Spate · Mixed · East / Wicklow, IE

River Vartry

River Vartry — River Vartry, Wicklow, Ireland
Tomorrow · Closed season
Elk Hair Caddis
Forecast · Tomorrow
Closed season
Out of season. Try elsewhere.
45% projected
Today's fly
Elk Hair Caddis
Elk Hair Caddis
Conditions on the water · Tomorrow
Proxy gauge
Level
Rising
Proxy
via River Dargle (Tinnehinch Fishery)
Water temp12.0°C
ClarityUnfishable
Weather11°C
WindN 24 km/h
Pressure1015 hPa
Rain · recent3.3 mm
Rain · ahead4.5 mm

No gauge on this water — conditions are inferred from River Dargle (Tinnehinch Fishery). The trend transfers, the absolute level does not.

Water temperature for Brown Trout
Ideal
12°C est.ideal 10–16°C
0°14°28°
How to fish it · for Brown Trout
When
Nymphing can work through most of the day.
Where
Cover mixed depths.
Method
Start with tight-line nymphs and adjust if fish rise or drift higher.
Kit
9 ft #4 rod, floating line, 12 ft tapered leader to 4–5 lb fluoro tippet.
Hatch timeline · tomorrowPeak at 18:00

12:00(now) — Autumn Needle Fly

Stage: Creeping nymphsApproach: Heavy nymphActivity: 39%
Also:Autumn Olive28%Daddy Long Legs21%
Peak emergence windowWeather boost6 food groups active

Peak activity at 18:00 — Caperer (Caperer, Weather boost)

Sub-surface · on the nymphunder the surface

Hatch predictions

Top nymph shown — see all 3 guilds as a supporter.

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Beyond the hatch · worth watchingambient prey(1)

Hatch predictions

Supporters see what else is on the menu.

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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 · October highlighted
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Sea trout runRun
March BrownHatch
2
3
2
CapererHatch
2
3
3
2
Heather FlyHatch
2
2
Autumn DunHatch
2
3
2

Numbers are intensity 0 (none) to 3 (peak) — a guide, not a guarantee.

Ranked for today
Fly box · Brown Trout
Permits & access
Permit required — see local rules.
  • IFI conservation bye-law (2026): salmon closed; sea trout >40 cm closed; one sea trout of 40 cm or less per day in season
  • Devil's Glen (Coillte) public car park is the practical access
  • Vartry Reservoir closed to angling — Uisce Éireann drinking-water supply
  • State rod licence required.
What's coming
Plan ahead
5-day outlook
Other water nearby · 5
Gallery · 2
  1. River Vartry — River Vartry, Wicklow, Ireland
    River Vartry, Wicklow, Ireland
  2. Terrain map of the venue
    Terrain map
Water quality (WFD)
  • Ecology: Unknown
  • Chemical: Unknown
The full read · show the working · for Brown Trout · confidence 55%
How the 0 is built — score × weight = contribution
Temperature100 × 28%28.0
Flow80 × 22%17.6
Clarity15 × 18%2.7
Feeding Time70 × 13%9.1
Pressure80 × 7%5.6
Insect activity54 × 12%6.5
Limiting factor: Water is very coloured — too coloured for Brown Trout= 70
Can you trust it?
Water temperatureair-to-water estimateestimated
Level / flowproxy via River Dargle (Tinnehinch Fishery)proxy
Prey activitysurvey-backed invertebrate datasurvey
What would change the calculation
A drop and clear would lift the flow and clarity scores.
Directions
Seasons & zones
  • Sea trout 1 May → 30 SeptemberClosed
Related guides
Casting instructors near here
Booking & contacts