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.

Poor · Brown Trout
Wickham's Fancy · 12–16
Closed season
Out of season. Try elsewhere.
Closed — confidence not applicable today.
What moved it
  • Level0.35 mLast reading 2h ago
  • Water temp10.1°C
  • ClarityClear
Today's fly
Wickham's Fancy
Wickham's Fancy12–16
Upstream dry
Conditions on the water
Live gauge
Level
Steady
0.35 m
Last reading 2h ago
Water temp10.1°C
ClarityClear
Weather10°C
WindS 37 km/h
Pressure1012 hPa
Rain · recent0.0 mm
Rain · ahead12.9 mm

The nearest gauge doesn't record temperatures, so we've estimated it — defer to the river keeper's advice.

Water temperature for Brown Trout
Ideal
10°C est.ideal 10–16°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.
Likely species
Stoneflies
Gammarids
Hatch timeline · todayQuiet day

Hatch predictions

Today's headline hatch shown — see all 7 active hatches hour by hour as a supporter.

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Sub-surface · on the nymphunder the surface

Hatch predictions

Top nymph shown — see all 3 guilds as a supporter.

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Beyond the hatch · worth watchingambient prey(1)

Hatch predictions

Supporters see what else is on the menu.

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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 · November 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
3
2
CapererHatch
2
3
3
2
Hawthorn FlyHatch
2
2
GrannomHatch
2
2

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
Other water nearby · 5
River Bann (Wexford)
14 km
0
Brown trout · Sea trout
Derry Water
23 km
0
Brown trout
Aughrim River
23 km
0
Brown trout
Derry Water
23 km
Brown trout
Aughrim River
23 km
Brown trout
About this water

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)
  • Ecology: Unknown
  • Chemical: Unknown
The full read · show the working · for Brown Trout · confidence 90%
How the 0 is built — score × weight = contribution
Temperature100 × 28%28.0
Flow80 × 22%17.6
Clarity95 × 18%17.1
Feeding Time70 × 13%9.1
Pressure80 × 7%5.6
Insect activity60 × 12%7.2
Conditions total= 85
Can you trust it?
Water temperatureair-to-water estimateestimated
Level / flowon-river gaugeobserved
Prey activitysurvey-backed invertebrate datasurvey
Directions
Apple MapsGoogle Maps
Seasons & zones
  • Sea trout 1 June → 30 September
  • Trout 15 March → 30 September
Related guides
ConnemaraIrish fishingEuro Nymphingsubsurface methods
Casting instructors near here
Booking & contacts
At a glance

Owenavorragh River is a freestone river in South East / Wexford, Ireland. The catchment geology is recorded as old red sandstone, and the water sits at about 158 m above sea level. The river is described as roughly 30 km long. Species listed for this water: brown trout and sea trout. The trout season is recorded as running from 15 March to 30 September. The sea trout season is recorded as running from 1 June to 30 September. Best window recorded for anglers: April–September; brown trout evening rises June–July, sea trout June–September on rising water. Core methods listed: upstream dry fly (brown trout); upstream nymph; wet fly across and down (sea trout, evening). Level and flow data for this water is linked from 1 gauge. Nearby waters in our listings include River Bann (Wexford) at 14 km, Derry Water at 23 km and Derry Water at 23 km.