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

Kerry Blackwater (Kenmare)

Kerry Blackwater venue image

The Blackwater enters the head of Kenmare Bay — a Kerry spate river, and not to be confused with the Munster Blackwater away to the east.

Today · Closed season
Stonefly Nymph
Forecast · Today
Closed season
Out of season. File this water for the right month.
40% projected
Today's fly
Stonefly Nymph
Stonefly Nymph
Conditions on the water · Today
Proxy gauge
Level
Rising
Proxy
via Laune
Water temp9.0°C
ClarityUnfishable
Weather5°C
WindN 23 km/h
Pressure1013 hPa
Rain · recent5.8 mm
Rain · ahead0.0 mm

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

Water temperature for Atlantic Salmon
Cool — slow
9°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.
Likely species
Stoneflies
Gammarids
Hatch timeline · todayPeak at 11am

12pm(now) — Autumn Needle Fly

Stage: Creeping nymphsApproach: Heavy nymphActivity: 40%
Also:Autumn Olive28%
Peak emergence windowWeather boost5 food groups active

Peak activity at 11am — Autumn Needle Fly (Autumn Needle Fly, Peak emergence window)

Sub-surface · on the nymphunder the surface

Hatch predictions

Top nymph shown — see all 4 guilds 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 · November highlighted
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Salmon runRun
1
2
2
2
2
2
1
Sea trout runRun
1
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
Cloonee Loughs
5.0 km
0
Brown trout · Salmon · Sea trout
River Owenmore (Kerry)
11 km
0
Brown trout · Salmon · Sea trout
River Sheen
13 km
0
Brown trout · Salmon · Sea trout
River Glengarriff
18 km
0
Brown trout · Salmon · Sea trout
Adrigole River
18 km
0
Salmon · Sea trout
Gallery · 1
  1. Terrain map of the venue
    Terrain map
About this water

It is open for 2026. Spring fish come first, then grilse and sea trout running on a flood; without a rise of water there is little doing. Permits through the Blackwater Tavern and locally around Kenmare. Carry the Salmon and Sea Trout State Licence. 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

A Kerry old-red-sandstone spate river with acidic, soft water — stoneflies, sedges and terrestrials carry the small resident trout, while the main quarry is flood-run salmon and sea trout taking traditional flies, not feeding on a hatch.

  • Old red sandstone
Water quality (WFD)
  • Ecology: Unknown
  • Chemical: Unknown
Why this score · for Atlantic Salmon
  • Temperature10030% weight
  • Flow6025% weight
  • Clarity9520% weight
  • Feeding Time1015% weight
  • Pressure8510% weight
Directions
Apple MapsGoogle Maps
Seasons & zones
  • Salmon 15 March → 30 September
  • Sea trout 15 March → 30 September
  • 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
At a glance

Kerry Blackwater (Kenmare) is a spate river in South West / Kerry, Ireland. Its recorded elevation is about 19 m above sea level and the catchment geology is old red sandstone. Our data lists salmon, sea trout and brown trout here. It is classed as a salmon river. The salmon season is recorded as running from 15 March to 30 September. The sea trout season is recorded as running from 15 March to 30 September. Core methods listed: floating line wet fly across-and-down; shrimp flies on a clearing flood; night fishing for sea trout. Nearby waters in our listings include Cloonee Loughs at 5.0 km, River Owenmore (Kerry) at 11 km and River Sheen at 13 km.