Limestone · East / Meath

Riverstown River

Riverstown River — File:Riverstown, Birr - geograph.org.uk - 1814341.jpg

A small Deel tributary near Raharney that has quietly rebuilt its wild brown trout since the drainage, with fish now to one and three-quarter pounds.

Marginal · Brown Trout
Pheasant Tail Nymph · 14-18
Slow going — pick your moments
River lifting fast on the rain. Slow going — pick your moments and do not force it.
45% confidence
limited data
What moved it
  • LevelProxyvia Kells Blackwater
  • Water temp14.0°C
  • ClarityVery colouredColouring up
Today's fly
Pheasant Tail Nymph
Pheasant Tail Nymph14-18
Upstream
Conditions on the water
Proxy gauge
Level
Rising
Proxy
via Kells Blackwater
Water temp14.0°C
ClarityVery coloured
Weather25°C
WindSW 14 km/h
Pressure1020 hPa
Rain · recent1.0 mm
Rain · ahead1.0 mm

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

Water temperature for Brown Trout
Ideal
14°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
Mayflies
  • Blue-winged oliveMost likely
    #16–18 · Dun
    Duns are up; a sherry spinner fall may follow.
  • Anglers curse mayfliesAlso possibleLower confidence
    #20–22 · Spinner
    Go tiny: 20-22 spent spinner, single fly, long tippet.
  • Green drakeAlso possibleLower confidence
    #8–10 · Dun
    Duns are up — the Spent Gnat spinners fall at dusk.
Hatch timeline · todayPeak at 6am

Hatch predictions

Today's headline hatch shown — see all 5 active hatches hour by hour with Pro.

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Sub-surface · on the nymphunder the surface

Hatch predictions

See the full sub-surface read 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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Through the year
0–3 scale · August highlighted
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Trout seasonSeason
1
2
2
2
2
2
1
Daddy Long LegsHatch
2
3
2
GrannomHatch
2
2
Evening SedgeHatch
2
3
3
3
2
Large Dark OliveHatch
1
2
2
1

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
Fishing better nearby · 5
River Deel (Meath)
9.0 km
84
Brown trout
Mongagh & Yellow Rivers
16 km
30
Brown trout
Lough Owel
15 km
Brown trout
Lough Ennell
16 km
Brown trout · Pike
Lough Lene
16 km
Brown trout
Gallery · 2
  1. Riverstown River — File:Riverstown, Birr - geograph.org.uk - 1814341.jpg
    File:Riverstown, Birr - geograph.org.uk - 1814341.jpg
  2. Terrain map of the venue
    Terrain map
About this water

A small Deel tributary near Raharney that has quietly rebuilt its wild brown trout since the drainage, with fish now to one and three-quarter pounds. It is not easy fishing — the banks are high and overgrown, and you are best off in the water — but it repays the angler who persists, and it comes into its own from May to September. Dry-fly only, single barbless hooks under Bye-law 936 of 2015, with a sanctuary stretch above the Deel confluence. Deel & Boyne Angling Association water, run catch-and-release.

Hatches & food

A small overgrown limestone Deel tributary with good spring olive and summer sedge hatches in its sheltered runs; black gnat and other terrestrials matter heavily under the canopy of high banks.

  • Limestone
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 Time55 × 13%7.2
Pressure80 × 7%5.6
Insect activity57 × 12%6.8
Limiting factor: Water is very coloured — too coloured for Brown Trout= 62
Can you trust it?
Water temperatureair-to-water estimateestimated
Level / flowproxy via Kells Blackwaterproxy
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
Apple MapsGoogle Maps
Seasons & zones
  • Trout 1 March → 30 September
Related guides
ConnemaraIrish fishingEuro Nymphingsubsurface methods
Casting instructors near here
Booking & contacts
Permits & access