme and bag limits, with catch-and-release at other times.

Hatches & food

EPA freshwater monitoring across the Bandon's WFD segments confirms a broad food base of mayflies, stoneflies, caddis, aquatic diptera and freshwater shrimp and hoglice. The records establish presence in the riverbed community rather than emergence timing or a dependable surface rise.

Sea trout here

South Cork spate river with genuine sea-trout fishing alongside salmon. Description notes "excellent sea trout through July and August." One of the earlier-opening rivers in the south-west.

  • Mixed
Water quality (WFD)
  • Ecology: Good
  • Chemical: Unknown
What this classification means

EPA WFD 2019-2024 — Good ecological status; filled 2026-06-18. Source: EPA Ireland WFD 2019-2024 classification (catchments.ie / EDEN).

EPA (Ireland) · IESW_20B020780

The full read · show the working · for Atlantic Salmon · confidence 85%
How the river scores — hydrology factors
Water heightMedium Ideal0.0
Recent riseNone0.0
Falling after liftNot Applicable0.0
Water temperatureCool To Moderate0.0
Time in seasonOpening Period0.0
ClarityClearing0.0
Hydrology base0.0
Legal gate: Unknown Check Local Rules
Can you trust it?
Water temperaturelive gauge readinggauge
Level / flowon-river gaugeobserved
Directions
Apple MapsGoogle Maps
Seasons & zones
  • Salmon 15 February → 30 September
Related guides
Atlantic Salmonsalmon tacticsIrish Salmon Rivers Guidefive great salmon fisheriesConnemaraIrish fishing
Casting instructors near here
Booking & contacts