Spate · Granite · West / Connemara

Erriff

Aasleagh Falls cascading over rocks on the Erriff River with green hills in the background

A short, dramatic river that tumbles into Killary Harbour through some of Connemara's wildest country — a declining salmon system where all fish must be released alive.

Poor · Atlantic Salmon
Cascade · 10-14 / small conehead
ReopenedReported 28 Jul 2026

Erriff Fishery reopened

The Erriff fishery has reopened to angling after water temperatures fell with the break in the heatwave. Permits are available again via the IFI permit shop.

Fisheries re-open as cooler weather prevails ↗

Temporary notices from official orders and recent fishery reports — they clear automatically once out of date. Always confirm locally before travelling.

Poorlive now
Slow going — better windows ahead
River lifting fast on the rain. Little in your favour today. Fish the certain lies, or leave it for a better one.
85% confidence
What moved it
  • Level1.42 mLifting fast
  • Water temp19.7°C
  • ClarityVery colouredColouring up
Today's fly
Cascade
Cascade10-14 / small conehead
From the river-specific salmon pack.
Conditions on the water
Live gauge
Level
Rising
1.42 m
Lifting fast
Water temp19.7°C
ClarityVery coloured
Weather19°C
WindSW 17 km/h
Pressure1019 hPa
Rain · recent1.7 mm
Rain · ahead2.5 mm

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

Water temperature for Atlantic Salmon
Warm — slow
19.7°Cideal 10–14°C
0°14°28°
How to fish it · for Atlantic Salmon
When
Spring run from late March; grilse from June; main run summer through September. Spate-driven — fish 12 to 24 hours after rain on the drop. Fish the named pools methodically.
Where
Erriff Fishery beats from below Aasleagh Falls down to the Killary fjord. Heads, tails, and named lies on the assigned beat.
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
Conditions are tough, but salmon can always surprise you. Peak summer — grilse and summer salmon are active and willing. Small flies, lightly dressed, fished with purpose. August is a decent month for salmon here, though not the peak.
Hatch timeline · todayPeak at 6pm

Hatch predictions

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Beyond the hatch · worth watchingambient prey

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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.
  • The Erriff fishery (Aasleagh Lodge) — advance booking essential
  • All fish released alive
  • State rod licence required.
What's coming
Plan ahead
5-day outlook
Water here at 19.7°C. Nothing cooler within range.
Gallery · 2
  1. Aasleagh Falls cascading over rocks on the Erriff River with green hills in the background
    Aasleagh Falls on the Erriff River, Connemara
  2. Terrain map of the venue
    Terrain map
About this water

A short, dramatic river that tumbles into Killary Harbour through some of Connemara's wildest country — a declining salmon system where all fish must be released alive. Aasleagh Falls is the landmark every angler remembers. Flashy and spate-dependent — it responds in hours to upriver rain and fishes brilliantly as it clears. Salmon from February; grilse and sea trout from June through September, conservation-focused catch-and-release only. Fish the pools methodically on the drop, working sunk-tip line through the broken water where sea trout hold. The system also includes Tawnyard and Derrintin loughs alongside the 8-mile river — 9 numbered beats with low rod density (2–3 rods per beat) deliver an uncrowded experience.

Under the surface

The Erriff is a short, high-energy Connemara spate river: 33 km total length from the confluence of the Owenree and Owenmore in Glennacally, draining only 163 km² but with a mean discharge of about 8 m³/s concentrated into a confined glacial valley running west-southwest beneath Mweelrea and the Sheeffry Hills. Bedrock is Dalradian quartzite and schist of the Connemara Complex, and the bed is dominated by durable boulder and cobble delivered by glacial legacy deposits. Expect step-pool and plane-bed reaches alternating with forced pools where the channel is pinned against bedrock outcrops. Near the mouth at Aasleagh the river drops 3.5 m over a 20 m-wide block waterfall into the Killary Harbour fjord head — a natural migration barrier. Bed mobility is stable above the main step-pool reaches and moderate in the lower glides.

Wading: Wet boulder slabs and Aasleagh Falls plunge pool

Hatches & food

EPA kick-sample monitoring of the Erriff (2009-2017) confirms mayflies, stoneflies, caddis, midges, blackflies and craneflies, and freshwater shrimp (Gammarus) are all present in the aquatic food base. This is presence evidence from monitored waterbody segments only, not a record of emergence timing, abundance, or a visible hatch on the water.

Sea trout here

Classic west-coast spate river through Aasleagh Falls. Sea trout are part of the core mixed-migratory identity. Aasleagh Lodge has historically promoted sea-trout fishing alongside salmon. Spate-dependent.

  • Granite
  • Confined
  • Step pool
  • Plane bed
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) · IEWE_32M080920

The full read · show the working · for Atlantic Salmon · confidence 85%
How the river scores — hydrology factors
Water heightHigh But Manageable+0.8
Recent riseClear Recent Rise+8.8
Falling after liftStill Rising Hard-0.6
Water temperatureHot-12.5
Time in seasonSummer Peak Window+1.9
ClarityClearing+2.4
Hydrology base0.8
Will they take?Neutralcaps the band

Taking mood is fair — clearing, stained water, water too warm, fresh fish moving on the lift.

Can you trust it?
Water temperaturelive gauge readinggauge
Level / flowon-river gaugeobserved
What would change the calculation
No prolonged stable spell before the current rise.
Directions
Apple MapsGoogle Maps
Seasons & zones
  • Salmon 1 February → 30 SeptemberC&R

Sea trout: Variable seasonal (2026)

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Booking & contacts