Freestone · Mixed · East / Meath

Kells Blackwater

The River Blackwater flowing through green countryside near Kells, County Meath, Ireland.

Midlands freestone river in County Meath.

Prime · Brown Trout
Partridge and Orange · 14-16
Primelive now
About as good as it gets
Low and clear — careful approach country. Take your time — read the water before you cast.
90% confidence
What moved it
  • Level0.13 mLast reading 18 min ago
  • Water temp13.0°C
  • ClarityClear
Today's fly
Partridge and Orange
Partridge and Orange14-16
Upstream
Conditions on the water
Live gauge
Level
Steady
0.13 m
Last reading 18 min ago
Water temp13.0°C
ClarityClear
Weather19°C
WindNW 13 km/h
Pressure1021 hPa
Rain · recent0.1 mm
Rain · ahead0.1 mm

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

Water temperature for Brown Trout
Ideal
13.0°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
Excellent — conditions well-balanced, with water temperature particularly in your favour.
Hatch timeline · todayPeak at 6am

Hatch predictions

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

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Sub-surface · on the nymphunder the surface

Hatch predictions

Top nymph shown — see all 3 guilds 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
Other water nearby · 5
Kells Blackwater
< 1 km
Brown trout
Athboy–Tremblestown River
8.0 km
84
Brown trout
Stoneyford River
11 km
84
Brown trout
Boyne
15 km
87
Brown trout · Salmon · Sea trout
Lough Bane
18 km
Brown trout · Rainbow trout
Gallery · 2
  1. The River Blackwater flowing through green countryside near Kells, County Meath, Ireland.
    The Kells Blackwater near Kells, County Meath, a tributary of the River Boyne noted for wild brown trout.
  2. Terrain map of the venue
    Terrain map
About this water

Midlands freestone river in County Meath. Wild brown trout in mixed geology water. Good hatches through spring and summer.

Hatches & food

EPA kick-sample monitoring across the Kells Blackwater's WFD segments confirms mayflies, stoneflies, a wide range of caddis, midges and blackflies, and freshwater shrimp, hoglice and crayfish are present in the food base. This is presence evidence only, not a dated hatch calendar.

  • Mixed
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
Clarity95 × 18%17.1
Feeding Time80 × 13%10.4
Pressure80 × 7%5.6
Insect activity66 × 12%7.9
Conditions total= 87
Can you trust it?
Water temperaturelive gauge readinggauge
Level / flowon-river gaugeobserved
Directions
Apple MapsGoogle Maps
Seasons & zones
  • Trout 1 March → 30 September
Related guides
ConnemaraIrish fishingEuro Nymphingsubsurface methods
Casting instructors near here
Booking & contacts