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 · Slow going — better windows ahead
Gold-Ribbed Hare's Ear
Forecast · Today
Slow going — better windows ahead
Little in your favour today. Fish the certain lies, or leave it for a better one.
40% projected
Today's fly
Gold-Ribbed Hare's Ear
Gold-Ribbed Hare's Ear
Conditions on the water · Today
Proxy gauge
Level
Rising
Proxy
via Laune
Water temp13.9°C
ClarityUnfishable
Weather12°C
WindN 21 km/h
Pressure1017 hPa
Rain · recent11.8 mm
Rain · ahead27.3 mm

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

Water temperature for Atlantic Salmon
Ideal
14°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
Good — water clarity is working for you, but time of day is the limiting factor today.
Likely species
Mayflies
Stoneflies
Caddisflies
Gammarids
Hatch timeline · todayPeak at 2pm

12pm(now) — Heather Fly

Stage: Terrestrials on topApproach: Dry flyActivity: 67%
Also:Reed Smut52%Autumn Dun37%Cinnamon Sedge29%
Peak emergence windowWeather boost11 food groups active

Peak activity at 2pm — Autumn Dun (Autumn Dun, Weather boost)

Sub-surface · on the nymphunder the surface

Hatch predictions

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

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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 · September 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
30
Brown trout · Salmon · Sea trout
River Owenmore (Kerry)
11 km
74
Brown trout · Salmon · Sea trout
River Sheen
13 km
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

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. 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
  • Temperature7730% weight
  • Flow6025% weight
  • Clarity9520% weight
  • Feeding Time1515% 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