River Easkey

River Easkey Guide

The River Easkey is spate river of some 12 miles, which flows out of Lough Easkey, high in the Ox Mountains of Counties Sligo and Mayo. The River flows North, ducking beneath the N59, Sligo to Ballina road at Workhouse Bridge, and on into the sea at the village of Easkey.

The Sand Hole pool on the Easkey.

The upper part of the river above the Workhouse Bridge, ambles though both mountain bog and rough pastureland. Here the Easkey is full of lovely streams and pools, perfect for the fly. Below the bridge the river cuts through a few limestone gorges and some beautiful wooded areas.

River Easkey at the village.

The Easkey is primarily a Salmon River but also gets a decent run of Sea Trout, starting in June. The Grilse run starts from early June and fish continue running right through the end of the season. The river also gets a good few good autumn fish to 15 lb. On the lower part of the river (below Workhouse Bridge) the fishing is free from the Easkey Bridge (in the village) down to the sea. This stretch has some nice pools for both bait and fly fishing. From the Easkey Bridge up to the Workhouse Bridge, is privately managed by the Fortland Fishery. The upper river, above the Workhouse Bridge, is considered free, with access at the discretion of the local landowners.

One of the Gorges on the Lower Easkey.

Fortland Fishery

The fishery consists of roughly 3 miles of double bank fishing, with 20 named pools. This part of the river used to be very over-grown but around the turn of the millennium it was bought over and completely transformed into a beautiful estate fishery. The fishing is let on 4 beats

Beat 1

This is the first beat above Easkey village and it extends up to Fortland Falls. There are 6 pools on the beat, with perhaps the best known of these being the Laundry Pool and the Sand Hole. This beat fishes really well in the early season and can have fish running in on the tides.

The Laundry Pool on River Easkey.

Beat 2

Beat 2 starts immediately above Fortland Falls and extends up to the Nursery Pool. The pools here are narrow and many are set between the rocky ledges of the gorge. This beat also has 6 main pools, all of which can be fished from the bank. The Nursery Pool is the main one on this beat and is perhaps the largest holding pool on the fishery. It is also very good for nighttime Sea Trout fishing.

The rocky ledges of the Platform Pool (Beat 1 - Fortland).

Beat 3

Beat 3 is the last of the double bank fishing at Fortland as Beat 4 is single bank. This beat has 7 main pools, most of which are relatively shallow and good for the flies.

Beat 4

This beat has about 3/4 of a mile of single bank fishing, on the west bank. It has 4 main pools with lots of nice streamy water. The 2 deep pools below a waterfall are primarily bait pools. The remaining water is all nice fly water.

Hanleys Falls on Beat 4 of the Easkey's Fortland Fishery.

The Upper River

This area consists of about 8 to 9 miles of fishing, starting upstream of the Workhouse Bridge and extending right up to Lough Easkey. There is lots of nice fly water in this part of the river, just waiting to be explored.

River Easkey Tributaries

No River Easkey tributaries listed.

River Easkey Neighbouring Rivers

River Ballinglen
River Cloonaghmore (Palmerstown)
River Moy
River Mullaghanoe
River Owengarve
River Owenmore (Sligo)
River Sonnagh

Fishing the River Easkey

River Easkey Season

Salmon - 1st February - 30th September
Sea Trout - 1st February - 30th September

River Easkey Methods

Fly Fishing
Spinning
Worming

River Easkey Fishing Authority

To fish in Ireland you need a rod license from the appropriate fishing authority. You can find the details for the River Easkey at:

North Western Fisheries Management

River Easkey Permits

As well as a rod license, you'll need a permit to fish the River Easkey. You can get permits from any of the following distributors:

Michael Swartz, Ballina Angling Centre
Dillon Terrace
Ballina
Email: mswartz@oceanfree.net
Tel: +353 (0)96 21850

The Fortland Fishery
Email: info@anglingwestireland.com
Tel: +353 (0)86 803 2350
Granville Nesbitt

River Easkey Clubs

No River Easkey clubs listed.

River Easkey Ratings

River Easkey Fishing Conditions

River Easkey Status

Bag Limits

There is an angling bag limit of 10 salmon (any size) or sea trout (over 40 cm).

NOTE: The bag limits are subject to any quota allocated to a river and its tributaries. You should check locally when buying your permit.

Subject to the maximum annual bag limit of ten fish, an angler may take:

- A season bag limit of 3 fish in the period 1 Jan to 11 May.
- A daily bag limit of 3 fish from 12 May to 31 August.
- A daily bag limit of 1 fish from 1 September to the end of the season.
- You must use single hooks and not use worms as bait, once the specified number of fish have been caught in the specified periods.
- Please note that no sea trout of any size caught in the Western Region or the Clew Bay area of the North Western Region can be retained.

After the daily bag limit has been taken, anglers are permitted to fish catch and release, using single barbless hooks and there is a ban on the use of worms.

Local Restrictions

Some rivers impose their own local restrictions so when you are going to buy your permit for the River Easkey, please check with the distributor.