Spate · Mixed · Co. Donegal / Foyle System (border), GB-NIR

River Finn

River Finn fishing venue photo

The Finn is the largest tributary of the Foyle system, rising in the Blue Stack Mountains of Donegal and flowing east to join the Mourne at Strabane.

Today · Closed season
Stonefly Nymph
Forecast · Today
Closed season
Out of season. File this water for the right month.
70% projected
Today's fly
Stonefly Nymph
Stonefly Nymph
Conditions on the water · Today
Live gauge
Level
Steady
0.54 m
Water temp8.0°C
ClarityClear
Weather6°C
WindN 21 km/h
Pressure1006 hPa
Rain · recent0.4 mm
Rain · ahead1.2 mm

The nearest gauge doesn't record temperatures, so we've estimated it — defer to the river keeper's advice.

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 · todayPeak at 11am

12pm(now) — Autumn Needle Fly

Stage: Creeping nymphsApproach: Heavy nymphActivity: 74%
Also:Autumn Olive37%Black Midge30%
Peak emergence window5 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 4 guilds 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 · November highlighted
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Salmon runRun
1
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
River Deele
2.0 km
0
Brown trout · Salmon · Sea trout
River Finn
11 km
0
Salmon · Sea trout · Brown trout
River Mourne
11 km
0
Brown trout · Salmon · Sea trout
Glenelly River
23 km
0
Brown trout · Salmon · Sea trout
Lennon
23 km
Brown trout · Salmon · Sea trout
Gallery · 4
  1. From Clady Bridge
    From Clady Bridge
  2. A wide, calm stretch of the River Finn near Clady bridge, flanked by autumn trees and low hills under a cloudy sky.
    gc366day317
  3. Picturesque Donegal: its mountains, rivers, and lakes. Being the Great Northern Railway (Ireland) Company's illustrated guide to the sporting and touring grounds of the north of Ireland
    Picturesque Donegal: its mountains, rivers, and lakes. Being the Great Northern Railway (Ireland) Company's illustrated guide to the sporting and touring grounds of the north of Ireland
  4. Terrain map of the venue
    Terrain map
About this water

A powerful spate river with excellent salmon and sea trout. The river has both Republic (upper) and Northern Ireland (lower) sections — the Loughs Agency manages the fishery across the border. Salmon run from March with grilse from June. Sea trout from May. One of the most productive salmon rivers in the Foyle system. Day permits from Loughs Agency. Atlantic salmon are managed under DAERA and Loughs Agency conservation byelaws, with mandatory catch-and-release on many waters; check current rules before fishing.

Hatches & food

No venue-specific hatch data yet; as a spate river of this basalt-and-peat country, expect flood-driven stonefly and terrestrial food to dominate over any steady upwing hatch — treat this as general guidance, not an observed hatch.

Sea trout here

Summer-autumn runs, seasonal patterns vary by region

  • Mixed
Why this score · for Atlantic Salmon
  • Temperature1430% weight
  • Flow6025% weight
  • Clarity9520% weight
  • Feeding Time1015% weight
  • Pressure8510% weight
Directions
Apple MapsGoogle Maps
Seasons & zones
  • Salmon 1 March → 15 September

Sea trout: Variable seasonal (2026)

Related guides
Atlantic Salmonsalmon tacticsIrish Salmon Rivers Guidefive great salmon fisheriesConnemaraIrish fishing
Casting instructors near here
Booking & contacts
At a glance

River Finn is a spate river in Co. Donegal / Foyle System (border), Northern Ireland. It sits at about 43 m above sea level. The river is described as roughly 64 km long. Our data lists brown trout, salmon and sea trout here. It is classed as a salmon river. The salmon season is recorded as running from 1 March to 15 September. Best window recorded for anglers: June–August (grilse peak), March–May (spring). Core methods listed: across and down wet fly; sinking tip and tube fly in spring; small doubles on floating line in summer. Nearby waters in our listings include River Deele at 2.0 km, River Finn at 11 km and River Mourne at 11 km.