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.

Poor · Atlantic Salmon
Collie Dog · 6–10
Closed season
Out of season. File this water for the right month.
Closed — confidence not applicable today.
What moved it
  • Level0.54 mLast reading 5h ago
  • Water temp8.6°C
  • ClarityClear
Today's fly
Collie Dog
Collie Dog6–10
Regional salmon default — river-specific evidence is thin.
Conditions on the water
Live gauge
Level
Steady
0.54 m
Last reading 5h ago
Water temp8.6°C
ClarityClear
Weather5°C
WindS 23 km/h
Pressure1010 hPa
Rain · recent0.5 mm
Rain · ahead2.6 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
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 · todayPeak at 11am

Hatch predictions

Today's headline hatch shown — see all 5 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 4 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
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 Faughan
14 km
0
Brown trout · Salmon · Sea trout
River Agivey
21 km
0
Brown trout · Salmon
Lower Bann
24 km
0
Brown trout · Salmon · Sea trout
River Bush
31 km
0
Brown trout · Salmon · Sea trout
Crana
34 km
Brown trout · Salmon · Sea trout
Gallery · 2
  1. Photo of River Roe
    River Roe
  2. Terrain map of the venue
    Terrain map
About this water

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
Apple MapsGoogle Maps
Seasons & zones
  • Salmon 1 April → 31 October

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 Roe is a spate river in Co. Londonderry / Foyle System, Northern Ireland. Its recorded elevation is about 20 m above sea level and the catchment geology is volcanic. The river is described as roughly 30 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 April to 31 October. Best window recorded for anglers: June–August (grilse and sea trout), April–May (spring). Core methods listed: across and down wet fly; upstream nymph; dry fly on upper river. Level and flow data for this water is linked from 1 gauge. Nearby waters in our listings include River Faughan at 14 km, River Agivey at 21 km and Lower Bann at 24 km.