Freestone · Limestone · North Wales / Denbighshire

Dee (Welsh)

The River Dee (Afon Dyfrdwy) flowing through Llangollen in bright daylight, the river filling the foreground.
Contributor photo

River Dee at Llangollen

Llywelyn2000 - CC BY-SA 4.0

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
Low and clear — careful approach country. Take your time — read the water before you cast.
75% confidence
What moved it
  • Level0.45 mRising in the last 6h
  • Water temp14.9°C
  • ClarityClear
Today’s fly
CDC Emerger
CDC Emerger16-18
Upstream dry, in the film
Conditions on the water
Live gauge
Level
Steady
0.45 m
Rising in the last 6h
Water temp14.9°C
ClarityClear
Weather14°C
WindW 9 km/h
Pressure1022 hPa
Rain · recent0.6 mm
Rain · ahead1.0 mm

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

Water temperature for brown trout
Ideal
15°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 working for you, but time of day is the limiting factor today.
Hatch timeline · todayQuiet day

Hatch predictions

Today's headline hatch shown — see all 10 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
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
BB
Black Beetle
14-18 · Pattern
Upstream dry, on top
Beats · 4
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.
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.
River Alyn — Rossett & Gresford Flyfishers, day ticket via Fishing PassportAccess varies
Two and a half miles on the Alyn — a Dee tributary rising in the Clwydian hills and joining the main river above Chester.
What's coming
Plan ahead
5-day outlook
Other water nearby · 5
River Clwyd
34 km
80
Brown trout · Salmon · Sea trout
Conwy
46 km
30
Brown trout · Salmon · Sea trout
Afon Prysor
51 km
82
Brown trout
Afon Eden (Welsh)
52 km
84
Brown trout
Mawddach
54 km
Brown trout · Salmon · Sea trout
Gallery · 6
  1. The River Dee (Afon Dyfrdwy) flowing through Llangollen in bright daylight, the river filling the foreground.
    River Dee at Llangollen
  2. The River Dee flowing out of Llyn Tegid (Bala Lake) through riparian meadow within the SAC.
    River Dee below Bala Lake
  3. The River Dee at Carrog showing flowing water and wooded valley banks on a summer day.
    River Dee at Carrog
  4. The Afon Dyfrdwy (River Dee) flowing through open countryside at Corwen, Denbighshire.
    The River Dee at Corwen
  5. Elevated valley view over the River Dee and Crogen estate woodland near Llandderfel.
    River Dee and the Crogen estate
  6. 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.

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

NRW (Wales) · UKGB111067052060

The full read · show the working · for brown trout · confidence 75%
How the 80 is built — score × weight = contribution
Temperature100 × 28%28.0
Flow80 × 22%17.6
Clarity95 × 18%17.1
Feeding Time40 × 13%5.2
Pressure80 × 7%5.6
Insect activity51 × 12%6.1
Conditions total= 80
Can you trust it?
Water temperatureair-to-water estimateestimated
Level / flowon-river gaugeobserved
Prey activitysurvey-backed invertebrate datasurvey
What would change the calculation
The dawn and dusk windows score higher than the midday lull.
Directions
Apple MapsGoogle Maps
Seasons & zones
  • Salmon20 March → 17 October
  • Trout3 March → 30 September
  • Grayling16 June → 14 March

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.

Related guides
Grayling Playbookgrayling tacticsYorkshire & SpidersNorth Country methodsEuro Nymphingsubsurface methods
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