Spate · Granite · North West / Donegal, IE

Glen River (Donegal)

The Glen River flowing through Carrick, County Donegal, with green banks either side.

A small Donegal spate river at Carrick, in the shadow of Slieve League, with its companion the Yellow River — the Owenwee — open for 2026.

Tomorrow · Closed season
Stonefly Nymph
Forecast · Tomorrow
Closed season
Out of season. File this water for the right month.
85% projected
Today's fly
Stonefly Nymph
Stonefly Nymph
Conditions on the water · Tomorrow
Proxy gauge
Level
Steady
Proxy
via River Owenea
Water temp8.5°C
ClarityClear
Weather6°C
WindN 17 km/h
Pressure1018 hPa
Rain · recent0.0 mm
Rain · ahead3.5 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
9°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 · tomorrowPeak at 11am

12pm(now) — Autumn Needle Fly

Stage: Creeping nymphsApproach: Heavy nymphActivity: 76%
Also:Autumn Olive49%Black Midge33%
Peak emergence windowWeather boost5 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 2 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
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.

What's coming
Plan ahead
5-day outlook
Other water nearby · 5
Bungosteen River
14 km
0
Salmon · Sea trout
Oily River
15 km
0
Salmon · Sea trout
River Owenea
22 km
0
Brown trout · Salmon · Sea trout
Eany Water
22 km
0
Brown trout · Salmon · Sea trout
Duff River
27 km
0
Brown trout · Salmon · Sea trout
Gallery · 2
  1. The Glen River flowing through Carrick, County Donegal, with green banks either side.
    The Glen River at Carrick, County Donegal, on its course to Teelin estuary below Slieve League.
  2. Terrain map of the venue
    Terrain map
About this water

It fishes on a flood: spring salmon early, then grilse and sea trout through the summer when the water rises and fresh fish run. For 2026 it is catch-and-release. Carry the Salmon and Sea Trout State Licence; the water is IFI and local club controlled.

Hatches & food

An acidic Donegal granite spate river — fly life is sparse, dominated by stoneflies and terrestrials with thin upwings; resident-trout interest is secondary to flood-run salmon and sea trout, which barely feed in freshwater.

  • Granite
Water quality (WFD)
  • Ecology: Unknown
  • Chemical: Unknown
Why this score · for Atlantic Salmon
  • Temperature1630% weight
  • Flow6025% weight
  • Clarity9520% weight
  • Feeding Time9015% weight
  • Pressure8510% weight
Directions
Apple MapsGoogle Maps
Seasons & zones
  • Salmon 1 March → 30 SeptemberC&R
  • Sea trout 1 March → 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
Permits & access
At a glance

Glen River (Donegal) is a spate river in North West / Donegal, Ireland. Its recorded elevation is about 29 m above sea level and the catchment geology is granite. Our data lists salmon, sea trout and brown trout here. 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 30 September. Core methods listed: floating line wet fly across-and-down; shrimp/flying-treble on a clearing flood; night fishing for sea trout. Nearby waters in our listings include Bungosteen River at 14 km, Oily River at 15 km and River Owenea at 22 km.