Spate · Mixed · South West / Kerry

River Maine (Castlemaine)

River Maine (Castlemaine) terrain map

A Kerry spate river draining the foothills of the Sliabh Mish into Castlemaine Harbour.

Poor · Atlantic Salmon
Cascade · 10–14 doubles
Poorlive now
Slow going — better windows ahead
River steady at a fishable height. Little in your favour today. Fish the certain lies, or leave it for a better one.
90% confidence
What moved it
  • LevelProxyvia Laune
  • Water temp20.1°C
  • ClarityClear
Today's fly
Cascade
Cascade10–14 doubles
Universal SW Ireland salmon fly. Works on everything from the Cork Blackwater to the small Kerry spate rivers. Fish on a relaxed swing through the main pools; downsize for low summer water.
Conditions on the water
Proxy gauge
Level
Steady
Proxy
via Laune
Water temp20.1°C
ClarityClear
Weather23°C
WindSW 22 km/h
Pressure1020 hPa
Rain · recent0.7 mm
Rain · ahead0.6 mm

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

Water temperature for Atlantic Salmon
Warm — slow
20°C est.ideal 10–14°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.
Why this works
Water at 20.1°C. This is the line where catch-and-release kills atlantic salmon. Do not fish for them today.
Hatch timeline · todayPeak at 6am

Hatch predictions

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

Updated 17 hours ago

Through the year
0–3 scale · August highlighted
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Salmon runRun
1
2
2
2
2
2
1
Sea trout runRun
1
2
2
2
2
2
1
Trout seasonSeason
1
2
2
2
2
2
2
1
Daddy Long LegsHatch
2
3
2
March BrownHatch
2
3
2
GrannomHatch
2
2
Large StoneflyHatch
2
3
2

Numbers are intensity 0 (none) to 3 (peak) — a guide, not a guarantee.

Ranked for today
Atlantic Salmon fly box
What's coming
Plan ahead
5-day outlook
Water here around 20°C. Nothing cooler within range — carry a thermometer.
About this water

A Kerry spate river draining the foothills of the Sliabh Mish into Castlemaine Harbour. It is open for 2026, and it fishes as spate rivers do — grilse and sea trout running from June on a rise of water, holding briefly in the pools before moving on. Castlemaine and Killarney district permits; the Salmon and Sea Trout State Licence is required. 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

A mixed-geology Kerry spate river draining the Sliabh Mish foothills — modest stonefly, olive and sedge hatches feed small trout, but the fishing centres on summer grilse and sea trout running on a flood.

  • Mixed
Water quality (WFD)
  • Ecology: Unknown
  • Chemical: Unknown
Why this score · for Atlantic Salmon
  • Temperature630% weight
  • Flow6025% weight
  • Clarity9520% weight
  • Feeding Time9015% weight
  • Pressure8510% weight
Directions
Apple MapsGoogle Maps
Seasons & zones
  • Salmon 17 March → 30 September
  • Sea trout 17 March → 30 September
  • Trout 15 February → 30 September
Related guides
Atlantic Salmonsalmon tacticsIrish Salmon Rivers Guidefive great salmon fisheriesConnemaraIrish fishing
Casting instructors near here
Booking & contacts
Permits & access