Limestone · East / Dublin–Meath

Broadmeadow & Ward Rivers

Broadmeadow & Ward Rivers terrain map

A small limestone river rising near Dunshaughlin and running about 24 km across pasture to the sea north of Swords, the Ward joining it on the way.

Marginal · Brown Trout
Pheasant Tail Nymph · 14-18
Marginallive now
Slow going — pick your moments
River temperature is the limiting factor today, not the flow. Fish dawn or dusk if you go at all, and handle everything with extra care.
80% confidence
What moved it
  • LevelProxyvia River Tolka
  • Water temp19.0°C
  • ClarityClear
Today's fly
Pheasant Tail Nymph
Pheasant Tail Nymph14-18
Upstream
Conditions on the water
Proxy gauge
Level
Steady
Proxy
via River Tolka
Water temp19.0°C
ClarityClear
Weather23°C
WindSE 19 km/h
Pressure1019 hPa
Rain · recent0.0 mm
Rain · ahead0.1 mm

No gauge on this water — conditions are inferred from River Tolka. The trend transfers, the absolute level does not.

Water temperature for Brown Trout
Warm — slow
19°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.
Why this works
Water at 19°C — above the brown trout caution line (18°C). Fish dawn or dusk only. Land it fast, wet hands, no air shots.
Hatch timeline · todayPeak at 6am

Hatch predictions

Today's headline hatch shown — see all 8 active hatches hour by hour with Pro.

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Beyond the hatch · worth watchingambient prey

Hatch predictions

Top prey shown — see all 3 with Pro.

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Through the year
0–3 scale · August highlighted
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Trout seasonSeason
1
2
2
2
2
2
1
Daddy Long LegsHatch
2
3
2
GrannomHatch
2
2
Evening SedgeHatch
2
3
3
3
2
Large Dark OliveHatch
1
2
2
1

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

Ranked for today
Brown Trout fly box
What's coming
Plan ahead
5-day outlook
Cooler water nearby · 1
Water here around 19°C — probably warm enough to stress Brown Trout . These are likely cooler.
River Dodder
16 km
15.8°C
Brown trout · Sea trout
About this water

A small limestone river rising near Dunshaughlin and running about 24 km across pasture to the sea north of Swords, the Ward joining it on the way. The stock of wild brown trout is modest and the fish are small, but the hatches are honest enough — olives and buzzers through the season, a little blue-winged olive, sedge in the late evenings of summer. The water is controlled by riparian owners, which is to say you ask before you fish, which is no bad habit anyway.

Hatches & food

A small lowland limestone river with modest but reliable hatches — spring and autumn olives plus midges carry the fishing, thinning to a little Blue-Winged Olive and evening sedge in summer.

  • Limestone
The full read · show the working · for Brown Trout · confidence 80%
How the 34 is built — score × weight = contribution
Temperature39 × 28%10.9
Flow80 × 22%17.6
Clarity95 × 18%17.1
Feeding Time80 × 13%10.4
Pressure80 × 7%5.6
Insect activity65 × 12%7.8
Conditions total= 69
Can you trust it?
Water temperatureair-to-water estimateestimated
Level / flowproxy via River Tolkaproxy
What would change the calculation
Cooler water — back toward the 10–16 °C ideal band — would lift the score and ease welfare.
Directions
Apple MapsGoogle Maps
Seasons & zones
  • Trout 1 March → 30 September
Related guides
ConnemaraIrish fishingEuro Nymphingsubsurface methods
Casting instructors near here
Booking & contacts
Permits & access