Spate · Sandstone · West / Co. Clare, IE

River Doonbeg

River Doonbeg terrain map

A West Clare river rising near Kilmaley and running roughly 22 miles — south for about 7 miles, then turning north-west for around 15 more, passing Cooraclare — to reach the sea at Doonbeg village, where the N67 crosses on a seven-arched stone bridge.

Tomorrow · Closed season
Wickham's Fancy
Forecast · Tomorrow
Closed season
Out of season. File this water for the right month.
40% projected
Today's fly
Wickham's Fancy
Wickham's Fancy
Conditions on the water · Tomorrow
Live gauge
Level
Rising
0.49 m
Lifting fast
Water temp13.0°C
ClarityUnfishable
Weather16°C
WindN 32 km/h
Pressure1026 hPa
Rain · recent14.9 mm
Rain · ahead1.9 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
Ideal
13°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
Mayflies
Stoneflies
Caddisflies
Aquatic beetles
  • Diving beetlesMost likelyLower confidence
    #8–10–12 · Adult
    Twitch a beetle pattern along weedy edges at dusk.
Gammarids
Molluscs
  • Pond snailsMost likelyLower confidence
    #10–12–14 · Adult
    Dead-drift or twitch a snail pattern near weed beds.
Oligochaetes
  • Aquatic wormsMost likelyLower confidence
    #12–14–16 · Adult
    Dead-drift a worm pattern deep - a year-round staple.
Hatch timeline · tomorrowPeak at 6pm

12pm(now) — Iron Blue

Stage: On emergersApproach: Emerger or dryActivity: 28%
Also:Black Gnat26%
Weather boost4 food groups active

Peak activity at 6pm — Caperer (Caperer, 6 food groups active)

Sub-surface · on the nymphunder the surface

Hatch predictions

Top nymph shown — see all 3 guilds 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 · October highlighted
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
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.
  • No specific season dates could be verified for this river at time of writing — confirm current status (open / catch-and-release / closed) with Inland Fisheries Ireland before planning a trip.
What's coming
Plan ahead
5-day outlook
Other water nearby · 3
Cashen
29 km
0
Salmon · Sea trout
Feale
32 km
Brown trout · Salmon · Sea trout
Fergus
39 km
Brown trout
About this water

A West Clare river rising near Kilmaley and running roughly 22 miles — south for about 7 miles, then turning north-west for around 15 more, passing Cooraclare — to reach the sea at Doonbeg village, where the N67 crosses on a seven-arched stone bridge. Renowned for salmon and sea trout, with brown trout also present; the neighbouring Cree and Annageeragh rivers share a similar spate character. Fished at the village bridge and at various points upstream.

Hatches & food

No venue-specific hatch data yet; treat the flies above (from regional consensus) as a starting point rather than an observed hatch calendar.

  • Sandstone
Water quality (WFD)
  • Ecology: Unknown
  • Chemical: Unknown
Why this score · for Atlantic Salmon
  • Temperature10030% weight
  • Flow9025% weight
  • Clarity9520% weight
  • Feeding Time1015% weight
  • Pressure8510% weight
Directions
Apple MapsGoogle Maps
Seasons & zones

Sea trout: Variable seasonal (2026)

Related guides
Atlantic Salmonsalmon tacticsIrish Salmon Rivers Guidefive great salmon fisheriesConnemaraIrish fishing
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