Runs of Salmon

runs of salmon

There are four distinct Salmon Runs.

Spring - From Opening Day on February 1st through April, spring salmon from 6 - 20 lb. in the deeper, cold water lies.
May - Late April / early June - salmon in the 8 - 18 lb. class, coinciding with the onset of the grilse run.
Grilse - Late April to the end of July. The early run is mainly fish in the 5 - 7 lb. class, dropping by late June to 2 – 4 lb. when the prolific run is at its peak.
Backend - Through August & September, larger salmon from 8 - 20 lb.

Spring Fishing:

The prospects for spring fishing from the Opening Day on February 1st. can vary with the conditions in January. The lower river – from the Clondulane weir downstream to Lismore is renowned for spring salmon fishing. The perfect conditions for spring fishing are low cold water.  This means that the fish only run very slowly and tend to remain below Clondulane weir. They are then concentrated in the lower beats which are situated between the tidal limit and the first weir.

In years when the river is high and temperatures are mild, we would expect an earlier run of spring salmon to the middle river above Fermoy. The higher warmer water encourages the spring fish to run further – often as far as Ballyhooly and Castletownroche in the middle reaches, and even as far as Mallow. Fish are then often taken on the upper beats from Fermoy to Mallow in this case. These conditions spread fish more through both the lower and middle reaches of the river.

Springers are mainly fish in the 8 - 12 lb. class, but with a good share of fish up to 18 - 20 lb. February can be a contrary month, but the river and the run are usually settling and more consistent by March.  The best spring fishing is normally in March and early April.   

Under way in May:

The prolific grilse run gets under way in early May, though the first grilse may be met from mid-April. The early grilse tend to be larger (5-6 lb) and their arrival is accompanied by the run of larger double figure May.

Thereafter, the grilse run builds up and peaks in late June and early July. The grilse fishing is excellent on the lower river in low water, when the fish run more slowly.  In medium or high water, the wonderful streams and runs of the middle and upper reaches fish best when fish run hard through the whole river system. Throughout the summer, sporadic runs of large summer salmon can provide a surprise for anglers mainly concentrating on grilse fishing.

Backend Sport:

Historically, there was a superb autumn run of larger fish, usually in late August or early September. If there was a summer flood, these backend fish would move in as early as the beginning of August. The run consists mainly of fish in the 8 - 12 lb. class, but with a good share of fish up to 18 - 20 lb. This continued right up to the end of the season on September 1st. In the last couple of years, this run has been less prolific than in previous years.