Spate · Slate · North Wales / Conwy, GB-WLS

Conwy

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

North Wales spate river draining Snowdonia to Conwy Bay.

Marginal · Brown Trout
CDC Emerger · 16-18
Marginallive now
Slow going — pick your moments
River temperature is the limiting factor today, not the flow. Fish dawn or dusk if you go at all, and handle everything with extra care.
80% confidence
What moved it
  • Level0.52 mDropping after lift
  • Water temp18.7°C
  • ClarityVery colouredClearing
Today's fly
CDC Emerger
CDC Emerger16-18
Upstream dry, in the film
Conditions on the water
Live gauge
Level
Falling
0.52 m
Dropping after lift
Water temp18.7°C
ClarityVery coloured
Weather19°C
WindN 13 km/h
Pressure1019 hPa
Rain · recent0.0 mm
Rain · ahead1.0 mm

The nearest gauge doesn't record temperatures, so we've estimated it — defer to the river keeper's advice.

Water temperature for Brown Trout
Warm — slow
19°C est.ideal 10–16°C
0°14°28°
How to fish it · for Brown Trout
When
Through the open trout season. Spring olives April through May; sedges through summer; small dark flies into autumn close.
Where
Pool tails and pocket water through the North Wales spate stretches. Small-scale Snowdonia-edge water.
Method
Upstream dry to risers; dry-dropper through the riffles. North Country spider on the swing in cooler water. Spate-driven on falling water.
Kit
9 ft #4 — Welsh freestone default. Floating line, 9 to 12 ft leader to 4 to 5 lb fluoro. Studded boots — slate slabs run slick.
Why this works
Water at 18.7°C — above the brown trout caution line (18°C). Fish dawn or dusk only. Land it fast, wet hands, no air shots.
Hatch timeline · todayPeak at 6am

Hatch predictions

Today's headline hatch shown — see all 3 active hatches hour by hour with Pro.

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Beyond the hatch · worth watchingambient prey

Hatch predictions

Top prey shown — see all 2 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
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
Brown Trout fly box

Wild-river first principles. Early-season nymphs and practical searching, then dry flies, emergers and spiders as hatches and surface activity improve.

Beats · 1
River Machno — National Trust (Ysbyty Ifan)Enquiry
The Conwy's first major tributary, running through the slate-quarrying Penmachno valley past Pandy Falls and Machno Falls — a distinct National Trust fishery, separate from Betws-y-Coed Anglers Club's water on the Conwy/Llugwy/Lledr.
Visit official site ↗
What's coming
Plan ahead
5-day outlook
Cooler water nearby · 2
Water here around 19°C — probably warm enough to stress Brown Trout . These are likely cooler.
River Clwyd
26 km
~17°C
Brown trout · Salmon · Sea trout
Glaslyn
25 km
~18°C
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.

Sea trout here

Summer-autumn runs (June–September), primarily nocturnal

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

NRW (Wales) · UKGB110066060030

The full read · show the working · for Brown Trout · confidence 80%
How the 30 is built — score × weight = contribution
Temperature44 × 28%12.3
Flow80 × 22%17.6
Clarity15 × 18%2.7
Feeding Time85 × 13%11.1
Pressure80 × 7%5.6
Insect activity50 × 12%6.0
Limiting factor: Water is very coloured — too coloured for Brown Trout= 55
Can you trust it?
Water temperatureair-to-water estimateestimated
Level / flowon-river gaugeobserved
Prey activitysurvey-backed invertebrate datasurvey
What would change the calculation
Cooler water — back toward the 10–16 °C ideal band — would lift the score and ease welfare.
A drop and clear would lift the flow and clarity scores.
Directions
Apple MapsGoogle Maps
Seasons & zones
  • Salmon 20 March → 17 October
  • Trout 3 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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