Spate · Slate · Mid Wales / Gwynedd-Powys, GB-WLS

Dovey (Dyfi)

A stone bridge crossing the River Dovey (Afon Dyfi) at Machynlleth, with wooded hills behind.

Mid Wales spate river flowing into Cardigan Bay — salmon (spring and strong late-season autumn runs) and sea trout from June onwards.

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
  • Level0.83 mLast reading 57 min ago
  • Water temp18.9°C
  • ClarityClear
Today's fly
CDC Emerger
CDC Emerger16-18
Upstream dry, in the film
Conditions on the water
Live gauge
Level
Steady
0.83 m
Last reading 57 min ago
Water temp18.9°C
ClarityClear
Weather19°C
WindNW 17 km/h
Pressure1020 hPa
Rain · recent0.1 mm
Rain · ahead1.6 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 Mid Wales valley. Cambrian Mountains freestone, intimate scale.
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 18.9°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 6pm

Hatch predictions

Today's headline hatch shown — see all 11 active hatches hour by hour with Pro.

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Sub-surface · on the nymphunder the surface

Hatch predictions

Top nymph shown — see all 2 guilds with Pro.

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Beyond the hatch · worth watchingambient prey

Hatch predictions

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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
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 Twymyn — Llanbrynmair AADay tickets
A Dyfi tributary through a scenic waterfall gorge near Dylife, joining the Dyfi near Cemmaes Road.
Visit official site ↗
What's coming
Plan ahead
5-day outlook
Cooler water nearby · 1
Water here around 19°C — probably warm enough to stress Brown Trout . These are likely cooler.
Dysynni
8.0 km
~18°C
Brown trout · Salmon · Sea trout
Gallery · 7
  1. A stone bridge crossing the River Dovey (Afon Dyfi) at Machynlleth, with wooded hills behind.
    Pont ar Ddyfi, the bridge over the Afon Dyfi (Dovey) at Machynlleth
  2. The historic Pont Minllyn packhorse bridge across the River Dyfi at Dinas Mawddwy, water visible beneath the arch.
    River Dyfi at Pont Minllyn, Dinas Mawddwy
  3. The River Dovey seen from the A487 road in Ceredigion, Wales, in spring.
    River Dovey from the A487
  4. The River Dyfi flowing through the Machynlleth reach with the Cambrian railway line in the landscape.
    The River Dyfi, Machynlleth
  5. The River Dovey upstream of the Pont ar Ddyfi road bridge at Machynlleth in winter.
    River Dovey upstream of Pont ar Ddyfi
  6. The Afon Dyfi flowing past a bridge near Machynlleth with Welsh hills in the background.
    Afon Dyfi near Machynlleth
  7. Terrain map of the venue
    Terrain map
About this water

Mid Wales spate river flowing into Cardigan Bay — salmon (spring and strong late-season autumn runs) and sea trout from June onwards. Responsive in 5 hours; fish on the rise and drop. Good late-season salmon October–November. Fish sinking-tip with medium tubes in spring, smaller wets for summer sea trout. The Dovey estuary is a Special Area of Conservation. Estuary concentrates migratory fish. 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: Good
  • Chemical: Unknown

NRW (Wales) · UKGB110064048390

The full read · show the working · for Brown Trout · confidence 80%
How the 34 is built — score × weight = contribution
Temperature41 × 28%11.5
Flow80 × 22%17.6
Clarity95 × 18%17.1
Feeding Time80 × 13%10.4
Pressure80 × 7%5.6
Insect activity61 × 12%7.3
Conditions total= 70
Can you trust it?
Water temperatureair-to-water estimateestimated
Level / flowon-river gaugeobserved
What would change the calculation
Cooler water — back toward the 10–16 °C ideal band — would lift the score and ease welfare.
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. Mid Wales sea trout river with runs from June but stocks have declined as part of the wider Welsh pattern. Condition-sensitive — post-rain windows are the reliable opportunity.

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 Dyfi (Dovey) salmon and sewin runs have both declined sharply.

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