Freestone · Limestone · North Wales / Denbighshire, GB-WLS

Dee (Welsh)

Wide view of the River Dee flowing over a weir through the town of Llangollen, Denbighshire, Wales, with wooded hills behind

Major North Wales salmon river rising in Snowdonia, regulated by Lake Bala.

Prime · Brown Trout
CDC Emerger · 16-18
Primelive now
About as good as it gets
River dropping into shape after a lift. The kind of afternoon you remember — a weighted nymph through the clearing seams, the dry as it settles.
90% confidence
What moved it
  • Level0.44 mDropping after lift
  • Water temp15.9°C
  • ClarityClear
Today's fly
CDC Emerger
CDC Emerger16-18
Upstream dry, in the film
Conditions on the water
Live gauge
Level
Steady
0.44 m
Dropping after lift
Water temp15.9°C
ClarityClear
Weather15°C
WindNW 20 km/h
Pressure1020 hPa
Rain · recent0.0 mm
Rain · ahead0.0 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
Ideal
16°C est.ideal 10–16°C
0°14°28°
How to fish it · for Brown Trout
When
Nymphing can work through most of the day.
Where
Cover mixed depths.
Method
Start with tight-line nymphs and adjust if fish rise or drift higher.
Kit
9 ft #4 rod, floating line, 12 ft tapered leader to 4–5 lb fluoro tippet.
Why this works
Excellent — water temperature is right today, though insect activity could be better.
Hatch timeline · todayPeak at 6am

Hatch predictions

Today's headline hatch shown — see all 7 active hatches hour by hour with Pro.

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Sub-surface · on the nymphunder the surface

Hatch predictions

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Beyond the hatch · worth watchingambient prey

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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
Grayling seasonSeason
2
2
1
1
2
2
2
2
2
2
Daddy Long LegsHatch
2
3
2
GrannomHatch
2
2
Evening SedgeHatch
2
3
3
3
2
Large Dark OliveHatch
1
2
2
1

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 · 5 · 4 reaches
Llangollen & middle Dee — Llangollen Maelor AnglingAccess varies
The Welsh Dee around Llangollen is one of the finest grayling rivers in Europe, host to international championships and the annual Hanak Grayling Festival.
Visit official site ↗
Upper Welsh Dee — Bala & District AAAccess varies
Bala & District Angling Association holds beats on the upper Welsh Dee above Llangollen, fishable on day or season ticket from local outlets.
Lower Welsh Dee — Bangor-on-Dee & private beatsAccess varies
The lower Welsh Dee is more salmon and sea trout water, much of it in private and syndicate hands.
Bala-area Dee tributaries · 2 beatsDay rods
River Tryweryn — Bala & District Angling Association, Llafar & Lliw — Bala & District Angling Association
The 2 beats
River Tryweryn — Bala & District Angling AssociationDay tickets
Bala & District Angling Association
Runs off Llyn Celyn reservoir down to join the Dee just below Bala, past the National Whitewater Centre. Dam releases (typically 9-11 cumecs, scheduled around whitewater events) cause rapid, sudden level rises — check the release schedule alongside any gauge reading. No spinning at any time; no fishing in the 27.4m stretch above Tryweryn weir.
Fly and worm only — no spinning, no maggots or ground bait (NRW byelaw). Season 1 March-28/29 February.
Visit official site ↗
Llafar & Lliw — Bala & District Angling AssociationDay tickets
Bala & District Angling Association
Two small, narrow, overhung feeder streams into Llyn Tegid (Bala Lake) near Glanllyn — genuinely minor water, fished together on one club ticket. Fishes best in spate; club guidance uses the Dee-at-New-Inn gauge as a rough proxy, since neither stream is directly gauged.
Any legal method except maggots/ground bait (NRW byelaw). Note: there's a second, unrelated River Lliw near Swansea (Loughor system) — this is the Gwynedd one, at the head of Bala Lake.
Visit official site ↗
What's coming
Plan ahead
5-day outlook
Other water nearby · 5
Alyn
18 km
Brown trout · Grayling
Tanat
20 km
77
Brown trout · Grayling · Salmon
Vyrnwy
28 km
Brown trout · Grayling · Salmon
River Clwyd
34 km
Brown trout · Salmon · Sea trout
Conwy
46 km
Brown trout · Salmon · Sea trout
Gallery · 7
  1. Wide view of the River Dee flowing over a weir through the town of Llangollen, Denbighshire, Wales, with wooded hills behind
    The River Dee (Afon Dyfrdwy) at Llangollen, Denbighshire
  2. The River Dee (Afon Dyfrdwy) flowing through Llangollen in bright daylight, the river filling the foreground.
    River Dee at Llangollen
  3. The River Dee flowing out of Llyn Tegid (Bala Lake) through riparian meadow within the SAC.
    River Dee below Bala Lake
  4. The River Dee at Carrog showing flowing water and wooded valley banks on a summer day.
    River Dee at Carrog
  5. The Afon Dyfrdwy (River Dee) flowing through open countryside at Corwen, Denbighshire.
    The River Dee at Corwen
  6. Elevated valley view over the River Dee and Crogen estate woodland near Llandderfel.
    River Dee and the Crogen estate
  7. Terrain map of the venue
    Terrain map
About this water

Major North Wales salmon river rising in Snowdonia, regulated by Lake Bala. Spring salmon (late March–May, from the 20 March opening) and grilse from July onwards. Fish sinking-tip with medium tubes in spring, smaller doubles in summer. Excellent grayling in the middle and lower reaches (winter fishing October–March). Wild brown trout in the upper reaches. The Llangollen stretch is iconic — limestone freestone with good hatches. Lake regulation provides more stable flows than natural spate rivers. 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

  • Limestone
Water quality (WFD)
  • Ecology: Good
  • Chemical: Unknown

NRW (Wales) · UKGB111067052060

The full read · show the working · for Brown Trout · confidence 90%
How the 86 is built — score × weight = contribution
Temperature100 × 28%28.0
Flow80 × 22%17.6
Clarity95 × 18%17.1
Feeding Time80 × 13%10.4
Pressure80 × 7%5.6
Insect activity60 × 12%7.2
Conditions total= 86
Can you trust it?
Water temperatureair-to-water estimateestimated
Level / flowon-river gaugeobserved
Directions
Apple MapsGoogle Maps
Seasons & zones
  • Salmon 20 March → 17 October
  • Trout 3 March → 30 September
  • Grayling 16 June → 14 March

    Corwen & District AC lists grayling 16 June – 14 March inclusive. Methods change through the season: fly only 16 June – 17 October; fly or float-trotted worm 18 October – 2 March; fly only again 3–14 March. Check association rules for any additional local variations.

    Prime sport 1 September → 31 December

    • 16 Jun → 17 Oct · Fly only
    • 18 Oct → 2 Mar · Fly or float-trotted worm
    • 3 Mar → 14 Mar · Fly only

Sea trout: Variable seasonal (2026) — NRW At Risk classification. North Wales Dee sea trout are present but the river is primarily salmon and brown-trout focused. Stocks have declined alongside the wider Welsh sea trout crisis.

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 Welsh Dee (cross-border with England) has seen sustained salmon decline.

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