Spate · Mixed · Mid Wales / Ceredigion, GB-WLS

Ystwyth

A wide, shallow stretch of the Afon Ystwyth flowing past a gravel bar with yellow-flowering gorse bushes and green hills under a blue sky.
Poor · Atlantic Salmon
Cascade · 10-14
Poorlive now
Slow going — better windows ahead
River high but settled. Little in your favour today. Fish the certain lies, or leave it for a better one.
85% confidence
What moved it
  • Level1.22 mLast reading 1h ago
  • Water temp12.0°C
  • ClarityClear
Today's fly
Cascade
Cascade10-14
Regional salmon default — river-specific evidence is thin.
Conditions on the water
Live gauge
Level
Steady
1.22 m
Last reading 1h ago
Water temp12.0°C
ClarityClear
Weather12°C
WindN 29 km/h
Pressure1017 hPa
Rain · recent0.2 mm
Rain · ahead21.6 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
Ideal
12°C est.ideal 10–16°C
0°14°28°
How to fish it · for Atlantic Salmon
When
Late summer through autumn close. The Ystwyth is not a spring salmon river — fish the autumn lifts, 12 to 24 hours after rain.
Where
Lower river pools above the tidal limit. Named lies through the Aberystwyth association beats.
Method
Small doubles 10 to 12 across-and-down on a floating line; small tubes on a sink-tip in spring or coloured water. Fish the named lies in each pool, working systematically before moving on. Mandatory catch-and-release under NRW byelaw — every salmon goes back.
Kit
10 ft #7/8 single-hander or 11 ft switch — small spate scale; double-handers are wasted on these rivers. Floating line plus light sink-tip. 10 to 12 lb fluoro tippet.
Why this works
Excellent — water temperature is right today, though river flow could be better.
Likely species
Stoneflies
Gammarids
Hatch timeline · todayPeak at 11:00

Hatch predictions

Today's headline hatch shown — see all 12 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 2 guilds as a supporter.

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Beyond the hatch · worth watchingambient prey(1)

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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 · October 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
Trout seasonSeason
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
Fly box · Atlantic Salmon
Beats · 1
Llanilar AA — day ticket via Fishing PassportAccess varies
About twelve miles of mostly double-bank Ystwyth fishing from Pontrhydygroes down to Aberystwyth marina, held by Llanilar AA.
Visit official site ↗
What's coming
Plan ahead
5-day outlook
Other water nearby · 5
Aeron
22 km
21
Brown trout · Salmon · Sea trout
Rheidol
5.0 km
Brown trout · Salmon · Sea trout
Dovey (Dyfi)
28 km
Brown trout · Salmon · Sea trout
Dysynni
31 km
Brown trout · Salmon · Sea trout
Irfon
38 km
Brown trout · Grayling · Salmon
Gallery · 2
  1. A wide, shallow stretch of the Afon Ystwyth flowing past a gravel bar with yellow-flowering gorse bushes and green hills under a blue sky.
    The Afon Ystwyth near Llanilar, with a wide gravel bar and flowering gorse along the bank.
  2. Terrain map of the venue
    Terrain map
Water quality (WFD)
  • Ecology: Poor
  • Chemical: Unknown
What this classification means

NRW WFD Cycle 3 — Ystwyth (conf with the Nant Cell to tidal limit; NRW spells it 'Ystywth'): Poor ecological status; Llanilar AA water. Corrected 2026-06-18 from a Paith-tributary tag (was recorded Good). Source: NRW DataMapWales WFD Cycle 3 classification layer.

NRW (Wales) · GB110063041710

Why this score · for Atlantic Salmon
  • Temperature10030% weight
  • Flow6025% weight
  • Clarity9520% weight
  • Feeding Time10015% weight
  • Pressure8510% weight
Directions
Apple MapsGoogle Maps
Seasons & zones
  • Salmon 1 April → 17 October
  • Sea trout 3 March → 17 October
  • Trout 3 March → 30 September

Sea trout: Variable seasonal (2026) — The Ystwyth is one of the more reliable Welsh sewin rivers in the right water, with a strong local association tradition. All-Wales At Risk classification applies; the river's dramatic level swings make it almost entirely condition-driven.

Related guides
Atlantic Salmonsalmon tacticsYorkshire & SpidersNorth Country methodsEuro Nymphingsubsurface methods
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