Lough Ree
Baseline tacticsCo. Roscommon / Westmeath / Longford · Lough · wild · 10.5k ha
Weather check
Issued 08:34| Time | Sky | Wind | Air | Rain |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 06:00 | cloud | NNE 6 km/h | 2 °C | dry |
| 08:00 | cloud | N 12 km/h | 1 °C | dry |
| 10:00 | sun | NNW 15 km/h | 4 °C | dry |
| 12:00 | cloud | N 13 km/h | 7 °C | dry |
| 14:00 | sun | NNE 12 km/h | 8 °C | dry |
| 16:00 | sun | NE 16 km/h | 10 °C | dry |
| 18:00 | cloud | SE 12 km/h | 10 °C | dry |
Times are UTC · wind in km/h · sun and rain read left to right across the day.
- Air
- 1–10°
- Wind
- 16 km/h
- Rain
- Dry
Water
measuredIdeal 13 °C
Trout are willing at every depth.
Measured at Hodson's Bay on the water · OPW
Ripple on the forecast.
Today · Lough Ree
Best window today is dawn, around 08:17.
Water · Ideal (12–16°C)Fishability is the engine's own hourly score. Why these conditions matter.
Compare the week
This week
ExcellentGoodFairPoor★ best of the day
Check season dates with the fishery (link below).
Where to fish
- Hare IslandIFI-named trout hotspot; drift the shallows and drop-offs around the island group south of the lake's middle.
- InchmoreIFI-named trout hotspot — the largest island, mid-lake; work the surrounding shallows.
- InchturkIFI-named trout hotspot between Inchmore and the east shore.
- Coosan Lough & the Inner LakesSheltered inner water at Athlone (Coosan Point / Killinure Lough / Ballykeeran) — a known trout and coarse area, and the sane option when the main lake is blowing.
- Hodson BaySheltered bay on the south-west (Roscommon) shore; holds trout particularly early and late season.
- Portrunny BayWest-shore bay with harbour access; deeper water beyond Cruit Point.
- Galey BayDeep west-shore bay with a trout-bearing stream inflow.
- St John's Bay (Rinn Duin)Bay in the lee of the Rindoon peninsula on the WESTERN shore (~9 miles north of Athlone by water); deep water behind the point.
- Barley Harbour shoreEast (Longford) shore around the stone harbour — safe mooring and a workable drift shore.
- Inny BayMouth of the River Inny. CORRECTION (2026-07-10 research pass): documented as a reeded COARSE bay (roach, ~4.5 m average) — not verified trout water; the tributary matters for recruitment, the bay itself is not a trout mark.
- Portlick shoreEast (Westmeath) shore trout area — independently corroborated by two dated IFI reports (2015 fly-caught fish near Portlick; 2016 Portlick Anglers competition). One of the few named non-island trout marks.
Hatch calendar
- DuckflyMar–AprIFI names duckfly on Ree; months are the typical Irish early-season window, not lake-specific — approximate.
- OlivesApr–May, SepIFI names olives; months typical-Irish, not lake-sourced — approximate.
- MayflyMay–JunIFI names mayfly on Ree; window shown is the general Irish mid-May-to-early-June season, not lake-specific.
- SedgesJun–AugIFI names sedges; months typical-Irish, not lake-sourced — approximate.
- Daddy longlegsSepSeptember dapping with daddies is explicitly IFI-documented for Ree.
Getting there
- Coosan Point · Pier
- Hodson Bay slipway · Slipway
- Portrunny Harbour · Slipway
- Lecarrow Harbour · Slipway
- Ballyleague–Lanesborough slipway · Slipway
- Barley Harbour · Slipway
37 more unverified piers, slipways and car parks on the map (OpenStreetMap).
Features
Local notes
[UNVERIFIED DRAFT] A boat-first water: drift the shallows and drop-offs around the islands (IFI's named hotspots are Hare Island, Inchmore and Inchturk) and the big western bays; the Inner Lakes at Athlone are the shelter option in a blow. IFI's own guidance notes fly fishing now outperforms trolling for Ree trout, with both wet and dry fly working through the season and dapping daddies in September. Peat-stained water keeps the weed to the sub-2 m margins; the forage base is dominated by roach and perch fry. Open water — it gets rough quickly in wind, and the navigation marks matter.