Freestone · Old Red Sandstone · South East / Wexford, IE

Owenavorragh River

Owenavorragh River terrain map

A north Wexford river rising near Enniscorthy and running roughly 30 km north-east to enter the sea at Courtown Harbour.

Marginal · Brown Trout
Partridge and Orange · 14-16
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 Slaney
  • Water temp19.7°C
  • ClarityClear
Today's fly
Partridge and Orange
Partridge and Orange14-16
Upstream
Conditions on the water
Proxy gauge
Level
Steady
Proxy
via Slaney
Water temp19.7°C
ClarityClear
Weather17°C
WindN 15 km/h
Pressure1022 hPa
Rain · recent0.0 mm
Rain · ahead0.2 mm

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

Water temperature for Brown Trout
Warm — slow
20°C est.ideal 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
Water at 19.7°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 6pm

Hatch predictions

Today's headline hatch shown — see all 9 active hatches hour by hour with Pro.

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Sub-surface · on the nymphunder the surface

Hatch predictions

Top nymph shown — see all 3 guilds with Pro.

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Beyond the hatch · worth watchingambient prey

Hatch predictions

Top prey shown — see all 2 with Pro.

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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 · August highlighted
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Sea trout runRun
1
2
2
1
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
Permits & access
Permit required — see local rules.
  • South Eastern Regional Fisheries District
  • Owenavorragh Angling Association — control from Ballywater Bridge to Courtown Harbour
  • Day permits available
  • State rod licence required.
What's coming
Plan ahead
5-day outlook
Water here around 20°C. Nothing cooler within range — carry a thermometer.
About this water

A north Wexford river rising near Enniscorthy and running roughly 30 km north-east to enter the sea at Courtown Harbour. Wild brown trout in the upper and middle reaches average around eight ounces, complemented by stocked fish of one to two pounds in the managed water. The river also gets a good run of sea trout from June through September, with fish to six pounds on the right tide and water. The Owenavorragh Angling Association controls the river from Ballywater Bridge to Courtown Harbour, with day permits available. The fishing here is better than its reputation suggests.

Hatches & food

EPA invertebrate monitoring on the Owenavorragh River confirms mayflies, caddis, midges and blackflies, and freshwater shrimp and hoglice are present across its WFD segments, with a single stonefly taxon also recorded. This is presence evidence from kick sampling, not a hatch calendar.

  • Old red sandstone
Water quality (WFD)
  • EcologyUnknown
  • ChemicalUnknown
The full read · show the working · for Brown Trout · confidence 80%
How the 29 is built — score × weight = contribution
Temperature29 × 28%8.1
Flow80 × 22%17.6
Clarity95 × 18%17.1
Feeding Time70 × 13%9.1
Pressure80 × 7%5.6
Insect activity56 × 12%6.7
Conditions total= 64
Can you trust it?
Water temperatureair-to-water estimateestimated
Level / flowproxy via Slaneyproxy
Prey activitysurvey-backed invertebrate datasurvey
What would change the calculation
Cooler water — back toward the 10–16 °C ideal band — would lift the score and ease welfare.
Directions
Seasons & zones
  • Sea trout 1 June30 September
  • Trout 15 March30 September
Related guides
Casting instructors near here
Booking & contacts