Spate · Peat · South West / Kerry, IE

River Owenmore (Kerry)

River Owenmore (Kerry) terrain map

Small peat-stained spate river on the south side of the Iveragh Peninsula, flowing from the Sneem uplands into Kenmare River (Kenmare Bay) near Sneem village.

Today · Closed season
Wickham's Fancy
Forecast · Today
Closed season
Out of season. File this water for the right month.
40% projected
Today's fly
Wickham's Fancy
Wickham's Fancy
Conditions on the water · Today
Proxy gauge
Level
Rising
Proxy
via Laune
Water temp9.2°C
ClarityUnfishable
Weather10°C
WindN 34 km/h
Pressure1006 hPa
Rain · recent0.1 mm
Rain · ahead2.7 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
Hatch timeline · todayPeak at 11am

12pm(now) — Autumn Needle Fly

Stage: Creeping nymphsApproach: Heavy nymphActivity: 36%
Also:Autumn Olive26%
Peak emergence window3 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 3 guilds as a supporter.

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Beyond the hatch · worth watchingambient prey(1)

Hatch predictions

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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
Salmon runRun
1
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.

Permits & access
Permit required — see local rules.
  • State rod licence required (IFI)
  • Private and club water mixed — enquire locally in Sneem
  • **2026 conservation: catch-and-release ONLY for salmon and sea trout** — Owenmore is meeting only 92% of its Conservation Limit, no harvest surplus
  • Small system, easily over-fished; fish light and move regularly.
What's coming
Plan ahead
5-day outlook
Other water nearby · 5
Lough Derriana
10 km
0
Sea trout · Salmon
Cloonlaghlin Lough
9.0 km
Sea trout · Salmon
Iasknamacnateery Lough
9.0 km
Sea trout · Salmon
Lough Namona
10 km
Sea trout · Salmon
Capall Lough
11 km
Sea trout · Salmon
About this water

Not to be confused with the Owenmore in Mayo (carrowmore_owenduff system) or the Waterville Currane system on the same peninsula. The Kerry Owenmore holds a respectable grilse run from late June and a useful sea trout population through high summer. Blanket-bog headwaters mean the water carries a permanent peat tinge — fish it like a classic small spate river, heavy flies in coloured water, spiders and small wets as it clears. For 2026 this is a catch-and-release fishery under the Wild Salmon & Sea Trout Tagging Scheme — all salmon and grilse must be returned.

Hatches & food

EPA freshwater monitoring on the River Owenmore (Kerry) confirms mayflies, stoneflies, caddis, aquatic diptera and freshwater shrimp and hoglice are present. This is riverbed food-presence evidence, not a record of emergence timing or a visible hatch.

  • Peat
Water quality (WFD)
  • Ecology: Good
  • Chemical: Unknown
The full read · show the working · for Atlantic Salmon · confidence 75%
How the river scores — hydrology factors
Water heightMedium Ideal0.0
Recent riseNone0.0
Falling after liftNot Applicable0.0
Water temperatureCool To Moderate0.0
Time in seasonOpening Period0.0
ClarityClearing0.0
Hydrology base0.0
Legal gate: Unknown Check Local Rules
Can you trust it?
Water temperatureair-to-water estimateestimated
Level / flowproxy via Launeproxy
Directions
Apple MapsGoogle Maps
Seasons & zones
  • Salmon 1 April → 30 SeptemberC&R
  • Trout 15 February → 30 September

Sea trout: Variable seasonal (2026)

Related guides
Atlantic Salmonsalmon tacticsIrish Salmon Rivers Guidefive great salmon fisheriesConnemaraIrish fishing
Casting instructors near here
Booking & contacts
At a glance

River Owenmore (Kerry) is a spate river in South West / Kerry, Ireland. Its recorded elevation is about 20 m above sea level and the catchment geology is peat. The river is described as roughly 20 km long. Our data lists brown trout, salmon and sea trout here. It is classed as a salmon river. The salmon season is recorded as running from 1 April to 30 September. The trout season is recorded as running from 15 February to 30 September. Best window recorded for anglers: Late June–August (grilse + sea trout); occasional spring fish February–March. Core methods listed: wet fly across-and-down in coloured water; spider patterns in clearing flows; short-line nymphing in pool tails. Its Water Framework Directive ecological status is recorded as good. Nearby waters in our listings include Cloonlaghlin Lough at 9.0 km, Iasknamacnateery Lough at 9.0 km and Lough Namona at 10 km.