Spate · Granite · North West / Donegal

Gweebarra

Wide view of the tidal Gweebarra River estuary with sandbars and hills in the distance, County Donegal, Ireland
Marginal · Atlantic Salmon
Cascade · 10-14
ReopenedReported 28 Jul 2026

Gweebarra reopened

IFI has reopened the Gweebarra fishery to angling after water temperatures fell with the break in the heatwave. Permits are available again via the IFI permit shop.

Fisheries re-open as cooler weather prevails ↗

Temporary notices from official orders and recent fishery reports — they clear automatically once out of date. Always confirm locally before travelling.

Marginallive now
Marginal — persistence required
Low and clear — careful approach country. Hard going on bright water. Favour cloud and shadow.
85% confidence
What moved it
  • LevelProxyvia River Owenea
  • Water temp18.7°C
  • ClarityClear
Today's fly
Cascade
Cascade10-14
Regional salmon default — river-specific evidence is thin.
Conditions on the water
Proxy gauge
Level
Steady
Proxy
via River Owenea
Water temp18.7°C
ClarityClear
Weather18°C
WindNW 5 km/h
Pressure1019 hPa
Rain · recent6.9 mm
Rain · ahead4.0 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
Warm — slow
19°C est.ideal 10–14°C
0°14°28°
How to fish it · for Atlantic Salmon
When
Spring from March; grilse from late June; main run summer through September. Donegal spate-driven — fish 12 to 24 hours after rain.
Where
Lower Gweebarra beats below Doochary. Heads, tails, and the named lies through the salmon stretches.
Method
Small doubles 10 to 12 across-and-down on a floating line; small tubes on a sink-tip in spring water. Catch-and-release encouraged across most Irish salmon water.
Kit
10 ft #7 single-hander on the smaller spate rivers; 11 ft switch where the river opens out. Floating line plus light sink-tip. 10 to 12 lb fluoro tippet.
Why this works
Water at 18.7°C — above the atlantic salmon caution line (18°C). Fish dawn or dusk only. Land it fast, wet hands, no air shots.
Hatch timeline · todayPeak at 6am

Hatch predictions

Today's headline hatch shown — see all 4 active hatches hour by hour with Pro.

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Sub-surface · on the nymphunder the surface

Hatch predictions

See the full sub-surface read with Pro.

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Beyond the hatch · worth watchingambient prey

Hatch predictions

Top prey shown — see all 2 with Pro.

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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 · August highlighted
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Salmon runRun
1
2
2
2
2
1
Daddy Long LegsHatch
2
3
2
March BrownHatch
2
3
2
GrannomHatch
2
2
Large StoneflyHatch
2
3
2

Numbers are intensity 0 (none) to 3 (peak) — a guide, not a guarantee.

Ranked for today
Atlantic Salmon fly box
Permits & access
Permit required — see local rules.
  • 2026: catch-and-release only until 31 May, open for harvest from 1 June (S.I
  • 129/2026)
  • Salmon and sea trout 40cm+ on barbless single/double hooks only; no worm or bait
  • State rod licence required.
What's coming
Plan ahead
5-day outlook
Water here around 19°C. Nothing cooler within range — carry a thermometer.
Gallery · 2
  1. Wide view of the tidal Gweebarra River estuary with sandbars and hills in the distance, County Donegal, Ireland
    The Gweebarra River, County Donegal
  2. Terrain map of the venue
    Terrain map
Water quality (WFD)
  • Ecology: Moderate
  • Chemical: Unknown
What this classification means

WFD ecological status Good → Moderate corrected to EEA WISE 2022 (3rd RBMP) classification for waterbody IENW_38G020300. Source: EEA WISE SWB_SurfaceWaterBody (discodata.eea.europa.eu), verified 2026-06-18.

EPA (Ireland) · IENW_38G020300

The full read · show the working · for Atlantic Salmon · confidence 85%
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 / flowproxy via River Oweneaproxy
Directions
Apple MapsGoogle Maps
Seasons & zones
  • Salmon 1 April → 30 September
Related guides
Atlantic Salmonsalmon tacticsIrish Salmon Rivers Guidefive great salmon fisheriesConnemaraIrish fishing
Casting instructors near here
Booking & contacts