Spate · Old Red Sandstone · South West / Kerry, IE

Cummeragh River

Wide view of the Cummeragh River valley on the Iveragh Peninsula, County Kerry, Ireland.

The main feeder of Lough Currane near Waterville, running through a chain of small loughs on its way down — part of the Currane and Waterville system, which is open for 2026.

Prime · Atlantic Salmon
Cascade · 8–10 doubles
Primelive now
Prime conditions — go now
River high but settled. Heavy water — fish big and slow.
85% confidence
What moved it
  • LevelProxyvia Laune
  • Water temp16.4°C
  • ClarityClear
Today's fly
Cascade
Cascade8–10 doubles
Universal SW Ireland salmon fly. Works on everything from the Cork Blackwater to the small Kerry spate rivers. Fish on a relaxed swing through the main pools; downsize for low summer water.
Conditions on the water
Proxy gauge
Level
Steady
Proxy
via Laune
Water temp16.4°C
ClarityClear
Weather14°C
WindW 31 km/h
Pressure1012 hPa
Rain · recent2.8 mm
Rain · ahead14.8 mm

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

Water temperature for Atlantic Salmon
Warm — slow
16°C est.ideal 10–16°C
0°14°28°
How to fish it · for Atlantic Salmon
When
Morning into early afternoon.
Where
Pool tails, steadier runs, and any water with pace.
Method
Fish a sensible line-and-fly combination for the height and pace of water.
Kit
13 ft #8/9 double-hander in spate, 10 ft #8 single in low water. Floating line plus a fast-sink tip. 12–15 lb fluoro tippet.
Why this works
Excellent — water clarity is right today, though river flow could be better.
Likely species
Stoneflies
Caddisflies
Gammarids
Hatch timeline · todayPeak at 2pm

Hatch predictions

Today's headline hatch shown — see all 12 active hatches hour by hour as a supporter.

Start free trial

14-day free trial. Cancel anytime.

Sub-surface · on the nymphunder the surface

Hatch predictions

Top nymph shown — see all 2 guilds as a supporter.

Start free trial

14-day free trial. Cancel anytime.

Beyond the hatch · worth watchingambient prey(1)

Hatch predictions

Top prey shown — see all 3 as a supporter.

Start free trial

14-day free trial. Cancel anytime.

Evidence
Survey-backed · regionalHigh confidence

Backed by regional invertebrate surveys; no sampling on this exact reach yet.

Through the year
0–3 scale · September highlighted
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Salmon runRun
1
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
1
Sea trout runRun
1
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
1
Trout seasonSeason
1
2
2
2
2
2
2
1
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
Atlantic Salmon fly box

Munster Blackwater and neighbouring SW spring rivers: when the water is cold or running high, a tube fly fished deep on a Skagit head or sinking shooting head with a heavier leader finds fish that a floating line can't reach. Comes down to a 9'-10' single-handed rod and small flies on an 8lb tippet once the river drops into summer trim.

Munroe Killer
Munroe Killer
10–14 doubles · Salmon fly
Traditional Irish salmon fly with long local history. Popular on the Munster rivers; the black/yellow combination has worked reliably for grilse fishing throughout the summer.
What's coming
Plan ahead
5-day outlook
Other water nearby · 5
Lough Currane / Waterville
2.0 km
30
Brown trout · Salmon · Sea trout
Capall Lough
4.0 km
Sea trout · Salmon
River Inny (Kerry)
5.0 km
74
Salmon · Sea trout
Lough Namona
6.0 km
Sea trout · Salmon
Iasknamacnateery Lough
6.0 km
Sea trout · Salmon
Gallery · 2
  1. Wide view of the Cummeragh River valley on the Iveragh Peninsula, County Kerry, Ireland.
    The valley of the Cummeragh River, County Kerry.
  2. Terrain map of the venue
    Terrain map
About this water

The main feeder of Lough Currane near Waterville, running through a chain of small loughs on its way down — part of the Currane and Waterville system, which is open for 2026. It holds salmon, sea trout and brown trout, and the river fishes best when a flood draws fish up out of the lough. Waterville and Currane permits; the Salmon and Sea Trout State Licence is required. Atlantic salmon and sea trout are managed under IFI's Wild Salmon & Sea Trout Tagging Scheme — many rivers are catch-and-release and harvest is allowed only where a confirmed surplus exists, so check the river's current status before fishing.

Hatches & food

An acidic old-red-sandstone spate river running through a chain of small loughs into Currane — sparse, acid-tolerant fly life (stoneflies, sedges, terrestrials); the main interest is the famous early salmon and sea trout, not a feeding hatch.

Sea trout here

The Cummeragh feeds Lough Currane, heart of one of Ireland's premier sea-trout fisheries; white trout are a core part of the system's identity, fished mainly on the lough.

  • Old red sandstone
Water quality (WFD)
  • Ecology: Unknown
  • Chemical: Unknown
Why this score · for Atlantic Salmon
  • Temperature8130% weight
  • Flow6025% weight
  • Clarity9520% weight
  • Feeding Time9015% weight
  • Pressure8510% weight
Directions
Apple MapsGoogle Maps
Seasons & zones
  • Salmon 17 January → 30 September
  • Sea trout 17 January → 12 October
  • Trout 15 February → 30 September
Related guides
Atlantic Salmonsalmon tacticsIrish Salmon Rivers Guidefive great salmon fisheriesConnemaraIrish fishing
Casting instructors near here
Booking & contacts
Permits & access