Spate · Mixed · Co. Antrim / Lough Neagh Tributaries, GB-NIR

River Maine

Wide view of the River Maine flowing through countryside near Ballymena, County Antrim, Northern Ireland.

The Maine flows through County Antrim to Lough Neagh, gathering the Braid and Kells Water along the way.

Today · Slow going — pick your moments
Elk Hair Caddis
Forecast · Today
Slow going — pick your moments
Slow going — pick your moments and do not force it.
45% projected
Today's fly
Elk Hair Caddis
Elk Hair Caddis
Conditions on the water · Today
Proxy gauge
Level
Rising
Proxy
via Six Mile Water
Water temp11.9°C
ClarityVery coloured
Weather11°C
WindN 28 km/h
Pressure1006 hPa
Rain · recent14.5 mm
Rain · ahead0.0 mm

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

Water temperature for Brown Trout
Ideal
12°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.
Why this works
Poor — water temperature is working for you, but water clarity is the limiting factor today.
Likely species
Hatch timeline · todayPeak at 6pm

12pm(now) — Iron Blue

Stage: On emergersApproach: Emerger or dryActivity: 31%
Also:Autumn Needle Fly26%Black Gnat24%
Weather boost5 food groups active

Peak activity at 6pm — Caperer (Caperer, 5 food groups active)

Sub-surface · on the nymphunder the surface

Hatch predictions

Top nymph shown — see all 2 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 · October highlighted
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
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
Brown Trout fly box
What's coming
Plan ahead
5-day outlook
Other water nearby · 5
Gallery · 2
  1. Wide view of the River Maine flowing through countryside near Ballymena, County Antrim, Northern Ireland.
    The River Maine near Ballymena, County Antrim.
  2. Terrain map of the venue
    Terrain map
About this water

The Maine flows through County Antrim to Lough Neagh, gathering the Braid and Kells Water along the way. For most of the year it is a quiet mixed river holding small wild trout. From late summer, when enough rain has fallen and the river lifts and settles, it becomes a dollaghan river — and that is when it matters. Dollaghan are migratory brown trout endemic to Lough Neagh, running the Maine from July to October to spawn. Evening fishing, wet flies, a dropping river.

Hatches & food

No venue-specific hatch data yet; as a spate river in this basalt-and-lowland country, expect sparse, flood-driven upwing and sedge activity with terrestrials filling in after rain — a general expectation, not an observed hatch.

  • Mixed
The full read · show the working · for Brown Trout · confidence 45%
How the 30 is built — score × weight = contribution
Temperature100 × 28%28.0
Flow55 × 22%12.1
Clarity15 × 18%2.7
Feeding Time45 × 13%5.9
Pressure80 × 7%5.6
Insect activity44 × 12%5.3
Limiting factor: Water is very coloured — too coloured for Brown Trout= 60
Can you trust it?
Water temperatureair-to-water estimateestimated
Level / flowproxy via Six Mile Waterproxy
Prey activitysurvey-backed invertebrate datasurvey
What would change the calculation
A drop and clear would lift the flow and clarity scores.
The dawn and dusk windows score higher than the midday lull.
Directions
Seasons & zones
  • Trout 1 March → 31 October
Related guides
Casting instructors near here
Booking & contacts