Mixed · North West / Donegal

Lennon

Lennon terrain map

A moderate spate river in County Donegal that enters the Atlantic via Lough Swilly near Ramelton and Rathmullan.

Fair · Atlantic Salmon
Ally's Shrimp · 8-12
Fairlive now
Decent — worth a look
River steady at a fishable height. A patient day. Cover water properly.
75% confidence
What moved it
  • LevelProxyvia River Finn
  • Water temp17.2°C
  • ClarityClear
Today's fly
Ally's Shrimp
Ally's Shrimp8-12
From the river-specific salmon pack.
Conditions on the water
Proxy gauge
Level
Steady
Proxy
via River Finn
Water temp17.2°C
ClarityClear
Weather21°C
WindSE 6 km/h
Pressure1018 hPa
Rain · recent4.6 mm
Rain · ahead0.9 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
17°C est.ideal 1014°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.
Hatch timeline · todayPeak at 6am

Hatch predictions

Today's headline hatch shown — see all 7 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

Top prey shown — see all 3 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
2
2
2
1
Daddy Long LegsHatch
2
3
2
GrannomHatch
2
2
Evening SedgeHatch
2
3
3
3
2
Large Dark OliveHatch
1
2
2
1

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.
  • IFI rod licence (RoI)
  • Estuary tidal — check Lough Swilly tide table
  • Day tickets available; low angler pressure.
What's coming
Plan ahead
5-day outlook
Other water nearby · 5
About this water

A moderate spate river in County Donegal that enters the Atlantic via Lough Swilly near Ramelton and Rathmullan. The Lennon fishes as a salmon and sea-trout river with a moderately responsive catchment. Spring salmon from February; grilse from June; sea trout abundant from May through September. The estuary of Lough Swilly is tidal — lower reaches of the Lennon are subject to tidal influence. Multiple named pools; public access to most sections. Salmon numbers have been recovering since the UDN outbreak of the 1970s, though the river remains less prolific than in its pre-disease prime. 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 Lennon (Leannan) confirms mayflies — including Ephemera danica — alongside stoneflies, a strong caddis assemblage, chironomids and blackfly larvae, and freshwater shrimp and hoglice, are all present in the river; this is food-presence evidence from kick sampling, not a record of emergence timing.

Sea trout here

The Lennon near Ramelton is described as having "sea trout abundant from May through September" — one of the longer sea-trout windows claimed for any Donegal river. Tidal lower reaches via Lough Swilly. Moderate response time (8 hours) gives longer fishing windows than typical Donegal spate rivers.

  • Mixed
Water quality (WFD)
  • EcologyUnknown
  • ChemicalUnknown
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 / flowproxy via River Finnproxy
Directions
Seasons & zones
  • Salmon 1 January30 SeptemberC&R
Related guides
Casting instructors near here
Booking & contacts