Spate · Upland · North West Wales / Gwynedd / Eifionydd

Dwyfor / Dwyfach

The Afon Dwyfor river flowing below the bridge at Llanystumdwy, Gwynedd, Wales, lined with trees.
Contributor photo

Afon Dwyfor below Pont Llanystumdwy, Gwynedd, Wales.

Eric Jones, CC BY-SA 2.0

Upland headwaters define this river.

Fair · Atlantic Salmon
Fairlive now
Decent — worth a look
Low and clear — careful approach country. Low water tactics — small singles, riffling hitch in the smooth glides.
50% confidence
What moved it
  • Level0.10 mLast reading 3h ago
  • Water temp17.7°C
  • ClarityClear
Conditions on the water
Live gauge
Level
Steady
0.10 m
Last reading 3h ago
Water temp17.7°C
ClarityClear
Weather16°C
WindE 6 km/h
Pressure1020 hPa
Rain · recent0.0 mm
Rain · ahead0.0 mm

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

Water temperature for atlantic salmon
Warm — slow
18°C est.ideal 10–14°C
0°14°28°
How to fish it · for atlantic salmon
When
Mainly autumn. Fish on the drop after rain — 12 to 24 hours into a falling spate.
Where
Lower Dwyfor pools above the tidal limit near Llanystumdwy.
Method
Small doubles 10 to 12 across-and-down on a floating line; small tubes on a sink-tip in spring or coloured water. Fish the named lies in each pool, working systematically before moving on. Mandatory catch-and-release under NRW byelaw — every salmon goes back.
Kit
10 ft #7/8 single-hander or 11 ft switch — small spate scale; double-handers are wasted on these rivers. Floating line plus light sink-tip. 10 to 12 lb fluoro tippet.
Why this works
Fair — water clarity 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 5 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
1
Sea trout 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.

What's coming
Plan ahead
5-day outlook
Fishing better nearby · 5
Artro
14 km
55
Brown trout · Salmon · Sea trout
Glaslyn
14 km
Brown trout · Salmon · Sea trout
Dwyryd
19 km
Brown trout · Salmon · Sea trout
Afon Prysor
22 km
Brown trout
Seiont
25 km
Brown trout · Salmon · Sea trout
Gallery · 2
  1. The Afon Dwyfor river flowing below the bridge at Llanystumdwy, Gwynedd, Wales, lined with trees.
    Afon Dwyfor below Pont Llanystumdwy, Gwynedd, Wales.
  2. Terrain map of the venue
    Terrain map
About this water

Upland headwaters define 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. The Dwyfor drops out of Cwm Pennant under Cnicht and the Moelwynion and runs to Cardigan Bay near Cricieth; the Dwyfach joins from the north-east before the tidal stretch. Mountain and moorland country, rain-fed and acidic in its upper reaches. NRW's catchment work has been blunt about the pressures — abstraction, acid flushes, mine legacy — and the sewin trend is downward. Honest sport in the right water; not a guarantee.

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

NRW (Wales) · UKGB110065053730

Why this score · for atlantic salmon
  • Temperature2930% weight
  • Flow6025% weight
  • Clarity9520% weight
  • Feeding Time1015% weight
  • Pressure8510% weight
Directions
Apple MapsGoogle Maps
Seasons & zones
  • Salmon1 April → 17 October
  • Sea trout3 March → 17 October
  • Trout3 March → 30 September

Sea trout: Variable seasonal (2026) — NRW 2024 catchment summary classifies sea trout as at risk with a downward trend. Acid flushes, abstraction regulation, and small-catchment volatility all bear on the runs. Honest small-river sport when conditions align — not a destination.

Related guides
Atlantic Salmonsalmon tacticsYorkshire & SpidersNorth Country methodsEuro Nymphingsubsurface methods
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