Spate · Granite · West / South Mayo, IE

Owenwee River (Louisburgh)

Owenwee River (Louisburgh) terrain map

A small Croagh Patrick spate river near Louisburgh in south Mayo, fished alongside its neighbours the Bunowen and Carrowniskey.

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 Erriff
Water temp8.3°C
ClarityClear
Weather4°C
WindN 10 km/h
Pressure1018 hPa
Rain · recent0.1 mm
Rain · ahead1.5 mm

No gauge on this water — conditions are inferred from Erriff. 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
Gammarids
Hatch timeline · tomorrowPeak at 11am

12pm(now) — Autumn Needle Fly

Stage: Creeping nymphsApproach: Heavy nymphActivity: 76%
Also:Autumn Olive47%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 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
Sea trout runRun
1
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
Bunowen River (Louisburgh)
11 km
0
Brown trout · Salmon · Sea trout
Erriff
14 km
0
Brown trout · Salmon · Sea trout
Delphi Lodge
15 km
0
Salmon · Sea trout
Carrowniskey
17 km
0
Brown trout · Salmon · Sea trout
Bunowen River (Louisburgh)
11 km
Brown trout · Salmon · Sea trout
About this water

Grilse and sea trout run from June on a rise of water; for 2026 it is catch-and-release. Not to be confused with the Donegal Glen's Yellow River, which is also called the Owenwee. Enquire locally around Louisburgh; the Salmon and Sea Trout State Licence is required.

Hatches & food

EPA monitoring of the Owenwee's Mayo reaches confirms mayflies, stoneflies, caddis, aquatic diptera and freshwater crustaceans including gammarus are present. This is food-presence evidence from kick sampling only, not a record of emergence timing or a visible hatch.

  • Granite
Water quality (WFD)
  • Ecology: Unknown
  • Chemical: Unknown
Why this score · for Atlantic Salmon
  • Temperature4630% weight
  • Flow6025% weight
  • Clarity9520% weight
  • Feeding Time1015% weight
  • Pressure8510% weight
Directions
Apple MapsGoogle Maps
Seasons & zones
  • Salmon 1 April → 30 SeptemberC&R
  • Sea trout 1 June → 30 SeptemberC&R
Related guides
Atlantic Salmonsalmon tacticsIrish Salmon Rivers Guidefive great salmon fisheriesConnemaraIrish fishing
Casting instructors near here
Booking & contacts
Permits & access
At a glance

Owenwee River (Louisburgh) is a spate river in West / South Mayo, Ireland. The catchment geology is recorded as granite, and the water sits at about 169 m above sea level. Species listed for this water: 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 sea trout season is recorded as running from 1 June to 30 September. Core methods listed: floating line wet fly across-and-down; shrimp flies on a clearing flood; night fishing for sea trout. Nearby waters in our listings include Bunowen River (Louisburgh) at 11 km, Bunowen River (Louisburgh) at 11 km and Erriff at 14 km.