Spate · Mixed · South Wales / Vale of Glamorgan / Bridgend, GB-WLS

Ogmore and Ewenny

The River Ogmore flowing through a rural stretch near Bridgend, South Wales.

The Ogmore drops out of the Bridgend hills and is joined by the Ewenny from the Vale before tumbling into the Severn at Ogmore-by-Sea.

Fair · Atlantic Salmon
Cascade · 10-14
Fairlive now
Decent — worth a look
Low and clear — careful approach country. Low water tactics — small singles, riffling hitch in the smooth glides.
70% confidence
What moved it
  • Level0.35 m
  • Water temp17.3°C
  • ClarityClear
Today's fly
Cascade
Cascade10-14
Regional salmon default — river-specific evidence is thin.
Conditions on the water
Live gauge
Level
Steady
0.35 m
Water temp17.3°C
ClarityClear
Weather16°C
WindN 15 km/h
Pressure1025 hPa
Rain · recent0.2 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
Warm — slow
17°C est.ideal 10–16°C
0°14°28°
How to fish it · for Atlantic Salmon
When
Summer through autumn. Fish the drop after rain; the lower pools take fresh fish on combined tide-and-river timing.
Where
Lower Ogmore pools above the estuary at Ogmore-by-Sea; named lies through the Ogmore AA water.
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
Good — water clarity 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

Hatch predictions

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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.

What's coming
Plan ahead
5-day outlook
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Gallery · 2
  1. The River Ogmore flowing through a rural stretch near Bridgend, South Wales.
    The River Ogmore near Bridgend, upstream of its confluence with the Ewenny.
  2. Terrain map of the venue
    Terrain map
About this water

The Ogmore drops out of the Bridgend hills and is joined by the Ewenny from the Vale before tumbling into the Severn at Ogmore-by-Sea. South Wales sewin water with a strong local association — fresh fish straight off the tide are the proper Ogmore angle. The two rivers are treated as one for season and byelaw purposes, and the lower beats above the estuary fish best on a dropping spate with a tinge of colour. 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 — Ogmore (confluence with Llynfi to tidal limit): Moderate ecological status; the lower Ogmore sewin water. Corrected 2026-06-18 from an Alun-tributary tag (was recorded Good). Source: NRW DataMapWales WFD Cycle 3 classification layer.

NRW (Wales) · GB110058026280

Why this score · for Atlantic Salmon
  • Temperature4830% weight
  • Flow6025% weight
  • Clarity9520% weight
  • Feeding Time2015% 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) — Established South Wales sewin system with a long club tradition (Ogmore AA). All-Wales At Risk picture applies; fresh-off-the-tide fish in the lower pools are the characteristic Ogmore sport.

Related guides
Atlantic Salmonsalmon tacticsYorkshire & SpidersNorth Country methodsEuro Nymphingsubsurface methods
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