Spate · Carboniferous Coal Measures · Gwent Valleys, South East Wales (Ebbw Valley, Usk tributary)

Ebbw

The River Ebbw running through a wooded gorge at Risca, South Wales, in autumn colour.
Contributor photo

River Ebbw HDR

Richard Jones - CC BY-SA 2.0

Two branches — Ebbw Fawr and Ebbw Fach, meeting at Aberbeeg — that ran effectively dead through the 1970s: coal washeries and the Ebbw Vale steelworks discharged a cocktail of chemical waste that stopped even eels reaching the lower river, and a resident kingfisher pair had to hunt the adjacent canal instead.

Poor · Atlantic Salmon
Poorlive now
Slow going — better windows ahead
Low and clear — careful approach country. Stale fish in low clear water spook easily — pick your hour.
90% confidence
What moved it
  • LevelDry recentlyNo gauge reading
  • Water temp22.2°C
  • ClarityClear
Conditions on the water
Estimate
Level
Dry recently
No gauge reading
Water temp22.2°C
ClarityClear
Weather28°C
WindSW 10 km/h
Pressure1020 hPa
Rain · recent0.0 mm
Rain · ahead0.0 mm

No gauge on this water — readings are regional estimates from weather, not a live gauge.

Water temperature for atlantic salmon
Welfare risk
22°C est.ideal 10–14°C
0°14°28°
How to fish it · for atlantic salmon
When
Morning into early afternoon.
Where
Pool tails, steadier runs, and any water with pace.
Method
Fish a sensible line-and-fly combination for the height and pace of water.
Kit
13 ft #8/9 double-hander in spate, 10 ft #8 single in low water. Floating line plus a fast-sink tip. 12–15 lb fluoro tippet.
Why this works
⛔ Water at 22.2°C. This is the line where catch-and-release kills atlantic salmon. Do not fish for them today.
Hatch timeline · todayPeak at 12pm

Hatch predictions

Today's headline hatch shown — see all 10 active hatches hour by hour with Pro.

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Through the year
0–3 scale · July highlighted
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
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.

Beats · 1

Islwyn & District Anglers' day ticket is the practical way onto this river; no other controller was confirmed with a primary source in this pass.

Islwyn & District AnglersDay tickets
One ticket covers Ebbw water alongside the club's Sirhowy and Rhymney stretches.
What's coming
Plan ahead
5-day outlook
Water here around 22°C. Nothing cooler within range — carry a thermometer.
Gallery · 2
  1. The River Ebbw running through a wooded gorge at Risca, South Wales, in autumn colour.
    River Ebbw HDR
  2. Terrain map of the venue
    Terrain map
About this water

Two branches — Ebbw Fawr and Ebbw Fach, meeting at Aberbeeg — that ran effectively dead through the 1970s: coal washeries and the Ebbw Vale steelworks discharged a cocktail of chemical waste that stopped even eels reaching the lower river, and a resident kingfisher pair had to hunt the adjacent canal instead. Pollution controls from the mid-1970s brought fish back in a documented sequence (trout, then eel, stone loach, stickleback, bullhead), and the lower river is now rated as some of the best wild brown trout fishing in Wales. The honest caveat: a historic mine-water discharge at Six Bells, on the Ebbw Fach, still requires active, ongoing treatment infrastructure — this is a genuine recovery story, not a finished or pristine one.

  • Carboniferous coal measures
Why this score · for atlantic salmon
  • Temperature030% weight
  • Flow6025% weight
  • Clarity9520% weight
  • Feeding Time9015% weight
  • Pressure8510% weight
Related guides
Atlantic Salmonsalmon tacticsYorkshire & SpidersNorth Country methodsEuro Nymphingsubsurface methods
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