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
Wickham's Fancy
Forecast · Today
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 · Today
Proxy gauge
Level
Rising
Proxy
via River Owenea
Water temp8.2°C
ClarityUnfishable
Weather8°C
WindN 30 km/h
Pressure1005 hPa
Rain · recent0.5 mm
Rain · ahead3.2 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
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
Hatch timeline · todayPeak at 11am

12pm(now) — Autumn Needle Fly

Stage: Creeping nymphsApproach: Heavy nymphActivity: 37%
Peak emergence window

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 3 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
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
Oily River
6.0 km
0
Salmon · Sea trout
Bungosteen River
8.0 km
0
Salmon · Sea trout
River Eske
14 km
0
Brown trout · Char · Salmon
River Owenea
15 km
0
Brown trout · 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

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 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 / flowproxy via River Oweneaproxy
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
At a glance

Eany Water is a spate river in North West / Donegal, Ireland. The catchment geology is recorded as peat, and the water sits at about 107 m above sea level. The river is described as roughly 16 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 April to 30 September. The trout season is recorded as running from 15 February to 30 September. Best window recorded for anglers: March–April (spring salmon), July–August (sea trout + grilse). Core methods listed: wet fly across-and-down in coloured water; short-line nymphing in pool tails; evening wet fly for sea trout. Its Water Framework Directive ecological status is recorded as good. Nearby waters in our listings include Oily River at 6.0 km, Bungosteen River at 8.0 km and River Eske at 14 km.