Spate · Mixed · South Wales / Neath Port Talbot, GB-WLS

Neath

The River Neath flowing through a wooded valley near the Ynysbwllog Aqueduct, South Wales.

Out of the Brecon Beacons through Glynneath and down past the town of Neath to Baglan Bay — accessible South Wales sewin and salmon water with one of the steadier club traditions in the region.

Good · Atlantic Salmon
Cascade · 10-14
Goodlive now
A good day — worth the effort
Low and clear — careful approach country. Small, sparse flies, long leader, careful approach.
70% confidence
What moved it
  • Level0.15 mLast reading 12 min ago
  • Water temp10.8°C
  • ClarityClear
Today's fly
Cascade
Cascade10-14
Regional salmon default — river-specific evidence is thin.
Conditions on the water
Live gauge
Level
Steady
0.15 m
Last reading 12 min ago
Water temp10.8°C
ClarityClear
Weather9°C
WindNE 9 km/h
Pressure1026 hPa
Rain · recent0.8 mm
Rain · ahead0.0 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
11°C est.ideal 10–16°C
0°14°28°
How to fish it · for Atlantic Salmon
When
Summer through autumn. Fish on the drop after rain — the Neath is not a spring salmon river.
Where
Middle and lower Neath pools above the tidal limit. Neath & Dulais AA named beats.
Method
Small doubles 10 to 12 across-and-down on a floating line; small tubes on a sink-tip in spring water. Cover the pools methodically. Mandatory catch-and-release under NRW byelaw — every salmon goes back.
Kit
12 ft #7/8 double-hander or 11 ft switch. Floating line plus light sink-tip. 10 to 12 lb fluoro tippet.
Why this works
Good — water temperature is working for you, but time of day is the limiting factor today.
Hatch timeline · todayPeak at 6am

Hatch predictions

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Sub-surface · on the nymphunder the surface

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Beyond the hatch · worth watchingambient prey

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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
Salmon runRun
1
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
March BrownHatch
2
3
2
CapererHatch
2
3
3
2
Heather FlyHatch
2
2
Autumn DunHatch
2
3
2

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

Ranked for today
Atlantic Salmon 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
Glynneath & District AA — day ticket via Fishing PassportAccess varies
Seventeen miles of the upper Neath Valley fishing held by Glynneath & DAA.
Visit official site ↗
What's coming
Plan ahead
5-day outlook
Other water nearby · 5
Afon Twrch
10 km
Brown trout
Afon Cynon
13 km
Brown trout
Afan
15 km
Brown trout · Salmon · Sea trout
Tawe
16 km
75
Brown trout · Salmon · Sea trout
Amman
22 km
Brown trout · Sea trout · Salmon
Gallery · 2
  1. The River Neath flowing through a wooded valley near the Ynysbwllog Aqueduct, South Wales.
    The River Neath looking upstream from the Ynysbwllog Aqueduct in the Vale of Neath.
  2. Terrain map of the venue
    Terrain map
About this water

Out of the Brecon Beacons through Glynneath and down past the town of Neath to Baglan Bay — accessible South Wales sewin and salmon water with one of the steadier club traditions in the region. Fishing Wales names the Neath specifically as a starting point for a first Welsh sea trout, and the Neath & Dulais Association ticket gives genuine access. The lower catchment is industrial in character; the proper fishing is in the middle and upper 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

  • Mixed
Water quality (WFD)
  • Ecology: Moderate
  • Chemical: Unknown
What this classification means

NRW WFD Cycle 3 — Neath (conf Nedd Fechan & Mellte to tidal limit): Moderate ecological status. Status corrected 2026-06-18 (was recorded Good). Source: NRW DataMapWales classification layer.

NRW (Wales) · UKGB110058032430

Why this score · for Atlantic Salmon
  • Temperature10030% weight
  • Flow6025% weight
  • Clarity9520% weight
  • Feeding Time4015% weight
  • Pressure8510% weight
Directions
Apple MapsGoogle Maps
Seasons & zones
  • Salmon 1 May → 17 October
  • Sea trout 3 March → 17 October
  • Trout 3 March → 30 September

Sea trout: Variable seasonal (2026) — Accessible South Wales sewin river with a long club tradition. All-Wales At Risk picture applies. Pre-1 May C&R rule for sea trout is specific to the Neath.

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