Spate · Mixed · North West / Donegal, IE

Crana

Still, dark water of the Crana River reflecting trees and sky near Buncrana, Co. Donegal, Ireland.

A compact spate river on the Inishowen Peninsula in County Donegal that flows into Lough Swilly.

Today · Closed season
Stonefly Nymph
Forecast · Today
Closed season
Out of season. File this water for the right month.
70% projected
Today's fly
Stonefly Nymph
Stonefly Nymph
Conditions on the water · Today
Live gauge
Level
Steady
0.26 m
Water temp8.2°C
ClarityClear
Weather5°C
WindN 24 km/h
Pressure1006 hPa
Rain · recent1.0 mm
Rain · ahead3.1 mm

The nearest gauge doesn't record temperatures, so we've estimated it — defer to the river keeper's advice.

Water temperature for Atlantic Salmon
Cool — slow
8°C est.ideal 10–16°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.
Likely species
Stoneflies
Gammarids
Hatch timeline · todayPeak at 11am

12pm(now) — Autumn Needle Fly

Stage: Creeping nymphsApproach: Heavy nymphActivity: 74%
Also:Autumn Olive39%Black Midge30%
Peak emergence window5 food groups active

Peak activity at 11am — Autumn Needle Fly (Autumn Needle Fly, Peak emergence window)

Sub-surface · on the nymphunder the surface

Hatch predictions

Top nymph shown — see all 4 guilds as a supporter.

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Beyond the hatch · worth watchingambient prey(1)

Hatch predictions

Supporters see what else is on the menu.

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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 · November highlighted
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Salmon runRun
1
2
2
2
2
2
1
Sea trout runRun
1
2
2
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
Atlantic Salmon fly box

Connemara/Mayo low water: a lightly-dressed shrimp on a floating line with sink tip, sized down from 8s in cold spring water to 12s and 14s as summer water warms and clears. Where the current runs faster, a slim tube or hairwing swung through tracks better than a shrimp.

Permits & access
Permit required — see local rules.
  • IFI rod licence (RoI)
  • Public access to most beats
  • Low angler pressure — few beats booked
  • Estuary subject to tidal influence; check tide tables for optimal fishing windows.
What's coming
Plan ahead
5-day outlook
Other water nearby · 5
Lennon
16 km
0
Brown trout · Salmon · Sea trout
River Faughan
24 km
0
Brown trout · Salmon · Sea trout
River Roe
34 km
0
Brown trout · Salmon · Sea trout
River Deele
34 km
0
Brown trout · Salmon · Sea trout
Lackagh / Lough Beagh
35 km
0
Brown trout · Salmon · Sea trout
Gallery · 2
  1. Still, dark water of the Crana River reflecting trees and sky near Buncrana, Co. Donegal, Ireland.
    Crana River
  2. Terrain map of the venue
    Terrain map
About this water

The Crana is tidal through Buncrana estuary and fishes as a sea-trout and salmon river. Highly responsive to rainfall (3–4 hours to peak), it is at its best in the 12–36 hours after a spate. Spring salmon; grilse from June; sea trout abundant and large (2–4 lb not uncommon). A gem for anglers seeking a productive small system with low angler pressure. For 2026 this is a catch-and-release fishery under the Wild Salmon & Sea Trout Tagging Scheme — all salmon and grilse must be returned.

Hatches & food

EPA monitoring on the Crana confirms mayflies, stoneflies, caddis, chironomids and blackfly larvae, and freshwater shrimp (Gammarus) are all present in the river, though this is food-presence evidence from kick sampling rather than a record of emergence timing or a reliable hatch.

  • Mixed
Water quality (WFD)
  • Ecology: Unknown
  • Chemical: Unknown
The full read · show the working · for Atlantic Salmon · confidence 75%
How the river scores — hydrology factors
Water heightMedium Ideal0.0
Recent riseNone0.0
Falling after liftNot Applicable0.0
Water temperatureCool To Moderate0.0
Time in seasonOpening Period0.0
ClarityClearing0.0
Hydrology base0.0
Legal gate: Unknown Check Local Rules
Can you trust it?
Water temperatureair-to-water estimateestimated
Level / flowon-river gaugeobserved
Directions
Apple MapsGoogle Maps
Seasons & zones
  • Salmon 1 March → 30 SeptemberC&R
  • Sea trout 1 March → 12 OctoberC&R
Related guides
Atlantic Salmonsalmon tacticsIrish Salmon Rivers Guidefive great salmon fisheriesConnemaraIrish fishing
Casting instructors near here
Booking & contacts
At a glance

Crana is a spate river in North West / Donegal, Ireland. It sits at about 123 m above sea level. The river is described as roughly 12 km long. Species listed for this water: brown trout, salmon and sea trout. It is classed as a salmon river. The salmon season is recorded as running from 1 March to 30 September. The sea trout season is recorded as running from 1 March to 12 October. Best window recorded for anglers: June–August (sea trout); February–May (spring salmon); July (grilse). Core methods listed: across and down wet fly (sink-tip on rise); upstream nymph (low water); evening sea-trout dry fly. Level and flow data for this water is linked from 1 gauge. Nearby waters in our listings include Lennon at 16 km, River Faughan at 24 km and River Roe at 34 km.