Stillwater · Mixed · Ceredigion, Mid Wales (Cambrian Mountains / Elenydd)

Nant y Moch Reservoir

Misty view over Nant y Moch Reservoir in mid Wales, with the concrete dam structure on the right and rolling Cambrian Mountains hills surrounding the water.

A big, remote hydro reservoir deep in the Cambrian Mountains — the 'Desert of Wales' — sitting at the head of the River Rheidol scheme, operated by Statkraft.

Fair · Trout
Booby · 10-12
Fairlive now
Reasonable autumn fishing likely at Nant y Moch Reservoir
Good wave on — drift country. A useful wave. Work the productive shore.
62% confidence

Nant y Moch Reservoir is often best in spring through autumn.

What moved it
  • WindW 12 km/hLight breeze · Gusts to 18 km/h
Today's fly
Booby
Booby10-12
Washing-line, sub-surface
Conditions on the water
Estimate
Wind
Light breeze · Gusts to 18 km/h
W 12 km/h
N
W
from the west
Wave20 cm ripple
Water temp10.0°C
Air temp14°C
CloudOvercast
Pressure1019 hPa
Rain · recent0.0 mm

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

How to fish it · for Trout
When
Overcast, breezy conditions; evenings
Where
Start with Cormorant (10-12) — on the bob / top dropper. If that does not produce, switch depth or speed before changing the pattern entirely.
The plan
Plan A

Start with Cormorant (10-12) — on the bob / top dropper. If that does not produce, switch depth or speed before changing the pattern entirely.

Plan B

A fry-imitating pattern stripped through the margins can save a blank in autumn.

Watch for

Keep an eye on changing conditions — wind shifts and cloud breaks can trigger short feeding spells.

Bank

Bank-only venue. Fish from accessible margins, points, weed edges, and inflows.

Sub-surface · on the nymphunder the surface

Hatch predictions

Top nymph shown — see all 2 guilds as a supporter.

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Beyond the hatch · worth watchingambient prey(1)

Hatch predictions

Top prey shown — see all 4 as a supporter.

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Through the year
0–3 scale · October highlighted
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Heather FlyHatch
2
2
Daddy Long LegsHatch
2
3
2
Claret DunHatch
2
3
2
Murrough (Great Red Sedge)Hatch
2
3
2

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

Ranked for today
Trout fly box

Boat-friendly, competition-influenced, often wind-driven, with strong top-of-water periods but also classic deep searching and washing-line phases.

Bays & launches · 1

No online booking — the only confirmed access route is a day ticket bought in person, in the nearest village.

Day ticket — PonterwydDay tickets
Fly only, bank/wading fishing on 680 acres of remote upland water.
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What's coming
Plan ahead
5-day outlook
Condition match
73%
Cloud50%
Wind100%
Temp60%

A good match for Nant y Moch Reservoir — most conditions are close to what it fishes best in.

Other water nearby · 5
Gallery · 2
  1. Misty view over Nant y Moch Reservoir in mid Wales, with the concrete dam structure on the right and rolling Cambrian Mountains hills surrounding the water.
    Nant-y-moch reservoir looking North-East from Bryn Gwyn forest
  2. Terrain map of the venue
    Terrain map
About this water

A big, remote hydro reservoir deep in the Cambrian Mountains — the 'Desert of Wales' — sitting at the head of the River Rheidol scheme, operated by Statkraft. It's genuinely wild-feeling water: 680 acres of exposed upland loch with brown trout running small (typically around half a pound, occasionally larger) and a scattering of small perch. Some sources mention supplemental trout stocking from Statkraft's Cwm Rheidol hatchery further down the scheme; the fishing-guide consensus still brands it a wild fishery, so treat that as an open question rather than settled either way. There's no boat fishing — everything is bank and wading, on soft, occasionally silty margins, in a spot exposed enough that weather can turn quickly. No salmon or sea trout here; those belong to the River Rheidol below the dam cascade, not the reservoir itself.

  • Reservoir
  • Mixed
Why this score
  • Wind conditions (ripple) closely match what this water fishes best in.
  • Lake Olive is in its seasonal window, boosting the chance of targeted feeding.
  • Reservoirs of this kind fish well at this time of year.
Related guides
Casting instructors near here
Booking & contacts
Boards & regulators