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.

Fair · Atlantic Salmon
Cascade · 8-10
Fairlive now
Decent — worth a look
River dropping into shape after a lift. Cover the heads and tails before the river drops away.
50% confidence
What moved it
  • LevelProxyvia River Owenea
  • Water temp12.5°C
  • ClarityColouredClearing
Today's fly
Cascade
Cascade8-10
Regional salmon default — river-specific evidence is thin.
Conditions on the water
Proxy gauge
Level
Steady
Proxy
via River Owenea
Water temp12.5°C
ClarityColoured
Weather10°C
WindSW 29 km/h
Pressure1014 hPa
Rain · recent20.0 mm
Rain · ahead5.8 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
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.
Why this works
Good — water temperature is working for you, but time of day is the limiting factor today.
Likely species
Mayflies
Stoneflies
Caddisflies
Gammarids
Hatch timeline · todayPeak at 2pm

Hatch predictions

Today's headline hatch shown — see all 12 active hatches hour by hour as a supporter.

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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 · September 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
Eany Water
22 km
49
Brown trout · Salmon · Sea trout
Bungosteen River
14 km
Salmon · Sea trout
Oily River
15 km
Salmon · Sea trout
River Owenea
22 km
Brown trout · Salmon · Sea trout
Duff River
27 km
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

A small Donegal spate river at Carrick, in the shadow of Slieve League, with its companion the Yellow River — the Owenwee — open for 2026. 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
  • Temperature10030% weight
  • Flow6025% weight
  • Clarity4020% weight
  • Feeding Time1015% 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