Waters

Lough Ree

Not curated yet

Co. Roscommon / Westmeath / Longford · Lough · wild · 10.5k ha

This week

Draft outlook
Today
Tmrw
Wed
Thu
Fri
Sat
Sun

Forecast-based, not a promise — and always check season dates with the fishery (link below).

Depth character (estimated)
Mixed depths · to ~36 m
Water clarity (estimated)
Clear
Exposure (estimated)
Moderate
Species
Brown trout →

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–Apr
    IFI names duckfly on Ree; months are the typical Irish early-season window, not lake-specific — approximate.
  • OlivesApr–May, Sep
    IFI names olives; months typical-Irish, not lake-sourced — approximate.
  • MayflyMay–Jun
    IFI names mayfly on Ree; window shown is the general Irish mid-May-to-early-June season, not lake-specific.
  • SedgesJun–Aug
    IFI names sedges; months typical-Irish, not lake-sourced — approximate.
  • Daddy longlegsSep
    September dapping with daddies is explicitly IFI-documented for Ree.

Getting there

Bank access: LimitedShoreline mostly rocky/irregular with few formal angler stands; realistic bank options cluster at the public access points (Coosan Point, Hodson Bay, Portrunny, Lecarrow, Ballyleague–Lanesborough incl. purpose-built disabled-angler platforms, Barley Harbour). Boat is the default approach.
Boats available
  • 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

BaysIslandsShallowsDrop offsStream mouth
Weed: LightPeat/silt-stained water limits light penetration; macrophytes restricted to water shallower than ~2 m (NPWS, quoted in the IFI 2022 survey). Weed is a margin feature, not a lake-wide one.
Coarse fry present (Roach, Perch)

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.

Fishery rules & regulationsFish here now