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 · Prime conditions — go now
Bibio
Forecast · Tomorrow
Prime conditions — go now
Settled and taking. Work it methodically.
70% projected
Today's fly
Bibio
Bibio
Conditions on the water · Tomorrow
Live gauge
Level
Falling
0.81 m
Dropping after lift
Water temp13.9°C
ClarityClearing
Weather12°C
WindN 20 km/h
Pressure1018 hPa
Rain · recent2.4 mm
Rain · ahead8.6 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
Ideal
14°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.
Why this works
Poor — water temperature is working for you, but water clarity is the limiting factor today.
Likely species
Mayflies
Stoneflies
Caddisflies
Gammarids
Hatch timeline · tomorrowPeak at 12pm

12pm(now) — Heather Fly

Stage: Terrestrials on topApproach: Dry flyActivity: 95%
Also:Reed Smut85%Autumn Dun53%Cinnamon Sedge47%
Peak emergence windowWeather boost12 food groups active

Peak activity at 12pm — Heather Fly (Heather Fly, Peak emergence window)

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

Top prey shown — see all 2 as a supporter.

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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 · September 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
Feale
33 km
26
Brown trout · Salmon · Sea trout
Laune
9.0 km
Brown trout · Salmon · Sea trout
Lough Leane (Killarney)
17 km
Brown trout · Salmon · Sea trout
Caragh
22 km
Brown trout · Salmon · Sea trout
River Flesk
28 km
Salmon · Sea trout · Brown trout
Gallery · 1
  1. Terrain map of the venue
    Terrain map
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
  • Temperature10030% weight
  • Flow6025% weight
  • Clarity1520% weight
  • Feeding Time5015% 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