Lowland · Old Red Sandstone · Herefordshire / Marches (Lugg Valley, Wye tributary)

Lugg

An angler fly fishing on the River Lugg, viewed from a footbridge near Bodenham.

A Wye tributary that rises in the Radnorshire hills but does most of its work in Herefordshire, running down through Presteigne and Leominster over classic Old Red Sandstone lowland ground.

Tomorrow · Slow going — better windows ahead
Coch-y-bonddu
Forecast · Tomorrow
Slow going — better windows ahead
Little in your favour today. Fish the certain lies, or leave it for a better one.
40% projected
Today's fly
Coch-y-bonddu
Coch-y-bonddu
Reading the river for Tomorrow
Little in your favour today. Fish the certain lies, or leave it for a better one.
Conditions on the water
Live gauge
Level
Steady
0.22 m
Last reading 19h ago
Water temp13.8°C
ClarityClear
Weather12°C
WindNW 10 km/h
Pressure1012 hPa
Rain · recent4.5 mm
Rain · ahead0.1 mm

The nearest gauge doesn't record temperatures, so we've estimated it — defer to the river keeper's advice.

Water temperature for Atlantic Salmon
Ideal
14°C est.ideal 10–16°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
Good — water temperature is working for you, but time of day is the limiting factor today.
Hatch timeline · tomorrowPeak at 6pm

12pm(now) — Cinnamon Sedge

Stage: Taking dunsApproach: Dry flyActivity: 39%
Also:Black Gnat37%Flying Ants25%
Weather boost10 food groups active

Peak activity at 6pm — Evening Sedge (Evening Sedge, Weather boost)

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

Top prey shown — see all 4 with Pro.

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Evidence
Survey-backed · regionalHigh confidence

Backed by regional invertebrate surveys; no sampling on this exact reach yet.

Through the year
0–3 scale · August highlighted
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Mayfly (Green Drake)Hatch
2
2
Large Cinnamon SedgeHatch
2
3
3
2
Daddy Long LegsHatch
2
3
2
CapererHatch
2
3
3
2

Numbers are intensity 0 (none) to 3 (peak) — a guide, not a guarantee.

Beats · 2 · 1 reaches
Lugg beats — Fishing Passport · 2 beatsDay rods
Lyepole, The Eyton Beat
The 2 beats
LyepoleDay tickets
Wye & Usk Foundation (Fishing Passport)
1 mile double-bank River Lugg a few miles upstream of Aymestrey. Trout and grayling on relatively easy gravel/silt wading. No wading at all 1 Nov-2 Mar — bank/float fishing only, to protect spawning salmon redds.
Fishing Passport, max 2 tickets/day. A private holiday cottage retains a 1-rod right and may curtail access in summer. Fly only 3 Mar-31 Oct; winter grayling trotting 1 Nov-2 Mar.
Visit official site ↗
The Eyton BeatDay tickets
Wye & Usk Foundation (Fishing Passport)
~1.5 miles mostly double-bank River Lugg a few miles upstream of Leominster, becoming renowned as a winter grayling destination with specimen fish. No wading at all 1 Nov-2 Mar — bank/float fishing only, to protect spawning salmon redds.
Fishing Passport, max 2 tickets/day. Footpath bridge permanently closed by the local council (May 2024) — low-water chest-wader crossing possible between two weirs. Parking ~450m.
Visit official site ↗
What's coming
Plan ahead
5-day outlook
Other water nearby · 5
Arrow
20 km
Brown trout · Grayling
River Severn
33 km
Brown trout · Grayling · Salmon
River Teme
34 km
Brown trout · Grayling · Salmon
Monnow
38 km
Brown trout · Grayling · Salmon
Llynfi
40 km
Brown trout · Grayling · Chub
Gallery · 2
  1. An angler fly fishing on the River Lugg, viewed from a footbridge near Bodenham.
    Fly fishing on the River Lugg near Bodenham, Herefordshire.
  2. Terrain map of the venue
    Terrain map
About this water

A Wye tributary that rises in the Radnorshire hills but does most of its work in Herefordshire, running down through Presteigne and Leominster over classic Old Red Sandstone lowland ground. Fishing Passport beats around Aymestrey and Leominster have built a strong reputation for winter grayling, including specimen fish, alongside wild brown trout — with wading suspended entirely from November to March to protect spawning salmon redds.

  • Old red sandstone
Why this score · for Atlantic Salmon
  • Temperature10030% weight
  • Flow6025% weight
  • Clarity9520% weight
  • Feeding Time1015% weight
  • Pressure8510% weight
Related guides
Atlantic Salmonsalmon tacticsGrayling Playbookgrayling tacticsTrout Near Londonaccess guide
Casting instructors near here
Booking & contacts