Spate · Volcanic · Co. Londonderry / Foyle System, GB-NIR

River Roe

Photo of River Roe

The Roe is a compact, productive salmon and sea trout river flowing from the Sperrins to Lough Foyle near Limavady.

Today · A good day — worth the effort
Black Gnat
Forecast · Today
A good day — worth the effort
A reliable day. Match the fly size to the water height and cover the lies.
70% projected
Today's fly
Black Gnat
Black Gnat
Conditions on the water · Today
Live gauge
Level
Steady
0.59 m
Water temp15.7°C
ClarityClear
Weather15°C
WindN 36 km/h
Pressure999 hPa
Rain · recent2.9 mm
Rain · ahead0.3 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
Ideal
16°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
Fair conditions based on river hydrology and migration patterns.
Likely species
Hatch timeline · todayPeak at 11am

12pm(now) — Heather Fly

Stage: Terrestrials on topApproach: Dry flyActivity: 95%
Also:Reed Smut95%Cinnamon Sedge56%Autumn Dun53%
Peak emergence windowWeather boost12 food groups active

Peak activity at 11am — Reed Smut (Reed Smut, 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

Top prey shown — see all 3 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 · September 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
Gallery · 2
  1. Photo of River Roe
    River Roe
  2. Terrain map of the venue
    Terrain map
About this water

The Roe is a compact, productive salmon and sea trout river flowing from the Sperrins to Lough Foyle near Limavady. One of the four statutory Foyle rivers managed by the Loughs Agency. Fast-draining basalt catchment — responds rapidly to rain. Salmon from April with grilse from June; sea trout from May. The lower river has deep pools; the upper is classic pocket water. Day permits through Roe Angling and local clubs. The O'Cahan's Rock and Falls pools are iconic. Volcanic bedrock underlies this river. 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 country, expect flood-driven stonefly and terrestrial activity to outweigh any steady upwing hatch — a general expectation, not an observed hatch.

Sea trout here

Summer-autumn runs, seasonal patterns vary by region

  • Volcanic
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 / flowon-river gaugeobserved
Directions
Seasons & zones
  • Salmon 1 April → 31 October

Sea trout: Variable seasonal (2026)

Related guides
Casting instructors near here
Booking & contacts