Spate · Mixed · East / Dublin–Meath

River Tolka

River Tolka terrain map
Terrain map

North Dublin's urban wild trout river — on IFI's Dublin trout-river list alongside the Liffey, Dodder, and Rye Water, but a local option rather than a destination.

Marginal · Brown Trout
Partridge and Orange · 14-16
Marginallive now
Slow going — pick your moments
River temperature is the limiting factor today, not the flow. Fish dawn or dusk if you go at all, and handle everything with extra care.
80% confidence
What moved it
  • Level0.20 m
  • Water temp18.8°C
  • ClarityClear
Today’s fly
Partridge and Orange
Partridge and Orange14-16
Upstream
Conditions on the water
Live gauge
Level
Steady
0.20 m
Water temp18.8°C
ClarityClear
Weather23°C
WindNE 14 km/h
Pressure1024 hPa
Rain · recent0.0 mm
Rain · ahead0.0 mm

Live readings only. Trends shown where the gauge supports them.

Water temperature for brown trout
Warm — slow
18.8°Cideal 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
⚠️ Water at 18.8°C — above the brown trout caution line (18°C). Fish dawn or dusk only. Land it fast, wet hands, no air shots. Otherwise poor — water clarity is in the right range.
Hatch timeline · todayPeak at 12pm

Hatch predictions

Today's headline hatch shown — see all 12 active hatches hour by hour with Pro.

Start free trial

14-day free trial. Cancel anytime.

Evidence
Survey-backed · regionalModerate confidence

Backed by regional invertebrate surveys; no sampling on this exact reach yet.

Through the year
0–3 scale · July 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
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
Brown Trout fly box
Permits & access
Permit required — see local rules.
  • Tolka Trout Anglers Club
  • Season permits only via tackle shops (Rory's, Henry's, ABC)
  • All legitimate methods permitted
  • State rod licence required for salmon/sea trout.
What's coming
Plan ahead
5-day outlook
Water here at 18.8°C. Nothing cooler within range.
About this water

North Dublin's urban wild trout river — on IFI's Dublin trout-river list alongside the Liffey, Dodder, and Rye Water, but a local option rather than a destination. Rises near Dunshaughlin in Meath and flows ~33 km east through the Tolka Valley and Glasnevin to Dublin Bay at East Wall. The best fly water is the rural Meath headwaters and the Tolka Valley Park reach; the lower urban stretches downstream of Glasnevin are heavily impacted. Useful for the local angler with an evening to spare, not a planned day trip. Season permits only — no day tickets.

  • Mixed
Water quality (WFD)
  • Ecology: Unknown
  • Chemical: Unknown
The full read · show the working · for brown trout · confidence 80%
How the 35 is built — score × weight = contribution
Temperature42 × 28%11.8
Flow80 × 22%17.6
Clarity95 × 18%17.1
Feeding Time55 × 13%7.2
Pressure80 × 7%5.6
Insect activity62 × 12%7.4
Conditions total= 67
Can you trust it?
Water temperaturelive gauge readinggauge
Level / flowon-river gaugeobserved
Prey activitysurvey-backed invertebrate datasurvey
What would change the calculation
Cooler water — back toward the 10–16 °C ideal band — would lift the score and ease welfare.
The dawn and dusk windows score higher than the midday lull.
Directions
Apple MapsGoogle Maps
Seasons & zones
  • Trout17 March → 30 September
Related guides
ConnemaraIrish fishingEuro Nymphingsubsurface methods
Booking & contacts