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    Owenea River

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    Andy
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    10061

    Season

    Open for 2025

    • Salmon and sea trout from 1st April to 30th September, inclusive.

    Overview

    Road map to Owenea Fishery
    Road Map: How to get to the Owenea Fishery. Scroll to the bottom of the page.

    The Owenea River drains Lough Ea to the north of the Blue Stack Mountains, running for some 21km through Glenties and emptying into Loughrosmore Bay at Ardara. Its main tributary, the Stracastle River, joins the Owenea on Beat 3 downstream of the Angling Centre at The Crambam Pool. The Owenea is primarily a spate river, taking from half a day to 2 days to run off, depending on the size of the flood. The fishery consists of 9 beats of double bank fishing, with the main beats (3 to 9) varying from 800m to 2km in length.

    The river is beloved by many fly fishermen and when in good condition, it is one of the best in the country for ‘free rising’ salmon. The river has a small run of spring salmon, grilse, sea trout and a resident stock of small brown trout. The fishery is predominantly a grilse fishery, and June to August are regarded as the prime months. The grilse range from 3lb (1.3kg) to 14lb (6.3kg) and average around 5lb (2.25kg). Spring salmon can be caught from April onwards and towards the end of the season a few autumn salmon are frequently caught. The annual salmon catch averages around 400 salmon. The Owenea was traditionally a prolific sea trout fishery before the collapse of the 80’s. Sea trout have rallied since then and the river can provide good sea trout fishing for those that pursue them (mainly in the evening).

    Season
    The Season starts on 1st April and runs to 30th September inclusive.

    Permits & Licences
    Permit: Adult Day Permits, Juvenile Day Permits and Weekly Permits (7 consecutive days) are all available online at this link.

    Licences: Anglers must have one of the following Salmon & Sea Trout State Licences to fish the Owenea River. Either a full-year National State Licence, a Foyle Area Extension Licence, a Letterkenny District Licence, a 21-day National Licence or a 1-day Licence.

    Angling on the Owenea River

    The fishery is divided into nine beats of double-bank fishing on the bottom 13km of the river. There are good pools spread throughout each beat and plenty of lovely ‘Fly Water’. The beats cater for 3, 4 or 5 Visitor/Associate rods depending on the beat. Access to the fishery along banks is excellent with good numbers of stiles, walkways & footbridges. There are bridges/footbridges over the river between each beat and 2 in the middle of beat 7. Disabled access has been provided along a section of beat 3 adjacent to the Fishery Office.

    Fly-fishing is the most popular method, followed by spinning. Shrimp and Prawn are banned. Most fly anglers fish a 10’ to 11’ single-handed fly rod rated AFTM 7 to 8 since the main quarry is usually grilse. The river is not very wide and wading is seldom necessary. Indeed, some sections can be tricky or dangerous to wade due to large boulders and associated large holes in the river bed. Some anglers prefer to fish a 12’ or 12’6 double-handed rod rated AFTM 8 to 10. These can be an advantage on some of the wider pools found on beats 6, 7 and 8. Also the extra power is useful if playing a big fish in high water.

    Early in the season, a sinking line can be advantageous until water temperatures rise. From May or June onwards, a floating line covers most situations. A sink-tip or intermediate line may often be required to fish the fly at the correct depth in higher floods or fast pools to prevent the fly from fishing too near the surface or skating on the surface. Most of the usual shrimp flies fish well, as do other standard fly patterns. Popular flies on the fishery include the Claret Shrimp, Black Shrimp, Curry’s Red, John Anthony Shrimp, and Foxford Shrimp. A standard Ally’s Shrimp, Cascade or Apache Shrimp can be effective if there is a touch of colour in the water. Many grilse fall to flies that have claret colours in their makeup. As a general guide, anglers fish a size 8 or 10 fly early in the season, dropping down to 12 or 14 in the summer. In low water, a lightly dressed size 14 or 16 and a stealthy approach, keeping off the skyline, is advised.

    For spinning, the Flying ‘C’ is by far the most popular lure. Any body or blade colour will catch fish, but Red, Black and Yellow are the colours fished by most anglers. Of course, traditional lures like the Toby and Devon Minnows still work but these seem to have fallen from fashion in recent years.

    Catch Returns
    In the interest of fishery management and conservation, the fishery requires that all anglers make catch returns to the office so they can be entered into the Catch Register.

    Catch & Release
    We all have a responsibility to protect and conserve our fisheries so that they can be enjoyed by future generations. Most fisheries face multiple threats including pollution, water abstraction and illegal fishing, all of which have a negative impact on fish stocks. For that reason, we ask that all anglers consider practicing Catch, Photo & Release for the majority of fish they catch. Record any trophy fish with a quick photo and then carefully return to the water. Remember: #CPRsavesfish

    Regulations & Licence
    A State licence is required to fish for salmon or sea trout in the Republic of Ireland and these are available here:
    https://store.fishinginireland.info/

    Fisheries regulations are subject to change and so anglers should consult this link for the latest information:
    https://fishinginireland.info/regulations.htm

    Leave No Trace
    Please adhere to the seven principles of Leave No Trace Ireland:

    Plan ahead and prepare; Travel and camp on durable surfaces; Dispose of waste properly; Leave what you find; Minimise campfire impacts (be careful with fire); Respect wildlife; Be considerate of other visitors.

    Vehicles should be parked in designated areas and in such a manner that they do not cause obstruction.

    Anglers should fish responsibly and sustainably – where possible use single barbless hooks and practice no-weight, “in the water” catch and release.

    www.leavenotraceireland.org/

    Biosecurity
    Aquatic Invasive Species and fish pathogens are readily transferred from one watercourse to another on angling tackle, boats and protective clothing. These can be very damaging to resident fish stocks, the aquatic habitat and the general environment. We ask all anglers to inspect and clean their gear prior to travelling to Ireland to fish.

    Full information on prevention of invasive species is available on our website at:
    www.fisheriesireland.ie/Research/invasive-species.html
    Or via Invasive Species Ireland at
    http://invasivespeciesireland.com/cops/water-users/anglers/

    N.B. Shrimp and Prawn are strictly prohibited.

    Beat Maps

    Beat maps have been prepared by IFI for the Owenea fishery. Click on the thumbnails below to print a high-quality map.

    Map of beats 2 and 3, Owenea [Click here for .pdf of Beats 2 & 3, 163 KB]

    Map of beats 4 and 5, Owenea [Click here for .pdf of Beats 4 & 5, 160 KB]

    Map of beats 6 and 7, Owenea [Click here for .pdfof Beats 6 & 7 , 180 KB]

    Map of beats 8 and 9, Owenea [Click here for .pdf of Beats 8 & 9, 180 KB]

    Owenea Newsletter

    Season

    The season is from 1st April to 30th September, inclusive.

    Buy online: https://permits.fishinginireland.info/product-category/donegal/owenea/

    Salmon licences are available from:

    • Doherty’s Tackle Shop, Main St. Donegal Town. Tel: (074) 9721119

    Bookings/Further information

    Bookings can be taken in advance on full payment of rod permit. Bookings are non-transferable. Rods will be assigned beats on a ‘first come first served basis’ and will be rotated through beats thereafter if demand is high. Visa and MasterCard facilities are available.

    Off-season information available through

    IFI Ballyshannon, Station road, Ballyshannon, Co. Donegal.
    Tel:     (071) 9851435. Fax: (071) 9851816.
    Email:     [email protected]

    map
    Owenea road map