Spate · Granite · North West / Donegal, IE

Gweebarra

Wide view of the tidal Gweebarra River estuary with sandbars and hills in the distance, County Donegal, Ireland
Today · Closed season
Black Gnat
Forecast · Today
Closed season
Out of season. File this water for the right month.
50% projected
Today's fly
Black Gnat
Black Gnat
Conditions on the water · Today
Proxy gauge
Level
Falling
Proxy
via River Owenea
Water temp14.5°C
ClarityClearing
Weather13°C
WindN 37 km/h
Pressure998 hPa
Rain · recent3.0 mm
Rain · ahead5.1 mm

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

Water temperature for Atlantic Salmon
Ideal
15°C est.ideal 10–16°C
0°14°28°
How to fish it · for Atlantic Salmon
When
Spring from March; grilse from late June; main run summer through September. Donegal spate-driven — fish 12 to 24 hours after rain.
Where
Lower Gweebarra beats below Doochary. Heads, tails, and the named lies through the salmon stretches.
Method
Small doubles 10 to 12 across-and-down on a floating line; small tubes on a sink-tip in spring water. Catch-and-release encouraged across most Irish salmon water.
Kit
10 ft #7 single-hander on the smaller spate rivers; 11 ft switch where the river opens out. Floating line plus light sink-tip. 10 to 12 lb fluoro tippet.
Why this works
Very few salmon are historically caught on this river in September (based on guide reports and fishery knowledge). Current conditions matter, but expectations should be modest. Conditions are reasonable, though not ideal. Late season — fish are beginning to colour up as spawning approaches. They become more territorial and can take aggressively. Autumnal colours (orange, copper, gold) work well.
Likely species
Hatch timeline · todayPeak at 12:00

12:00(now) — Heather Fly

Stage: Terrestrials on topApproach: Dry flyActivity: 95%
Also:Reed Smut85%Autumn Dun51%Cinnamon Sedge46%
Peak emergence windowWeather boost11 food groups active

Peak activity at 12:00 — Heather Fly (Heather Fly, Peak emergence window)

Sub-surface · on the nymphunder the surface

Hatch predictions

Top nymph shown — see all 3 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
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
Fly box · Atlantic Salmon
Permits & access
Permit required — see local rules.
  • 2026: catch-and-release only until 31 May, open for harvest from 1 June (S.I
  • 129/2026)
  • Salmon and sea trout 40cm+ on barbless single/double hooks only; no worm or bait
  • State rod licence required.
What's coming
Plan ahead
5-day outlook
Other water nearby · 5
Gallery · 2
  1. Wide view of the tidal Gweebarra River estuary with sandbars and hills in the distance, County Donegal, Ireland
    The Gweebarra River, County Donegal
  2. Terrain map of the venue
    Terrain map
Water quality (WFD)
  • Ecology: Moderate
  • Chemical: Unknown
What this classification means

WFD ecological status Good → Moderate corrected to EEA WISE 2022 (3rd RBMP) classification for waterbody IENW_38G020300. Source: EEA WISE SWB_SurfaceWaterBody (discodata.eea.europa.eu), verified 2026-06-18.

EPA (Ireland) · IENW_38G020300

The full read · show the working · for Atlantic Salmon · confidence 75%
How the river scores — hydrology factors
Water heightLow But Fishable-0.7
Recent riseNone0.0
Falling after liftStill Rising Hard-0.6
Water temperatureCool To Moderate+3.5
Time in seasonLate Season+0.4
ClarityClearing+2.4
Hydrology base5.0
Will they take?Neutralcaps the band

Taking mood is fair — clearing, stained water.

Can you trust it?
Water temperatureair-to-water estimateestimated
Level / flowproxy via River Oweneaproxy
What would change the calculation
No prolonged stable spell before the current rise.
Directions
Seasons & zones
  • Salmon 1 April → 30 September
Related guides
Casting instructors near here
Booking & contacts