Spate · Mixed · North West / Donegal

Crana

Still, dark water of the Crana River reflecting trees and sky near Buncrana, Co. Donegal, Ireland.

A compact spate river on the Inishowen Peninsula in County Donegal that flows into Lough Swilly.

Marginal · Atlantic Salmon
Collie Dog · 6-10
Marginallive now
Marginal — persistence required
River dropping into shape after a lift. A short window. Work the obvious lies and move on.
85% confidence
What moved it
  • LevelProxyvia River Finn
  • Water temp18.0°C
  • ClaritySlightly colouredClearing
Today's fly
Collie Dog
Collie Dog6-10
From the river-specific salmon pack.
Conditions on the water
Proxy gauge
Level
Steady
Proxy
via River Finn
Water temp18.0°C
ClaritySlightly coloured
Weather17°C
WindNW 20 km/h
Pressure1020 hPa
Rain · recent3.5 mm
Rain · ahead2.7 mm

No gauge on this water — conditions are inferred from River Finn. The trend transfers, the absolute level does not.

Water temperature for Atlantic Salmon
Warm — slow
18°C est.ideal 10–14°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
Water at 18°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 12 active hatches hour by hour with Pro.

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Sub-surface · on the nymphunder the surface

Hatch predictions

Top nymph shown — see all 2 guilds with Pro.

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Beyond the hatch · worth watchingambient prey

Hatch predictions

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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
2
1
Sea trout runRun
1
2
2
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

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.

Permits & access
Permit required — see local rules.
  • IFI rod licence (RoI)
  • Public access to most beats
  • Low angler pressure — few beats booked
  • Estuary subject to tidal influence; check tide tables for optimal fishing windows.
What's coming
Plan ahead
5-day outlook
Water here around 18°C. Nothing cooler within range — carry a thermometer.
Gallery · 2
  1. Still, dark water of the Crana River reflecting trees and sky near Buncrana, Co. Donegal, Ireland.
    Crana River
  2. Terrain map of the venue
    Terrain map
About this water

A compact spate river on the Inishowen Peninsula in County Donegal that flows into Lough Swilly. The Crana is tidal through Buncrana estuary and fishes as a sea-trout and salmon river. Highly responsive to rainfall (3–4 hours to peak), it is at its best in the 12–36 hours after a spate. Spring salmon; grilse from June; sea trout abundant and large (2–4 lb not uncommon). A gem for anglers seeking a productive small system with low angler pressure. For 2026 this is a catch-and-release fishery under the Wild Salmon & Sea Trout Tagging Scheme — all salmon and grilse must be returned.

Hatches & food

EPA monitoring on the Crana confirms mayflies, stoneflies, caddis, chironomids and blackfly larvae, and freshwater shrimp (Gammarus) are all present in the river, though this is food-presence evidence from kick sampling rather than a record of emergence timing or a reliable hatch.

  • Mixed
Water quality (WFD)
  • Ecology: Unknown
  • Chemical: Unknown
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 Finnproxy
Directions
Apple MapsGoogle Maps
Seasons & zones
  • Salmon 1 March → 30 SeptemberC&R
  • Sea trout 1 March → 12 OctoberC&R
Related guides
Atlantic Salmonsalmon tacticsIrish Salmon Rivers Guidefive great salmon fisheriesConnemaraIrish fishing
Casting instructors near here
Booking & contacts