Spate · Old Red Sandstone · South West / Kerry, IE

River Flesk

River Flesk — River Flesk viewed from the Muckross Road Bridge, Killarney

A Kerry spate river draining the mountains south-east of Killarney into Lough Leane — part of the Laune/Killarney system.

Tomorrow · Closed season
Wickham's Fancy
Forecast · Tomorrow
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 · Tomorrow
Live gauge
Level
Rising
0.51 m
Lifting fast
Water temp9.2°C
ClarityUnfishable
Weather4°C
WindN 6 km/h
Pressure1019 hPa
Rain · recent20.3 mm
Rain · ahead0.7 mm

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

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
Gammarids
Hatch timeline · tomorrowPeak at 11am

12pm(now) — Autumn Needle Fly

Stage: Creeping nymphsApproach: Heavy nymphActivity: 39%
Also:Autumn Olive29%
Peak emergence windowWeather boost5 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 4 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
Salmon runRun
1
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
1
Sea trout runRun
1
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
1
Trout seasonSeason
1
2
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
River Roughty
12 km
0
Brown trout · Salmon · Sea trout
River Sheen
21 km
0
Brown trout · Salmon · Sea trout
Lough Leane (Killarney)
14 km
Brown trout · Salmon · Sea trout
River Sullane
21 km
Brown trout
River Sullane
21 km
Brown trout
Gallery · 2
  1. River Flesk — River Flesk viewed from the Muckross Road Bridge, Killarney
    River Flesk viewed from the Muckross Road Bridge, Killarney
  2. Terrain map of the venue
    Terrain map
About this water

Salmon, sea trout and brown trout run on a flood; old red sandstone water that needs rain to fish. 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

EPA freshwater monitoring on the River Flesk confirms mayflies, stoneflies, caddis, aquatic diptera and freshwater crustaceans are present across its monitored segments. The records establish food presence rather than adult emergence timing or a dependable rise.

  • Old red sandstone
Why this score · for Atlantic Salmon
  • Temperature10030% weight
  • Flow6025% weight
  • Clarity9520% weight
  • Feeding Time1515% weight
  • Pressure8510% weight
Directions
Apple MapsGoogle Maps
Seasons & zones
  • Salmon 17 January → 30 September
  • Sea trout 17 January → 12 October
  • Trout 15 February → 12 October
Related guides
Atlantic Salmonsalmon tacticsIrish Salmon Rivers Guidefive great salmon fisheriesConnemaraIrish fishing
Casting instructors near here
Booking & contacts
Permits & access
At a glance

River Flesk is a spate river in South West / Kerry, Ireland. Its recorded elevation is about 40 m above sea level and the catchment geology is old red sandstone. Our data lists salmon, sea trout and brown trout here. It is classed as a salmon river. The salmon season is recorded as running from 17 January to 30 September. The sea trout season is recorded as running from 17 January to 12 October. Core methods listed: floating line across-and-down; shrimp flies on a clearing flood; night fishing for sea trout. Level and flow data for this water is linked from 1 gauge. Nearby waters in our listings include River Roughty at 12 km, Lough Leane (Killarney) at 14 km and River Sullane at 21 km.