Limestone · East / Meath, IE

Stoneyford River

Stoneyford River — The River Boyne at Stoneyford, Co.Meath

A spring-fed Boyne tributary rising below Slieve na Caillaigh, which is the whole point of it — the springs keep the levels up through summer when other rivers are running thin, and the olive and sedge hatches are excellent for it.

Today · Not the day for it
Blue-Winged Olive
Forecast · Today
Not the day for it
Not much stacked in your favour today. Worth an hour if you are nearby, not worth the special trip.
45% projected
Today's fly
Blue-Winged Olive
Blue-Winged Olive
Conditions on the water · Today
Proxy gauge
Level
Rising
Proxy
via Kells Blackwater
Water temp13.7°C
ClarityUnfishable
Weather11°C
WindN 17 km/h
Pressure1019 hPa
Rain · recent15.8 mm
Rain · ahead6.0 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
Excellent — conditions well-balanced, with water temperature particularly in your favour.
Likely species
Hatch timeline · todayPeak at 12pm

12pm(now) — Heather Fly

Stage: Terrestrials on topApproach: Dry flyActivity: 52%
Also:Reed Smut43%Autumn Dun27%Cinnamon Sedge25%
Peak emergence window10 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 4 as a supporter.

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14-day free trial. Cancel anytime.

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
Trout seasonSeason
1
2
2
2
2
2
1
Daddy Long LegsHatch
2
3
2
CapererHatch
2
3
3
2
Hawthorn FlyHatch
2
2
GrannomHatch
2
2

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
Other water nearby · 5
Gallery · 2
  1. Stoneyford River — The River Boyne at Stoneyford, Co.Meath
    The River Boyne at Stoneyford, Co.Meath
  2. Terrain map of the venue
    Terrain map
About this water

A spring-fed Boyne tributary rising below Slieve na Caillaigh, which is the whole point of it — the springs keep the levels up through summer when other rivers are running thin, and the olive and sedge hatches are excellent for it. Most of the trout are small wild fish with a stock of better ones among them, and they feed steadily right through the day, which is a rare and welcome thing. Fly-only catch-and-release from Stoneyford Bridge down to the Boyne. Stoneyford Angling Association; permits at Dempseys Maxol in Ballivor.

Hatches & food

A spring-fed limestone Boyne tributary whose steady summer flow and cool temperatures drive excellent, prolonged olive and sedge hatches — a genuine all-day dry-fly river with reliable Blue-Winged Olive into autumn.

  • Limestone
The full read · show the working · for Brown Trout · confidence 90%
How the 87 is built — score × weight = contribution
Temperature100 × 28%28.0
Flow80 × 22%17.6
Clarity85 × 18%15.3
Feeding Time80 × 13%10.4
Pressure80 × 7%5.6
Insect activity81 × 12%9.7
Conditions total= 87
Can you trust it?
Water temperatureair-to-water estimateestimated
Level / flowproxy via Kells Blackwaterproxy
Prey activitysurvey-backed invertebrate datasurvey
Directions
Seasons & zones
  • Trout 1 March → 30 September
Related guides
Casting instructors near here
Booking & contacts
Permits & access