Spate · Mixed · South West / Kerry, IE

River Maine (Castlemaine)

River Maine venue image

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

Tomorrow · Closed season
Stonefly Nymph
Forecast · Tomorrow
Closed season
Out of season. File this water for the right month.
40% projected
Today's fly
Stonefly Nymph
Stonefly Nymph
Conditions on the water · Tomorrow
Live gauge
Level
Rising
0.59 m
Lifting fast
Water temp8.3°C
ClarityUnfishable
Weather2°C
WindN 6 km/h
Pressure1019 hPa
Rain · recent13.3 mm
Rain · ahead0.4 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
8°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: 40%
Also:Autumn Olive24%
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
1
Sea trout runRun
1
2
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.

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
Laune
9.0 km
0
Brown trout · Salmon · Sea trout
River Flesk
28 km
0
Salmon · Sea trout · Brown trout
Lough Leane (Killarney)
17 km
Brown trout · Salmon · Sea trout
Caragh
22 km
Brown trout · Salmon · Sea trout
Feale
33 km
Brown trout · Salmon · Sea trout
Gallery · 1
  1. Terrain map of the venue
    Terrain map
About this water

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
  • Temperature10030% weight
  • Flow6025% weight
  • Clarity9520% weight
  • Feeding Time1015% 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
At a glance

River Maine (Castlemaine) is a spate river in South West / Kerry, Ireland. It sits at about 20 m above sea level. Species listed for this water: salmon, sea trout and brown trout. It is classed as a salmon river. The salmon season is recorded as running from 17 March to 30 September. The sea trout season is recorded as running from 17 March to 30 September. Core methods listed: floating line wet fly 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 Laune at 9.0 km, Lough Leane (Killarney) at 17 km and Caragh at 22 km.