Spate · Mixed · North West / Donegal

Bungosteen River

Bungosteen River terrain map

A small Donegal Bay spate river that rises in the Crockanpeast Mountains north-west of Killybegs and enters Donegal Bay at the north of Killybegs Harbour.

Poor · Atlantic Salmon
Closed season
Out of season. File this water for the right month.
Closed — confidence not applicable today.
What moved it
  • LevelProxyvia River Owenea
  • Water temp17.4°C
  • ClarityClear
Conditions on the water
Proxy gauge
Level
Steady
Proxy
via River Owenea
Water temp17.4°C
ClarityClear
Weather18°C
WindS 15 km/h
Pressure1019 hPa
Rain · recent0.2 mm
Rain · ahead8.1 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
Warm — slow
17°C est.ideal 1014°C
0°14°28°
How to fish it · for Atlantic Salmon
When
Morning into early afternoon.
Where
Pool tails, steadier runs, and any water with pace.
Method
Fish a sensible line-and-fly combination for the height and pace of water.
Kit
13 ft #8/9 double-hander in spate, 10 ft #8 single in low water. Floating line plus a fast-sink tip. 12–15 lb fluoro tippet.
Hatch timeline · todayPeak at 6am

Hatch predictions

Today's headline hatch shown — see all 9 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 2 guilds with Pro.

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Beyond the hatch · worth watchingambient prey

Hatch predictions

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Evidence
Survey-backed · regionalHigh confidence

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

Updated 7 hours ago

Through the year
0–3 scale · August highlighted
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
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.

Permits & access
Permit required — see local rules.
  • Ballyshannon Fishery District
  • 2026: CLOSED to salmon and sea-trout angling, zero quota
  • Listed for regulatory completeness only — not a fishable venue this season.
What's coming
Plan ahead
5-day outlook
Fishing better nearby · 5
About this water

A small Donegal Bay spate river that rises in the Crockanpeast Mountains north-west of Killybegs and enters Donegal Bay at the north of Killybegs Harbour. It is CLOSED to salmon and sea-trout angling for 2026 (zero harvest quota, Ballyshannon district) and is listed here only for regulatory completeness — it is not a confident angling recommendation. A flashy spate system on Dalradian metamorphic bedrock (the Termon Formation — banded semi-pelitic and psammitic schist), typical of south-west Donegal. Do not surface this as a salmon destination; monitor IFI bulletins for any future change. Atlantic salmon and sea trout are managed under IFI's Wild Salmon & Sea Trout Tagging Scheme — many rivers are catch-and-release and harvest is allowed only where a confirmed surplus exists, so check the river's current status before fishing.

Hatches & food

No venue-specific hatch data yet; as a Donegal spate river, expect a flashy, largely stonefly, olive and sedge food base typical of the region's spate systems — a general expectation for this water type, not an observed hatch.

  • Mixed
Water quality (WFD)
  • EcologyUnknown
  • ChemicalUnknown
Why this score · for Atlantic Salmon
  • Temperature3330% weight
  • Flow6025% weight
  • Clarity9520% weight
  • Feeding Time10015% weight
  • Pressure8510% weight
Directions
Seasons & zones
  • Salmon _closed_2026_closed_2026Closed

Sea trout: Variable seasonal (2026)

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