Stillwater · Mixed · Gwynedd, North Wales (Eryri/Snowdonia National Park)

Bala Lake (Llyn Tegid)

Bala Lake (Llyn Tegid) terrain map
Terrain map

Wales's largest natural lake — a glacial basin in the upper Dee valley, formed when a moraine dammed the retreating ice-age glacier.

Marginal · Trout
Coch-y-Bonddu Beetle · 10-14
A patient day, if you fancy it
Water temperature is the limiting factor today, not the wave. Fish dawn or dusk if you go at all, and handle everything with extra care.
42% confidence
limited data
What moved it
  • WindS 7 km/hLight breeze
Today’s fly
CY
Coch-y-Bonddu Beetle10-14
Upstream dry, on top
Conditions on the water
Live gauge
Wind
Light breeze
S 7 km/h
N
S
from the south
WaveRipple
Water temp
Air temp30°C
CloudClear
Pressure1019 hPa
Rain · recent0.0 mm

Some readings unavailable — check directly before fishing.

How to fish it · for trout
When
The damsel nymph is on. Sedge may also come into play as the day warms. The ripple is helpful — fish should move onto the feed and a slow-drifted team or single wet will cover water well.
Where
Set up a broadside drift and cover the water systematically. Work a bushy searching pattern on the bob and drop a contrasting nymph on the point. Keep a sedge-style dry or emerger on a short leader for the evening rise.
The plan
Plan A

Set up a broadside drift and cover the water systematically. Work a bushy searching pattern on the bob and drop a contrasting nymph on the point. Keep a sedge-style dry or emerger on a short leader for the evening rise.

Plan B

If the main plan is not working, switch to a smaller, more imitative pattern fished slower and deeper. A change of drift angle can also make a difference.

Watch for

Watch for Sedge towards evening — this could be the best window of the day.

Boat — drift

A gentle ripple is ideal for drifting — broadside drift covering the wind lanes should be productive.

Through the year
0–3 scale · July highlighted
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Daddy Long LegsHatch
2
3
2
Murrough (Great Red Sedge)Hatch
2
3
2
Black MidgeHatch
2
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
2
Lake OliveHatch
1
2
2
2
2
2
1

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

Ranked for today
Trout fly box
Bays & launches · 1

Fishing permits for the lake itself are sold separately from river tickets — Bala & District Angling Association controls the surrounding Dee/Tryweryn river beats, but Llyn Tegid's own fishery is permitted through Eryri National Park Authority.

Eryri National Park Authority — lake permitsDay tickets
Day, weekly and season permits sold from a warden's office/ticket point on the Bala foreshore.
What's coming
Plan ahead
5-day outlook
Condition match
55%
Cloud25%
Wind100%
Temp25%

A reasonable day here, though temperature isn't quite in the sweet spot.

Other water nearby · 5
About this water

Wales's largest natural lake — a glacial basin in the upper Dee valley, formed when a moraine dammed the retreating ice-age glacier. The Dee flows in from the Aran mountains and Afon Tryweryn, and out again at the Bala sluices, so this is genuinely part of the river's migration corridor: salmon and sea trout from the wider Dee system do pass through on their way to spawning water above the lake. But that's not what you're fishing for here — Llyn Tegid's own controlled fishery is pike, perch and wild brown trout, plus roach and eels. One species is strictly off-limits: the lake holds the gwyniad, an endemic whitefish found nowhere else on Earth, critically endangered and protected — do not fish for it, and if you hook one by accident, return it immediately. The lake is also Wales's main inland watersports venue, so expect boat traffic sharing the water.

  • Lake
  • Mixed
Why this score
  • Wind conditions (ripple) closely match what this water fishes best in.
  • High temperatures may push fish deeper and reduce surface activity.
  • Damsel Nymph is in its seasonal window, boosting the chance of targeted feeding.
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