Spate · Slate · North Wales / Conwy

Conwy

The Afon Conwy flowing through its broad valley near Betws-y-Coed in summer.
Contributor photo

Afon Conwy near Betws-y-Coed

Ian Greig - CC BY-SA 2.0

North Wales spate river draining Snowdonia to Conwy Bay.

Fair · Sea Trout
Black & Silver Tube · 1-2 inch
Fairlive now
Decent — worth a look
River lifting fast on the rain. Wait for the rise to peak before settling on a beat.
65% confidence
What moved it
  • Level0.68 mLifting fast
  • Water temp16.2°C
  • ClarityVery colouredColouring up
Today’s fly
BS
Black & Silver Tube1-2 inch
In deep pools and dark water, silhouette and contrast do the work colour cannot. A fly that reads as black against depth is enough. Fish it broadside, hold the swing, let it hang at the dangle — that is when the best fish take.
Conditions on the water
Live gauge
Level
Rising
0.68 m
Lifting fast
Water temp16.2°C
ClarityVery coloured
Weather14°C
WindSW 10 km/h
Pressure1021 hPa
Rain · recent0.1 mm
Rain · ahead5.5 mm

Live readings — water temperature is an estimate where the gauge does not record it.

Water temperature for sea trout
Warm — slow
16°C est.ideal 8–15°C
0°14°28°
How to fish it · for sea trout
When
June through September; July into August prime. Night fishing from full dark when water rises above 13°C. NRW classifies the sewin stock 'At Risk' across Wales — fish carefully if at all, treat C&R as a default. Run timing is highly rain-dependent; windows after summer spates are the practical time.
Where
Lower Conwy pool tails through to the Conwy estuary tidal limit.
Method
Across-and-down on a floating line with small wets — Medicine, Teal Blue and Silver, Stoat's Tail. Steady swing through the tail-outs, never hurry.
Kit
10 ft #6/7, floating line, 8 to 10 lb fluoro tippet. Spare leader on a wrist spool. Headlamp sparingly; let your eyes adjust.
Why this works
Fair — barometric pressure is working for you, but insect activity is the limiting factor today. ⏰ Sea trout become most active from an hour before dusk. This stretch closes at 21:37 — your legal window captures the start of the best fishing. Fish the last 90 minutes hard. Overcast evenings extend the effective window.
Hatch timeline · todayQuiet day

Hatch predictions

Today's headline hatch shown — see all 2 active hatches hour by hour with Pro.

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Evidence
Survey-backed · regionalModerate confidence

Backed by regional invertebrate surveys; no sampling on this exact reach yet.

Through the year
0–3 scale · July highlighted
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Salmon runRun
1
2
2
2
2
2
2
1
Trout seasonSeason
1
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
Sea Trout fly box
BS
Black & Silver TubeTop
1-2 inch · Tube
In deep pools and dark water, silhouette and contrast do the work colour cannot. A fly that reads as black against depth is enough. Fish it broadside, hold the swing, let it hang at the dangle — that is when the best fish take.
SF
Snake Fly (Black)
2-4 inch · Streamer
A mobile eel-like profile that undulates through deep pools — effective when sea trout are lying deep and not responding to conventional wets.
What's coming
Plan ahead
5-day outlook
Other water nearby · 5
Dwyryd
25 km
Brown trout · Salmon · Sea trout
Glaslyn
25 km
Brown trout · Salmon · Sea trout
River Clwyd
26 km
Brown trout · Salmon · Sea trout
Afon Prysor
27 km
Brown trout
Ogwen
28 km
Brown trout · Salmon · Sea trout
Gallery · 6
  1. The Afon Conwy flowing through its broad valley near Betws-y-Coed in summer.
    Afon Conwy near Betws-y-Coed
  2. The River Conwy surging through the narrow Fairy Glen gorge below Betws-y-Coed.
    River Conwy at Fairy Glen
  3. The River Conwy flowing through open countryside near Dolgarrog in the Conwy Valley.
    River Conwy near Dolgarrog
  4. The Afon Conwy at Tal-y-Cafn, the wide tidal lower reach below the main fishing beats.
    Afon Conwy at Tal-y-Cafn
  5. A wide view of the River Conwy at Llanrwst, the broad gravel-bedded channel with wooded valley sides.
    River Conwy, Llanrwst
  6. Terrain map of the venue
    Terrain map
About this water

North Wales spate river draining Snowdonia to Conwy Bay. Fast response (4 hours) to rain; fish it on the rise and falling water. Salmon (spring and autumn) and sea trout. Dark peaty water in spate favors darker flies and bolder presentation. Fish sinking-tip with medium tubes for salmon, smaller wets for sea trout. Tight timing window when conditions are right; patience and planning reward. Slate and schist bedrock underlie this river. Atlantic salmon are under serious conservation pressure — Natural Resources Wales mandates catch-and-release for salmon on all rivers, so all fish must be returned.

  • Slate
Water quality (WFD)
  • Ecology: Moderate
  • Chemical: Unknown

NRW (Wales) · UKGB110066060030

The full read · show the working · for sea trout · confidence 65%
How the river scores — hydrology factors
Water heightVery High Unfishable-3.4
Recent riseClear Recent Rise+8.8
Falling after liftStill Rising Hard-0.6
Water temperatureCool To Moderate+3.5
Time in seasonSummer Peak Window+0.8
ClarityClearing+2.4
Hydrology base11.5
Rules that fired
Rise Plus Good Temp Bonus+0.75
Will they take?Neutralcaps the band

Taking mood is fair — clearing, stained water, fresh fish moving on the lift.

Can you trust it?
Water temperatureair-to-water estimateestimated
Level / flowon-river gaugeobserved
What would change the calculation
No prolonged stable spell before the current rise.
Directions
Apple MapsGoogle Maps
Seasons & zones
  • Salmon20 March → 17 October
  • Trout3 March → 30 September

Sea trout: Variable seasonal (2026) — NRW At Risk classification. North Wales spate river with sea trout present but stocks in decline. Run timing is highly rain-dependent; windows after summer spates are the productive periods.

Salmon: Negligible (2026) — NRW / EA 2024 Salmon Stocks Assessment classifies this Welsh principal salmon river 'at risk' — egg deposition below Conservation Limit. All Wales byelaws (in force 2020-2030) make catch & release mandatory. Conservation priority; not a salmon fishing destination. The Conwy holds North Wales salmon interest but stocks are at risk.

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