Freestone · Mixed · East / Meath

Kells Blackwater

Kells Blackwater terrain map
Terrain map

Midlands freestone river in County Meath.

Prime · Brown Trout
Partridge and Orange · 14-16
Primelive now
About as good as it gets
River dropping into shape after a lift. The kind of afternoon you remember — a weighted nymph through the clearing seams, the dry as it settles.
90% confidence
What moved it
  • Level0.91 mDropping after lift
  • Water temp15.5°C
  • ClaritySlightly colouredClearing
Today’s fly
Partridge and Orange
Partridge and Orange14-16
Upstream
Conditions on the water
Live gauge
Level
Steady
0.91 m
Dropping after lift
Water temp15.5°C
ClaritySlightly coloured
Weather17°C
WindNW 23 km/h
Pressure1019 hPa
Rain · recent8.7 mm
Rain · ahead1.5 mm

Live readings only. Trends shown where the gauge supports them.

Water temperature for brown trout
Ideal
15.5°Cideal 1016°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
Excellent — conditions well-balanced, with water temperature particularly in your favour.
Hatch timeline · todayQuiet day

Hatch predictions

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

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Evidence
Survey-backed · regionalModerate confidence

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

Through the year
0–3 scale · July 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
Other water nearby · 5
About this water

Midlands freestone river in County Meath. Wild brown trout in mixed geology water. Good hatches through spring and summer.

  • Mixed
The full read · show the working · for brown trout · confidence 90%
How the 85 is built — score × weight = contribution
Temperature100 × 28%28.0
Flow80 × 22%17.6
Clarity85 × 18%15.3
Feeding Time80 × 13%10.4
Pressure80 × 7%5.6
Insect activity66 × 12%7.9
Conditions total= 85
Can you trust it?
Water temperaturelive gauge readinggauge
Level / flowon-river gaugeobserved
Prey activitysurvey-backed invertebrate datasurvey
Directions
Seasons & zones
  • Trout1 March → 30 September
Related guides
Booking & contacts