Spate · Peat · North West / Donegal, IE

Eany Water

Eany Water meandering past wooded banks near Inver Bay, County Donegal, with a moored rowboat on the shore

Short, steep spate river in southwest Donegal, rising in the Bluestack Mountains and flowing south past Frosses and Inver into Inver Bay on Donegal Bay.

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
Steady
Proxy
via River Owenea
Water temp14.6°C
ClarityClear
Weather14°C
WindN 31 km/h
Pressure999 hPa
Rain · recent1.4 mm
Rain · ahead1.4 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
All day is fishable. Peaks around mid-morning (10-12) and late afternoon (4-6pm). A change in light — cloud passing over the sun, or the first shadow reaching the water — can trigger a take.
Where
Fish are concentrated in the deeper pools and under any available cover. Focus on the deepest lies — pool hearts and tail croys. Approach very carefully, avoid silhouetting yourself against the sky. Dawn and dusk are your windows.
Method
Gentle swing or upstream dead-drift for nymph-style presentation. Consider a riffling hitch in smooth water — the surface wake can provoke aggressive takes from fish that refuse the conventional swing.. Floating line, possibly slow intermediate in deeper pools. Small: size 10-14 doubles or trebles, micro-tubes. Low water demands subtlety.
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.
Why this works
The river is in textbook shape. River dropping nicely into shape after a lift — textbook conditions. Clearing nicely — classic taking conditions. 13.2°C — in the ideal taking range for autumn salmon. This is the window experienced salmon anglers wait for — if you can get to the river, go now.
Likely species
Mayflies
Stoneflies
Caddisflies
Hatch timeline · todayPeak at 12pm

12pm(now) — Heather Fly

Stage: Terrestrials on topApproach: Dry flyActivity: 94%
Also:Reed Smut87%Cinnamon Sedge45%Autumn Dun44%
Peak emergence window11 food groups active

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

Sub-surface · on the nymphunder the surface

Hatch predictions

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Beyond the hatch · worth watchingambient prey(1)

Hatch predictions

Top prey shown — see all 3 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
Trout seasonSeason
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.
  • Eany River Fishery — 2026 catch-and-release only for salmon and sea trout (40cm+)
  • Single or double barbless hooks
  • Fly-fishing preferred; spinning and worm permitted; no bait
  • State rod licence required.
What's coming
Plan ahead
5-day outlook
Other water nearby · 5
River Owenea
15 km
0
Brown trout · Salmon · Sea trout
Eske / Lough Eske
17 km
0
Brown trout · Char · Salmon
Oily River
6.0 km
Salmon · Sea trout
Bungosteen River
8.0 km
Salmon · Sea trout
Lough Eske
17 km
Brown trout · Char · Salmon
Gallery · 2
  1. Eany Water meandering past wooded banks near Inver Bay, County Donegal, with a moored rowboat on the shore
    Eany Water near Inver Bay
  2. Terrain map of the venue
    Terrain map
About this water

Short, steep spate river in southwest Donegal, rising in the Bluestack Mountains and flowing south past Frosses and Inver into Inver Bay on Donegal Bay. Ultra-rapid response to rainfall — often fishable within two hours of a rise and dropped out again within a day. Peaty uplands give it a permanent amber tinge. Historically important for Atlantic salmon research and stocking studies; holds a concentrated spring run plus a strong grilse and sea trout run in summer. Not to be confused with the Lennon/Lackagh systems in north Donegal. 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 river-invertebrate sampling confirms the Eany Water holds a full range of aquatic food — mayflies, stoneflies, caddis, chironomids and blackfly larvae, plus shrimp and hoglice (Gammarus, Asellus) — though this is presence data only, not a record of when or how heavily any of it hatches.

  • Peat
Water quality (WFD)
  • Ecology: Good
  • Chemical: Unknown
The full read · show the working · for Atlantic Salmon · confidence 75%
How the river scores — hydrology factors
Water heightLow But Fishable-0.7
Recent riseSmall Recent Rise+3.5
Falling after liftDropping Nicely Into Shape+4.5
Water temperatureCool To Moderate+3.5
Time in seasonLate Season+0.4
ClarityClearing+2.4
Hydrology base13.6
Will they take?Willingcaps the band

Fish should be willing to take — 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
Apple MapsGoogle Maps
Seasons & zones
  • Salmon 1 April → 30 SeptemberC&R
  • Trout 15 February → 30 September
Related guides
Atlantic Salmonsalmon tacticsIrish Salmon Rivers Guidefive great salmon fisheriesConnemaraIrish fishing
Casting instructors near here
Booking & contacts